Author: Press Room

New Zealanders may be leaving money on the table by keeping their cash in transaction accounts.David Cunningham, chief executive of mortgage broking firm Squirrel, said there was significantly more money in transaction accounts now than before Covid.Most banks do not pay interest on transaction accounts.Cunningham said transaction account balances had peaked at $53 billion when interest rates were close to zero, and people could see little reason to change.It had fallen to a recent low of $37b but had now lifted again to $39b.”Almost all of this earns 0% [interest].”If that money were shifted into an account paying 3%, it…

A police officer who had a firework blasted at his head amid boy racer mayhem in Levin this weekend has described the scenes as “chaotic”.Police Commissioner Richard Chambers and Police Minister Mark Mitchell both arrived in Horowhenua last night to check in with frontline officers.“The behaviour that we’ve seen this weekend in Levin and Palmerston North is the behaviour that you’d expect from menaces and morons,” Chambers said.Ten people were arrested, and Chambers suspects there will be more soon. Five bystanders were injured, including one young woman who had both of her legs run over.Two police officers were also injured,…

Southland power supplier, PowerNet says nearly 400 homes in the region are still without power.The electricity network company on Saturday said three of its networks had been badly disrupted by stormy weather overnight and warned affected customers to prepare for extended blackouts to last for days.They were OtagoNet, Electricity Invercargill and The Power Company, which services Southland.At that time, PowerNet said some customers could remain without power into Monday and people who were medically dependent on electricity should plan accordingly.By 8.45pm Saturday, 1600 properties were still without power, reduced from about 8000 customers earlier in the weekend.A PowerNet spokesperson said…

A woman has died in hospital following a crash in Port Waikato on Friday night, bringing the preliminary King’s Birthday road toll to four.Emergency services were called to Tuakau Bridge-Port Waikato Rd at around 6.10pm on May 30 to reports of a single vehicle rolling.Three people were taken to hospital, two by ambulance who were moderately and seriously injured and one by helicopter who was critically injured.The critically injured woman died in hospital yesterday, police said. The serious crash unit attended and the circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.King’s Birthday road toll stands at fourThe death brings the preliminary…

A man has died and four others are injured after a horror crash on Auckland’s Northwestern Motorway overnight. Officers “became aware of a car on its roof in the citybound lanes” on State Highway 16, around Pt Chevalier, shortly after 11.05pm, a police spokesperson said. “One person had been ejected from the vehicle and another was trapped inside it, who was found to be deceased.”Footage from the scene showed officers inspecting an overturned red car.St John said it responded with four ambulances, two rapid response units, and two managers.”Our crews assessed and treated four patients. One in a serious condition…

A block of public toilets in Oamaru has been “significantly damaged” after a car was driven into them overnight.Waitaki District Council advised in a post to Facebook today that the public toilets on Awamoa St would be closed until further notice.”Someone has managed to drive a car into the toilets overnight and, as you can see, caused some significant damage.”The site is now unsafe so these toilets will be closed until repairs can be done.”Police said it received reports of a vehicle damaging the public toilets at around 3.10am and were making initial inquiries.The facility had been replaced in 2023…

Julia Gorinski reckons some of the skills she learned on the rugby field may come in handy in her new role in the banking field. Ms Gorinski, 30, is a household name in Otago rugby, as the former Otago Spirit captain, Matatū Super Rugby Aupiki player and Varsity veteran. Having hung up her representative boots last year after playing her 65th cap for the Otago Spirit in the Farah Palmer Cup championship final, she moved straight into the Varsity coaching role this season. A few weeks ago, she became Westpac’s Otago-Southland agribusiness manager, a role which included overseeing other managers…

In his first public address since being sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister, ACT leader David Seymour reflected on the past decade with supporters at a party event.The ACT leader took over the role from Winston Peters on Saturday.The speech earlier this morning chronicled ACT’s journey from the political low point of the 2014 election to its current position in government.Seymour recalled what he described as “the wicked old days” when ACT’s support hovered near one per cent and survival seemed uncertain.”Most of the time, it seemed bloody impossible,” he said, referring to financial struggles, internal turmoil, and public scepticism…

Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka has lauded a Government directive to crack down on abusive Kāinga Ora tenants as a success, citing improved tenant behaviour.Potaka said in a release that in Kāinga Ora’s Sustaining Tenancies Framework, which was ended in March last year, had effectively allowed tenants to stay in a Kāinga Ora home regardless of abusive or disruptive activity.”Living in a taxpayer-funded social house is a privilege. The vast majority of social housing tenants are respectful of their home and courteous to their neighbours, but unfortunately they are let down by a small minority who threaten and abuse their…

Kea Aerospace CEO Mark Rocket has made history as the first Kiwi to travel to space.The NS-32 mission aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard lifted off from its launch pad in Texas at 1.39am (NZ time), soaring past the Kármán line – the internationally recognised boundary of space – 100 kilometres above Earth, before landing safely around 1.50am.The Christchurch aerospace engineer, who changed his last name due to his love for space, said in a post-flight statement that the experience far surpassed his admittedly “high expectations”.’I backflipped out of my seat’: NZ’s first space tourist describes ‘intense’ experience – watch on…