Author: Press Room

Police are working to identify a man who was found dead on a Northland beach yesterday afternoon.The man was found on Mitimiti Beach by a member of the public at about 2.30pm yesterday.”As yet police have been unable to identify him, so we’re appealing for help from the public,” a spokesperson for Kaitaia police said.”If you have family or friends that fish in the area near Te Pua Pua Creek, or have any information which could help us identify the man, please get in touch via 105.”

This article was originally published in Polish Poland’s ambassador to Budapest has been recalled to Warsaw indefinitely after Hungary granted asylum to former Polish deputy justice minister, Marcin Romanowski. ADVERTISEMENTPoland’s ambassador to Budapest has been recalled to Warsaw indefinitely, a day after Hungary granted asylum to former Polish justice minister and current Law and Justice Party (PiS) lawmaker Marcin Romanowski, authorities said on Friday.Poland had earlier summoned Hungary’s ambassador to Warsaw.Romanowski is wanted in Poland for alleged corruption and misuse of public funds during his time as minister in the previous PiS government. On Thursday, Hungarian authorities announced they would be granting…

Three people have died in separate crashes in Canterbury yesterday evening. Two women died following a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 1, Greta Valley shortly before 7.15pm.Senior Sergeant Stephen McDaniel said the crash involved the two women’s Suzuki Swift that collided head-on with a large truck on a slight bend.Later in the evening, police said one person died following a crash in Albury, Mackenzie. “Police were called to the single vehicle crash on Cave-Albury Road just after 9.20pm,” a police spokesperson said. Five people have died on NZ roads in the last 24 hours. (Source: 1News)The serious crash unit conducted…

Two people have been arrested after eight firearms, ammunition, drugs, and items consistent with drug supply were seized in multiple locations around Otago. Otago Lakes Central Area Commander Inspector Paula Enoka said detectives carried out nine search warrants in Cromwell, Alexandra, Clyde, Hawea, Wānaka and Queenstown over December 17-19 as part of Operation Speargrass.”Quantities of the Class A, B, and C controlled drugs methamphetamine, MDMA, cocaine, magic mushrooms, and cannabis were seized during the operation,” she said. “Eight firearms were seized along with thousands of rounds of ammunition.”Two men, aged 34 and 35, have been arrested and remanded in custody…

Russian gas has pitted Slovakia’s Robert Fico against Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the European Commission caught in between. ADVERTISEMENTRobert Fico, the prime minister of Slovakia, has escalated his long-running dispute with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, over his decision to completely halt the transit of Russian gas through Ukrainian territory after the end of 2024. Slovakia, a landlocked country, remains highly dependent on Russian gas, which it gets from Gazprom, the state-owned monopoly, through a pipeline throughout Ukraine.”If anyone is going to prevent the transit of gas to the territory of the Slovak Republic, if anyone is going to…

Farra Engineering is the 2024 Otago Daily Times Business of the Year. Managing director Gareth Evans talks to business editor Sally Rae about doing business in the city for the past 161 years. A few years ago, Gareth Evans was walking through Canary Wharf in London’s CBD when he spied a man coming down the side of a building in a Farra cage. The man, who was about 10 metres away, was oblivious to the Kiwi passer-by’s connection to his unorthodox mode of transport. While Mr Evans came across it unexpectedly — the machinery pre-dated his tenure at the engineering firm — the feeling of pride, almost…

Kaipara District Council’s decision to controversially can its Māori ward has survived a High Court challenge by Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua.High Court Judge Neil Campbell has rejected a legal challenge by Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua against Kaipara District Council (KDC)’s decision to abolish its Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori Ward.In September the rūnanga applied for a judicial review of the process KDC used in its August 7 decision to abolish its Māori ward.Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua alleged after the that KDC made its August 7 disestablishment decision without consulting iwi and hapū including Te Uri o Hau,…

Second-hand gifts might overtake traditional presents this Christmas, as most people in Europe’s largest economies plan to shop for “pre-loved” items this holiday season. Which nations and generations are leading this revolution and which ones are holding back? ADVERTISEMENTThe rising cost of living and growing concerns over climate issues are driving a surge in second-hand gifts, as these items are set to dominate consumer choices this Christmas.In the UK, 83% of people say they would be happy to receive a “pre-loved” present, and 68% of shoppers plan to spend a part of their budget on it. The rate goes up…

In an “unusual” turn of events, Nelson City Council has an unexpected new deadline to respond to a scathing rebuke of its proposed hazard maps: Christmas Eve.The council’s plan to enable higher density housing by making it easier to build up — Plan Change 29 — has been scrutinised and criticised by the public since it was notified in August 2023 and the process had been nearing its end.Submitters to the plan were heard in August and September 2024, and the council’s final replies to submitter opposition were lodged on November 27.From that point on, the hearing panel was meant…

US president-elect keeps the prospect of a transatlantic trade war in the air, exactly a month before he is due to walk back into the White House. ADVERTISEMENTEU officials played down today Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat, after the US president-elect warned of dire consequences unless the bloc ramps up its purchases of American oil and gas.Trump posted today on his Truth Social social media platform: “I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!”Quizzed by…