Author: Press Room

Beer pong playing knights and possessed jello shots are among the intoxicating enemies in a Dunedin-made video game about alcohol which has received financial backing from Microsoft. Brews & Bastards, the debut title from Dunedin-founded Mune Studio, released today on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Steam. Mune Studio co-founder Erekose Watson said the game was a fantasy tavern-themed dungeon crawler. “Sort of think Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but with booze instead of chocolate.” Without the support of Microsoft, the game might not have gone ahead, Mr Watson said. The studio initially took the game to conferences in the United…

ABC will reinstate Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show in the wake of criticism over his comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials with the network said Tuesday.”We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday (local time),” said a statement from the network.ABC suspended Kimmel indefinitely after comments he made about Kirk, who was killed on September 10, in a monologue. Kimmel said “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk” and that “the…

A person has been taken into custody in Auckland after allegedly stealing a motorbike, driving at speed and into oncoming traffic, before falling off. Auckland Police Inspector Kerry Watson said Police received a report at 7.25am that a motorcycle was taken from an address on New Lynn’s Tiki St.”Units patrolling Avondale sighted the bike on Granville Drive a short time later,” he said.Upon seeing police, the rider took off at speed. Police chose not to pursue, but the Eagle helicopter followed at a distance.”The rider has sped across Auckland at dangerous speeds, at times crossing over onto the wrong side…

A collection of hundreds of toy vehicles that was auctioned off over the weekend has netted the original collector’s family almost $100,000.Dunedin’s Proctors Auctions sold more than 740 lots of diecast vehicles during Sunday’s auction. The auction attracted bids from across the globe.Auctioneer Ronnie Proctor told RNZ’s Morning Report the vehicles auctioned included models from the 1950s to the early 2000s.”The mid-50s ones are the most popular because that’s the ones that are the hardest to come by.The collection originally belonged to a late Invercargill man who had collected for decades since the age of six. (Source: Proctors Auctions)”A lot…

Slowing construction growth and underperforming house sales have knocked Otago off its perch at the top of a regional economic ranking. The latest results, for Q2 2025, put the region in third place in ASB’s regional economic scoreboard for the second quarter in a row, behind the Bay of Plenty and Southland. It had been in the top two since Q3 2022. But the region remained a “powerhouse” in the recent cycle because of economic insulation provided by Queenstown’s robust tourism, the report said. The report — which ranks the economic performance of the country’s 16 regions on indicators including…

Two police officers were found to have breached urgent duty driving policy when one patrol car hit another at high speed on Auckland’s northern motorway last year.The crash occurred on October 1, 2024 around 9.30pm, as both officers drove north on State Highway 1 near Puhoi under lights and sirens, but were responding to separate emergency incidents.One officer was headed to a crash where a pedestrian had been struck and seriously injured on the southbound lanes of the motorway, while the other officer was attending another separate incident.The motorway at that location was a dual carriageway separated by a wire…

Canterbury business owners are confident a shrinking economy will “turn the corner” over the next year unlike more gloomier expectations further north. The latest quarterly business survey by Business Canterbury, formerly the Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce, shows 64% of businesses remain confident the economy will strengthen. That is despite the national economy last week weakening more than forecast by 0.9% in the June quarter and ASB’s latest investor confidence survey showing a miserly 1% of investors expect conditions to improve in the coming year. Despite these economic pressures, 55% of Canterbury businesses plan to hire employees, and nearly two-thirds…

Police are seeking the public’s help to identify a man captured on CCTV following a suspected arson at Westfield Manukau two months ago.The incident occurred just after 11am on Friday july 18 when a fire was lit inside the mall’s toilets.The blaze caused “extensive damage” to the facilities and caused the shopping centre to be evacuated.Police believed the man pictured in the CCTV images could assist with inquiries.”Anyone who recognises this man or who has information about this incident is asked to contact police,” a spokesperson said.

A stoat caught in a trap on a predator-free island in the Marlborough Sounds likely swam across from a nearby island, according to DOC.The predator was captured on a Oruawairua/Blumine Island trail camera in July, and DOC became aware of it in mid-August during a monthly photo review.The stoat was captured on a trail camera in July. (Source: Department of Conservation)Stoats were the number-one killer of many of NZ’s endangered species. Oruawairua was home to vulnerable bird species such as the kākāriki karaka, mohua and tīeke/saddleback.DOC Picton biodiversity ranger Amy Brunsden said quickly trapping the stoat was the best result…

Every apartment in a new building by developer Ockham in Auckland’s Point Chevalier will be rented rather than sold due to a slow property market.The chief executive of Ockham Residential’s Whetū development William Deihl told RNZ’s Morning Report all 77 apartments will be leased.”The market is a lot slower than previous years.”We’ve been in a recessionary sort of environment for quite some time now, but it’s come to a head over the past couple of years.”Deihl explained that Ockham have developed build to rent buildings before, and it was on the table for the Whetū block as it was being…