Author: Press Room

The death of 43-year-old Sean Remnant after being found critically injured on a Porirua street earlier this month is now being treated as a homicide.At 2am on December 1, police were called to an address on Kotuku St where Remnant was found in a critical condition.Police said Remnant died in hospital a few days later.”Police are continuing to work through a range of information to determine what occurred.”No charges have been laid at this stage.”Police would like to hear from anyone who has information, CCTV footage or dashcam footage around the Kotuku St area which could assist with the investigation.Information…

Thousands have reported feeling a “strong” quake that shook the middle of the country during rush hour.Shaking was felt in Wellington in the lower North Island and in the upper South Island.The 5.1-magnitude tremor was centred 15km southeast of Seddon in Marlborough, at a depth of 12km, according to GeoNet data. GNS Science classed the quake as “strong”, having struck at about 5.39pm.In a tweet, NZ First List MP Jenny Marcroft said the quake caused a “bit of a shake in the house!”.More than 5000 “felt reports” were received by GeoNet by 5.50pm, with reports of shaking in the Wellington,…

A staff member at one of the country’s most prestigious schools who resigned after admitting to “inappropriate online activity” with a minor was catfished by a fake identity.The staff member, who was involved with football and boarding, admitted to the activity, King’s College confirmed in October.The school’s principal notified police, who later found no criminal offences had been committed by the man.Documents released to RNZ under the Official Information Act, have shown the staff member was talking to what he believed was a 15-year-old boy online, but the identity was fake, nullifying any possible charges.A heavily-redacted letter sent to King’s…

French President Emmanuel Macron says he will visit Mayotte in the coming days in the aftermath of Cyclone Chido that has ripped through the French Indian Ocean territory, causing major damage in its path, with hundreds feared dead. ADVERTISEMENTFrench President Emmanuel Macron says he will soon visit Mayotte in the aftermath of Cyclone Chido that has slammed the French overseas territory.The French president gathered key government officials for an emergency meeting at the French Interior Ministry’s crisis centre, to discuss an action plan for the devastated island, hit by the worst storm in almost a century.In a post on social…

Police investigating a fatal shooting in Lower Hutt last week have issued a warrant to arrest a man this afternoon.Police said in a statement, he was “wanted for murder”.Detective Inspector Haley Ryan said police received reports a person had been shot outside a house on Seddon St around 3.15pm last Tuesday.A police patrol unit was nearby and arrived at the scene to find Albert Enoka, 39, critically injured.”First responders immediately applied first aid, but sadly his injury was fatal, and he died at the scene.”Witnesses told police there was a “brief verbal altercation” between the victim and another man prior…

New rent data may be happy reading for some tenants.Stats NZ reports rental price movements with two measures: The stock measure, which reflected existing tenancies; and flow, which collected data on new tenancies.On the stock measure, rents were up 0.2% in the month to November and 4.1% in the year. On the flow measure, they were up 0.1% in the month and 1% in the year.Infometrics forecaster Gareth Kiernan said the stock measure was usually a lot more stable because rents did not move a lot for existing tenancies. When they did lift, it was usually in an orderly fashion.He…

The driver of an allegedly stolen vehicle failed badly in an attempt to flee officers after being was spotted in Papakura, eventually leading to the discovery of a cache of weapons and cannabis.On Friday, police said officers observed the vehicle, which was wanted in connection with a spate of burglaries, as it travelled along Great South Rd.Senior sergeant MJ Riddle, of Counties Manukau South Police, said the vehicle mounted a curb and drove over a centre island — causing extensive damage to the two drivers side tyres.”Police pursued the vehicle for a short distance before it pulled into South St…

Whanganui’s biggest encampment of homeless people is being abruptly turfed out of a camping site on the banks of Whanganui River.Police and Whanganui District Council compliance officers visited the Anzac Parade site this morning, issuing notices to about 15 homeless people camping at the council’s Kowhai Park freedom camping site and on a reserve alongside it.The council is giving them two days to remove their belongings and leave.The council said it was temporarily closing the Anzac Parade freedom camping site and has told those occupying the site to remove camping gear, vehicles and personal belongings.Mayor Andrew Tripe said the decision…

By Gyles Beckford of RNZ The government’s books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term as a big dent in the tax take and higher expenses deliver continued budget deficits. But the government has adopted a new measure of its finances, excluding the impact of ACC, which it said has distorted previous forecasts and had the potential to affect spending decisions. Under the new measure the deficits for the next three years would rise less than forecast in the May budget and see a surplus posted in 2027/28. Using the established measure the deficits would…

Former talk show host Carlos Watson was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison in a federal financial conspiracy case that cast his once-buzzy Ozy Media as an extreme of fake-it-’til-you-make-it startup culture.So extreme that another Ozy executive impersonated a YouTube executive to hype Ozy to investment bankers — while Watson coached him, prosecutors said.Watson, 55, and the now-defunct company were found guilty last summer of charges including wire fraud conspiracy. He has denied the allegations and plans to appeal.“I loved what we built with Ozy,” he said in court, initially addressing supporters in the audience before the judge suggested…