Author: Press Room
A 23-year-old man has been arrested as part of an investigation into the death of a man found in a vehicle with gunshot wounds in Auckland last August.Police were called around 6.45am on August 19 last year following reports of several gunshots heard on Marvon Downs Ave in Pakuranga Heights. Tuipulotu Vi, 59, was found in a vehicle with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Detective inspector Shaun Vickers said today that a 23-year-old man was taken into custody after a search was carried out at an address on Franklyne Rd in Ōtara.He was set to appear…
A person has died and sections of two state highways are closed following crashes in the lower North Island this afternoon.Police said they were alerted to a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 3 south-east of Sanson around 12pm.The driver of a ute died at the scene following a collision with a truck.Another person sustained minor injuries in the crash.Hato Hone St John told 1News it responded with one ambulance and one rapid response vehicle after being notified of the crash around 11.56am. One patient was assessed and treated at the scene.SH3 between Sanson and Stewart roads remains closed while the…
The Finance Minister has made a new appointment to the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee. Nicola Willis said agribusiness executive Hayley Gourley would begin her four-year term on October 1, succeeding Bob Buckle, who will retire from the MPC at the end of the month. The MPC is the independent decision-making body that is responsible for setting the official cash rate. Gourley has held board and executive management positions across some of New Zealand’s biggest agribusinesses, including Rabobank, Skellerup, and Pāmu Farms (Landcorp).She also holds a Master of Science (M.Sc) in Agricultural Economics from the University of London/ Imperial College…
A forensic psychiatrist has revealed antidepressants dissolved in juice were used by a woman to kill her two children in Auckland in 2018.Warning: This story contains details about mental health and suicide that my disturb some readers.Hakyung Lee is on trial at the High Court at Auckland, charged with the murders of her children Minu and Yuna Jo, who were aged 6 and 8 at the time of their deaths in 2017.She is representing herself in court along with two standby counsel, Lorraine Smith and Chris Wilkinson-Smith.Lee’s lawyers called their first and only witness in her defence, who has described…
Nurses turned their back on the Health Minister during his speech at the annual New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) conference, coming in the wake of a report revealing hospitals nationwide were short close to 600 nurses per shift over the past year.The report, authored by Infometrics for the NZNO was based on Health NZ data from 1.69 million shifts in 59 public hospitals between 2022 and 2024.Understaffing was found to be most common in the Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley district, with 51% of shifts short-staffed between January 2022 and November 2024. Counties Manukau followed on 48%, while Taranaki was…
By Craig McCulloch of RNZ Finance Minister Nicola Willis is pinning the blame for the economy’s slump on “international turmoil and uncertainty” driven by the United States’ tariff roll-out. But Labour says other countries – like Australia – have fared the storm better, accusing the coalition of taking New Zealand backwards. New data released on Thursday showed a sharp drop in GDP for the June quarter – down 0.9% – much worse than had been expected. In a statement, Willis said the US announcement – right at the start of the second quarter – had caused firms and households to put off…
An Oamaru teenager missing for more than two weeks may have travelled south to Dunedin or Invercargill, police say.Manaia, 15, was last seen on Tern St in the north Otago town at around 9.30pm on August 31.Police said she was last seen wearing a white hoodie and grey pants but acknowledged her clothing may have changed since.She also had a small red piercing on the left side of her nose, a spokesperson said.”Police believe Manaia has links in Dunedin and Invercargill, and may have travelled there.”Anyone who has seen Manaia or has relevant information should contact police on 105.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal seeking to suppress the identity of a man who has twice been found insane after killing two people more than 20 years apart.However, his lawyer has indicated he has been instructed to file an appeal to the Supreme Court, meaning his identity remains secret for now.RNZ earlier revealed the man, who was made a special patient under the Mental Health Act after his first killing, was recently found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity for a second time after killing someone he believed was possessed.RNZ has been unable to publish…
By Gyles Beckford of RNZ The economy had a worse than expected slump in the middle of the year as weaker manufacturing, construction, and agriculture activity fell sharply, backing the case for further interest rate cuts. Stats NZ data shows gross domestic product (GDP) – the broad measure of economic growth – fell 0.9 percent in the three months ended June, to be 1.1 percent lower than a year ago. Expectations had been for a quarterly contraction of about 0.4 percent, although growth for the previous quarter was revised marginally higher to 0.9 percent. “GDP has now fallen in three of the…
ABC has suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show indefinitely following comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s killing.The network’s decision came after Nexstar announced its ABC affiliates would pre-empt Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely over his comments.“Mr Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located,” said Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division.During his monologue, Kimmel said: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the…