By Louise Ternouth of RNZ Whether it is a block of butter or cheese, a kilogram of mince, a dozen eggs or a cooked chook, food prices have gone up rapidly. The latest Stats NZ figures show in the past 12 months food prices have gone up 4.4 percent -…

A former financial adviser has pleaded guilty after misappropriating $1.7 million from two sets of “elderly clients” and issuing false statements to cover up the fraud.Murray McClune pleaded guilty to two charges of theft by a person in a special relationship under the Crimes Act 1961 following an investigation by…

A teenager reported missing from Auckland’s New Lynn last week has been located “safe and well”, police said.Whetu, 17, was last seen at Lynn Mall at around midday on Tuesday and subsequently reported missing.Police and her whānau were concerned for her safety, with relatives saying her disappearance was out of…

The Kinleith pulp and paper mill in South Waikato was opened by Prime Minister Sidney Holland in 1954. Today, 71 years later, the last functional paper-making machine falls silent, with the loss of about 150 jobs.A RNZ documentary about the mill shortly after it opened, captured the mood of a…

A century after he was Minister of Health Sir Māui Pōmare remained politically potent at Waitara’s Ōwae marae on the weekend, inspiring outright rejection of Government policy on Māori health.Standing for the Crown, New Plymouth MP David MacLeod bore the stinging criticism with obvious discomfort – like Pōmare, he is…

The Prime Minister says a plan to toughen up punishments for people who attack first responders is “entirely appropriate” to ensure the safety of those workers. Yesterday, the Government announced that people who assaulted on-duty police officers, firefighters, paramedics, or prison officers would face longer prison sentences under new criminal…

Apple has its first box-office hit.F1 The Movie debuted with US$55.6 million (NZ$ 91.7 million) in North American theatres and US$144 million (NZ$237.5 million) globally over the weekend, according to studio estimates, handing the tech company easily its biggest opening yet.Although Apple Original Films has had some notable successes in…

An Invercargill business owner living in limbo over access to his property finally has an answer — right as he is selling up. Grant Heatherington runs a business on the outskirts of the city which crushes oyster shells for bird owners. The outfit has been running for almost 70 years…

An Otago and Canterbury firewood business which was ordered into liquidation by Dunedin’s High Court has left creditors out of pocket more than $500,000. Needmor Firewood Ltd was placed into liquidation in September 2022 by order of the High Court of Dunedin, on the petition of the Inland Revenue Department…

Flooded communities in the Nelson-Tasman region remain cut off tonight as the full extent of the clean-up becomes clearer across the top of the South Island.Farmland in Tapawera, 75 kilometres southwest of Nelson, was still submerged following the torrential rain across the region, with a boil water notice in place,…