Author: Press Room

An outburst from the dock, a “bizarre” conversation with a relative about her dead mother’s money at her funeral, and a murdered woman who was “not planning to die tomorrow” — these are some of the pivotal moments during the month-long trial of Julia DeLuney.The trial at the High Court in Wellington lasted four and a half weeks, and the jury took just over a day to reach its verdict.The court heard evidence from forensic experts to accountants and, in the end, the jurors sided with the Crown, finding DeLuney guilty of murdering her 79-year-old mother, Helen Gregory, in her…

Poor welding led to the rudder of a 177m cargo ship breaking off as it left Tauranga in 2023, with only the swift action of the crew preventing it from running aground, an investigation has found.A report by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) into the incident was released today which explained how the 14.2 tonne rudder of the Achilles Bulker detached on July 24, 2023.The Panama-flagged ship bound for China finished loading logs at the Port of Tauranga and began pre-departure preparations at about 2pm.Two pilots — one qualified and one trainee — from the Port of Tauranga had…

The PSA has filed legal action over what it says is a government ministry’s disregard of existing flexible work arrangements protected under the union’s collective agreement. The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment recently introduced a new flexible work policy intended to align with the government’s directive to restrict flexible work arrangements for public service workers, including reducing days working from home. That directive is also subject to legal action by the Public Service Association (PSA) and the union has filed proceedings with the Employment Relations Authority (ERA). “Cracking down on flexible work is the wrong approach from employers in 2025,” PSA national…

A man has been charged after 20kg of methamphetamine was discovered hidden inside vacuum-sealed green tea packets at Auckland International Airport yesterday.Customs said a 36-year-old foreign national arrived on a flight from Bali and was identified for a baggage search during processing.”An examination of tea packets inside the bag revealed a white crystalline substance that tested positive for methamphetamine,” a spokesperson said.Customs estimated the intercept prevented up to $21 million in social harm and the seized drugs had a street value of around $6 million.The man was charged with the importation of a class A controlled drug and was due…

Federated Farmers’ dairy group chair says New Zealanders are lucky to have premium butter, but he hopes prices drop at the checkout as soon as the cost of milk solids do. The price of butter rose nearly 50 percent to the year ended May, Stats NZ data showed. Dairy giant Fonterra’s boss Miles Hurrell sympathised with households feeling the pinch but said price increases were a reflection of supply not being able to keep up with demand. Fonterra could not offer cheaper prices to local customers, he said. Federated Farmers Dairy Industry Group chairperson Karl Dean said New Zealanders had to pay…

Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell has spoken about the soaring cost of dairy in Christchurch this afternoon. The price of butter has skyrocketed by more than 60% in the last year, currently sitting between $8 and $11 for a 500g block.Earlier this week, Hurrell attended several meetings with various political parties including National, ACT, and Labour to discuss the matter.

It has been revealed that metal legend Ozzy Osbourne’s adopted son has been living a quiet life out of the spotlight in New Zealand. According to the Daily Mail, Elliott Osbourne and his wife, Dr Joanne Crawford, a health and safety academic at Victoria University, moved to Wellington from the UK five years ago. Elliott was the son of Ozzy’s first wife, Thelma Riley, and was adopted by the musician after the pair married. Elliott was five years old at the time. Osbourne went on to have two children with Riley, Jessica and Louis. Unlike Ozzy’s children with Sharon, all…

A Punakaiki café owner is urging the Conservation Department to rethink its plan to charge for parking at the famous Pancake Rocks on the West Coast.Grant Parrett told a meeting of the West Coast Tai o Poutini Conservation Board on Tuesday that parking charges create de facto entry fee to Paparoa National Park, which was unlawful.Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has asked for a trial of paid parking to boost revenue.DOC aimed to launch a pilot programme in October at Punakaiki, Franz Josef and White Horse Hill at Aoraki Mt Cook.Project manager John Dore told the board that DOC had serious…

More Dunedin businesses have slammed consultation on a central city cycleway, one describing the process as “a shambles”. Eureka Cafe and Bar owner Sharleen Smith also said explanations offered by the Dunedin City Council for why some Albany St businesses were not initially consulted about the Albany St Connection project included that paperwork “must have blown away in the wind” or was thrown in the rubbish. The project aims to provide a safe walking and cycling connection between the shared Te Aka Ōtākou harbour path, Dunedin’s tertiary area and the CBD. The council says it planned to contact the business…

Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell has defended the soaring cost of butter in New Zealand, saying the revenue generated from rising global prices represented a “good news story” for the national economy. Speaking after a meeting with the Finance Minister in Wellington on Tuesday, Hurrell said butter prices, which had surged by over 60% in the past two years, were driven largely by demand from overseas markets such as China.”Roughly 80% of the price of that is determined by that international market,” he said, adding the remaining cost included margins for retailers, processors, and distributors, plus GST.Hurrell ruled out a…