The highly anticipated opening of Swedish furniture company IKEA in New Zealand comes as a rural community worries about the fire risk from pine plantations.Since 2020 IKEA has converted six Central Hawke’s Bay farms into pine forestry, which they believe makes them the largest forestry owner in the district.This move,…

A person has been injured after a vehicle hit a house in a central Auckland suburb this morning. Police were alerted to the single-vehicle crash on Seafield View Road in Grafton shortly after 7.30am. “It appears a car has crashed into a house,” a police spokesperson said. Fire and Emergency…

Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern has spoken about the time she wanted to “punch” Simon Bridges “in the face” on The Graham Norton Show in the UK.The episode, which aired in the UK today, featured Ardern on the famous red couch alongside actress Kate Winslet, US talk show host…

Inland Revenue is planning to crack down on shareholders taking loans from companies, in a move that could hand some, particularly small businesses, an extra tax bill.Inland Revenue (IR) was asking for feedback on proposals to improve the way new loans by companies to shareholders are taxed.David Carrigan Inland Revenue…

A $33,000 Fabergé egg pendant that was stolen and swallowed by an alleged thief last week has been recovered. Police were called to a store in central Auckland on Friday last week, after a man inside picked up the limited-edition Fabergé James Bond Octopussy Egg worth $33,585 and swallowed it.…

New Zealand sprinter and national 100m record-holder Eddie Osei-Nketia has officially switched his allegiance to Australia.The 24-year-old, who has not run for New Zealand in more than three years, will now compete for Australia.He last represented New Zealand in 2022 at the World Championships.Australian Athletics posted on Instagram to announce…

A 35-year-old Auckland man has been jailed for four years and 10 months for his involvement in a global child sexual abuse network, after a Customs uncovered thousands of graphic files on his phone during an airport search. The man was sentenced Friday in the Manukau District Court and has…

A 3m macrocarpa picnic table at a Department of Conservation campground in Wairarapa was installed for just two days before most of it was sawn off and stolen.The table, put in at Bucks Road Campsite west of Greytown on Tuesday, was found on Thursday with around 2.4m missing – an…

Christmas has come early for an Auckland man who’s been reunited with his cat who went missing 14 years ago.Paul Myburgh’s family adopted Mo from the SPCA in 2010. The ginger tabby quickly charmed just about anyone he met, according to Myburgh.”He was an incredibly friendly cat. Very charismatic, loved…

A 16-year-old has been arrested after allegedly attempting to steal more than $20,000 worth of clothing from an Auckland store overnight.Police received reports of several alarms going off at JD Sports in Albany at around 2.54am on Friday.Senior Sergeant CJ Miles said police attended the job immediately and found the…