Author: Press Room
Three Chinese nationals have been arrested at Auckland Airport with a “large quantity of cash” as police allege they had been operating a “blessing scam”.Detectives detained a 50-year-old man and two women, aged 59 and 53, before they checked in for flights to China yesterday.The trio have been jointly charged with two counts of obtaining by deception.Photos released by police showed thousands in seized cash across several different currencies.Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton alleged the trio had been operating a “blessing scam” while in New Zealand. The charges relate to two victims — one who lost $14,500 and jewellery, and…
A fire sparked by used fireworks in a cardboard recycling truck in Northland yesterday has prompted a warning to dispose of them properly following Guy Fawkes.Whangārei District Council’s parks and recreation department field officer Grant Alsop told 1News that staff first noticed smoke coming from the back of their cardboard recycling truck in Whangaumu Bay yesterday afternoon.”They quickly pulled over into a gravel lay-by and dumped the recycling out, then contacted volunteer firefighters.”He said there were still fireworks “going off” inside the truck when they tipped out the load onto the gravel.Alsop confirmed there were no injuries as a result…
A Kaipara councillor is wearing Mickey Mouse T-shirts at council meetings over what he says is “the worrying state of democracy” in his political organisation.Councillor Mark Vincent, from Whakapirau, says democracy is fading at Kaipara District Council (KDC) and it is fast becoming the “black sheep” of councils.”I am learning to overcome my embarrassment about being a Kaipara District Councillor,” Vincent said.”I’m part of an increasingly Mickey Mouse outfit.”Vincent claims the community had fewer opportunities to take part in the council’s key decisions.Mayor Craig Jepson said he did not accept these comments.People were not being left out of decision-making and…
The latest redundancy plans come from German car parts maker Schaeffler and French grocery chain Auchan. ADVERTISEMENTThousands of job cuts are on the way in several struggling sectors across Europe, with French grocery chain Auchan being the latest to announce redundancy plans.Staff representatives, summoned by Auchan management are feeling the pinch: 2,389 of the 54,000 jobs in France are at risk. A dozen outlets will close, including one supermarket and three hypermarkets, due to a lack of profitability. The company’s customers are not surprised. “There are often empty shelves,” says one woman. Auchan, one of the pioneers of hypermarkets -…
From every conference I’ve taken away a much deeper insight into the industries they are in and, importantly, our opportunity as a business to position ourselves within it. I strode confidently into the room and seized upon the first of many new leads I would develop that day. That was the image I was projecting in my head to psych myself up for the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Sydney last week. In reality I slunk in, power-walked around the show trying to come up with a plan and then hid in the bathroom for 10 minutes wondering what on earth…
A rescue helicopter has winched a paramedic to the aid of an unconscious boatie after a vessel capsized off Gisborne’s Sponge Bay this morrning. A number of emergency service agencies responded at 9.20am to the effort off Tuamotu Island. In a statement, Surf Life Saving New Zealand said the Gisborne Search and Rescue (SAR) Squad was tasked to respond to an emergency situation in the water at Tuamotu Island near Sponge Bay where “one person was unconscious in the water”. SAR squad launched two inflatable rescue boats alongside surf lifeguards, the Eastland Rescue Helicopter, St John and police. “The team…
The number of Christchurch Hospital staff who may have inhaled toxic fumes from a construction site has jumped to 84.It was believed an industrial chemical from painting at the nearby hospital tower block was circulated through the air conditioning earlier this year. Workers in the radiology team suffered headaches, breathing problems and rashes. One had to be admitted to intensive care.Pregnant women were among those affected.Health NZ Te Waipounamu deputy chief executive Martin Keogh said 84 staff had come forward so far with concerns they may have been exposed to fumes. That was up from 55 staff last month.Investigations into…
The cost of living for the average Kiwi household has increased by 3.8% in the 12 months to the September 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today, with interest payments and insurance the largest contributor. Measured by the household living-costs price indexes (HLPIs), the 3.8% increase follows a 5.4% increase in the 12 months to the June 2024 quarter. The most recent high was 8.2% recorded in the 12 months to the December 2022 quarter.It comes as inflation, measured by the consumer price index (CPI) was 2.2% in the 12 months to the September 2024 quarter.The HLPIs…
A person has been critically injured in a house fire in Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt.Emergency services, including fire crews from five stations, were called to a property on Hanson Grove just after 3am on Tuesday.One person was taken to hospital in a critical condition.The area was cordoned off, and police were working with Fire and Emergency to determine the circumstances.rnz.co.nz
Magnus Brunner, the nominee to be the next European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, said the bloc should remain “open-minded” to exploring “new ideas” to curb irregular migration. ADVERTISEMENTEstablishing so-called “return hubs” outside the European Union to host rejected asylum seekers can be done in a “humane and legally sound manner”, Magnus Brunner said on Wednesday during his confirmation hearing at the European Parliament.Brunner warned further reflections and consultations are needed, however, particularly with member states, to “find out what this kind of concept might look like” in practice.The 52-year-old Austrian is tipped to be the next European Commissioner…