Author: Press Room

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Changes have been signed off that allow NZ Post to reduce the number of days it offers a mail service. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said on Tuesday the government had approved changes to the Postal Deed of Understanding between the Crown and NZ Post. These are designed to allow NZ Post to operate the mail service in a commercially sustainable way. It has come under pressure as mail volumes have declined in recent years. In 2023, it was reported that NZ Post planned to cut 750 jobs over the next five years in response.…

Police are working through a potential breakthrough in relation to the identity of a man who was found dead in the Christchurch suburb of Heathcote Valley more than two weeks ago.The death occurred on Horotane Valley Rd on September 19, and police believe it was not suspicious.Police earlier said they did not know if the man was a New Zealander, and they were using Interpol to help identify him.Detective Sergeant Chris Power told RNZ today that police had received some information over the weekend that had provided “a strong line of inquiry”.The backpack, found with the body of an unidentified…

Around 21kg of cocaine worth an estimated $7.3 million has been seized from a shipping container at the Port of Tauranga, Customs officers say.The container, which arrived from Balboa, Panama on October 2, was assessed by Customs officers which led to the discovery of a shrink-wrapped duffel bag containing 21 bricks of cocaine branded with ‘VESPA’ and a ‘mouse’ logo, wrapped in fragile tape. An x-ray screening of the cargo revealed the abnormal bag hidden among other legitimate goods. Customs maritime group manager Paul Campbell said Customs had intercepted over 430kg of cocaine in Tauranga in 2025 alone, nearly double…

New Zealand’s largest insurer, IAG New Zealand Limited, has been penalised $19.5 million by the High Court for historical failures to correctly apply discounts to some customers and miscalculation of government levies.The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) launched an investigation into IAG’s conduct following self-reports from the company between September 2021 and December 2024. The breaches affected approximately 269,000 customers and led to overcharges totalling around $35 million.IAG NZ — who operate major insurance brands State, AMI, and NZI — admitted to making false and misleading representations about its insurance products, including incorrect premium pricing and the failure to apply key…

By Anneke Smith of RNZ An orchardist says the horticulture industry is not crying out for workers, as the prime minister urges young people to look for work in the sector. From next November, the Government will means-test 18- or 19-year-olds before they can access a jobseeker benefit. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has encouraged jobseekers to look to horticulture for work, telling Morning Report the sector is “crying out” for young people. “If you go outside of Wellington, to Hawke’s Bay or go to the South Island … The primary industries, for example, in horticulture [and] in our growing industries, they are crying out for young people…

A former financial advisor has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after misappropriating $1.7 million from two retired couples he had known for over four decades. In June, Murray McClune pleaded guilty to two charges of theft by a person in a special relationship following an investigation by the Financial Markets Authority.Between 2016 and 2018, McClune procured around $1.7 million from two sets of elderly clients who he had known for over 40 years on the basis he would invest the funds on their behalf.Rather than investing the funds he had received, the FMA found that the money…

A three-year-boy died of septic shock in a rural hospital after critical opportunities to save his life were missed by an on-call doctor and a nurse who shouldn’t have been in sole charge of the children’s ward that night.It has prompted the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) to write to Health NZ to ensure sole-charge clinical staff are suitable at rural hospitals, where resourcing is a problem.An investigation into Alexzander Sutherland-Hunt’s death by the HDC, released on Monday, found systemic failings in the care provided to the little boy when he was taken to then Grey Base Hospital in Greymouth…

One person has been arrested and a homicide investigation launched following the death of a man in Auckland’s New Lynn this afternoon.Emergency services were called to Kaponga Cres in the suburb of New Lynn just before noon to a report of a person injured.St John responded to the incident with two rapid response units, an ambulance, and an operations manager.Despite efforts of first responders, the man died at the scene.Acting Detective Inspector Simon Harrison said one person was taken into custody.”As such, police are not seeking anyone else in relation to this matter. We would like to reassure the community…

ADVERTISEMENT Ursula von der Leyen hit back against a renewed attempt to topple her presidency by making a pitch for political unity at a time when “our adversaries are not only ready to exploit any divisions” but “they are actively inciting those divisions in the first place”. Von der Leyen faces two simultaneous motions of censure this week, filed by far-right and far-left groups in the European Parliament, just three months after she comfortably survived her first-ever vote of no confidence. Neither of the two motions is expected to succeed. “The point of this unity is not necessarily for us…

Another business linked to Christchurch property developer Andrew Bendemski has folded, leaving a string of connected companies owing at least $35 million to creditors. Among failed projects was a Wanaka development with consent to build about 60 townhouses near the lake waterfront, which went to mortgagee sale last year. This was owned by Stoney Creek GCO Ltd, whose director was Mr Bendemski. After developing Christchurch and Wanaka subdivisions, he now has an Auckland address. The latest of interwoven companies to go under this year is GCO Pharmaceuticals Ltd, which was placed in liquidation on September 26. Mr Bendemski is the…