Author: Press Room

An Auckland man has been jailed for three years and seven months after admitting to possessing nearly 9000 images and videos involving child sexual exploitation.Content warning: This story discusses child sex abuseThe case involved material of adults sexually abusing babies and children.Todd Keith Laurance Dale Williams of Remuera has been sentenced after pleading guilty to four charges related to knowingly possessing child sexual exploitation material, according to a Department of Internal Affairs spokesperson. The 30-year-old became a “person of interest” in authorities’ investigations in early 2023.”The investigation surrounded the sale of child sexual exploitation material through an online social media…

North Canterbury’s regional councillors are concerned about unsafe rural drinking water, but disagree on whether it constitutes a nitrate emergency.Environment Canterbury (ECan) voted by 9-7 to declare a nitrate emergency following a motion from retiring councillor Vicky Southworth at a council meeting today.Cr Grant Edge backed the motion, citing concerns over high nitrate levels in private wells in the Selwyn, Ashburton and Waimate districts, and at Oxford.”I have been advocating for improvements [in nitrate levels] since 2009 when I joined the Waimakariri Zone Committee and the latest annual groundwater survey revealed 62% of those wells [tested] showed increased trends and…

A plan by the government to grow the country’s aviation sector contains “nothing to crow about” and is unlikely to quell rising costs, a Dunedin airline boss says. Associate Transport Minister James Meager this week launched the “Aviation Action Plan” — a 25-point strategic programme by the Interim Aviation Council in partnership with the government to grow and future-proof New Zealand’s aviation sector. The plan outlined the series of steps needed to ensure the sector continued to support trade, tourism, regional connectivity and economic growth across the country, Mr Meager said. “This action plan is a first for New Zealand…

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has accused Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour of “talking out of his field” in regards to Palestine, but Seymour rejects that.Cabinet has made an in-principle decision on recognition, though it won’t be revealed until Peters delivers a speech in the general debate at the UN General Assembly in New York next week.Seymour – who’s the leader of ACT – took questions on the issue on Tuesday and initially said “the right minister at the right time” would make an announcement on the Government’s position.He went on to answer questions on his party’s position before being…

Dunedin has proven a popular travel destination with Aussies flying in direct from the Gold Coast, the city’s airport says. Dunedin Airport announced recently that bookings for Jetstar’s thrice-weekly Dunedin to Gold Coast service had hit over 20,000 since launching in June. Dunedin Airport chief executive Daniel De Bono said they were “delighted” with the response and support from southern travellers for the transtasman service, as well as its visitors from across the Tasman. “We know locals have been waiting for an international connection out of Dunedin for some time and it’s fantastic to now have direct flights to the…

A person has died and another has been injured in a crash which closed a section of the Main Highway in Auckland’s Ellerslie this afternoon.Police said the two-vehicle crash, which was reported at 3.37pm, occurred near the busy intersection with the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway.A female occupant in one of the vehicles died at the scene despite assistance from emergency services, police said. A passenger in another vehicle suffered serious injuries in the collision. The road remains closed between the intersections of Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Amy St.”Police recognise this will cause serious disruption to travel through the area.”It asked people avoid the…

ADVERTISEMENT The EU’s proposal to suspend the bloc’s trade preferences with Israel and increase tariffs on Israeli goods is likely to meet resistance, especially from Germany and Italy. But if the EU 27 adopts the plan, initially announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union speech, the restrictions would be a blow for Israel as the EU is the country’s biggest trading partner, accounting for 32% of its total trade in goods with the world in 2024. At a press conference on Wednesday, the EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič presented the proposals to end…

The first speed camera-equipped trailer is due to start operating on the streets of Auckland today, marking the latest addition to New Zealand’s road safety network.The trailers were among several additions from NZTA, which took over responsibility for speed cameras from police in July, becoming the sole operator of the equipment. Police will still issue notices for any road offences they detect. Since the handover, NZTA has rolled out a range of new tools across New Zealand’s roads, which include camera-equipped SUVs and trailers as well as new average speed cameras.Here’s a rundown of NZTA’s latest safety additions to New…

A gang member – caught out by the Government’s patch ban – will get their Mongrel Mob patch back following a ruling by a district court judge.Syd Te Rata was wearing the patch while riding his motorcycle around 3.30am on April 19 when he was stopped by police.In July, Te Rata, who pleaded guilty in the Lower Hutt District Court to wearing his Mongrel Mob patch in public as well as refusing blood, driving while forbidden and resisting a police officer, argued the judge had discretion to return it to him.The Gangs Act 2024 states that when a person pleads…

ADVERTISEMENT The European Union has taken a new step to strengthen and expand ties with India at a time when traditional alliances and time-honoured principles are under severe strain, prompting an intense search for alternative partnerships. In a five-pillar strategy unveiled on Wednesday, the European Commission outlined a comprehensive vision for closer bilateral relations encompassing an ever-widening range of topics, including sustainable fuels, green hydrogen, critical raw materials, artificial intelligence, advanced microchips, cybersecurity, crisis management, defence policy and legal migration, paving the way for an EU-India summit in early 2026. “Closer EU-India cooperation is more important than ever,” the document…