Author: Press Room

A soldier with links to far-right groups has admitted handing over and attempting to hand over sensitive military information to a person he thought was a foreign agent.But the soldier was actually caught in an undercover sting.He also possessed a video of the 2019 Christchurch Mosque attacks and the mosque attacker’s manifesto, The Great Replacement.At a court martial at Linton Military Camp near Palmerston North today, the soldier, whose name is suppressed on a temporary basis, admitted one charge each of attempted espionage, dishonestly accessing a computer system and possessing an objectionable publication.The name of the foreign country the undercover…

Wairarapa’s regional councillor has likened issues on the Wairarapa Line to British sitcom Fawlty Towers. The Wairarapa Line has been plagued with reliability and punctuality issues due to insufficient staffing and maintenance work, but commuters have been told there is hope on the horizon.It comes as a satisfaction survey showed less than 60% of commuters were satisfied with the Wairarapa Line. Staffing on the Wairarapa Line was now meeting the required levels for service and four train managers were currently progressing through training. Of these one would finish in late August, two in early September, and one in mid-October. Recruitment…

An Invercargill mayoral candidate says he is still fit for office despite past events landing him in both the headlines and court.Andrew Clark is contesting the position currently held by his brother Nobby in a move which has surprised and irked his older sibling.In Tasman, where Clark currently lives, he is also running for mayor under the first name Maxwell.The business owner made headlines for a range of incidents following the early 2000s including a land dispute, receiving money from a gang affiliated event, and spreading misinformation through pamphlets.Clark said he gave a lot of voluntary help to people, and…

Police have recovered nearly $700 worth of chocolate after being called out to a brazen attempt to plunder an east Auckland supermarket on Sunday evening.Counties Manukau East Area Prevention Manager, Inspector Rakana Cook said supermarket staff at Highland Park reported a group filling bags with products at around 5pm.”A police unit arrived within minutes, as the group was allegedly filling backpacks with chocolate and meat,” Cook said.”Our staff entered the supermarket as some of the offenders were attempting to walk out and stopped them in their tracks.”All four were placed under arrest.While taking the group into custody, Cook said one…

The age for New Zealand’s working holiday visas should be raised to 50 to help hike international visitor numbers, a tourism operator says. Currently, working holiday visas are available to people aged between 18 and 35. The visa allows visitors from recognised countries to work, travel and study in Aotearoa for up to 12 months, but visitors from Canada and the United Kingdom can stay for longer. The number of working holiday visa’s has been steadily declining, with an 11% drop in the year ending in February. Tim Alpe, the managing director of the LyLo hostel in central Auckland, believes…

Would-be Taranaki seabed miners say they’ve provided enough proof to get the green light, despite a Fast-track organiser criticising the company’s “cynical” approachFast-track panel convener Jennifer Caldwell last week said a lack of assistance from Trans-Tasman Resources meant the Fast-Track Approvals Act process would take longer.Caldwell said the Australian company had slowed down its own application by failing to provide requested information, with no decision possible until March.Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) told Fast-track officials there was “little room for real debate” over their plan to mine for at least 20 years just outside the 12-mile limit.The mining company’s submissions dismissed opponents…

The lawyer for convicted double murderer David Tamihere has described his trial as fundamentally defective, as the Supreme Court hears his appeal at the High Court in Auckland on Monday.Five Supreme Court judges are hearing arguments on whether the Court of Appeal in an earlier ruling was right to not quash his convictions.Tamihere has always denied killing Swedish tourists Urban Höglin, 23, and Heidi Paakkonen, 21, and served 20 years of a life sentence.His lawyers are appealing an earlier Court of Appeal ruling that found a miscarriage of justice, but upheld his convictions.Five Supreme Court judges hearing arguments on whether…

The coalition government is scrapping the building consents regime to ease the liability load on local councils. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said today the regime is “sluggish” and holding the building sector back. “Right now, councils are hesitant to sign off on building consents and inspections because they could be held liable for all defects, leaving ratepayers to foot the bill. “This often happens when one of the parties responsible cannot pay for repairs, for example, if a business goes bust.” Penk said building owners could currently claim full compensation from any responsible party and it was often…

New Zealand’s largest mānuka honey producer Comvita is eyeing a company sale, amid challenging times in the global honey sector.The listed health and wellness company announced on the NZX on Monday morning that its board voted in favour of a bid by Florenz, a subsidiary of investment firm Masthead, to buy the struggling business that just celebrated 50 years in operation.The bid would offer shareholders a cash price of $0.80 per share, representing an equity value of $56 million and an enterprise value of $119m.The proposed sale would privatise the listed company.The takeover offer came amid extremely challenging times for…

Two people on board a small plane that crash-landed on a suburban golf course have avoided major injuries.Onlookers at the Mona Vale Golf Club, on Sydney’s northern beaches, saw a Piper Cherokee make a sudden descent and crash next to a green on Sunday.Emergency services responded, with both people on board reported to have sustained only minor injuries.An Instagram account caught vision of the crash, which shows the plane glide in and make heavy impact, with debris splattering around the course.NSW Ambulance Inspector Chris Peck said the plane was being operated by a pilot along with a trainee.”[They] had minor…