You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Visit image gallery to purchase the image. Detective Inspector Stu Harvey said officers were called to a Dee St property about 2.30am today after a report of two people entering a store and assaulting a worker, demanding cash.  They fled the scene in a vehicle, he said. "The worker was not seriously injured, however they were very shaken by what occurred." An attempted burglary and two burglaries were later reported at three more premises in Windsor St, Elles Rd and Yarrow St. "Then, about 4.20am, police received a report that two people had entered a Tay Street premises and demanded cash and items," Det Insp Harvey said. Police were making inquiries into each incident and initial investigations suggested they were linked. Two vehicles were seen in the vicinity of some of the incidents, Det Insp Harvey said. A red Toyota Vitz, stolen the previous day, had been involved in the offending. Police have recovered this vehicle. The other vehicle was described as a dark-coloured car. "We would like to speak to anyone who saw vehicles fitting these descriptions between 1am and 5am (Monday)." Anyone with information about these vehicles, or those involved, was asked to contact police on 105 using reference number 250505/9732. 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, and the pair fled the scene in a vehicle. Subsequently, Harvey said an attempted burglary and two burglaries were reported at three further premises on Windsor St, Elles Rd and Yarrow St. Police then received a report that two people had entered a Tay St premises and demanded cash and items. No one was injured. Harvey said information suggested the incidents were linked. "Two vehicles were seen in the vicinity of some of the incidents. One of them, a red Toyota Vitz, has been involved in the offending." Police had recovered this vehicle, which was stolen the previous day. "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. Police have appealed to the public after two aggravated robberies and a series of burglaries in Invercargill overnight, which are all believed to be linked. 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 Crime and Justice 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 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 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 Tree planted as Kyle Whorrall's mother Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei blessed and planted a provided pōhutukawa tree at St Johns Bush in honour of the slain PhD student from the United States Iwi boss to head new board for Taranaki Maunga 41 mins ago Kiwi motorcyclist killed in 11-bike British Supersport crash 57 mins ago National introduces members' bill to ban social media for under 16s 9:51am Three in hospital after Christchurch house fire 9:29am US states push for speed-limiting devices on the cars of dangerous drivers 9:20am Ten dead after tourist boats capsize in sudden storm in China 36 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? Erica Stanford sent pre-Budget documents to her personal email 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 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 Anyone with relevant information about these vehicles or those involved should contact police on 105 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 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 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 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 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 A pōhutukawa tree has been planted in honour of Kyle Whorrall the US PhD student slain during an attack at an Auckland bus stop last month The 33-year-old was attacked at a bus stop on St Johns Rd in Meadowbank on April 19 friends and colleagues of Whorrall gathered for a vigil on April 24 at the bus stop where he was attacked Whorrall's mother Carole was joined by members of the community and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei for the blessing and to plant a pōhutukawa tree in honour of his life The planting ceremony began with a blessing by Otene Reweti from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei "This tree will stand as a memorial to Kyle to come to this special place and remember Kyle and what he has done and what he was looking to do "This tree indicates times to harvest different things in our seasons and also pōhutukawa in terms of the star from Matariki and pleiades So Kyle is one of those that we are reminded again of his tragic passing in this area," said Reweti Carole was flanked by Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson and one of Whorrall's flatmates as she shovelled dirt onto the base of the tree She softly commented that she enjoyed gardening as the sun shone down on her in St Johns Bush Others shared a poem or short tribute to Whorrall's life and the tragedy that it was cut short Ōrākei Local Board chairperson Scott Milne said that in times of tragedy it was important to "look at the good stuff" and find moments of connection with one another "We have now forged a relationship across the waters This family will come back to see this tree thrive and out of that tragedy we will find good," he said He told Te Karere the tragedy had "turned our community upside down" "Yet in the matter of a few short weeks the community have come together certainly like nothing I have ever seen before "There is just this deep disappointment and we all feel so privileged to live here He said he hoped over time the grief would "turn to healing" and that Carole would continue to come back and see the tree flourish and grow "People understand they have to talk more to each other watch out for one another and we want to make something of this lovely young man's life by changing our attitude." He said the board had worked hard to build relationships over the past six years "The relationship with Ngāti Whātua is deeply personal and important to this board A 16-year-old youth has been remanded in custody after being charged with his murder and a 32-year-old woman was also charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said the investigation was "by no means over" as police believed "there were other occupants in the vehicle" when Whorrall was attacked He said officers have since seized a black SUV on the North Shore It was being forensically examined by police "Our enquiries are ongoing to locate these persons of interest and I encourage them to do the right thing and come into their nearest police station or phone us." The detective inspector said police were also seeking "critical witnesses" including a white Toyota ute that was cut off by the black SUV doing a U-turn in front of them He said police were still working to fully understand the events leading up to his death 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 Kiwi motorcyclist Shane Richardson is one of two riders who died in an 11-bike crash at a British Supersport Championship event was fatally injured alongside Englishman Owen Jenner on the first corner of the race at Oulton Park A statement from British Superbikes said the race was immediately stopped and trackside medical services deployed "Due to the extreme severity of the incident and ongoing medical intervention the remainder of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship event was cancelled," a spokesperson said "This catastrophic accident has tragically resulted in two riders being fatally injured and another sustaining significant injuries." Richardson was initially treated trackside and then taken to the circuit's medical centre before he was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital with "severe chest injuries" Jenner was also initially treated trackside and then taken to the circuit medical centre where he died from a "catastrophic head injury" British rider Tom Tunstall suffered back and abdominal injuries and a further five riders including New Zealander Morgan McLaren-Wood were transferred to the circuit medical centre with minor injuries which did not require transfer to hospital Three more riders were also involved but were uninjured who was a previous New Zealand rider of the year Cemetery Circuit in Wanganui posted to its social media in tribute to Richardson a fantastic and talented racer and a genuine human" "Devastated to hear we have lost another of our racing family Our thoughts are with Hannah and the family along with our condolences to Owen’s family too." Richardson's sponsor Whites Powersports said the team was "extremely saddened" by the news of his death "Shane will be remembered by many as a great racer Our thoughts go out to Shane’s young family and friends during this tough time The New Zealand Superbike Championship said its "deepest sympathies" went out to Richardson's family and friends 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 A teenager who admitted being "addicted to speed" behind the wheel had totalled two other cars in the year before he slammed into a minivan at 180km/h in a Seattle suburb killing the driver and three of the five children she was transporting for a homeschool co-op After sentencing Chase Daniel Jones last month to more than 17 years in prison the judge tacked on a novel condition should he drive again: His vehicle must be equipped with a device that prevents accelerating far beyond the speed limit Virginia this year became the first state to agree to give its judges such a tool to deal with the most dangerous drivers on the road already is using it and similar measures await governors' signatures in Washington state and Georgia New York and California also could soon tap the GPS-based technology to help combat a recent national spike in traffic deaths "It's a horror no one should have to experience," said Amy Cohen who founded the victims' advocacy group Families for Safe Streets after her 12-year-old son was killed by a speeding driver in front of their New York home more than a decade ago the minivan driver who was killed when Jones ran a red light was building a backyard greenhouse with her husband to help educate several kids who shuttle between homes during the school day Also killed in the March 2024 crash near Hudson's home in Renton were Boyd "Buster" Brown and Eloise Wilcoxson Hudson's two children were sitting on the passenger side and survived "You always hear of these horrific accidents Smith knew Washington state Representative Mari Leavitt who reached out to offer condolences and tell him she was sponsoring legislation to mandate intelligent speed assistance devices as a condition for habitual speeders to get back their suspended licenses Leavitt predicts it will have an even more powerful impact than revoking driving privileges citing studies showing around three-quarters of people who lose their licenses get behind a wheel anyway the state saw a 200% increase in drivers cited for going at least 80km/h over the speed limit according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission "I guess I don't understand why someone is compelled to want to drive that fast," Leavitt said "But if they choose to drive that fast with the speed limiter It's going to stop them in their tracks." which Washington legislators passed last month and Democratic Governor Bob Ferguson is expected to soon sign using the first letters of the names of the four victims: Buster didn't receive a speeding ticket in his two previous crashes he likely wouldn't have been required to use the speed-limiter ahead of the fatal one And because it could be 2029 before the law takes effect the judge's requirement at sentencing only applies to his time on probation after being released from prison Competing tech companies that joined forces to lobby for ignition interlock requirements for drunken drivers have been working in unison again the last few years to pitch intelligent speed assistance chief government affairs officer at one manufacturer said fleet vehicles including school buses in the nation's capital have been trying it out for years But it took a lot of refinement before the GPS technology could instantly recognize speed limit changes and compel vehicles with the devices installed to adjust accordingly "We've got a lot more satellites in the sky now," said Ken Denton a retired police officer who is the chief compliance officer at Cincinnati-based LifeSafer the devices would prevent cars from exceeding speed limits or whatever threshold regulators set An override button allows speeding in emergencies but states can decide whether to activate it and authorities would be alerted any time the button is pushed which beeps to alert drivers when they are going too fast is required for new cars in the European Union California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar proposal last year explaining vehicle safety requirements are set by the federal government and he was concerned a patchwork of state laws could stir confusion Before Delegate Patrick Hope agreed to sponsor the proposal in the Virginia Legislature he tried out the device in Nannini's car which was calibrated to not go more than 14km/h over the speed limit "That was my first question: Is it safe?" Hope said Hope is now pondering whether to install it on the cars of his three children the price could be hefty: US$4 (NZ$6.70) per day and a US$100 (NZz$167.50) installation fee The fee would be less for low-income offenders which provides support services to the loved ones of crash victims knows firsthand the kind of impact slowing down speeders can make A year after her son was struck and killed in front of their New York apartment the road's speed limit had been lowered "When you are going a few miles slower it's much less likely to be deadly." Four boats capsized in a sudden storm at a tourist spot in southwestern China More than 80 people fell into a river when strong winds hit the scenic area in Guizhou province late Sunday afternoon The boats capsized after a sudden rain and hail storm on the upper reaches of the Wu River a man could be seen performing CPR on another person while one of the vessels drifted upside down Initial reports said two tourist boats had capsized but state media said on Monday that four boats were involved and the seven crew members were able to save themselves Guizhou's mountains and rivers are a major tourism draw and many Chinese were travelling during a five-day national holiday that ended Monday Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to find the missing and care for the injured the official Xinhua News Agency said on Sunday Xi underscored the importance of strengthening safety at tourist attractions large public venues and residential communities as well as for the rush of people returning at the end of major holidays CCTV said the capsized boats had a maximum capacity of about 40 people each and were not overloaded An eyewitness told state-owned Beijing News the waters were deep but that some people had managed to swim to safety the storm had come suddenly and a thick mist obscured the surface of the river 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":" 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 A store worker was injured in one of two aggravated robberies and multiple burglaries in Invercargill in the early hours of this morning Police are calling on the public for information after the incidents police responded to a report of two people assaulting a store worker and demanding cash at a business on Dee Street but Detective Inspector Stu Harvey said that was not the end of this crime spree "An attempted burglary and two burglaries were subsequently reported at three further premises police received a report that two people had entered a Tay Street premises and demanded cash and items Harvey said police were making enquiries into each incident "and at this stage our information suggests they are linked" He said two vehicles were seen in the vicinity of the incidents "The other vehicle is described as a dark-coloured car," he said Harvey said police would like to speak to anyone who saw vehicles fitting these descriptions between 1am and 5am Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday New Zealand RSS Follow RNZ News As stated by Detective Inspector Stu Harvey: Police are asking for information from the public after a series of incidents in Invercargill overnight Officers were called to a Dee Street premises about 2.30am on Monday 5 May after a report of two people entering the store and assaulting the worker however they were very shaken by what occurred An attempted burglary and two burglaries were subsequently reported at three further premises Police received a report that two people had entered a Tay Street premises and demanded cash and items Police are making enquiries into each incident and at this stage our information suggests they are linked Two vehicles were seen in the vicinity of some of the incidents The other vehicle is described as a dark-coloured car We would like to speak to anyone who saw vehicles fitting these descriptions between 1am and 5am Anyone with information about these vehicles or those involved is asked to contact Police via 105 Please use the reference number 250505/9732 You can also share information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 Inspector Stu Harvey said police were continuing to investigate the fatality including work on the ongoing formal identification process The accident happened just five days after 13-year-old Matamata College student Sarie Morton was fatally struck by a train The man was hit by a train at the rail pedestrian crossing on the corner of Tyne and Ness Streets shortly after 5pm yesterday The track and railway crossing on Elles Rd was reopened around midnight after a scene examination was conducted “Police would like to thank the public for their patience while the area was cordoned off,” Harvey said He said efforts to identify the deceased were ongoing and likely to take some time we are asking for any members of the public who may have seen the incident to please get in touch.” KiwiRail executive general manager operations Paul Ashton confirmed a northbound freight train was involved in a collision with a person on the main south line in Invercargill “The collision happened at the Ness St pedestrian crossing which has a pedestrian maze and signage,” Ashton said “The freight train was travelling from Invercargill to Dunedin It is a general freight train but was only carrying coal at the time “The train driver has been relieved and is being offered support “We thank the first responders and those who provided assistance at the scene.” Fire and Emergency New Zealand confirmed two fire trucks had responded to the incident A similar tragedy occurred last week, when 13-year-old Matamata College student Sarie Morton was fatally struck by a train Morton died after being hit by a train on Firth St Police and WorkSafe are looking into the incident Matamata-Piako Mayor Adrienne Wilcock said she would be assisting relevant authorities to see if anything could have been done to prevent the tragedy That included looking at recommendations to see if a fence is needed along the roadside of the tracks across from the school Coroner Peter Ryan recommended that a section of rail corridor in Matamata be fenced after 15-year-old Zakariah Paul Lang was fatally struck by a train in July of that year not far from where Morton died near College Rd KiwiRail said last week that it was looking into the coroner’s recommendation with the council Sign up to The Daily H a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday The boy described the man's car as having offensive words and gestures on its panels You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Visit image gallery to purchase the image At least four vehicles were involved in a collision on State Highway 1 between Bluff and Invercargill about 8.10am The road was closed for a couple of hours but reopened shortly after 10am Police said emergency services were called to the single-vehicle crash about 7.45am The driver was not seriously injured; however Police expected it to remain closed for "some time" while the scene was cleared and motorists were urged to avoid the area Power is out in Invercargill after a power pole came down south of the city A power outage that affected much of Invercargill's central business district has turned out to be a case of fowl play The outage occurred at about 9.30am and was restored at about 1.30pm leaving some businesses without power for several hours initially suspected a downed power pole or line was the culprit but on further inspection discovered a wayward duck was to blame as at approximately 1.30pm today [Tuesday] Our investigation into the cause and repairs have been completed - the outage was caused by a duck flying into power lines," the company said on social media The company's website said the outage had affected central suburbs of the city as well as Invercargill Airport and Otatara Invercargill Airport operations manager Rob Somers said the airport was not affected by the outage The power cut was patchy with some businesses telling RNZ they were not affected while their neighbours lost power for about half-an-hour A Mersey Street worker said power was out for several hours The business seemed to lose power about once a year Invercargill City Council said earlier on Tuesday supply was expected to be restored to all areas by 1pm Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday In response to a request under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act the Invercargill City Council released data on the noise complaints it dealt with over the past 12 months That was closely followed by Ettrick St with 22 complaints Council manager environmental services Gillian Cavanagh said the most common complaints in the city related to loud music or bass maintenance and music was expected - but not to excess 14 complaints have resulted in equipment being seized and 228 complaints have resulted in an excessive noise direction being served.” While music was not highlighted as a major issue Distinct tyre marks could be seen on the street with one resident saying burnouts typically happened on Friday or Saturday around midnight sometimes I hear them hit the curb,” the person said The council confirmed its excessive noise complaints did not include noise from vehicles on the road In the event an excessive noise direction was issued the occupant was required to reduce the disturbance immediately and 18 of those had been handed out across the city in the past year Barking dogs did not fall under the council’s noise control policy because they were covered by the Dog Control Act The noisiest month by number of complaints was December • LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air A two-vehicle crash left one person injured and a lane of State Highway 1 in Invercargill closed for a time A police spokeswoman said the crash happened about noon today A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said one person was taken by ambulance to Invercargill Hospital in a moderate condition The threat of tsunami activity off the West Coast has passed following this afternoon's 6.8 earthquake off the coast of Southland Civil Defence had ruled out a threat to land but warned for caution on the coastline as "strong and unusual currents" were detected after the quake and aftershocks a statement issued just after 8pm advised that threat had now passed which was centred off the south-west coast of Tuatapere was widely felt across Southland and Otago where people reported buildings shaking Stewart Island's Halfmoon Bay School principal Kath Johnson said two classes of children "bailed underneath the desks" as the quake hit Widespread reports of aftershocks have since been logged with GeoNet Updates are being published on www.civildefence.govt.nz Geonet reported the earthquake happened at 2.43pm "The quake was 33 kilometres deep and the shaking was strong close to the quake," GeoNet said Felt reports were logged all over the South "We are from Wallacetown near Invercargill and the quake was strong Felt like a rolling earthquake not sharp but long," Tania Hughes said An Emergency Mobile Alert has been issued for the bottom of the South Island Evacuations are NOT required but there is potential danger near the shoreline We are asking people to stay away from the beach and water Strong and unusual currents may be experienced Levi Swatridge said the earthquake was felt on Stewart Island ''No damage but definitely noticeable shaking and noise." Glenys Wing said it "felt creepy as it went for so long" Olivia Clegg felt the quake in Dunedin's Phillip Laing building saying it was the first one she had ever felt "Was the strangest wobble/sway on my chair for about 10 secs." There was also "a decent wobble" felt in Dunedin Hospital An Otago Daily Times worker in Invercargill said staff all left the building when the shaking was felt Other readers reported feeling the quake in Balclutha Halfmoon Bay School principal Kath Johnson said the children outside in the school’s swimming pool did not feel the shake ‘‘The other two classes were a bit shaken and we all bailed underneath the desks.’’ Ms Johnson said the school did not go into evacuation process because the quake happened close to 3pm but we thought that we would gauge in on the fact that nothing fell off the shelves." The school had not received any text alerts ‘‘Everyone around the bay is still going about their business so we made the call not to evacuated to the high ground,’’ she said Stewart Island lay approximately 100km from Snares Island A long-time Island resident Bruce Ford said it took a few seconds for the earthquake to register with them as there were no warning signs at all you think twice whether in fact you’re imagining whether it’s a machine going past on the road ‘‘There was a double rumble and things started to shake and it felt like the train was coming past.’’ ‘‘Some of the pictures have moved around a bit But Mr Ford said the lady outside working in his garden did not feel the shaking Earthquakes always had uncertainty with them ‘‘You’re not to know where the big wave comes from next.’’ At the time he was speaking with the Otago Daily Times the island had not received any civil defence warnings But an alarm could be heard coming from the direction of the school ‘‘There's been nothing in the way of warnings around town They had practice warnings at one occasion with the police driving around making noise and sirens and stuff like that ‘‘Emergency management is supposed to press a button somewhere if [there was an tsunami risk] ‘‘It wouldn’t need to be much man that that and I’d have been [evacuating] in the car.’’ he said Southland Girls’ High year 13 student Nargis Girhotra was selected by Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds for the role after she impressed the parliamentary representative with her community passion and involvement chairwoman of the Invercargill City Youth Council and a volunteer for a range of organisations such as World Vision Lions Club and the Southland Multicultural Society "It’s such an honour and like it’s a duty that now I have to follow to actually bring our Invercargill youth voice to the national stage," Nargis said "We are often told that we’re leaders of tomorrow but we’re also the leaders of today — and we need to be change-makers of today as well." While she wanted to pursue a law career next year she believed this role was the perfect chance for her to make a difference in the community she had been living since 2022 It was around that time she started to become interested in politics — she felt quite "lonely and isolated" and joined the debate club as a way "to speak up for herself" because education is the first way to change .. And so being aware of what’s going on in the world helped me shape my moral compass and also like increase my cultural awareness." Among her goals in the role were to spread awareness of youth mental health in Invercargill and celebrate Southland’s growing cultural diversity "I want to advocate for more youth services such as mental services and kind of break that stigma around youth mental health You should be able to talk about it with the community and like open up about it as I believe that they are the foundation of all change." Nargis will be travelling in July to Wellington to attend the Youth Parliament She also will be accompanying Ms Simmonds and her team to some appointments and meetings Ms Simmonds said this was an incredible opportunity for Nargis as she would see how decisions were made and how to assist youth in being able to influence those decisions "It’s about understanding things like select committee how to make submissions so that you can impact on legislation that’s going to occur seeing those processes and then being able to come back and help youth here amplify their voice "I think it’s really important that person doesn’t just see it as their privilege but as something that they can pass on to be able to help the voice of youth in Southland and Nargis really stood out in terms of her community involvement already." denied the murder of Chad Terrance Parekura and the attempted murder of Austin Jazz McGregor The defendant claimed he had no murderous intent when he stabbed the two men with an 18-inch knife outside Tillerman’s Nightclub on April 23 a jury rejected that narrative and found Wharekura guilty on both charges In the High Court at Invercargill this morning he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 13 years and three months The court heard harrowing victim impact statements from Mr Parekura’s whanau who held a framed photo of him as they spoke The mother of Mr Parekura’s son spoke about the “astronomical” loss they feel “[The defendant] has not only stripped our son of having a father and a full family but he has also stripped him of his innocence at just the age of two,” she said She explained her son had struggled with behavioural issues and panic attacks She was diagnosed with complicated grief and had abused substances to cope “I realised the only way to deal with these issues was to accept and let go of the bitterness and resentment,” she said deal with the issues he has in this way as well” Mr Parekura’s aunty said the loss of her nephew has left an “immense void” in the family’s life “His goofy laugh could light up any room,” she said “He had a way of making any situation feel brighter.”  She talked about the love Mr Parekura had for the people he knew “To know Chad was to see the deep love he had for his son “Chad’s impact was immeasurable and the love he shared with all who knew him will continue to resonate in their hearts.” Mr Parekura’s sister said her brother moved to Invercargill in hopes of making a positive change in his life “I had to take my brother home in a box because of you,” she said “We will never see him again and all we are left with is not enough memories.” She was “infuriated” that her unarmed brother was killed by Wharekura and called the defendant “weak and pathetic” for what he did “You’re a reminder of the worst of humanity and I hate that you exist in this world,” she said Counsel Sonia Vidal said her client felt for the victim’s family “It is something that he will carry with him for the rest of his life because today your honour will sentence him to life,” Ms Vidal said Justice Radich said Wharekura was “quick and decisive” when he stabbed the two men and noted neither of them were armed Wharekura maintained he was acting in self defence after receiving threatening text messages throughout the night did not materialise when you were on Don St,” Justice Radich said “The single stab with which you killed Mr Parekura was forceful and deliberate.” The judge did not believe the defendant was truly remorseful for his crimes as he continued to claim he was acting in self-defence He noted Wharekura was on parole for an aggravated robbery at the time of the stabbings And while Wharekura told a report writer he wanted to spend time in prison bettering himself The court heard Wharekura had an unstable upbringing where drug use and violence was normalised He had a methamphetamine addiction and joined the Black Power gang because it gave him a “sense of belonging and support” The judge discounted the minimum non-parole period by nine months to reflect Wharekura’s addiction and upbringing felicity.dear@odt.co.nz  This weekend marks 60 years since The Rolling Stones toured New Zealand It was the band's first visit to New Zealand and Australia and at the time the longest travel they had undertaken in their career and their first New Zealand stop: Invercargill Dave Hogan grew up in Invercargill and was there to meet the Stones at Invercargill airport in 1965 - wearing his Marist Brothers High School uniform - and later bumped into the band and sat down for a drink with them He joined Music 101 to talk about his memories of their legendary performance at the town's Civic Theatre and the impact the visit had on the town "I was infatuated with the Rolling Stones because the year before their first release in New Zealand - I believe they'd had a couple of singles out in the UK before then - was a song called 'Not Fade Away' and it's with a really incredible harmonica and there as a little bit of money and we were all allowed to choose a gift in the family - my brother and my sister and myself - so I chose a harmonica and a copy of the Rolling Stones' 'Not Fade Away' - and I drove my family mad by trying to learn to play it." there they are playing at our beautiful Civic Theatre." This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions Hogan's older brother got tickets to the gig which also starred Roy Orbison - who was a huge international star at the time - and announced they were going to the show they were not the celebrities that they are now their big song 'Satisfaction' was yet to be written and they were effectively a little blues band," Hogan said "There was a radio announcer on 4ZA Invercargill whose name was Jim Healey .. the time of the flight that they were arriving on and all of the fans should go out and meet them - can you imagine anything like that happening now "So I said to my mother that morning - it was a school day - 'I'm not going to school today agreed to take him to see the Stones if he would go to school for the rest of the day absolutely mortified - out at the airport with my mother waiting to meet these long-haired scruffy idols of mine - at the time that seemed totally uncool "There was no-one really there to meet them I must have been the only person who wanted to I was cowering in the corner like I was just gobsmacked couldn't speak and looking on saying 'they're there so she bowled over to them as they're in the foyer waiting for their luggage and says .. I've brought him out here on his way to school to meet you and he won't even come and say hello "And they're all standing round talking to mum and they all come over and start chatting." and he proudly pinned it inside his desk once he got back to school Charlie Watts and their manager Andrew Oldham having a drink in a coffee bar in Essex Street They invited Hogan to sit down and bought him a coke after which Richards said to him: "How the **** do you live here Hogan estimates the crowd was about a 60:40 split of Roy Orbison fans and people there to see the Stones it was the first time I'd seen slide guitar and Chuck Berry songs 'Around and Around' and 'It's All Over Now' "They were just like the records - they were every bit as good but a bit more exciting because it was just loud and right in your face Hogan has followed the Stones through the years and bought every album they've released: "And I still play them they're not just sitting there as a collection "I still am in touch with a lot of people who went to those shows and a lot of people out there's grandparents - their grandmas were there in miniskirts and their granddads were there with hair hanging halfway down their back It can't think of a better place to grow up." Richards was infamously quoted as describing Invercargill as the arsehole of the world which Hogan has sometimes been accused of repeating by locals - though he said that is somewhat unfair as that was not the quote he was responsible for Hogan went on to form a band with four friends inspired by the Rolling Stones and The Pretty Things another British blues rock band who visited New Zealand soon after but after learning to play the harmonica and seeing the Stones .. myself and four dear friends had formed a band that we called The Unknown Blues," Hogan said And the Unknown Blues also had their turn playing at the Civic Theatre because up until then all the bands wore suits and shirts and ties - as did everyone else who went to the dances - and we were dressing like the photographs we'd seen of the Stones and ...we would get stared at in the street for what we were wearing and for daring to grow our hair down to our shoulders "And I think we broke the mould down there doing that - it wasn't an innovation in other parts of the world For today's Music Feature we're diving deep into one of the most seminal and straight-up cool albums in rock history 'Exile on Main Street' was the 10th album released… Audio The world has waited 18 years for a Rolling Stones album featuring new and original material and now it's arrived in the form of Hackney Diamonds The Rolling Stones topped the British music charts on Friday The band revealed their first album of new material in almost two decades in a YouTube livestream The daughter of a World War II intelligence officer alcohol and sexual excess enveloped the early years of the rock industry A Northland photographer whose images immortalised the social upheaval and flower power movement of London's 'Swinging Sixties' has died aged 85 The outage occurred around 9.30am, with a second fault occurring 45 minutes later. "PowerNet is pleased to advise that power has been restored to all customers, as at approximately 1.30pm today," a spokesperson said. "Our investigation into the cause and repairs have been completed - the outage was caused by a duck flying into power lines – not a downed power pole or lines as previously thought." Power has been restored in Invercargill after an outage this morning that impacted the city centre and other areas, including Otatara. 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 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 Person killed in accident at Te Anau transfer station Southland District Council group manager Fran Mikulicic said the whole of council was shocked and saddened by the tragedy Selwyn lifts state of emergency as severe weather recovery continues Flooding from heavy rain has led to a state of emergency being declared in Christchurch (including Banks Peninsula) 44 mins ago 59 mins ago 39 mins ago Power has been restored in Invercargill after an outage this morning that impacted the city centre and other areas with a second fault occurring 45 minutes later "PowerNet is pleased to advise that power has been restored to all customers as at approximately 1.30pm today," a spokesperson said 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 Police have released the name of the man killed after being hit by a train in Invercargill last week He was 54-year-old Geoffrey Francis McIver McIver was hit by a freight train at a pedestrian crossing near Elles Rd on March 17 KiwiRail said at the time he was hit on the Ness St crossing The train was carrying only coal at the time McIver was the country's second rail fatality this month. after 13-year-old Sarie Morton was killed after being struck by a train in Matamata Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday Police say a scene examination has taken place in the area KiwiRail failed to follow a decade-old Coroner's recommendation to fence an area of railway line where a young Matamata College student was killed by a train this week My Vaccine Pass requirements have not been set for this event Threes & Sevens Records Presents…NO ONE KNOWS FESTIVAL 2025!Nine Acts Six Hours of Live Music!!!!Featuring - *Lachie Hayes & the Tokanui Chainsaw Massacre *Brenny & The Bushwhackers*Hoodaki*Black Glacier*Khellsey Anna & The Band (Acoustic)*Filth Wizard*Pinky*Leon Wilks*The CommonersUnder 18 Tickets - $10General Admission - $25 Invercargill City Council’s chief executive returned to work on Monday following an unexplained absence lasting almost four weeks Michael Day has been on leave since March 18 but the organisation has remained tight-lipped about why the top official was away from his desk A recent Stuff article pointed out that he hadn’t been at work since a secret meeting was held at the council about a letter it received Discussions about the letter also took place behind closed doors 11 days before a council spokesperson said Day was entitled to request leave and have his reasons kept private The council also refused to comment on the publicly excluded March meetings regarding the letter “The meetings involved matters that are protected by the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act protecting staff and elected members from improper pressure or harassment and to maintain legal privilege,” a spokesperson said A publicly excluded risk and assurance committee meeting held on March 24 included the topic of appointing an investigator which the Otago Daily Times understands relates to the letter Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark stepped aside as chairman due to having an interest meaning Invercargill Deputy Mayor Tom Campbell filled in Clark was an apology at the March 7 meeting due to council business Both the March 7 and March 18 meetings were attended by independent risk and assurance committee chairman Ross Jackson Day was appointed to the job of chief executive in February 2023 after previously holding the position of council group manager finance and assurance Council community engagement and corporate services manager Trudie Hurst was acting chief executive in his absence LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air Sign up to The Daily H Electricity cut out around 9.45am affecting shops and businesses in the centre of town and the nearby industrial area The outage left businesses without power and centre city shops having to use cash-only transactions Kmart and the Invercargill Central Mall were able to continue as normal PowerNet said electricity was restored to all customers at about 1.30pm The network management company initially said the outage occurred after a power pole went down near the recycling centre at about 9.30am after further investigation that assessment was corrected this afternoon "The outage was caused by a duck flying into power lines – not a downed power pole or lines as previously thought," PowerNet said in a statement While PowerNet was able to restore power to the central city area around 10.15am a further fault occurred affecting other streets which was not fixed until early afternoon Invercargill City Council said the city's library was closed this morning because of the outage Naya Wharekura fatally stabbed Chad Parekura in central Invercargill When a drug dealer sought payment for half a gram of MDMA The dealer, Austin Jazz McGregor, survived being stabbed by his customer, but his friend Chad Parekura died leaving behind a grieving family and a young son Now, Naya Ropiu Fabian Wharekura is behind bars for at least 13 years for the murder and attempted murder of the pair after his sentencing in the High Court at Invercargill yesterday In the publicly-released sentencing notes of Justice Paul Radich, it detailed how on the evening of April 23, 2022, Wharekura went into the Invercargill urban area to purchase half a gram of MDMA for $150 from McGregor Wharekura did not pay him the full amount agreed After leaving the city with his associates the 29-year-old allegedly began receiving threatening messages from McGregor about the non-payment for the drugs There were demands for Wharekura to return to town to sort it out “From the tone and content of the messages you expected to face a group of people on your return.” Wharekura and his associates headed back into the city but before he left he armed himself with an 18cm-bladed kitchen knife who was inside Tillerman’s bar with friends that Wharekura and his associates were returning Parekura ran out towards Wharekura ahead of McGregor and their associates Wharekura responded by swiftly stabbing Parekura He then turned his attention to McGregor and stabbed him McGregor was also unarmed and had not endeavoured to fight While McGregor sustained significant injuries Wharekura accepted he stabbed the men but maintained he had no intention to kill them But the jury rejected this and determined he was guilty of murder and attempted murder Three victim impact statements were read at the sentencing – they were from Parekura’s sister Bridget Lahman his aunt Marcia Waikato and the mother of his child They all described the immense pain they had experienced at the loss of Parekura Lahman said Parekura had turned his life around and had a positive outlook on life while Waikato said her nephew could “light up a room” She spoke of the warmth he had in his heart and the indescribable pain his family was feeling The mother of Parekura’s son said the actions of Wharekura had stripped their child of his father and his innocence The Crown submitted a start point of 14 years’ imprisonment and pointed out Wharekura was on parole for an aggravated robbery at the time of the murder Defence lawyer Sonia Vidal submitted that the victims’ conduct had contributed to the tragic outcome Justice Paul Radich did not accept that submission He accepted that Wharekura received threats but that they were before he arrived at Don St “Rather than a group of people running to attack you His associates were walking at a slower pace or were standing and talking with your associates “Mr Parekura adopted what has been referred to as a fighting stance but there was no indication whatsoever that he had a weapon “Your response in stabbing him with the large knife you carried was quite out of proportion to any potential threat Mr Parekura posed.” A pre-sentence report assessed Wharekura as being at a high risk of further violent offending an addiction he developed after he moved to Australia at 19 for work When he later returned to New Zealand he reconnected with people from his past who had become involved in gang life and criminal activities two for possession of non-prescribed medication and one for fighting and possession of razor blades and cannabis oil Justice Radich did not accept Wharekura was remorseful and noted that his insistence he was acting in self-defence undermined any acceptance of his actions Wharekura was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum period of imprisonment of 13 years and three months Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years It's unclear how long the Hamilton District Court building will be shut for A person has died after being hit by freight train at a pedestrian crossing in Invercargill near Elles Rd Police said they were called to the scene near Turnbull Thomson Park at 5.20pm and found a person dead "A scene examination has been conducted and police and KiwiRail are working to clear the scene," a police spokesperson said Police were working to identify the person who died an operations manager and a rapid response unit to the scene Elles Rd is closed between Tweed and Forth St while emergency services attend KiwiRail said the person was hit on the Ness St crossing which had a pedestrian maze and signage They also confirmed the train was only carrying coal at the time and the train driver is being offered support This marked the second time in a week a pedestrian has died after being hit by a train Last Wednesday, 13-year-old Sarie Morton died after being struck by a train near Matamata College Her death was being investigated by police The stage is set for a thrilling Super Rugby showdown this Waitangi Day as the Highlanders face off against the Crusaders at Rugby Park in Invercargill (2.30pm The match promises to be a celebration of top-tier rugby showcasing the fierce Southern rivals with both teams looking to set up their season with a solid hit-out prior to their respective first round encounters As New Zealand comes together to commemorate Waitangi Day Southern rugby fans are in for a rugby treat as the Highlanders welcome the mighty Crusaders to Rugby Park Invercargill  Both teams have a rich history in New Zealand rugby and with the rivalry between them heating up year after year fans can expect nothing less than a high-intensity match The Highlanders will be in the city on from the Wednesday doing a number of schools visits and attending a luncheon supported by Bayleys Real Estate Tickets for the event are selling well and can be purchased online from Ticketek.co.nz The Highlanders have announced a strong side to meet their arch rivals with All Black getting a starting spot in a strong looking forward pack Hugh Renton will co-captain the side from number eight while his co-skipper Timoci Tavatavanawai will start in the midfield rather than his usual wing spot As this is the last warm up match the Highlanders are expecting a strong Crusaders lineup including many of their All Blacks “We’re incredibly excited to round out our preseason with such an exciting encounter on Waitangi Day,” said Highlanders Head Coach “Playing against the Crusaders is always a massive challenge We know the fans in Invercargill will create an electric atmosphere and we’re looking forward to delivering a great performance.” Stay in the loop for all Highlanders news and announcements © 2025 Highlanders Rugby Club Limited Partnership Police are still trying to identify a man that was fatally hit by a train in Invercargill on Monday evening A man died after being hit by a train at the rail pedestrian crossing on the corner of Tyne and Ness St shortly after 5pm on Monday Police conducted a scene examination and the track and railway crossing on Elles Rd was reopened around midnight "Police would like to thank the public for their patience while the area was cordoned off," Inspector Stu Harvey said in an update on Tuesday "Police are continuing efforts to identify the deceased The matter has been referred to the Coroner and police were investigating on their behalf Police were asking members of the public who may of witnessed the event to get in touch Anyone with information can contact police online at 105.police.govt.nz The death marked the second time in a week a pedestrian died after being hit by a train Last Wednesday, 13-year-old Sarie Morton died after being struck by a train near Matamata College Sarie Morton's mum says she is still processing the loss of her daughter who was struck by a freight train outside Matamata College A collage student was hit by a freight train and killed just after 3pm on Wednesday An adult male was hit by a train at the pedestrian crossing on the corner of Tyne and Ness St shortly after 5pm The track and crossing on Elles Rd reopened around midnight following a scene examination Inspector Stu Harvey said thanked the public for their patience while the area was cordoned off "Police are continuing efforts to identify the deceased Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact police on 105 On Thursday, high school student Sarie Morton was killed when she was struck by a train in Matamata A pedestrian crossing on the corner of Tyne and Ness St Police are working to identify a man who was struck by a train in Invercargill yesterday afternoon On Thursday, high school student Sarie Morton was killed when she was struck by a train in Matamata. New Zealand's Cardinal John Dew prepares to go into conclave 40 mins ago 45 mins ago 10:33am 2 mins ago 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 Invercargill councillors are biting the bullet and backing their new museum despite a multimillion-dollar budget blowout more than a third of submissions wanted Te Unua Museum of Southland built as promised but others worried about another rates rise An extraordinary council meeting was held on Tuesday to discuss potential options to cut costs including the possible removal of Green Star Accreditation; waiting to build the car park; or reducing the digital experience It was a shock when Invercargill's iconic pyramid-shaped museum was forced to close in 2018 when councillors were told the $74 million project would cost another $13m to build due to higher than expected costs and added features Councillor Darren Ludlow said the time for tinkering was over "We will actually have a generation of kids who've grown up in Invercargill without a museum their kids and their parents to make sure we're giving them something that's worth the wait," he said councillors debated different options to cut costs during the meeting That included removing Green Star Accreditation Councillor Peter Kett did not want to see any carparks delayed We get one chance of doing this and we must do it right Councillor Lesley Soper said they set out to replace an old tired but well-loved building with something better "We'd be cutting small corners that in the bigger picture of things don't end up with the wow factor delivery that we always said we wanted," she said One of the points made by council staff was that Green Star Accreditation had to be sought from the start Te Unua Museum of Southland would be the first museum in the country with this status Grant Dermody - the lead councillor for the museum rebuild - spoke to a lot of people about what they wanted "It re-emphasised the importance of this project to our community and the desire of our community to get on and get it done and that was overwhelming and I think that gives us good confidence as a council that that's what our community wants." Councillor Ria Bond voted against proceeding with the final design "Not for the reason that we don't need the museum not for the reason that we've heard (from) submitters," Bond said it's the reason for July being notified that we wouldn't meet the budgeted outcome at the time so that for me Deputy mayor Tom Campbell said Tuesday's debate swayed his decision away from finding ways to cut costs "What I realise is that there were very good reasons actually for including those things in the first place and we spent a long time talking about Green Star and we spent time talking about the car parking," he said "We talked at length about the experience and we probably landed in the right place when we talked about it back then." The majority of councillors voted to proceed with the new museum as planned with council investing close to $77 million - which would require a 1.54 percent rates rise But Mayor Nobby Clark was not ruling out other options "We have other sources of revenue available to us "Now one of the obvious ways is to get more money out of some people who might fund us Another way is to sell a property we might own that gives us a better return to take that money and invest it in the museum as opposed to leaving it where it currently is." The new museum is set to open in late 2026 Construction of Southland's new museum will plough on amid budget issues but just how much extra it will cost remains a question for the future cost of living and supply chain issues exacerbated by Covid-19 have been recognised as some of the challenges facing the project The Invercargill City Council has voted to fast-track building of the new Southland Museum and Art Gallery The Southland Museum and Art Gallery is to close to the public indefinitely due to an earthquake risk which shut two years ago because it was an earthquake risk Invercargill's museum will remain closed for years despite a $40 million cash injection for arts and heritage projects in the southern city Invercargill City Council said in a humorous post on its social media yesterday morning that the city — famous for its cheese rolls Tim Shadbolt and Burt Munro — had disappeared from Google Maps Invercargill has vanished off Google Maps," the post read "Just like your left sock in the washing machine — we’ve mysteriously disappeared maybe just type in ‘that place near Bluff’?" They joked the incident was not a coincidence as the city had been for years known as "Southland’s best-kept secret" Google is trying to gatekeep this paradise — and honestly does that mean no rates any more?" another joked The Otago Daily Times has approached Google for comment Police have confirmed a person has died after being struck by a train at a pedestrian crossing in Invercargill this afternoon A police spokesman said the person died following an incident involving a train and a pedestrian near Turnbull Thomson Park "Police responded to the scene around 5:20pm where a person was located deceased," he said A scene examination had been conducted and police and KiwiRail were working to clear the scene "Police are working to identify the person involved and enquiries into the circumstances of the incident remain ongoing." "The train driver has been relieved and is being offered support." He thanked the first responders and those who provided assistance at the scene and referred any further comment to police The freight train was travelling from Invercargill to Dunedin carrying coal Police initially reported the incident occurred at the Elles Rd level crossing A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman earlier confirmed crews had responded to reports of a person being hit by a train Two appliances from Kingswell and Invercargill responded to support other emergency services but returned to the station not long after A crew from Winton was also called to the scene but was stood down before it arrived An Otago Daily Times reporter at the scene this afternoon said the train had stopped and was blocking Elles Rd Only police remained at the scene and had established a cordon preventing members of the public getting closer It is the second time in a week a pedestrian has been killed by a train in New Zealand Last Wednesday, 13-year-old Sarie Morton died after being struck by a train near Matamata College. Her death was being investigated by police. Police said there were failed attempts to rob a jewellery store and service station before a member of the public was threatened and a dairy was finally broken into for vapes, cash and lollies. Detective Peter Smallfield said the string of incidents began with a Mazda vehicle being stolen from a home in Kingswell early this morning which was driven to the jewellers in the central city around 5am. "They have got out and attempted to smash the windows with a scooter and, when they were not able to gain entry, travelled to a service station in Newfield," Smallfield said. "Again, they were not able to gain entry." After the failed break-ins, police alleged the teens stopped a vehicle on a street, telling a member of the public they had a firearm in order to scare them away. "They have then travelled to a dairy in Windsor, where they have managed to smash their way in," Smallfield said. Vapes, cash and lollies were taken from the dairy, polcie said, before the pair allegedly fled on foot from a police dog unit. They were found and apprehended shortly after 6am. Police said two teenagers were due in Invercargill Youth Court today, charged with three counts of burglary, one of theft of a motor vehicle and one of being unlawfully closed in a yard. "This behaviour is incredibly frustrating for residents and business owners in our community, and it’s pleasing to have been able to immediately hold this pair to account," said Smallfield. Two teens have been arrested after a couple of unsuccessful attempted robberies in Invercargill. Two teens have been arrested after a couple of unsuccessful attempted robberies in Invercargill Police said there were failed attempts to rob a jewellery store and service station before a member of the public was threatened and a dairy was finally broken into for vapes Detective Peter Smallfield said the string of incidents began with a Mazda vehicle being stolen from a home in Kingswell early this morning which was driven to the jewellers in the central city around 5am "They have got out and attempted to smash the windows with a scooter and travelled to a service station in Newfield," Smallfield said police alleged the teens stopped a vehicle on a street telling a member of the public they had a firearm in order to scare them away "They have then travelled to a dairy in Windsor where they have managed to smash their way in," Smallfield said cash and lollies were taken from the dairy before the pair allegedly fled on foot from a police dog unit They were found and apprehended shortly after 6am Police said two teenagers were due in Invercargill Youth Court today one of theft of a motor vehicle and one of being unlawfully closed in a yard "This behaviour is incredibly frustrating for residents and business owners in our community and it’s pleasing to have been able to immediately hold this pair to account," said Smallfield Earlier this month, she dropped a 15-second snippet of the unreleased song. In the video posted to TikTok on April 10, Lorde was seen wearing a white shirt and jeans while walking through New York City. "Since I was 17, I gave you everything/Now we wake from a dream, well baby, what was that? What was that?” she sings over a synth beat. It was the first sign of a follow up to Lorde's previous album, 2021's Solar Power. Her other albums were 2013's Pure Heroine and 2017's Melodrama. Last year, she collaborated with British singer Charli XCX on a remix of Girl, so confusing — on a re-release of the Grammy award-winning Brat. On Tuesday, councillors were asked to approve Halligan Way and Bushaven Way as right-of-way names at an Ōtatara subdivision. The preferred options were provided by the applicant alongside others such as Greenside Way, Greenview Way and Bushview Way. Deputy mayor Tom Campbell was quick to point out there were no te reo Māori options offered by the developer, which he believed was a requirement. In response, council group manager finance and assurance Patricia Christie said the council encouraged the inclusion of te reo names but it was not a condition. "The policy that we have got at the moment highly recommends them but if the developer doesn’t give us that offer, it is a lot of staff time to try and suggest other options." Christie said there was no approved list of te reo Māori names, meaning developers had to "come up with them" themselves. In relation to the lack of an approved list, mana whenua representative Pania Coote said it had been agreed te reo Māori names would be provided based on the area. "Instead of doing a scattergun list, we were more focused on the whakapapa of the areas requiring a name. "This did not come to us in any way or form to provide input." Chairman Grant Dermody said the process was discussed but it had never been put into the policy. Councillor Ria Bond’s understanding was that any proposed name would go past mana whenua to be looked at before coming to council, but Christie explained that was only when te reo ones were proposed. Ultimately, the suggested titles were approved, with Christie informing the policy would soon be up for review. The subdivision at 60 Ōtatara Rd has created 31 lots. Halligan Way drew inspiration from successful Invercargill golfer Graham Halligan, while Bushaven Way is a nod to the area's connection to nature. A discussion about proposed street names for an Invercargill subdivision has highlighted a lack of clarity around council policy on te reo Māori names. Iwi boss to head new board for Taranaki Maunga Te Ao Māori National introduces members' bill to ban social media for under 16s Christopher Luxon announced the bill alongside Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd this morning Politics Erica Stanford sent pre-Budget documents to her personal email There are multiple examples of Stanford using her personal email for ministerial business Puanga to take starring role at this year's Matariki celebrations The theme for this year's Matariki holiday is 'Matariki mā Puanga' highlighting the communities who observe the star Puanga in their astronomical traditions New Zealand's most valuable state house cannot be subdivided The almost $4 million villa sits on 619 square metres of land in one of Auckland's sought-after heritage areas Public service boss: Sector 'not as politicised' as some say who was appointed as Public Service Commissioner in November last year told Q+A public servants are "very neutral" A discussion about proposed street names for an Invercargill subdivision has highlighted a lack of clarity around council policy on te reo Māori names councillors were asked to approve Halligan Way and Bushaven Way as right-of-way names at an Ōtatara subdivision The preferred options were provided by the applicant alongside others such as Greenside Way Deputy mayor Tom Campbell was quick to point out there were no te reo Māori options offered by the developer council group manager finance and assurance Patricia Christie said the council encouraged the inclusion of te reo names but it was not a condition "The policy that we have got at the moment highly recommends them but if the developer doesn’t give us that offer it is a lot of staff time to try and suggest other options." Christie said there was no approved list of te reo Māori names meaning developers had to "come up with them" themselves In relation to the lack of an approved list mana whenua representative Pania Coote said it had been agreed te reo Māori names would be provided based on the area we were more focused on the whakapapa of the areas requiring a name Chairman Grant Dermody said the process was discussed but it had never been put into the policy Councillor Ria Bond’s understanding was that any proposed name would go past mana whenua to be looked at before coming to council but Christie explained that was only when te reo ones were proposed with Christie informing the policy would soon be up for review The subdivision at 60 Ōtatara Rd has created 31 lots Halligan Way drew inspiration from successful Invercargill golfer Graham Halligan while Bushaven Way is a nod to the area's connection to nature The theme for this year's Matariki holiday is 'Matariki mā Puanga' highlighting the communities who observe the star Puanga in their astronomical traditions the brightest star in the Orion constellation In the late autumn and early winter night sky Matariki is seen below Puanga and to the left of Tautoru (the three stars of Orion's Belt) Puanga becomes especially prominent in the evening sky towards the end of autumn and in the predawn sky during the first month of the Māori new year Puanga will feature at this year's nationally broadcast hautapu ceremony hosted by Ngāti Rangi at the base of Ruapehu Ngāti Rangi spokesperson and leading Puanga expert Che Wilson said it was an honour for the iwi to host the ceremony and to be a part of the work that has been done over the past few years by Professor Rangi Mātāmua and all the host iwi - from Te Āti Awa and Ngāti Toa to Te Arawa and last year Ngāi Tahu Traditional stories related to Puanga are shared across many iwi across Aotearoa but are prominent on the western side of Te Ika a Maui The North Island's main divide of the Tararua Ruahine and Kaimanawa ranges separates the island's weather systems so Puanga gives iwi on the western side a better read on how to prepare for the year ahead "The reason we look to Puanga isn't because we can't see Matariki there are parts of the region where you can't but actually the reason we look to Puanga is because Puanga gives us a better read for the weather on the west coast," he said Wilson said traditionally iwi on the west coast would start to observe changes in the weather during autumn while the months around Matariki were a time to wānanga "The thing is that Puanga and Matariki aren't that different We do have a separate ceremony done the month before called Te Maru o te Tau where we send all of our mate with the setting sun to the pō and that's when we call out our names." Matariki and Puanga have always gone together in karakia They also look to other celestial bodies such as the Southern Cross "In our karakia we acknowledge Matariki during the mate because they become part of te huihui o Matariki So that's our reference to Matariki but the remainder of the ceremony is actually focussed in on looking at Puanga." Wilson said it was a beautiful thing that New Zealand is starting to recognise both Matariki and Puanga "It's a chance for everybody to go out and send intention to whoever you may call your atua and to make that connection to nature Wilson said this year's hautapu ceremony will differ slightly from those broadcast in previous years After the opening of the ceremony the next step is te tākiritanga o ngā mate invoking those people who have died in the last year "We don't call out our mate but we then invoke them to transition to become stars." But Wilson said instead of offering food to the stars they are offered to four atua or deities "So we give to atua rather than stars though those atua are also shown in the sky at that time." The last part of the ceremony is the whakapūmautanga where a pou or post is placed into the ground Wilson said those reciting the karakia bind the pou with intention as they "commit ourselves to our tūpuna rnz.co.nz The country's most valuable state house sits on a large plot of land that cannot be subdivided because it is in one of Auckland's sought-after heritage areas The state house is a 1900s villa on a leafy street in the inner city suburb of Ponsonby and is worth close to $4 million It is a neighbourhood associated with celebrities from sailors to pop stars — last year Lorde sold her luxury villa next door for $4.3m Auckland Council records show the state house is on 619sq metres of land and is subject to hefty development restrictions because it is in both a special character area and historic heritage area That means the land could not be subdivided and any changes to the villa would need council permission Data from Corelogic shows the five most valuable single dwelling homes in Kāinga Ora's portfolio are all worth more than $3.5m Building projects that would create more than 1000 state homes are on hold while Kāinga Ora reviews its portfolio The agency also intends to sell about 900 homes nationally over the next 12-18 months — currently 49 state homes are on the market — of which 32 are in Auckland The money generated by selling off those properties would then be reinvested in more affordable areas The woman living in the country's most valuable state house last week told RNZ it should be sold in part because she feels increasingly out of place in the upmarket suburb finance and policy Gareth Stiven said none of the five most valuable state homes were for sale or had development plans "Like other high value properties in our portfolio these five homes could be sold further down the track Our current national divestment programme has just begun so assessing homes that will be sold is an ongoing process." All five of the most valuable state homes are in Auckland and all but one could be subdivided according to council planning rules is worth $3.7m and the 4626 square metre land has no significant development constraints is worth $3.5m and is on 2904 square metres of land that could be developed into up to 20 homes could potentially be subdivided into four units Corelogic head of research Nick Goodall earlier said the properties' values were tied up in large plots of land "It shows that you could probably build multiple units on that block of land to get better use and more people living in that area which would be well in demand from people wanting to live there to be closer to town." Goodall believed Kāinga Ora should be considering the future of all five of its most valuable properties "There's probably lots of potential development all across Auckland You would expect that these would be ones that would be on the list to look at." rnz.co.nz The public service boss says his sector is "not as politicised as some would have you believe" even amid significant change in its senior ranks and politicians' commentary "[Politicisation of the public service] is something we have to remain alert to But I don't see any particular examples of it at all," he said "I think the public deserves to know that they have an independent group of people who serve the government of the day." The Government is currently considering changes to the Public Service Act as part of the National and ACT coalition agreement The reforms are expected to "clarify the role of the public service" and "reinforce the principle of merit-based appointments" When asked in February if the changes could include politicians being able to directly appoint public service chief executives, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon had not immediately ruled it out Labour said the idea risked politicising the public service Sir Brian said ministers had "significant say already" over these appointments because they signed off on job descriptions and got to see the long and shortlists of possible public sector leaders When asked what would happen to perceptions about neutrality if politicians were given greater powers over candidates Sir Brian said there was only one case in the early 1990s he was aware of where someone was removed from consideration All appointments were already merit-based and "that has never changed" Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters suggested in March diversity quotas were affecting the public service Public Service Minister Judith Collins said she was not aware of any When asked if public chief executives were too easily reappointed Sir Brian said: "I think there has been a little bit of experience — before I got there by the way — of people being rotated through jobs without perhaps due scrutiny." "That's going to be addressed in the changes to the [Public Service] Act where after a five-year term or a three-year term there is a process where people get re-scrutinised and compared to the market and it's healthy for the system." at least eight public sector chief executives under the Public Service Commissioner's direct purview had left their roles Sir Brian said that number was not "abnormally high" "I think it reflects contractual cycles and change." One chief executive had cited health reasons for their departure: Oranga Tamariki's Chappie Te Kani Audrey Sonerson resigned as boss of the Ministry of Transport after her appointment as Director-General of Health, while Chris Seed of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had chosen to retire. Seed is now in the UK as Acting High Commissioner, after Phil Goff's sacking Treasury's Caralee McLiesh and Ministry of Education's Iona Holsted did not seek reappointment, both saying last year it was their decision to leave. Andrew Crisp finished up at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development after six years to take up a role with IHC Health NZ's Diana Sarfati resigned suddenly in February this year less than halfway through her five-year term She said it was "time to allow someone new to take up the mantle" Meanwhile, Stats NZ chief executive Mark Sowden chose not seek re-appointment after the release of a scathing Public Service Commission report It found Stats NZ had insufficient privacy safeguards when it contracted Manurewa Marae to collect Census data That inquiry was launched after allegations Census and Covid-19 vaccination data collected at the marae was misused for Te Pāti Māori’s election campaign Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of NZ on Air I note the debate on ACC not supporting volunteer firemen A call out of town often meant the vollies got there first and often by the time we arrived they may have bested the fire or secured an accident and were dealing with injured people the trauma from that doesn’t go away overnight Vollies were and still are highly regarded and are a necessity I know there is a need to maintain a healthy balance at ACC in lieu of it needing to be used but at $47 billion I note that visitors to New Zealand are covered by ACC you aren’t suddenly going to have swathes of vollies beating at your door All claims made are on a case by case basis and I’m sure you will have some wiggle room there if you feel you need it It isn’t only the increasing costs which are lowering our faith in Air New Zealand’s service to the South There are now no direct flights from Invercargill to Wellington so a trip to Wellington takes up most of the day as the (comparatively) cheaper flights seem always to result in a long wait at Christchurch Not good for business people and not good for people like me who have loved grandchildren to visit Direct flights from Invercargill to Wellington that I have been on have always been full Maybe we are just more easy to ignore down here Unlike my colleague Gerard O'Brien (Opinion ODT 28.4.25) I avoid driving through the present dangerous intersection of Pine Hill Rd and Great King St I agree with Mr O'Brien that NZTA Waka Kotahi is ignoring a potential simple solution The absolute gold standard for safety would be a flyover or bridge to separate the traffic flows here's one we prepared earlier: the George St overpass NZTA could simply close the present intersection and divert North East Valley and Opoho traffic via George St It may seem harsh to make these people drive an extra 200m or so on their daily commutes separated one-way system designed to make traffic go an extra block to improve traffic flow and safety While you correctly point out that in the September 2010 Christchurch earthquake the vast majority of chimney collapses ended up as a pile of bricks next to the house (Editorial ODT 17.4.25) Dunedin residents should regard this as cold comfort The reason they did not punch through the roofs was simple; most of those homes had corrugated iron roofs which only buckled under the impact of bricks Tile and slate roofs do not offer much resistance: damage can be devastating One hardly needs to the state the obvious as one looks across Dunedin rooftops I am not against the anti cruise ship protesters: protesting is their democratic right What I am against is what is their alternative solution in creating the income jobs and wages that the cruise season creates the 2023-24 season was worth $1.37 billion to the New Zealand economy and created 9720 jobs This was created in the approximately six-month season plus there is all the other indirect income created through support and chain supply organisation The protesters need to come up with some realistic solution if they are going to stop the cruise ships coming to New Zealand Solutions that will create and meet all the above mentioned facts and not just some empty words or pie in the sky ideas their protests are just attention seeking and nothing else The cruise ship seasons in New Zealand have a proven track record of helping our economy Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@odt.co.nz Invercargill City Council posted in a humorous post on its social media this morning that the city - famous for its cheese rolls Tim Shadbolt and Burt Munro - has disappeared from Google Maps "Just like your left sock in the washing machine—we’ve mysteriously disappeared maybe just type in "That place near Bluff"?" They joked the incident was not a coincidence as the city had been for years as "Southland’s best-kept secret." Google is trying to gatekeep this paradise — and honestly The Otago Daily Times has approached Google for comment Police are still trying to identify a man who was fatally hit by a train in Invercargill on Monday evening The incident occurred at the rail pedestrian crossing on the corner of Tyne and Ness Sts about 5pm Police conducted a scene examination and the track and railway crossing on Elles Rd were reopened around midnight "Police would like to thank the public for their patience while the area was cordoned off," Inspector Stu Harvey said in an update yesterday which is likely to take some time," he said The matter had been referred to the coroner Police were asking anyone who may of witnessed the event to get in touch Anyone with information could contact police online at 105.police.govt.nz (click "Update Report") The death marked the second time in a week a pedestrian has died after being hit by a train 13-year-old Sarie Morton died after being struck by a train near Matamata College energetic rock.This is a chance to see the boys ahead of their debut album release in a few months time.Along as special guests are filthy rockers Red Weekend all the way from Christchurch and just added to the bill are Dunedin noise merchants Theorem!Powder Chutes were recently cherry-picked by Highly Suspect and added to their NZ stadium shows from where Johnny Stevens stated this is the start of a very long friendship We produce fiercely original music described as having “a modern grunge feel mixed with punk angst and hard rock (NZ Musician Magazine) or as Johhny put it they are the truth… they got it Highly SuspectThere’s a groundswell of interest in Powder Chutes who are gaining a reputation as an unmissable live act so don't snooze on this.There will be a small number of Early Bird tickets at $10 and if there are any door sales available these will be $20 Crews have been battling a "challenging" house fire in Invercargill this evening The blaze in Manapouri St is thought to have started in a garage about 5.30pm The residents of the property were unaware of the fire and were alerted by neighbours an Otago Daily Times reporter at the scene said but the fire was proving challenging to get under control a Fire and Emergency New Zealand crew member said Ryal Bush Demolition was brought on to the site about 10.30pm to deal with unstable structure damaged by the fire Crews would continue to monitor the property overnight It was unknown if the property was insured Air New Zealand has confirmed it is canning direct flights from Invercargill to Wellington from January next year with people travelling from the deep south having to go through Christchurch It said tough economic times meant domestic demand had softened and combined with having an aircraft out of service due to global engine maintenance issues it had to make the tough decision to cancel the direct Invercargill to Wellington service Invercargill Licensing Trust chief executive Chris Ramsay runs 23 different establishments and is expecting to host thousands of visitors to Invercargill next year He told Checkpoint Air New Zealand is putting profit ahead of its social responsibility to service the regions but they've also got a social obligation," Ramsay said "You've got to make decisions at times that aren't necessarily all about the bottom line they're about what's best for the community." Invercargill had lobbied together to try and put a compelling case to say that it should be retained "Particularly given the scale and number of events and conferences that we've got next year Air New Zealand said it will increase the frequency of flights to and from Christchurch instead "It was probably the longest domestic flight in New Zealand.. "To have to go via Christchurch turns it into what would effectively be a half day travel." It will be incredibly challenging for a region like Southland "As much as you don't want to acknowledge that because Invercargill is a fantastic place and Southland's a brilliant place to explore One flight versus two is always going to be better for any region whether it's Invercargill or anywhere else in the country." An Air New Zealand flight into Wellington on Thursday diverted to Auckland due to strong wind shear conditions Air NZ's boss says they are - here's what's going on Jetstar will operate flights from Hamilton to Australia after 13 years and Dunedin will have a direct service to Gold Coast The aircraft had to be looked over by engineers before returning to service Business RSS The 33-year-old had four charges for vandalising the city dismissed in the Invercargill District Court yesterday after successfully completing the diversion process Judge Mark Williams declined the defendant’s application for permanent name suppression saying it did not prove naming the man would cause "extreme hardship" once hailed as the "Banksy of Invercargill" graffitied 31 buildings and properties in the central area over a 12-month period starting in 2022 He wrote his tag "clap" and painted cartoons on hotels The court heard the man accepted responsibility for the offending and had repaid his victims weekly for the damage caused as part of his diversion ella.scott-fleming@odt.co.nz The weather played nice for families gathered at Invercargill's Dusk on Don St New Year's Eve street party Last year's heavy rain was gone and the day's sunshine was appreciated by the multiple generations enjoying the food and festivities Invercargill great-grandmother Delwyn Halder was joined by three generations of family to celebrate the end of 2024 They included her son and his partner with her two children She was looking forward to 2025 because she was expecting a new great-grandchild in the next few months She thought the street party was really family-friendly ''It's a good thing to come to where the family can come - that's what I liked most about it ''Normally on New Year's Eve it's for the adults.. Trev Morton from Invercargill celebrated the end of the year dancing in the streets with his two granddaughters Freya who were visiting the city for the holidays from Dunedin The girls had enjoyed visiting with their aunty and swimming