have become a breakout success for singer Haley Roughton frontwoman Haley Roughton might have the coolest day job of anyone in metal She works as a spacewalk engineer for NASA where she helps train astronauts and develop the next generation of spacesuits “I’ve built a very fulfilling life,” she says proudly “It took a lot of pain and challenges but I’ve got a life I wouldn’t replace Those challenges she mentions all seemed to hit at once she went through a tumultuous time as her relationship ended she was fired from her then-bands Dorzia and The Xebellian Triangle and she had to move back in with her family “I’d spent so long joining other people’s bands doing things other people’s way… which I was fine with It wasn’t as scary as starting my own band.” Haley exudes a sense of comfort and happiness that’s a far cry from those difficult years she decided to channel her energy into writing her own emotive Moving away from the tech and melodic death metal of her former bands Haley found herself writing metalcore with an R’n’B twist “I realised I hadn’t heard a sound quite like this before,” she recalls two musicians that I trust and who bring different elements to Gore Channelling shoegaze, R’n’B vocal runs and crushing metalcore weight its guitars echoing with despair as Haley’s vocals shift between desperate screams and yearning cleans all that I know is I feel the weight of the world so could you stay here and pray for me?’ she sings Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer and added a political spin to Gore.’s lyrics ‘I peek my head outside and watch the cops kill all my neighbours’ kids’ she sings ‘I wonder if things would be different if their parents had been rich.’ Amid the personal and political observations Haley was keen to incorporate her own identity and understanding of femininity into Gore.’s music which deals with her complex feelings around motherhood and women’s “biological clock” That’s not a thing that most metalcore bands talk about,” she says and I’m lost.’ The girl-boss perspective of I can stand on my own two feet’ – that’s not Gore. It was supposed to be this almost pining femininity The last year has been nonstop for Gore.. They signed to Spinefarm in August and went on their first tour, supporting deathcore stalwarts Within The Ruins in October the band were completed when drummer Wills Weller – formerly of New Jersey prog metallers Toothgrinder – officially joined in November “I used to listen to Toothgrinder in the gym,” she grins Wills wants to join Gore.?’ We had to have him!” This year is shaping up to be another busy one and will soon undertake their first run of European festivals and the band want to expand their horizons “If you’re married to A Bud That Never Blooms you’re going to be disappointed in the future,” Haley admits “That’s not the sound we’re going to have forever.” these days they’re helping Haley reassert her power she’s confident about what comes next – even if she doesn’t know exactly what that will be gonna sound different in the future and we’re gonna develop our sound further but the vision and the story of that vision is going to develop,” she explains “You’re going to hear some stuff that’s way heavier You’re also going to hear some stuff that’s way more radio-friendly You’re going to hear a huge spectrum of things because we are still figuring out what we want to sound like.” A Bud That Never Blooms is out now via Spinefarm Will MarshallWriterWill's been a metal obsessive ever since hearing Trivium’s Ascendancy way back in 2005 Since joining the Metal Hammer team in 2021 he’s penned features with the likes of rising stars Lake Malice He’s also had bylines in Stereoboard covering everything from Avenged Sevenfold to Charli XCX “I dreamed everything went wrong on stage and we all turned to dust.” Geezer Butler is having nightmares ahead of Black Sabbath's final show Ghost become first hard rock act in four years to top US album chart but miss out in the UK Former VP said the administration was creating its ‘own preferred reality’ and slammed it for green energy U-turn Al Gore said there were “important lessons” to be learned from similarities between the early rise of Nazi Germany and the recent actions of the Trump administration in scathing comments made Monday during remarks about climate change During a speech at an event to mark the beginning of San Francisco’s Climate Week, the former vice-president and established climate advocate, said that the Trump administration was “trying to create their own preferred version of reality”, akin to the Nazi party during the 1930s in Germany, Politico reported. “I understand very well why it is wrong to compare Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich to any other movement,” said Gore during his speech at the city’s Exploratorium museum. “It was uniquely evil, full stop. I get it. But there are important lessons from the history of that emergent evil.” Read moreGore also slammed Trump for preventing the transition to green energy as the global climate emergency reaches new heights “It is abundantly clear that after only three months and one day, that the new Trump administration is attempting to do anything it possibly can to try to halt the transition to a clean future and a deep reduction in the burning of fossil fuels,” Gore said He added: “They say the climate crisis is a hoax invented by the Chinese to destroy American manufacturing they say sea level rise just creates more beachfront property,” referring to the Trump administration Gore concluded his speech by calling on attendees to take action as the US was “under attack” Gore’s comments come as three former presidents have publicly condemned the Trump administration over the past two weeks Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have each denounced the Trump administration in separate comments No president has explicitly named Trump in their remarks Obama called out Trump’s mounting attacks against colleges and universities during a speech at Hamilton College in New York on 3 April Obama said: “It is up to all of us to fix this … It’s not going to be because somebody comes and saves you The most important office in this democracy is the citizen In his first post-presidency speech last Tuesday Biden criticized Trump’s plans to slash social security “The last thing [beneficiaries] need from their government is deliberate cruelty,” Biden said this administration has done so much damage and so much devastation.” ShareSaveCommentInnovationSustainabilityAl Gore’s Real-Time Climate Data Just Went Live—Here’s Why It MattersByIngmar Rentzhog Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Ingmar Rentzhog is the CEO and founder of We Don’t Have Time.for We Don’t Have TimeFollow AuthorApr 21 Vice President Al Gore and Gavin McCormick More TRACE platform at the UNFCCC COP27 climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh Climate TRACE delivered precise emissions data with just a 60-day lag This groundbreaking achievement comes courtesy of Climate TRACE Gore outlined a transformative vision: give climate data the urgency and transparency that financial markets take for granted This is more than data—it’s the birth of a global climate dashboard something akin to a Bloomberg Terminal for Earth’s health and policymakers now have regular insight into exactly who is polluting The era of vague commitments and unchecked greenwashing just got a powerful new opponent Global monthly GHG emissions (Jan 2015-Jan 2025) Climate TRACE’s January 2025 update shows global emissions totaled 5.26 billion tonnes CO₂e a modest yet significant 0.59% drop compared to January 2024 remained stable at roughly 32.24 million tonnes hinting that the global emissions curve might finally be starting to flatten global emissions data has suffered from delays of one to two years—far too late for effective action Managing climate policy with outdated data is akin to managing a financial portfolio using last year's market prices Climate TRACE transforms this outdated approach Its advanced network monitors over 660 million emission sources worldwide AI-powered algorithms analyze satellite heat signatures The Climate TRACE coalition uses cross-referenced satellite imagery and independent validation with ground-based data sources to ensure accuracy the methodology represents a major leap beyond self-reported inventories This emissions inventory’s accuracy is akin to quarterly financial reports transforming climate tracking from guesswork into rigorous accounting The January 2025 breakdown reveals where emissions are beginning to bend and where momentum is still missing Greenhouse gas emissions increased year over year in waste and manufacturing and decreased in transportation Transportation saw the greatest change in emissions year over year The data doesn’t just show sectors—it also reveals national performance turning global emissions into a monthly scoreboard that clearly tracks year-over-year changes (as shown below China’s absolute reduction stands out as particularly notable Dortmund (Germany) and Pohang-si (South Korea) led significant cuts while emissions in Ma'anshan and Anshan (China) rose notably Just as financial markets watch national GDP providing continuous incentives for improvement Quarterly reports delayed by years would be absurd climate policy can finally mirror this urgency Real-time emissions data allows investors to evaluate companies based on actual performance Regulators can pinpoint precise interventions and cities can compete on measurable impacts Climate TRACE’s latest dataset refines tracking across key sectors and distinguishes fossil from biogenic methane using IPCC guidelines and citizens alike to hold polluters accountable speaks to the media beside during a tour of the Los .. More Angeles Department of Transportation bus depot in Los Angeles actuaries warn that unchecked climate risk could halve the global economy within decades Climate TRACE’s open-source, satellite-driven data doesn’t just inform, it disrupts. It exposes the emitters. It reveals the truth behind the promises. And it turns delay into a choice, not an excuse. But not everyone welcomes this kind of radical transparency. In fact, some would rather we stayed blind. Will it be allowed to thrive? Or will vested interests—political and industrial—try to suppress it before it reshapes the system? Because make no mistake: this data is power. And in the wrong hands—or kept out of public reach—it’s a power we could lose. If this data disappears, so does our ability to act before disaster strikes. Today’s near-real-time emissions tracking relies on a constellation of satellites, sensors, and AI models—many of which are controlled by governments or private entities. If access is cut off, censored, or restricted, we lose the transparency needed to hold polluters accountable. Without it, climate policy risks sliding back into the dark ages of delay, distraction, and disaster. The international community must defend it. Not just as a breakthrough in climate science but as a safeguard for truth in a time of disinformation. Because without it, we lose our clearest signal and our strongest leverage. The world must remain vigilant to ensure this powerful new tool isn't silenced. The availability of real-time climate data marks a decisive shift in how the world can respond to the climate crisis independent emissions data—updated monthly with sector-specific and geographic granularity What happens next will determine whether this breakthrough accelerates global climate progress—or whether it’s quietly sidelined before it can change the system Explore the full Climata Data dashboard at climatetrace.org Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker In a speech at a climate week event in San Francisco how popular authoritarian leaders have used migrants as scapegoats and have fanned the fires of xenophobia to fuel their own rise to power and power-seeking is what this is all about' Firm makes product used to waterproof clothing and allegedly polluted water with some kinds of Pfas The makers of Gore-Tex, a popular product commonly used to waterproof clothing by companies such as the North Face and Mountain Hardware, poisoned drinking water and sickened residents around their facilities in rural Maryland The facilities, about 90 miles north-east of Baltimore, polluted drinking water with levels up to 700 times above federal limits with some kinds of Pfas, a group of toxins known as “forever chemicals” due to their environmental longevity. The tainted water caused high rates of cancers and other diseases linked to Pfas exposure in the area, a class action suit alleges. Meanwhile, Maryland is suing WL Gore and Associates, Gore-Tex’s parent company, over alleged environmental violations. Each suit claims Gore knew about its products’ dangers as early as the 1980s, but continued to put Pfas into local waters, which drain into the Chesapeake Bay, and emit the substances from smokestacks. The company has said it only learned about PFOA, a common type of Pfas compound, in nearby groundwater two years ago, and has suggested it is not responsible for at least some of the pollution. noting the chemicals in the water match what Gore used “They’re really not in a position to say it’s not their Pfas – they know it is and everyone else knows it,” Federico said Pfas are a class of about 15,000 chemicals typically used to make products that resist water They can accumulate in humans and the environment birth defects and other serious health problems The EPA in 2023 found virtually no level of exposure to PFOA in drinking water is safe PFOA was used in Gore’s production process The chemicals that were emitted from the smokestacks probably landed on the nearby ground and percolated into groundwater that contaminated wells and poisoned agricultural soil Similar issues have been reported around other Pfas facilities Gore, a company with an estimated value of nearly $5bn, used PFOA to produce PTFE, a type of Pfas, applied to clothing, carpets, furniture, food packaging and more. The company set up a webpage defending its record noting it has conducted some investigations It has said it is working with state regulators as well as providing drinking water or filtration systems to some residents “Gore denies the allegations in the various lawsuits that have been recently filed We have been and will remain committed to the health and safety of our Associates and the environment,” says a statement on the website We will defend ourselves against the meritless allegations through the legal process with facts and science.” The suit details how the Pfas industry knew throughout the 1970s that the substances were dangerous and a Gore executive knew by 1990 at the latest the company’s Pfas waste grew as operations expanded and the company told employees the substance was harmless even as staff got sick and some died of Pfas-linked disease The suit alleges Gore effectively lied to regulators about Pfas air pollution beginning in 1995 and the company also later destroyed documents detailing its pollution knew and fully understood the toxicity and danger to human life caused by APFO/PFOA at all times by its production and dispersion activities,” the complaint reads About 4,000 people are part of the class action suit It and the state of Maryland demands the company cover cleanup costs pay for upgrades to water utilities and provide clean water to residents You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Visit image gallery to purchase the image The Just Four Kids children participated in a meet and greet with Gore Mayor Ben Bell as they had been out exploring their community natural surroundings Their educators Tina and Suzanne wanted the learning outcome for their tamariki children to enrich their understanding and appreciation of their community The children presented Mayor Ben Bell with a collage picture mural showcasing all the things and activities they like doing are potential future leaders of Gore and one day future voters They were all so excited for this event having played and learned and had so much fun with their learning adventures about their surrounding community environment in Gore The mural is a representation of their fun adventures showcasing their pride in their community was found dead in an oxidation pond near his Gore home A coroner will deliver final findings into the death of Gore toddler Lachie Jones in June Coroner Alexander Ho confirmed he has completed provisional findings in the inquest into the death of Lachlan Paul Graham Jones Lachie was 3 years old when he was found dead in a Gore oxidation pond on January 29, 2019. Two police investigations concluded the toddler had wandered from his mother Michelle Officer’s home travelled more than 1.2km and drowned accidentally who was separated from Officer after a turbulent relationship has long disputed this version of events and pressed for further scrutiny Over three weeks at the Invercargill courthouse last year the inquest heard emotional testimony from family who was the first to report Lachie missing faced intense cross-examination from Jones’ lawyer who alleged she had something to do with her son’s death - accusations she tearfully denied as baseless and cruel Her two older sons also faced similar allegations. The findings have been provided to specific individuals and organisations referenced in the report in accordance with natural justice principles and Section 58 of the Coroners Act 2006 which allows for adverse comments to be responded to before finalisation Those parties have until May 16 to respond Ho wrote that the provisional findings were not final and are subject to editorial changes as well as any feedback received They have been distributed on a “strictly limited release basis” and are not for publication The case has drawn national attention since the 3-year-old’s death prompting a coroner’s inquest and intense public scrutiny “Given the high community interest in Lachie’s death I think this is one of those rare cases where oral delivery would be appropriate,” Ho wrote He has proposed to deliver the findings in person at Invercargill on June 3 with confirmation of the date and time to follow after responses are received The court continues to treat the matter as live and no details from the coroner’s provisional findings may be published at this stage The boy described the man's car as having offensive words and gestures on its panels When Brooke Gore receives her doctoral degree from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Nursing this spring it will be the first time she actually walks down the aisle at graduation “I have never officially graduated,” said Gore who was winning a state tennis tournament on the day of her high school graduation and had to watch her James Madison University ceremony remotely due to the COVID pandemic At VCU, Gore is earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree reflecting a professional path that stemmed from her parents’ careers in health care “They recommended a career in nursing because there were so many career paths and varieties of opportunities that nursing offers,” she said After graduating from JMU in 2020 with a nursing degree Gore came to VCU Health and began working in the surgical trauma intensive care unit will let her expand her relationship with patients and take a more diagnostic approach to their treatment “I always knew I wanted to go to nurse practitioner school,” she said “I wanted the advantage of having a clinical perspective on how to diagnose and treat patients and to understand the why behind treatment plans.” Gore could continue working as a nurse during her studies She now works in the ICU float pool and can be assigned to any of those units at VCU Health The challenge and reward of Gore’s four-year program at VCU has been framed largely by her involvement in the Strength in Caring Project a research initiative funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration that has included VCU’s School of Nursing “This grant funded my doctoral project,” she said who serve as the principal co-investigators “I always knew I wanted to go to nurse practitioner school I wanted the advantage of having a clinical perspective on how to diagnose and treat patients and to understand the why behind treatment plans.” Gore has been working as the D.N.P. student project lead with Dana Burns clinical associate professor at the School of Nursing who has been impressed at Gore’s openness to new ways of learning and resilience “Brooke is able to pull people together and she enjoys working in a team,” Burns said “She has excellent leadership skills and team dynamics chronic disease as well as dermatology.” Gore would like to stay at VCU and practice in dermatology “I had a lot of issues with my skin when I was younger so I have a personal connection,” she said I would love to do primary care where I could focus on preventative care and patient education for all age groups I just enjoy helping and educating people before they have a problem.” Subscribe to VCU News at newsletter.vcu.edu and receive a selection of stories, videos, photos, news clips and event listings in your inbox. Pope Francis’ legacy may be a ‘bridge between tradition and modernity’ Brian Brown named VCU School of Business dean Class of 2025: That guy driving the hot dog? It’s Trey O’Shea Dale Quarterman, who oversaw the launch of VCU’s bachelor’s program in photography, dies at 81 Class of 2025: Advanced nursing degree gives Brooke Gore a chance to truly graduate RVA native Everette Taylor brings grit and empathy to dream role as Kickstarter CEO Class of 2025: Felicia Fowler relishes the long journey to her VCU degree Certain traits in romantic partners can amplify the impact of a person’s genetic risk for alcohol problems New Zealand company Treetech has teamed up with Singaporean business Greehill to roll out the technology, which creates a 360-degree view of the rural district's tallest residents. While the car travels at precisely 39km/h, four million lasers and six cameras scan and snap pictures of trees along each side of the street. It then used that data to identify vulnerabilities in the trees to prevent accidents, and find where more canopy coverage was needed. Treetech spokesperson Jak Harris told 1News the technology was "quite a game changer". "We can capture up to 8000 trees in a day. It's not only faster, it's way more accurate... and you get a huge amount more information," he said. The setup also used artificial intelligence to identify while driving what species each tree was, and other useful details such as dimensions. It could even simulate a tree's strength in high-winds. Harris said "all that information is much more accurate than what you'd get with a traditional arborist walking around and looking from the ground". Gore District Council's park and recreation manager Keith McRobie said "we want to go from a survey that was done on a spreadsheet to latest technology". Gore was the first place in the country to have the modern technological survey completed — with Invercargill and Auckland councils also signed up. The device, described as an MRI scanner for trees, was big overseas. Greehill's András Bogár-Szabó was visiting from Hungary to help with the rollout in New Zealand, and has completed a number of scans already. "We [have] already scanned the whole [of] Marseille in France, which took almost six weeks to finish up." He said all of Prague in the Czech Republic and Singapore had been mapped, and there were "really huge towns in North America, which are longer and quite big projects". For comparison, Gore could be scanned in just one day. "A little bit more of a simpler project," Bogár-Szabó said. But there was room for further development, in particular, when it came to identifying some of this country's deep-rooted tree issues, such as kauri dieback. "It doesn't get quite that specific with actual diseases, but it would flag very early on that there is dieback in that canopy," Harris said. Gore's council has noticed a difference in results compared to previous surveys. McRobie said around 22,200 trees were surveyed manually the last time they did it. "The information we're going to get out of this is going to be a whole lot better... it's actually cheaper and it's probably 10 times better in terms of the value to us," he said. He said he believed it would lead to more informed decision-making. "It gives you the justification that that tree is actually in really good shape and, you know, it needs a bit of love and care." New technology uses four million lasers, and six cameras to scan and snap pictures of trees along each side of Gore’s streets. (Source: 1News) A New Zealand company is using technology similar to Google's street view to map trees, and scan them for vulnerabilities more accurately, in Southland's Gore. Treetech spokesperson Jak Harris. (Source: 1News) Data was used to identify vulnerabilities in the trees to prevent accidents, and find where more canopy coverage was needed. (Source: 1News) Gore District Council's Park and Recreation Manager Keith McRobie. (Source: 1News) Southland farming company slapped with fine over effluent discharge Gladvale Farms Ltd committed the offending on two occasions in October 2019 at an Oreti Plains farm Environment Police believe wave of Invercargill robberies two burglaries and one attempted burglary took place in Invercargill between 2.30am and 4.20am and are believed to be connected Crime and Justice Sheep killed more euthanised after stock truck rolls in Southland Police were called to the single-vehicle crash on Tokanui Gorge Rd Highway near Fortrose at around 7.45am on Monday New Zealand Search for hiker missing in Milford Sound Police were told late yesterday that a man who had gone hiking in the Mitre Peak area of Milford Sound had failed to return home New recycling scheme turns car bumpers into fence posts The idea is to repurpose broken car parts destined for landfill Minister 'cautiously optimistic' broken Whaakari tech can be fixed soon Scientists have previously been denied entry by the island’s owners Govt halts all current pay equity claims, makes it harder to lodge new ones 28 mins ago New Zealand's Cardinal John Dew prepares to go into conclave 10:54am Iwi boss to head new board for Taranaki Maunga 10:49am Kiwi motorcyclist killed in 11-bike British Supersport crash 10:33am National introduces members' bill to ban social media for under 16s 9:51am Three in hospital after Christchurch house fire 21 mins ago 1Two men's shared name brings years of trouble and a hefty bill to one Person dies following morning crash on Auckland motorway The 'Trump slump' boosts the left in Canada and Oz – but what about NZ? Erin Patterson shared love of mushrooms in online group Two arrested over alleged plot targeting Lady Gaga concert in RioBrazilian police said they thwarted an alleged bomb attack planned for Lady Gaga's concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Lady Gaga rocks Copacabana Beach with free concert for over 2 million fansCries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Lorde announces new album name, dateThu, May 1 Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris trial over 2016 armed robberyMon, Apr 28 Chubby Checker, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper join Rock & Roll Hall of FameMon, Apr 28 Lorde releases new single after weeks of cryptic teasesThu, Apr 24 Chubby Checker, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper join Rock & Roll Hall of FameMon A New Zealand company is using technology similar to Google's street view to map trees and scan them for vulnerabilities more accurately New Zealand company Treetech has teamed up with Singaporean business Greehill to roll out the technology which creates a 360-degree view of the rural district's tallest residents four million lasers and six cameras scan and snap pictures of trees along each side of the street It then used that data to identify vulnerabilities in the trees to prevent accidents and find where more canopy coverage was needed Treetech spokesperson Jak Harris told 1News the technology was "quite a game changer" "We can capture up to 8000 trees in a day and you get a huge amount more information," he said The setup also used artificial intelligence to identify while driving what species each tree was and other useful details such as dimensions It could even simulate a tree's strength in high-winds Harris said "all that information is much more accurate than what you'd get with a traditional arborist walking around and looking from the ground" Gore District Council's park and recreation manager Keith McRobie said "we want to go from a survey that was done on a spreadsheet to latest technology" Gore was the first place in the country to have the modern technological survey completed — with Invercargill and Auckland councils also signed up Greehill's András Bogár-Szabó was visiting from Hungary to help with the rollout in New Zealand and has completed a number of scans already "We [have] already scanned the whole [of] Marseille in France which took almost six weeks to finish up." He said all of Prague in the Czech Republic and Singapore had been mapped and there were "really huge towns in North America which are longer and quite big projects" "A little bit more of a simpler project," Bogár-Szabó said But there was room for further development when it came to identifying some of this country's deep-rooted tree issues "It doesn't get quite that specific with actual diseases but it would flag very early on that there is dieback in that canopy," Harris said Gore's council has noticed a difference in results compared to previous surveys McRobie said around 22,200 trees were surveyed manually the last time they did it "The information we're going to get out of this is going to be a whole lot better.. it's actually cheaper and it's probably 10 times better in terms of the value to us," he said He said he believed it would lead to more informed decision-making "It gives you the justification that that tree is actually in really good shape and A large-scale Southland farming company has been fined $82,500 for discharging effluent in a manner which could have entered waterways The company was sentenced on Monday after being found guilty in February following an August 2024 judge-alone trial Legal action against the company began when Environment Southland alleged the Resource Management Act had been breached through effluent discharge on or into land which could have resulted in the contaminant entering water It was alleged the defendant irrigated at night without monitoring due to employees being off duty The judgement said although it was not necessary to prove the contaminant had entered or impacted the waterway there was sufficient evidence to show it had Steps taken to mitigate against the discharge were not sufficient including using a digger to move effluent further into a paddock Judge Steven told the court that 90 percent of the fine would go to the council Gladvale Farms Ltd operates five dairy farms in Southland with 3700 cows across 3300 acres Stuff has previously reported fines against the company of $27,000 in 2018/19 Police have appealed to the public after two aggravated robberies and a series of burglaries in Invercargill overnight Detective Inspector Stu Harvey said officers were called to a premises on Dee St at around 2.30am on Monday to reports of two people entering a store demanding cash A worker was assaulted but not seriously injured Harvey said an attempted burglary and two burglaries were reported at three further premises on Windsor St Police then received a report that two people had entered a Tay St premises and demanded cash and items Harvey said information suggested the incidents were linked "Two vehicles were seen in the vicinity of some of the incidents "The other vehicle is described as a dark-coloured car," said Harvey "We would like to speak to anyone who saw vehicles fitting these descriptions between 1am and 5am." Anyone with relevant information about these vehicles or those involved should contact police on 105 Sheep have been killed and others have had to be euthanised after a stock truck rolled in Southland this morning The road was completely blocked and expected to be closed for sometime while the scene was cleared however the road is completely blocked," a police spokesperson said Southland District Council confirmed some animals were killed in the crash while others had to be euthanised due to injuries Fire and Emergency responded with crews from Waimahaka It's the second incident of sheep being killed after a stock truck rolled in Southland in a little over a week A small number of lambs had to be euthanised after a stock truck rolled near Balclutha on April 27 Search and rescue teams are heading to Milford Sound this morning to look for a hiker who failed to return Police were told late yesterday that the man not returned home after he had gone out hiking in the Mitre Peak area of Milford Sound A helicopter will also be used in the search today A new recycling scheme turning bits of old bangers destined for landfill into fence posts is underway Eurotech Auto Repair Centre director Marino Milich said there's been a history of being able to recycle products "but plastics we've been found wanting" "This is great for the automotive trade and for generations to come," said Milich Among the biggest plastic components are car bumpers The plastics they're made of are designed to absorb force but therefore don't break down easily Milich sends around 10 of them to landfill every week but a new collection service from the country's motor industry body aims to end that Larry Fallowfield from the Motor Trade Association said they've started the service in the greater south and east Auckland areas and will be rolling it out to the greater Auckland over the next few months "With the intention that by the start of 2026 there will be no more bumpers going to landfill," Fallowfield said The process begins in south and east Auckland where broken car parts are placed in specifically-designed cages They are then brought to a plastic manufacturer in Waiuku to be made into fences Alloy Logistics Solutions' Grant Rollo said they received 24 bumpers in the first rollout "Wwe can fit about 50 to 60 bumpers per cage," he said Future Post founder Jerome Wenzlick said the plastic is fed into a "big shredding machine" which chips them into 10ml pieces "Then we melt it together and turn it into a post." The Motor Trade Association is currently in talks with other companies around the country that can also repurpose plastic parts repairers are shouldering the costs of the delivery service but Fallowfield hopes insurers will help foot the bill "Most insurance companies will pay an environmental fee What we're trying to do is get insurance companies to pay a repurposing fee." Fallowfield said there's widespread interest from repairers with around 40 companies expected to sign up by the end of the month the Emergency Management Minister's "cautiously optimistic" scientists will get back on Whakaari / White Island soon to fix broken technology They have previously been denied entry by the island's owners to repair the gear after the 2019 eruption killed 22 people The monitoring equipment was drastically damaged and eventually stopped working Te Herenga Waka Victoria University researcher Dr Finn Illsley-Kemp told 1News: "We're relying on seismometers that are on the mainland and they're just too far away to record the signals." when the island has erupted in bad weather or darkness "Eruptions have occurred and we didn't notice until we saw damage on solar panels," Illsley-Kemp said it's very strange to not be able to know anything about it." Normally our most active volcano has instruments showing shaking for experts watching 24/7 to help keep people in nearby boats planes and the mainland safe from hazards like ashfall University of Auckland geology professor Phil Shane said with the current blackspots "It doesn't really seem rational or logical to restrict access by scientists to volcanoes when it's part of our role." One of the complications was court action involving the Buttle family who were initially convicted of health and safety breaches which was then quashed Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell has been upping the urgency to now reinstate the technology "It's something that is complicated and I didn't anticipate that it would be," he told 1News "I'm cautiously optimistic that we're going to get equipment on there." The Buttles told 1News they met with government representatives in March from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Department of Internal Affairs the family wants to negotiate a formal licence instead of the verbal licence that existed previously They are waiting for further communication from the government on the proposed formal licence." They also said: "The Buttle family has always supported the activities of GNS [Science] in their monitoring and research on Whakaari." GNS Science would do the hands-on work to install the new gear The government is making it harder to make a claim for pay equity that will cut costs There have been massive pay equity claims in recent years for nurses and resthome workers Workplace Minister Brooke van Velden announced the moves to raise the threshold for proving work has been historically undervalued to support a claim on Tuesday saying changes back in 2020 had created problems "Claims have been able to progress without strong evidence of undervaluation and there have been very broad claims where it is difficult to tell whether differences in pay are due to sex-based discrimination or other factors." Claims were concentrated in the public sector with costs to the Crown of all settlements so far totalling $1.78 billion a year "The changes I am proposing will significantly reduce costs to the Crown," she said "The changes will discontinue current pay equity claims The nurse's union has this year had at least 10 pay equity claims in play The PSA union has said pay equity claims and settlements had resulted in significant improvements in pay and working conditions for many workers rnz.co.nz Cardinal John Dew is about to go into conclave to vote for a new pope is among the 133 cardinals gathered in the Vatican to elect a successor to Pope Francis Dew and his fellow Cardinals will be locked away from the world as they participate in daily votes in the Sistine Chapel until white smoke billows from the rooftop signalling a new pope is selected Read more about how the conclave works here He follows in the footsteps of Cardinal Reginald Delargey and Cardinal Thomas Williams - Kiwis who had previously entered conclave in 1978 and 2005 Dew said cardinals had been meeting daily to share their perspectives on the needs of the church and what qualities a new pope would need to possess to address said needs “Listening to what everyone is saying and the kind of person they're looking for to hear the passion that people have for spreading the work of the Gospel,” Dew said “I think one of the things that a new pope will need to do is to continue to try and give hope to the world “But as well as being the leader of the Church he needs to be a world leader who's prepared to speak out and in this world of disinformation and misinformation and sometimes lies Dew said other cardinals who had previously participated in conclavce described the centuries-old tradition as "divinely inspired" “A couple of the cardinals actually said you can go into the conclave and even have some ideas but it's only after a vote or two that things start to clarify,” he recalled but it became very clear that he was the one They described that as the work of Holy Spirit “And the fact that you're in a place where you have no contact with anybody else – no cell phones no iPads – the whole thing becomes a bit like a retreat and a real time of prayer.” Dew said finding a successor among a sea of so many contenders also had him feeling some "apprehension" the fact that this only happens once every few years and it has incredible consequences for the Church and for the world A trail-blazing tribal leader today starts a new job bringing together eight iwi to look after Taranaki Maunga Iwi now have equal say with the Crown in running the former Egmont National Park The Minister of Conservation will need iwi agreement to approve management plans for what is now called Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki Wharehoka Wano will lead Te Tōpuni Ngārahu – a new body of representatives from the region’s eight iwi – to govern the park alongside the conservation minister The arrangement is laid out in Te Ture Whakatupua mō te Kāhui Maunga, the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Act passed unanimously by Parliament in January Another group called Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi – half appointed by iwi and half by the Crown – will develop management plans for Te Tōpuni Ngārahu and the minister to consider Wano has for nine years been the first chief executive of Te Kāhui o Taranaki the agency set up when Taranaki iwi settled its historical Treaty claims Wano has helped shape Taranaki iwi’s future and he’s also a trustee for the neighbouring iwi’s post-settlement agency Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa. He’s one of the dozen counsellors on the Kīngitanga’s Tekau-mā-rua the advisory body for Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po – as he was for her father the late Kīngi Tūheitia At Wano’s farewell from Te Kāhui o Taranaki veteran campaigner Peter Moeahu said Wano was “an ambassador a diplomat extraordinaire,” and reckoned he would need those skills “You might have thought handling one iwi was bad enough referring to South Taranaki’s Te Pakakohi and Tangahoe which are not recognised as iwi by the Crown Te Kāhui o Taranaki chair Jacqui King said Wano had dealt with arms of the Crown on many fronts really challenging because often you get so impassioned by the unjust behaviours and practices “You have to carry that in such a way that you can't be asked to leave - and Whare is an absolute expert at ensuring he says what needs to be said without being offensive.” Te Kāhui’s operations manager Mark Wipatene said he’d known many aggressive cut-throat chief executives – “silverback gorillas who have massive egos” “They wouldn’t last a day in this space because you can’t operate that way.” “Whare has the ability to navigate through that world and bring his kaimahi with him because he has no ego Liana Poutu helped negotiate the maunga settlement and said Wano’s calming influence wasn’t limited to dealings with government “And when we want to take on some whawhai (fight) Whare’s like ‘are you sure that's how you want to do it?’” Wano’s niece and former colleague Puna Wano-Bryant said he would bring impeccable communication to the Maunga job “He has the ability to open new ways for people to heal and reconcile their own relationships with each other.” Wano-Bryant said she often spotted surfboards in her uncle’s car and he would explain he was off to a “board hui” Fellow surfer and new Taranaki Regional Council chair Craig Williamson has known Wano for almost 20 years and praised his work for the betterment of Taranaki communities We’ve had three board meetings this week.” In 2016 the Crown accepted that Taranaki Maunga and the adjacent ranges would become a legal person and own itself as Te Kāhui Tupua the Crown agreed to share management of the national park Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki with iwi There's now a search on for four people to represent the iwi of Taranaki on Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi serving as the face and voice of Te Kāhui Tupua When Parliament passed the redress law in January it officially recognised the peaks as tupuna maunga – ancestral mountains LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ on Air We want to protect our kids from the harms of social media. That’s why today National has introduced a members bill to ban social media for kids under 16 years old. pic.twitter.com/TiQJs87DhQ Shane William Pritchard has been charged with crimes he didn’t commit and chased for debts he doesn’t owe That’s because the Dunedin man is not the only Shane William Pritchard in town While the duo’s shared name and age has sometimes been a handy loophole for one Shane for the other it has caused problems for 36 years It’s been years of fearing every knock on the door Years of wondering if he’ll be hand-cuffed and taken to jail to be honest,” says Shane William Pritchard a scout and a member of the Air Training Corp remembers getting quite a shock when her friend called one evening She'd been acting as a referee for a gun licence for Shane whose friend informed her that the police had a long list of offences against Shane’s name Not long after that the police turned up to where Shane was working at the local tannery to arrest him “You're scrambling in your head to think of ways that you can prove it's not you.” Another Shane William Pritchard had been born in Otago They were separated by just two weeks and about 50 miles – one growing up in Mosgiel the other in Milton – but also by the lives they’d been leading To watch the full video story go to TVNZ+ Shane from Milton had huge problems focusing at school He was raised in foster care and then boys’ homes I just wanted to look cool and get in trouble,” he tells Fair Go Milton Shane was used to run-ins with police he got pulled over in his car and asked about his driving licence one’s got a licence and the other hasn’t.’ And I’m like ‘obviously it must be the one with a licence’.” he went to his bank to draw out an ACC payment and was asked which bank account was his He says that at that point he was trying to figure out what was going on “I thought it was just an error.” But he took advantage of the situation and withdrew a large sum of cash Mosgiel Shane became aware of the withdrawal when a scheduled car payment was declined and when Milton Shane turned up at the bank to withdraw more money Identity fraud was considered but Milton Shane was legitimately expecting an ACC payment so the withdrawal appeared to be a genuine mistake and the police couldn’t take any action 'Anything I could get away with Mosgiel Shane thought the bank incident would have alerted police to the problem But his nemesis had cottoned on to the advantages of having a second identity to use Milton Shane acquired a suite of furniture on hire-purchase Milton-Shane clocked up more driving offences Mosgiel Shane thought about changing his name but realised he’d have to provide his previous name in the process the courts and debt collectors such as Baycorp should be able to distinguish between himself and Milton Shane The police first addressed the issue in the 1990s after Mosgiel Shane went to the media He was given a letter to carry with him should he be apprehended He and his parents felt his situation wasn’t being taken seriously Mosgiel Shane went to the media a second time in the mid-2000s the police gave their word that a record in their system would stop the misidentification from happening again This does appear to have worked as far as police action goes But while Mosgiel Shane was given the same reassurance by the Ministry of Justice he continued to receive demands from the courts for unpaid fines He’d also get stopped and questioned whenever he left the country for work trips or holidays It took a huge toll on Mosgiel Shane’s mental health not realising the constant stress it placed on his life John Pritchard says that at times his son felt his life wasn’t worth living worrying about what he was going to do to himself and that really ate me up.” he and his son were in tears as Shane admitted he was at breaking point He described going for days at a time unable to eat or sleep wondering what might happen next "Am I going to be in a position where they've got me in handcuffs or I've got debt collectors coming to the door?" ...You're spiralling into this black hole." He started taking anti-anxiety medication which helped And events regarding Milton Shane seemed to settle Milton Shane was charged for fishing without a licence in Twizel and failing to comply with fisheries officers But a court registrar incorrectly entered the birth date of Mosgiel Shane in the system both Shanes were being chased to pay the $1530 fine It was Mosgiel Shane who spotted the error and rang the court He also sent a statement from his manager saying he’d not been fishing in Twizel that day The reply he got was to say he’d been given the wrong form and that they wouldn’t accept his proof They just wanted to know how I was going to pay the fine.” The first Milton Shane knew about this was when Fair Go told him Mosgiel Shane had been chased for the fine He was told to pay up or face the consequences feeling he shouldn’t have to pay good money to correct someone else’s mistake But it cost Mosgiel Shane over $5000 in legal fees and took months of back and forth between him “Why should anybody have to pay their own money to right somebody else's wrongs and prove who they are I’m sick and tired of proving who I am all the time.” He wanted the Ministry of Justice to take responsibility and reimburse him for his legal costs saying court staff such as the registrar in this case have immunity if they make mistakes such as the one made here and if I make a mistake and it's affecting my client that it's going to cost them money to rectify a mistake that I've made.” he deserves a million apologies from those guys,” she says Milton Shane told Fair Go he still gets in trouble but wants the other Shane to know he doesn’t use his birth date anymore And he had a message for him: “We’ve got to get it sorted for you so you can have a good life with you and your family because I’m trying to get my life together with my son and my grandson” He offers to meet to see if they can sort it out together but I’m not interested in meeting him,.” says Mosgiel Shane He says he doesn’t hold any grudges and accepts Milton Shane’s apology And he believes the only way for that to happen is for the courts and the Ministry of Justice to give him a guarantee that mix-ups won’t occur in the future Fair Go asked the Ministry of Justice to appear in person to apologise and provide reassurance to Shane of its plans to guard against these mistakes The Ministry declined our request to be on camera saying any comment on an individual case would compromise the independence of the courts as the Ministry operates separately But it did send a written apology directly to Mosgiel Shane It also admitted mistakes can occur in clerical records but said instructions were clear and the importance of getting things right had been emphasised to staff Mosgiel Shane isn’t totally convinced that’s the end of it “All I want is for the Ministry of Justice and the courts to do their job I'd like to live without this hanging over me all the time his criminal check has come back showing a clean slate A person has died following a crash on Auckland's south-western motorway this morning The single vehicle crash was reported to police shortly before 5am the sole occupant of this vehicle died at the scene," a police spokesperson said "Earlier closures of northbound lanes have now lifted and police advise motorists to continue to expect delays as earlier backlogs clear "We appreciate motorists' understanding this morning while emergency services carried out their work." Police said the serious crash unit examined the scene this morning and an investigation was underway into this morning's crash on behalf of the Coroner This is in addition to an earlier crash on Auckland's northern motorway near the Auckland Harbour Bridge Emergency services responded to a two-truck collision on the northern motorway near the Auckland Harbour Bridge shortly after 5am New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said all lanes south on State Highway 1 were open again following this earlier crash with five lanes available on the Harbour Bridge "Allow extra time for delays on the Northern Motorway to slowly ease this morning three lanes going south were now open again between Onewa Rd and the Harbour Bridge," NZTA said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's landslide win at the weekend following Canadian Prime Minister's Mark Carney's victory less than a week before should indicate to our politicians that the New Zealand "Trump trend" of 2024 may have peaked Trying to capitalise on the electoral success of US President Donald Trump now that his policies are having real-world effects is proving to be a big mistake for conservative leaders Australian voters have delivered a landslide win for the incumbent Labor Party returning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a second term with a clear majority of seats When he said in his victory speech that Australians had “voted for Australian values” an unspoken message was that they’d firmly rejected Trumpian values opposition and Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton had such a bad election he lost his own seat While not the only reason for his electoral demise Dutton’s adoption of themes associated with Trump backfired Opinion polls were projecting Dutton’s Coalition to win and exceeded expectations in the election itself the Liberals were “reduced to a right-wing populist party that is all but exiled from the biggest cities” Commentators identified a number of reasons including his “culture wars” and being depicted by Labor as “Trump-lite” Following a Trumpian pathway turned out to be a strategic blunder And Dutton’s downfall mirrors Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s defeat in Canada’s election on April 28 Canada’s incumbent centre-left Liberals were heading for defeat to the Conservatives But there were two gamechangers: the Liberals switched leaders from Justin Trudeau to Mark Carney and Trump caused a national uproar with his aggressive tariffs and his call for Canada to become the 51st US state Pre-election opinion polls then did a dramatic flip in favour of the Liberals who went on to win their fourth election in a row Poilievre’s campaign had adopted elements of the Trump style such as attacking “wokeness” and using derogatory nicknames for opponents His strategy failed as soon as Trump rolled out “America First” policies contrary to Canadians’ economic interests and national pride The takeaway for serious right-wing leaders in liberal democracies is clear: let Trump do Trump; his brand is toxic Trump’s actions are harming America’s allies affirmative action and climate change have seen voters outside the US react with self-protective patriotism A perceived association with Trump’s brand has now upended the electoral fortunes of (so far) two centre-right parties that had been in line to win and had been banking on the 2024 MAGA success somehow rubbing off on them what has been dubbed the “Trump slump” isn’t a universal trend the centre-left Social Democratic-led government was ousted in February in spite of Trump ally Elon Musk’s unhelpful support for the far-right anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party the populist Reform UK party has risen above 25% while Labour has fallen from 34% in last year’s election to the low 20s in recent polls But other governing centre-left parties are seeing an upside of the Trump effect In early January it looked like the incumbent Labour Party would be trounced by the Conservatives and the right-wing Progress Party Opinion polls dramatically flipped in early February boosting Labour from below 20% back into the lead Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will get another term in office Denmark’s governing Social Democrats have enjoyed a small polling boost since Trump declared he’d like to take Greenland off their hands The common denominator underlying these shifts to the left seems to be the Trump effect Voters in countries normally closely allied with the US are turning away from Trump-adjacent politicians people are rallying patriotically around centre-left Trump is harming leaders who could have been his allies the man himself seemed proud of the impact he had in Canada polls in mid-2024 showed support for Trump was growing – heading well above 20% Australia’s election suggests that trend may now be past its peak with debate over ACT’s contentious Treaty Principles Bill behind it and despite NZ First leader Winston Peters’ overt culture-war rhetoric (which may appeal to his 6% support base) the right-wing coalition government’s polling shows it could be on track for a second term – for the time being While the Trump effect may have benefited centre-left parties in Australia and Canada polling for New Zealand’s Labour opposition is softer than at the start of the year While “America First” policies continue to damage the global economy centre-right leaders who learn the lesson will quietly distance themselves from the Trump brand while maintaining cordial relations with the White House could do worse than follow Anthony Albanese’s example of not getting distracted by “Trump-lite” and instead promoting his own country’s values of fairness and mutual respect.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GUGWB5HTRVGGNP5PFWDLBH7SXM","content":"Grant Duncan is a teaching fellow in Politics and International Relations This story is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BMPLRKQ2NRDPZOPKHPADSUD4UE","content":" Erin Patterson had shared with true crime fans her love of mushrooms excitement over buying a food dehydrator and plans to cook beef Wellington The 50-year-old mother of two has pleaded not guilty to all counts against her including three murder charges for killing her estranged husband's family after feeding them lunch at her Leongatha home Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson all died in hospital from death cap mushroom poisoning after eating a beef Wellington Patterson had prepared for them on July 2023 Patterson claims it was "a terrible accident" Three members of a true crime Facebook group Patterson was part of gave evidence on day five of her Supreme Court trial in Morwell The group was created to go over the case of convicted baby killer Keli Lane she was a really good researcher," group member Christine Hunt said about Patterson's online reputation said in 2023 Patterson had shared photos of a black dehydrator with mushrooms inside "She was a bit excited that she'd purchased a food dehydrator," Barkley said via video link Screenshots of Patterson's messages to the group were also shown to the jury "I've been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything the kids had no idea," she wrote in one post said Patterson "seemed to really like mushrooms" In the weeks before the deadly mushroom meal Patterson asked the group if anyone had cooked a beef Wellington and if they had advice Erin said she was making beef Wellington," Hay said "I think she was at the supermarket and she messaged us something about the beef that she was buying." She said Patterson had told them the mushrooms came from an Asian grocer Hay said Patterson asked her for tips on how to make sure the beef Wellington pastry did not go "soggy" as it was one of Hay's favourite dishes said she joked: "I'd make a tofu Wellington" so we had a good laugh about that," she said Patterson's estranged husband Simon finished his evidence to the jury after almost three days in the witness box Defence barrister Colin Mandy SC put it to Simon that he had asked Erin - two days after the lunch - "is that what you used to poison them?" "I did not say that to Erin," Simon responded The jury of 15 people were shown messages from a family group Signal chat between Simon his former wife and his parents - in December 2022 - after he last week claimed she had sent "extremely aggressive" messages to his mother and father which he said were from a few months later having a crack at me and accusing me of some things in response to what I'd messaged her about," he said After his parents tried to help Erin and Simon resolve a dispute over his child support payments his mother Gail took a step back and stopped reading messages from Erin in the group chat "Mum really struggled with anxiety," he said The trial before Justice Christopher Beale will continue today Lady Gaga gave a free concert Saturday night in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach for the biggest show of her career (...) Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd kicked off the show at around 22.10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary Cries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand Concert organisers said 2.1 million people attended the show switching between an array of dresses including one with the colours of the Brazilian flag Some fans – many of them young – arrived on the beach at the crack of dawn to secure a good spot “Today is the best day of my life,” said Manoela Dobes a 27-year-old designer who was wearing a dress plastered with a photograph from when she met Lady Gaga in the United States in 2019 Madonna also turned Copacabana Beach into a massive dance floor last year The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Years’ Eve festivities and the upcoming month-long Saint John’s Day celebrations in June “It brings activity to the city during what was previously considered the low season – filling hotels and increasing spending in bars generating jobs and income for the population,” said Osmar Lima the city’s secretary of economic development in a statement released by Rio City Hall’s tourism department last month Rio’s City Hall said in a recent report that around 1.6 million people were expected to attend Lady Gaga's concert and that the show should inject at least 600 million reais (NZ$178.3 million) into Rio’s economy Similar concerts are scheduled to take place every year in May at least until 2028 Lady Gaga arrived in Rio in the early hours of Tuesday The city has been alive with Gaga-mania since as it geared up to welcome the pop star for her first show in the country since 2012 Rio’s metro employees danced to Lady Gaga’s 2008 hit song LoveGame and gave instructions for today in a video A free exhibition celebrating her career sold out While the vast majority of attendees were from Rio the event also attracted Brazilians from across the country and international visitors More than 500,000 tourists poured into the city in the days leading up to the show according to data from the local bus station and Tom Jobim airport Rio’s City Hall said in a statement yesterday made a cross-continent trip from Colombia to Brazil to attend the show “I’ve been a 100% fan of Lady Gaga my whole life,” said Serrano who was wearing a T-shirt featuring Lady Gaga’s outlandish costumes over the years the mega-star represents “total freedom of expression – being who one wants without shame” Rio officials have a history of organising huge concerts on Copacabana Beach Madonna’s show drew an estimated 1.6 million fans last year while 4 million people flooded onto the beach for a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart in 1994 that was the biggest free rock concert in history sixteen sound towers were spread along the beach Rio state’s security plan included the presence of 3300 military and 1500 police officers Among those present were Lady Gaga admirers who remember their disappointment in 2017 when the artist cancelled a performance scheduled in Rio at the last minute due to health issues “She's the best artist in the world,” the 25-year-old said I love you” in Portuguese rose from the crowd behind him whose real name is Ella Yelich O'Connor which also displayed what appears to be the album cover art — an X-ray of a pelvis "100% written in blood," the website read The new album's announcement came a week after she released her latest single What Was That The song's music video was filmed at a mysterious pop-up event in New York City's Washington Square Park that was initially shut down by police. The event ended up going ahead after all, and fans who stayed got to hear the new song for the first time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lorde (@lorde) It was the first sign of a follow-up to Lorde's previous album Her other albums were 2013's Pure Heroine and 2017's Melodrama she collaborated with British singer Charli XCX on a remix of Girl so confusing — on a re-release of the Grammy award-winning Brat Kim Kardashian thought she was going to be raped and killed when criminals broke into her bedroom in central Paris tied her up and stole more than US$6 million in jewellery 10 people will go on trial in Paris over the robbery abduction and kidnapping of the media personality and the concierge of the residence where she was staying during Paris Fashion Week the night of October 2 Kardashian’s lawyers said she will testify in person at the trial starting Monday and scheduled to run through May 23 "Ms Kardashian is reserving her testimony for the court and jury and does not wish to elaborate further at this time," they said "She has great respect and admiration for the French justice system and has been treated with great respect by the French authorities "She wishes the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case." In interviews and on her family’s reality TV show Kardashian has described being terrified as robbers pointed a gun at her In a 2020 appearance on David Letterman’s Netflix show she tearfully recalled thinking: "This is the time I’m going to get raped Twelve people were originally expected in the defendants’ box and another is seriously ill and can't be tried five of the 10 defendants were present at the scene of the robbery The French press has dubbed them The Granddad Robbers because the main defendants are elderly and have careers as bank robbers with long criminal records Kardashian told investigators she was taken to a bathroom next to her bedroom and placed in the bathtub Her attackers fled on bicycles or on foot and she managed to free herself by removing the tape from her hands and mouth She had also removed the tape from her feet and rushed to her stylist’s room She called her sister Kourtney to tell her about the theft Kardashian told investigators that she had not been injured adding that she wanted to leave France as soon as possible to be reunited with her children According to her testimony and that of the concierge at least one of the suspects had a handgun The gangsters stole many pieces of jewellery estimated to be worth more than US$6 million (NZ$10 million) Only one piece of jewellery — a diamond cross on platinum that was lost during the suspects' escape — has been recovered Two of the accused have partially confessed to the crime is one of two suspected robbers who allegedly entered the apartment his genetic profile was found on the tape used to gag Kardashian who was waiting for him in a parked car at a nearby train station The second robber said he tied up the concierge with cables but did not go up to Kardashian’s apartment said he acted as a lookout in the ground-floor reception area He said he was unarmed and did not personally threaten Kardashian but admitted he shared responsibility for the crime Abbas was arrested in January 2017 and spent 21 months in prison before being released under judicial supervision he co-authored a French-language book titled I Sequestered Kim Kardashian is the second alleged robber suspected of entering the flat although he was filmed by CCTV cameras and numerous telephone contacts with the other co-defendants show his involvement The other defendants are suspected of providing information about Kardashian’s presence in the apartment Others are accused of playing a role in the resale of the jewellery in Antwerp Joe Cocker and Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — in a class that also includes pop star Cyndi Lauper the rock duo the White Stripes and grunge masters Soundgarden the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status and the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will get the Musical Influence Award pianist Nicky Hopkins and bassist Carol Kaye will each get the Musical Excellence Award who sang at Woodstock and was best known for his cover of The Beatles’ With a Little Help From My Friends a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions who argued that Cocker is "about as rock and roll as it gets" Soundgarden — with the late Chris Cornell as singer — get into the Hall on their third nomination They follow two other grunge acts in the Hall — Nirvana and Pearl Jam Bad Company get in having become radio fixtures with such arena-rock staples as Feel Like Makin’ Love Can’t Get Enough and Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy The Ahmet Ertegun Award — given to nonperforming industry professionals who had a major influence on music — will go to Lenny Waronker Some nominees that didn't get in this year included Mariah Carey and subsequent Let’s Twist Again are considered among the most popular songs in the history of rock 'n' roll The 83-year-old has expressed frustration that he hadn't been granted entry before including telling the AP in 2014: "I don’t want to get in there when I’m 85 years old so you better do it quick while I’m still smiling." Lauper rose to fame in the 1980s with hits such as Time After Time and Girls Just Want To Have Fun and went on to win a Tony Award for Kinky Boots have six Grammys and a reputation for pushing the boundaries of hip-hop The White Stripes — made up of Jack White and Meg White — were indie darlings in the early 2000s with such songs as Seven Nation Army Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall Nominees were voted on by more than 1200 artists historians and music industry professionals The selection criteria include "an artist’s impact on other musicians the scope and longevity of their career and body of work as well as their innovation and excellence in style and technique" Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton were inducted Lorde has dropped her new single What Was That after weeks of cryptic posts and teases that set fans buzzing It's the lead single from her upcoming fourth album and her first original solo release since 2021's Solar Power which is three minutes and 28 seconds in length Some fans had been lucky enough to hear the track in full earlier this week. On Wednesday, Lorde posted a picture of Washington Square Park yesterday with the caption "tonight 7pm". Fans flooded the park an hour before she was supposed to appear, with photos shared of eager fans scaling trees to catch a glimpse of the singer. Shortly before she was to perform, the Royals singer took to social media to tell fans police had shut the event down. "Omg @thepark the cops are shutting us down," the message read. "I am truly amazed by how many of you showed !!! "But they’re telling me you gotta disperse ... I’m so sorry." However, the pop-up event ended up going ahead after all, with fans who stayed getting their first full airing of Lorde's new single. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lorde (@lorde) Lorde, real name Ella Yelich O'Connor, announced the single last week sharing a headshot-style photo of her wearing a red shirt with a dripping wet face Earlier this month, she dropped a 15-second snippet of the unreleased song Lorde was seen wearing a white shirt and jeans while walking through New York City I gave you everything/Now we wake from a dream What was that?” she sings over a synth beat It was the first sign of a follow up to Lorde's previous album Is this finally the year where MacKenzie Gore takes that next step If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement The kid gloves have finally been taken off of MacKenzie Gore That is rare and shows how Gore can get hitters out in so many ways Gore sets up all of those nasty secondary pitches with a tone setting mid to upper 90’s fastball The best part right now is that he is throwing all of these pitches for strikes three of those came when it was pouring rain in Cincinnati We are going to cut him some slack for that He still managed to lock in and get out of that inning despite a slippery mound MacKenzie Gore appeared to be in some pain after this pitch pic.twitter.com/t7vgAKhvzO That kind of mental fortitude is something you love to see from Gore There have been times in the past where Gore has melted down when things have not gone his way Seeing him lock in after facing some adversity was a great thing After today’s start, Gore’s ERA is down to 3.33. While that is a good mark, it could get even better. A lot of Gore’s advanced metrics suggest he is getting unlucky. Gore’s FIP is at 2.72 his xFIP is at a sparkling 2.39 and his xERA is 3.09 While Gore tends to give up some hard contact when he does get hit a .347 BABIP is still high and should come down Gore is striking out 13.30 hitters per nine while walking just 2.54 You have to have elite stuff and talent to strikeout that many hitters The key for Gore is to keep this up into June and July. Summertime has been an achilles heel for Gore over the years. In those months, Gore has ERA’s of 5.43 and 7.89 he has to avoid hitting that summer wall which has haunted him over the years Gore looks like he is at least a strong number 2 starter on a good team He is an elite strikeout artist and his control has taken major steps Gore is now going deeper into games and being asked to handle the workload of a frontline starter The talent has never been an issue for MacKenzie Gore This looks like it could be the year where he puts it all together Gore was having a start reminiscent of the ones we saw from Max Scherzer over the years It even had the solo home run we saw so often in Scherzer starts MacKenzie Gore has all the talent in the world and it looks like this could be the year he finally becomes the frontline starter he was supposed to be If he can avoid hitting a wall this summer Local voices are being sidelined and ratepayers’ money wasted as Gore District Council presses on with a flawed district plan review Federated Farmers Southland executive member Bernadette Hunt says “Councillors themselves have called the process ‘a mess’ ‘an embarrassment’ and ‘an absolute cluster’ bring the community with them and wait for clarity on where the Government lands its overhaul of the RMA Despite a letter urging a pause that gathered 116 Gore ratepayer signatures in a very short time and detailed submissions from Federated Farmers Southland and others Gore councillors voted on February 18 to push ahead with hearings not just for farmers but plenty of other district residents too and last-minute reworking of provisions because of questionable drafting The experienced Southland farming leader is no newbie to district plan land use rules and has the benefit of advice from two senior Federated Farmers policy experts I’m feeling completely overwhelmed at the constant stream of additional information memos and a whole bunch of other very long documents,” Hunt says For the Sites and Areas of Significance to Māori (SASMs) chapter hearing on Wednesday a 125-page document with “massive bearing” on the issues involved was lodged by a Ngāi Tahu advisor only the Friday before.  The Gore council planner’s response to issues raised in that report was filed after 5.30pm with the hearing starting 8.30am the next morning “Even people who work full-time and are experts in this space have said they don’t have time to work through the information and respond in the timeframes.” Federated Farmers have been forced to choose which of the proposed district plan’s 44 chapters to focus efforts on and hope others pick up the details on the ones they can’t get to how is a resident or ratepayer supposed to genuinely participate?” Hunt asks “Given they’re the ones affected most by the outcomes – restrictions on how they can use their land requirements for expensive resource consents – surely their participation is vital “This is turning into a plan developed by a group of people who don’t live locally and are completely unimpacted by the outcomes.” Council officers said the process was 95% complete will also be a meaty hearing because so many issues have been raised throughout.” Re-starting hearings at the end of this year would involve costs but Hunt says even greater costs for ratepayers would likely come from having to revisit the entire set of planning rules after the RMA reform the Government has said there may not be district plans “They’ve also said the new RMA will strengthen private property rights.” Federated Farmers are concerned with a range of proposals in Gore’s proposed district plan The proposed plan says the entire district has ‘significance’ mapping and introducing appropriate restrictions to protect sites and features of particular significance for local iwi.  or an existing farmer looking to invest in improvements they need a reasonable level of information about anything that might inhibit use of that land “Telling us the whole district has significance and that there’s a list of activities which may require cultural assessment to determine whether a consent can be provided “That’s like buying a multi-million-dollar lottery ticket with specific plans in mind for it to be viable only to find when we try to pursue those plans “Feds Southland has developed a good relationship with Hokonui Rūnanga both parties have a better understanding of each other’s position “It wouldn’t matter what the uncertainty was around If it has the potential to affect land use flexibility to enable due diligence on investment decisions and heading off unnecessary community angst and costs is also why we want the Gore council to hold off decisions until after the RMA reforms.” New Zealand’s leading independent rural advocacy organisation has established a news and insights partnership with AgriHQ to give the farmers of New Zealand a more informed Federated Farmers news and commentary appears each week in its own section of the Farmers Weekly print edition and online Tara Ward watches Three’s coming-of-age comedy set in her old home town This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. Most probably think of it as a small country town but when I moved there from an even smaller country town at age 15 It had a movie theatre next to a hairdressers that was open on a Wednesday (a Wednesday!) night It had lots of bogans and lots of centre parks especially if (like me) you enjoyed staring at the shiny ball gowns in Farry’s and then strutting next door to Deka for a big bag of pick’n’mix and dreams of golden days to come So it was with an optimistic heart and a brain full of repressed memories that I dived like an old brown trout into Three’s new coming-of-age comedy series n00b which makes the rare move of setting its story in Gore captain of the first XV and most popular student at the fictional Gore College In a time when the internet offered new ways to escape and connect Nikau has a secret passion for writing fanfiction shipping Ashton Kutcher and Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance He has to navigate the unpredictable social hurricane of high school – as well as the exciting world of the internet – so he can learn to embrace his true identity N00b began as a popular TikTok series created by Victoria Boult (who wrote and directed the TV series) and Rachel Fawcett (who produced) The expanded six-part series aims for a Sex Education vibe a show that pours teenage angst and raging hormones into a rocket fuel of real world issues like sexuality you know you’re not cool when the rugby lads refuse to do “soggy biscuit” with you any more The first few episodes feature circle jerking electrocution and senior citizens dialling up cowboy porn in front of high school students The team of young actors do a solid job of bringing the show’s archetypal characters to life Some moments feel more genuine than others like the all-encompassing rugby culture and the school trip to the freezing works (my fifth form school camp also included a tour of the Dunedin hospital laundry facilities as well as the Ravensdown fertiliser factory) There’s a lot going on in n00b, and it comes at you at a fierce, big energy pace. The tone is set in the opening moments, with a reenactment of Havoc and Newsboy’s infamous “greedy old gay man’s Gore” 1999 satirical rant It was a moment that triggered a shameful over-reaction from some locals but n00b is a useful new lens on this pop culture moment to explore how a teenager would come to terms with his own sexuality in such an environment Sign up to Rec Room, The Spinoff’s weekly guide to the very best in entertainment, delivered to your inbox every Friday. A complaint must be first directed in writing the complaint may be referred to the online complaint form at www.presscouncil.org.nz along with a link to the relevant story and all correspondence with the publication My Vaccine Pass requirements have not been set for this event Hollie Smith announces exclusive The Bones Tour II - South a solo and intimate run of shows to end the year Renowned singer-songwriter Hollie Smith is set to captivate audiences once again with her upcoming solo tour ‘The Bones Tour II - South.’ After a sold out run in 2023 and a sold out North Island run in the winter of 2024 Hollie is rounding out the year with ‘The Bones Tour II – South.’ The shows are taking place in the last weeks of November and the first week of December treating fans to an unforgettable series of intimate live performances in perfect small seated venue settings Hollie Smith's musical journey has been one of authenticity and emotional depth Hollie invites her fans to join her on a musical voyage that feels as personal as spending an evening with her in your living room These shows offer more than just a chance to hear the melodies of Hollie Smith; it's an opportunity to hear her new music yet to be released and gain insight into the creative process and the stories behind her new music After the success of her 4th number one album in 2020 you have the chance to hear the next album come to life and even the songs that won't make the cut Hollie will engage her audiences with heartfelt conversations about the journey behind the scenes” providing an intimate look into the inspirations and triumphs that have shaped her artistic identity Tickets for the The Bones Tour II - South” are limited and are expected to sell quickly Don't miss your chance to experience the magic of Hollie's live please visit https://holliesmith.co.nz/ PLEASE NOTE: This is a dry event - no alcohol will be sold at this venue Police have named the person who died in a serious crash in Gore on Saturday He was 18-year-old Cyris Michael Wakefield involved one vehicle and was reported about 10pm on Saturday Mr Wakefield had been the sole occupant of the vehicle Police added today that they were working to determine the circumstances of the crash A Wiltshire crossed with an Exlana shedding ram from Enfield Genetics breeder Grant Kean By Penny Miles of RNZ An elite ram has set the Gore Showgrounds alight, with one lucky Southland breeder earning more than three times his previous best for the country’s highest-priced ram this year A Wiltshire crossed with an Exlana shedding ram from Enfield Genetics breeder Grant Kean at Winton received competitive bidding up to the $20,000 mark before the hammer came down at $24,500 “It was a bit of a shock and surprise,” said Kean who was in the ring while the hearty bidding took place last week A Perendale ram topped last week’s Gore Ram Fair but Kean’s reward of $24,500 at the Gore shedding sheep sale was the top price for a ram throughout the North and South Islands this year Bought by a syndicate of Balclutha’s Hamish Bielski and North Canterbury duo Daniel Wheeler and Chris Ensor the ram will be put to work at different corners of the breeding season Wheeler said he was confident the “really good” ram was worth every cent “He had a really great set of figures,” Wheeler “All his performance records were really good “One of the highest-indexing rams in the country and coupled with that near Oxford — said the prized ram would start its work with a mating cycle on his farm during a 20-day stay in North Canterbury “The ram is going to start in North Canterbury and then hitch-hike south down to near Balclutha for Hamish “It’s not uncommon to share rams between different locations and you give them a couple of days rest and then put them on a truck “There is a servicing agreement so he’s not worn out And with lambing starting on Ensor’s farm in late August The trial system sits 10-15 metres below the surface One person has died following a serious crash in the Gore District last night involved one vehicle and was reported about 10pm the sole occupant of the vehicle was located deceased at the scene." The road remains closed while the Serious Crash Unit conduct a scene examination Crews from Fire and Emergency's Mataura and Gore stations attended Inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing Gore is to make a name for itself France this month set in Gore and created by Queenstowner Victoria Boult and Rachel Fawcett has been selected in the "short form" section of the Cannes International Series Festival 2025 It is thought to be the first time a New Zealand TV series has made the cut for the prestigious event n00b received $50,000 of funding through 2021’s "Every Voice" initiative It garnered more than one million views on TikTok and was then picked up by Three It went on to receive $1.5m through Great Southern Television (GST) to be turned into a fully-fledged TV series It has since been picked up by Netflix Australia and in February was showcased at the Berlinale Series Market that we started really just because we wanted to entertain New Zealand youth .. is now going directly to the international stage A nostalgic teen sex comedy set in 2005 about bad fashion choices n00b is up against five other global productions in the short-form category Boult said the other nominees were "amazing" but she’s proud to represent New Zealand "among some very heavy-hitters" Boult said the n00b team was stoked the series She was particularly excited to rub shoulders with and pick the brains of her international colleagues "I’m going to get lots of opportunities to meet amazing producers and connect with network executives I think the part I’m most excited about is getting to meet the creatives from the other teams because writing can be such a lonely isolated practice and to get to meet other writers and directors "[And] it will be truly so special to get to experience it with mum — I’m really tracey.roxburgh@alliedpress.co.nz Gore is reeling after confirmation a 'well-respected' member of the community was the person killed in Saturday’s plane crash Ivan Van de Water died when the light aircraft crashed in a remote part of the Dingleburn Valley east of Lake Hāwea and north of Wānaka on Saturday afternoon Pilot community shocked by fatal crash Central Otago man Don Grant had to be cut from the wreckage of the plane He was flown to Dunedin Hospital in a critical condition Former long serving mayor Tracy Hicks said the news on both men had come as a devastating shock to him and the wider community “I was devastated when I heard about Ivan and Don as well Mr Grant is in critical condition at the Dunedin hospital Hicks has known Mr Van de Water for over 40 years and said he and his wife Miriam had been heavily involved in the community tirelessly connecting a lot of retailers together.” Van de Water and his wife Miriam owned the Van de Waters jewellers shop in Gore from 1983 to 2021 Hicks described him as someone who was well respected and had a lot of wisdom Mr Van de Water had only in the past couple of years moved to Wanaka to retire Hicks said it was no surprise the two friends were out flying together “I think he and Don had been doing a bit of flying no surprise they were in a plane together.” He described both men as responsible and careful people Mr Grant was a “real character” and a twin with Gore’s Doug Grant They had both attended the Mataura school reunion just two weeks ago Current mayor Ben Bell said the news had struck the wider community over the weekend and in particular several of his councillors who knew the Van de Waters well “It is a huge loss to the Gore community and my heart goes out to the Van de water family They devoted a lot of their life to promoting Gore." The council would remember Mr Van de Water at a minute’s silence at Tuesday’s meeting Gore District Council deputy mayor Keith Hovell said the community was in shock about Mr Van de Water’s death ‘‘Ivan was a well-respected person in the community,’’ Hovell said ‘‘He operated a shop on the main street for close to 40 years and for those people who dealt with him in the shop Mr Hovell said van de Water was also active in promoting Gore's main street ‘‘But our extreme sympathy goes out to the family and also our prayers for the surviving person may he make a speedy recovery.’’ Mr Hovell said he had received several calls about Mr van de Water’s death which indicated the depth of feeling the community had for him He would talk to mayor Mr Bell about possibly including something as a tribute to van de Water at the next council meeting Warbirds Over Wānaka Airshow general manager Ed Taylor said the pilot community was in shock about what happened ‘‘He was involved with the last Warbirds over Wānaka Air Show in 2024 as our volunteer manager and he did such an amazing job —  he's already signed up to be back in the role in 2026 ‘‘So we're just wishing him all the best for a speedy recovery and to take on the role as a volunteer manager and marshalling 300 volunteers for the week leading into the show and over the show itself ‘‘He's a can-do guy and he's always happy and he's always positive — he had some fantastic ideas how we can improve the experience for our volunteers for the next air show he very much loved it because he's a very people person That's what made him just perfect for the role ‘‘We're just hoping that he can recover and come back and be our volunteer manager next year.’’ olivia.caldwell@alliedpress.co.nz matthew.littlewood@odt.co.nz   You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Visit image gallery to purchase the image. Several youths believed to have been involved in a recent spate of "frustrating" burglaries in Gore were located in Dunedin, police say. Between 5pm on Monday, April 7 and 8am on Tuesday, April 8, police received multiple reports of burglaries in Gore's Main St area. After making inquiries police identified and arrested seven young people, some of whom were found in the Dunedin area. "The seven youths have been spoken to by police and have been referred to Youth Services. "We understand this activity is incredibly frustrating to members of the public, and we will continue to work to hold offenders to account." Police urged anyone who witnessed any suspicious or unlawful activity to contact them "with as much information you can safely gather". Bryson Clark pleaded guilty to discharging leachate from farm tailings, leachate from sileage, and dairy effluent onto land in circumstances where it could enter water. Environment Southland compliance manager Donna Ferguson said the impact of the event was among the most serious the team had investigated. "The deaths of thousands of eels had been devastating, with more than 2500 bodies collected in a 10km clean-up zone." Staff were supported throughout the clean-up by Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku. The investigation was sparked by a call from a member of the public which allowed staff to pinpoint the source and successfully prosecute the culprit, Ferguson said. "This case highlights the importance of the public as our eyes and ears. If anything looks unusual, please let us know so we can check it out as soon as possible." The Low Burn Stream was severely impacted because of the discharge. and it could take "up to 10 years" for biological communities to repopulate the stream and recover, she added. More than 2,500 eels were killed by the discharge of effluents into the Low Burn stream near Mataura. (Source: Environment Southland) A Gore man has been fined $130,000 after a discharge of effluent into a Southland waterway killed thousands of eels last year. Blaze at McDonald's in east Auckland treated as suspected arson Counties Manukau CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Michele Gillespie said a scene guard has been in place at the restaurant overnight Two men's shared name brings years of trouble and a hefty bill to one but one has spent years breaking the law while the other just pays a steep price for sharing his name Stephen Stone’s son files complaint over Crown Solicitor’s statement Stone spent more than 26 years wrongfully imprisoned for the murders of Deane Fuller-Sandys and Leah Stephens 29 mins ago 22 mins ago A Gore man has been fined $130,000 after a discharge of effluent into a Southland waterway killed thousands of eels last year Bryson Clark pleaded guilty to discharging leachate from farm tailings and dairy effluent onto land in circumstances where it could enter water Environment Southland compliance manager Donna Ferguson said the impact of the event was among the most serious the team had investigated "The deaths of thousands of eels had been devastating with more than 2500 bodies collected in a 10km clean-up zone." Staff were supported throughout the clean-up by Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku The investigation was sparked by a call from a member of the public which allowed staff to pinpoint the source and successfully prosecute the culprit "This case highlights the importance of the public as our eyes and ears please let us know so we can check it out as soon as possible." The Low Burn Stream was severely impacted because of the discharge and it could take "up to 10 years" for biological communities to repopulate the stream and recover Police say a fire at a McDonald's restaurant in Pakuranga is being investigated as a suspected arson Emergency services attended the fire on Pakuranga Rd just before 3pm yesterday Large plumes of smoke could be seen and explosions heard at the fast food restaurant which has "sustained significant fire damage as a result" "At this point in time we are treating this fire as a suspected arson "A scene examination is being conducted this morning and police will work alongside a fire investigator," she said Gillespie said part of these inquiries would be working to understand how the fire began She said police would like to hear from anyone who saw suspicious activity prior to the fire Anyone with information was urged to contact police online or anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 The son of Stephen Stone has filed a Law Society complaint against the Auckland Crown Solicitor alleging she misled the court with her statement about the lack of evidence to retry his father who was acquitted of double murder last week said Alysha McClintock’s statement had caused "significant harm" to his father and family by “perpetuating a myth” the Crown case was dropped because witnesses were unavailable Stephen Stone spent more than 26 years wrongfully imprisoned for the 1989 murders of Deane Fuller-Sandys and Leah Stephens the Crown admitted he and three others convicted in connection with the crime suffered a miscarriage of justice The Court of Appeal accepted a police failure to disclose two key documents led to the miscarriage Stone’s convictions were quashed in October and a retrial ordered Known as the "Larnoch Road Four" their convictions relied heavily on four eyewitnesses who were given immunity from prosecution and name suppression McClintock told the High Court in Auckland one of the key reasons a retrial couldn’t go ahead was because three of the four witnesses were "no longer available through a combination of the consequences of the appeal decision death and witnesses no longer being in New Zealand" The Evidence Act sets out scenarios where a witness is considered unavailable These include if the person is dead; outside of New Zealand and it’s not reasonably practicable for them to be a witness; they are unfit to be a witness; or they cannot be compelled to give evidence Daniel Stone acknowledged one witness was dead and one was in Australia he claimed that it was not correct to say three witnesses were no longer available the others were “wholly unreliable” witnesses and the Crown’s statement was: “Designed to publicly spin the position in favour of the prosecution in an inappropriate abuse of the Crown's role.” During the Court of Appeal hearing in August the court heard the two non-recanting witnesses had changed their stories significantly multiple times and how bodies were disposed of,” Stephen Stone’s lawyer Annabel Maxwell-Scott told the court The Court of Appeal declined to rule their evidence inadmissible “The fact Mr X and Mr Y each made a number of startling contradictory statements to the police was before both juries in the earlier trial,” the judgement said McClintock said there was no longer enough evidence to prove charges against Stone beyond a reasonable double – referring to additional ESR testing on samples collected by police at the time which had not produced any results of significance; and Stone’s admissions of murder to get parole did not provide a basis for prosecution said outside the court on Wednesday that the Crown’s statement was “incredibly frustrating” “There is no acknowledgement of their own role in these miscarriages of justice and they gave the distinct impression that they believe Stephen has done something — and that's outrageous in my view." McClintock told 1News: "It is not appropriate for me to engage in debate about the reasons for my decision or the content of the statement through the media." Attorney-General Judith Collins’ office said: "It is not appropriate for the Attorney-General to comment about what has been said in Court by a prosecutor about a particular criminal prosecution." Stephen Stone’s acquittal was handled very differently to the acquittal of Alan Hall – another high-profile miscarriage of justice case the Crown and court acknowledged the miscarriage "We cannot end this judgment without acknowledging that just as the criminal justice system has failed Mr Hall so too has it failed the Easton family," said the 2022 judgment Alan Hall was declared innocent in 2023 and received nearly $5 million compensation for 19 years wrongful imprisonment The National Party has introduced a new members' bill to ban social media for those aged under 16 Christopher Luxon announced the bill alongside National Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd this morning Wedd said the My Social Media Age-Appropriate Users Bill "puts the onus on social media companies to verify that someone is over the age of 16 before they access social media platforms" Key aspects of the Bill would include obligations for the social media platforms defence for providers to rely on reasonable verification measures regulatory oversight and a review after three years there are no legally enforceable age verification measures for social media platforms in New Zealand Members' bills are introduced by MPs who are not Ministers and need to be drawn from a ballot to be debated in Parliament Luxon said he was hopeful of gaining bipartisan support He had spoken with coalition partners ACT and NZ First about it but would let them speak about their position He said this was an issue he had been passionate about since 2018 and as a dad he felt the party needed to do more to keep young people safe from online harm "It's time that New Zealand acknowledged that for all the good things that come from social media it's not always a safe place for our young people to be and we need to do something about it." He said teachers and parents had raised issues with him including cyber bullying exposure to inappropriate content and exploitation and social media addiction "Social media should not be exempt from social responsibility and it is time we put the onus on these platforms," he said Wedd said social media was "an extraordinary resource" “As a mother of four children I feel very strongly that families and parents should be better supported when it comes to overseeing their children's online exposure The bill closely mirrors the approach taken in Australia which passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill in December 2024 At the end of last year, a 1News Verian Poll found more than two-thirds of New Zealand voters supported restricting social media access for under-16s The poll results showed that 68% backed introducing similar legislation in New Zealand as in Australia and 10% were undecided or preferred not to say National Party supporters and women showed the strongest support for the proposed restrictions while opposition was highest among 18-34-year-olds and men Wedd said "other jurisdictions are also taking action" "Texas recently passed legislation which bans under 18s from social media use and the UK the EU and Canada all have similar work in train," she said "This bill builds on National’s successful and successful cell phone ban in schools and reinforces the Government's commitment to setting our children up for success." Family First chief executive Bob McCoskrie welcomed the introduction of the Bill but questioned why it was not a government priority "or at the very least have a parliamentary and public discussion via a Select Committee process" "Family First thanks Catherine Wedd for drafting the Bill but once again calls on all the coalition parties in the Government (ACT and NZ First) to adopt the bill as a Government bill and ultimately walk the talk when it comes to protecting children online “This important discussion needs to be a priority for the Government and not left in a biscuit tin." Around 30 staff and customers gathered in the evacuation spot while Fire and Emergency NZ arrived to check out the incident Authorities stated there was no immediate sign of a fire and it was most likely a fault within the alarm system which was widely circulated on social media last night detailed threats of specific action against schools in the Gore area Police carried out 'extensive inquiries" last night including visiting several of the locations mentioned "Police are now confident the email was a hoax and that the person implicated in the email as responsible was not involved." Additional staff would be on patrol this morning to reassure school communities Enquiries into the origins of the email were continuing A person has died in a crash - involving a single vehicle - in Waimumu Police were called to the scene on Charlton Siding Road at about 10pm Charlton Siding Road is closed while police finish a scene examination New Zealand RSS Follow RNZ News Gore District councillors have voted for a multi-council-owned organisation as their preferred option for the future delivery of water services in Gore and Mataura The Council joins its Southern Water Done Well partners – Clutha District Council and Waitaki District Council – in selecting a jointly owned Council-Controlled Organisation (CCO) as their preferred model to meet the transformational changes mandated in the Government’s Local Water Done Well legislation All four councils will consult their communities on water services delivery options early next month emphasising that councils across the country face increasing water service costs and the urgent need to renew ageing infrastructure the financial burden on councils and communities is growing One thing is clear – the more people who share the costs the more affordable they become for everyone,” he said financial modelling shows that a jointly owned CCO would result in lower water service charges compared to the other two options It would also provide economies of scale while ensuring communities retain a local voice “Local Water Done Well marks a new era for water services in New Zealand we are facing multi-million-dollar investments to maintain and upgrade our infrastructure this would place an untenable financial burden on our Council and community,” the Mayor said The public will be able to provide feedback on the options from Friday 9 May until Friday 6 June All councils must submit a Water Services Delivery Plan to the Government by 3 September outlining how they will meet regulatory requirements Information and Events for the New Zealand Public Service Contact us: newsdesk@insidegovernment.co.nz Softballers in Eastern Southland are being called back to the plate for a reunion next weekend and anyone with a soft spot for softball can join The Eastern Southland softball reunion will be held from April 4 to 6 and the call is out for everyone involved in the sport to take a trip down memory lane with teams and players packing out the softball grounds every weekend there were 16 teams in the Eastern Southland area whereas now there are only two — Kingswood and Mataura But next weekend softballers of today and yesterday will have a chance to look back with a meet-and-greet at the Gore Town & Country Club and Kingswood and Mataura will play a game on Saturday at the Gore Showgrounds there will be a dinner at the Town & Country Club with entertainer Tangaroa Walker giving a guest speech all are invited back to the club to say their farewells and hopefully walk away with a few more good softball memories More details can be found on the Eastern Southland Softball Area reunion website gerrit.doppenberg@alliedpress.co.nz A 3-year-old child has died after being struck by a vehicle on a driveway at a residential address in Gore A 3-year-old child has died after being struck by a vehicle on a driveway at a residential address in Gore A police spokesperson said the incident occurred at about 6.30pm on New Year’s Day “The child died in Gore Hospital a short time later “Our thoughts are with the child’s family at this sad time.” investigators were not treating the death as suspicious “The investigations team will continue to make inquiries on behalf of the Coroner.” It comes after another child died on Christmas Day, struck by a vehicle in a Masterton driveway The fatal crash occurred on Atkinson Street A witness told the Herald emergency services attended the scene including Wellington Free Ambulance and a Westpac Rescue Helicopter which didn’t land and left without a patient Sign up to The Daily H a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday An investigation will be held after two caravans were destroyed by fire in Gore this afternoon A Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokeswoman said they received initial reports of a caravan on fire in a camping area at the Gore Town & Country Club about 1.20pm Two crews from Gore responded and when they arrived they found two caravans well alight Extra resources from Mataura and Pukerau were dispatched and the fire had since been extinguished A fire investigator had been called to the scene as the cause of the blaze was not known Gore Town & Country Club president Doug McWhirter said the caravans were "a total loss" One of the caravans caught fire from the other A police spokesman said no injuries were reported and a scene guard would be in place until the fire investigator arrived tim.scott@odt.co.nz ratepayers were given three main options for the next rates increase with the largest being 24.25% and the smallest amount 9.9% with debt being taken on to reduce the burden the Gore district has a debt of $53 million according to the plan consultation document The lowest increase of 9.9% could see the debt rise to nearly $125m by 2034 Gore district councillor Stewart Macdonell believes the debt will be $60m by June 30 this year and has a plan on how to tackle it He believed debt was the real issue and the council must get serious about handling it ‘‘At the moment what we’re doing is saying once we get past this initial three years ‘‘We’ll kick it down the road another three years and before you know it the 10-year plan is done and you’ve done nothing,’’ he said both the sale of underutilised assets and a dedicated percentage of rates going towards debt repayments is key for the council Interest continues to accrue on the council’s debt at a rate of 5% per annum Under a plan involving a 1% additional rates rise Cr Macdonell estimated the council would be able to save ratepayers over $13m and have the debt paid off entirely within 40 years as an example of an asset the council could offload to reduce cost and burden on the ratepayer you have staff time invested into looking after these assets.’’ Cr Macdonell said even if the direct capital raised from the sale was ignored the cost of interest in repaying debt through asset sales and savings was not to be brushed aside for say a $1m and your cost of interest is 5% you save $50,000 immediately for interest right away.’’ Cr Macdonell said he thought the council did a great job with the new library but its reluctance in off-loading old and underutilised assets was a serious misstep "What kind of business would continually buy new assets and doesn’t sell the old ones the council would have to jump through legislative hoops with declassification of land needing permission from the Minister of Conservation Cr MacDonell said this was a small investment of time with a major upside for ratepayers and the district as a whole ‘‘But it has serious benefits in gaining capital back so we can clear this debt without burdening the ratepayer further,’’ he said It was all about helping the Gore district through the next few decades and Cr Macdonell said there was no real rush if a proper plan was put in place ‘‘I want to take the pressure off the ratepayer by selling these assets that aren’t being utilised properly GERRIT.DOPPENBERG@alliedpress.co.nz which was sold by the Tripp/Veronese Partnership from Snowdon Station It was a reversal of last year’s Perendale sale when Mr Henricksen sold the top-priced ram for $13,500 to Snowdon the Henricksens bought another Snowdon ram for $15,500 John Henricksen described his purchase as a big bold ram which was "by far" the best sheep on offer The Henricksen family’s stud Hautere was established in 1983 and comprised 750 stud ewes Mr Henricksen said "you’ve just got to carry on being optimistic" Vendor Annabel Tripp said she was very happy and very humbled with the result Given the current state of the sheep industry it was great for the breed which was very well supported by its breeders who all enjoyed each other’s company Snowdon also sold rams for $8800 and $5000 while 24 Perendale rams sold for an average of $3562 Attending the Gore sale was an annual highlight It was the premier Perendale sale and a great chance to catch up with others saying he was a big ram with very high fertility a very good carcass and a beautiful fleece which comprised the Perendale and Cheviot ram fair followed by the Gore A&P Association’s South Island premier ram auction was Scottish stud sheep breeder James Scott who hails from a 445ha property about 60km north of Inverness having worked in Southland several years ago one of the biggest differences he noted between the two countries was the much larger scale of New Zealand farms They grow cereals and forage crops alongside commercial and pedigree sheep and cattle There has been a strong connection with New Zealand over the years including employing more than 50 Kiwis on a seasonal basis and they also have New Zealand genetics in their sheep flock was heading home in March in time for lambing and calving there was a decline in ewe numbers in Scotland which he attributed to a lack of staff "People don’t want to work with sheep or cattle; it’s easier to drive a tractor," he said he said there had also been good grazing land planted in pine trees in recent years There was also an increasing focus on animal health and welfare Lamb prices at the moment were "awesome" with farmers receiving about £130 to £140 for a fat lamb Significant changes to farm subsidies in Scotland would potentially mean more opportunities He reckoned there were "definitely" a few sheep on offer at the Gore sale that would fit into the Scott family’s farming system selling a ram for $4400 to Rosie Hore and Maurice King Insarchatwist upstaged her younger siblings when cruising to victory in the Gore Town and Country Club Gore Summer Cup yesterday The eight-year-old sped through underneath her brother Hacksaw Ridge with the pair sealing a quinella in the feature event for trainer Ricky Gutsell and his racing partners Neil and Eualie Thwaites The trio had already produced a significant accomplishment before the standing start tapes were released in the Gore Summer Cup The quinella pairing of Insarchatwist and Hacksaw Ridge were joined in the 2750m feature by another full sibling in Still Rockin the three brothers and sisters have produced 24 wins for Gutsell and the Thwaites with the Gore Summer Cup the latest addition to their list of successes “You just about have to pinch yourself with the results we have had with the breed,” Gutsell said “to have three full siblings in a cup race I don’t think that would have been done too many times before.” “To get the quinella was a huge thrill.”  Gutsell and the Thwaites secured their trio’s dam Insar when she was being advertised as free to a good home around ten years ago The broodmare has since been retired from breeding after leaving a half-sister to her Gore Summer Cup trio in Baltic Star who raced in race 2 at Gore Eastern Southland trainers enjoyed a great day out on their home patch yesterday Tony Stratford produced Rakavenom and Tuneinsportsfans to win at his home track with visiting reinsman Robbie Close combining with both pacers Gore pacer Captain Starlight continued his form resurgence when backing up his victory at Winton last week when scoring in a harder grade on his home track for trainer Allan McVicar Imperial Man ended a frustrating run of form with a powerful display earlier in the programme for Gore trainer John Ryan The six-year-old had made costly mistakes in his prior two starts back from a spell Though the trotter was a little shaky in his gait early driver Rory McIlwrick helped Imperial Man hold himself together before the pair produced a powerful winning burst from last you can’t do anything with him,” McIlwrick said John had him on the money for the big day at Gore and we were rapt.” the Kim McDowall Painting and Decorating Gore Summer Trotters Cup was taken out by Hidden Talent The classy mare made it a hat-trick of wins when charging home from off the pace to win in a track record-breaking time for trainer-driver Nathan Williamson.  The National Racing Bureau now has its own dedicated email and phone accounts HRNZ would like to remind everyone of the Terms and Conditions of the Two-Year-Old Bonus Scheme ("TYOBS”) for the 2025 season © 2025 Harness Racing New Zealand  |  Privacy Policy < Back to previous page You can contact your local Trust using the email form on their page or call 0800 787 254, 8am - 6pm.   If you wish to donate directly to a region, you can find your region here and find donation details on their page.