Author: Press Room

New Zealanders lost significantly more money from online credit card scams in October, compared to previous months.Losses reported to Netsafe in October totalled $6264, compared to $1865 in September – a 220% jump.In September, losses per incident averaged about $50, whereas the average loss last month was about $220.However, the number of reports to Netsafe fell from 37 in September to 28 in October.Netsafe chief online safety officer Sean Lyons said the sharp rise in financial losses suggested scammers were getting more sophisticated with their tactics.”The quality of what people are being presented with is, on the whole, increasingly improving.Netsafe…

Armed police were at the scene of a serious incident in Wellington this afternoon after a person fell from an apartment balcony amid reports of gunfire.Police said one person sustained moderate injuries after falling from a balcony at an apartment complex in Brooklyn Rd, Wellington this afternoon.”Emergency services were called to the complex at 3.35pm,” police told 1News in a statement.”Initial information provided by witnesses suggested that a gunshot had possibly been heard prior to the person falling.”This is as yet unsubstantiated but armed officers were in attendance as a precaution.”

Sixty-two haka groups are set to perform in Tauranga next week at the 25th anniversary of Te Mana Kuratahi, the National Primary Schools Kapa Haka competition.From small beginnings with just over 20 rōpū, Te Mana Kuratahi has grown into a nationwide celebration of Māori excellence and identity, with the competition running all week – from Monday to Friday – to accommodate all the groups.Among those taking the stage are the defending champions Te Kapa Puāwai of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi Marae from Auckland, who have competed in every Te Mana Kuratahi since it began 25 years ago,…

Households living on JobSeeker Support or NZ Super alone have to spend more each week than they have coming in to cover the basics, on average, a new report says.Ka Mākona, the Zero Hunger Collective, has issued its latest annual report, which notes that 27% of children are living in food-insecure householdsThis year, older people have been added to the household scenarios, modelling weekly income and basic housing, food, transport and utilities expenses for an older person living alone and an older couple.Single adults, sole parents with two children and two-parent households with two children were also considered.Housing costs are…

Are you paying for more broadband than you really need?Research from comparison site NZ Compare has found that many older New Zealanders, in particular, are paying too much, because they are not shopping around – and because they have been “speedwashed” into thinking they need a faster connection than might actually be the case.NZ Compare chief executive Gavin Male said the research looked at people aged over 50 and found widespread confusion, particularly about broadband speeds.He said people were being sold faster, more expensive plans than they needed.Speed was cited as an important factor in choosing a plan, but almost…

Some victims of crimes say they’re being constantly retraumatised – feeling forced to go to court for months on end as their accused criminals wait for mental health assessments.A 1News investigation has found several cases where there have been lengthy delays, with cases unable to progress. In some instances, charges have had to be thrown out.One man in Rimutaka Prison was hauled in front of a judge eight times to be told no forensic psychiatrist could be found to write his mental health report.His lawyer, Marty Robinson, said psychiatrists were becoming harder to find.”So the reports are taking longer and…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Research from comparison site NZ Compare has found that many older New Zealanders, in particular, are paying too much for broadband because they are not shopping around – and because they have been “speedwashed” into thinking they need a faster connection than might actually be the case. NZ Compare chief executive Gavin Male said the research looked at people aged over 50 and found widespread confusion, particularly about broadband speeds. He said people were being sold faster, more expensive plans than they needed. Speed was cited as an important factor in choosing a plan, but…

Fuel retailer Z Energy has apologised for any confusion caused by a 2022 advertising campaign that said it was in the business of getting out of the petrol business.Consumer NZ and two environmental groups took legal action claiming the campaign was misleading and greenwashing.During 2022 and 2023 a large scale ‘Moving With The Times’ campaign was conducted through print, television, billboards and social media outlined Z Energy’s commitment to alternative fuels and emission reductions.But in 2023, Consumer NZ, Lawyers for Climate Action New Zealand, and the Environmental Law Initiative sought High Court declarations that Z Energy had misled New Zealanders…

A late-night blaze which caused serious damage to a café in Auckland’s Orewa, leaving the owners “devastated”, is being treated as suspicious by police.Emergency services were alerted to the fire at the Sunflour Café around 11.20pm on Saturday, with multiple calls reporting flames coming from the two-storey building. Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) responded with crews from Silverdale, East Coast Bays, Te Atatū and Parnell.“The crews arrived within ten minutes to find a two-storey building measuring 25 by 10 metres, with the front cafeteria well ablaze,” a FENZ spokesperson said.The owners of the Sunflour Cafe were “devastated” by the serious…

Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has apologised after admitting her comments in a radio interview about abuse in state care may have misled people.Speaking to Q+A with Jack Tame this morning, Chhour said she would “never intentionally mislead victims of abuse in state care,” after previously suggesting that official abuse statistics from Oranga Tamariki measured different levels of harm.She now acknowledges those comments were incorrect.”I accept that people may have thought that, and I apologise if they have,” Chhour said. “My intention was never that — it was to make clear that I was speaking to one area of harm within…