Motorway delays loom on key route

The memory of a distressed mother crying out “please, God, not my son” as she lay on the floor continues to haunt a grieving family 20 years after Michael Paul Slade's tragic death in a house bus fire. His younger sister, Nikita Burnard, vividly recalls the night she returned home to find police at their door, delivering the devastating news that Slade, a 27-year-old labourer living in Manaia, South Taranaki, had perished. The lasting impact...

A disgraced former real estate agent and convicted fraudster, Aaron Carl Drever, has lost his appeal for home detention after a "savage" assault in prison. Jailed for 15 months for insolvency charges and impersonating a businessman while bankrupt, the Crown characterized Drever, 41, as a "calculated criminal" engaging in fraudulent activities while on bail for other offenses. His lawyer argued for home detention, but Justice David Johnstone dismissed the appeal in a reserved decision, emphasizing...

The partner of Hemi Rapaea, who died nearly nine years ago after a car crash on State Highway 2, continues to seek justice as the driver fled the scene. Rapaea was left in the overturned vehicle, and despite investigations, police did not lay any charges due to insufficient evidence to identify the driver for a criminal prosecution. This unresolved case remains a source of longing for justice for Rapaea's partner. Full Article

SummaryThe employer of a man who disrupted a funding announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Transport Minister Chris Bishop at Wellington’s train station has issued an apology and confirmed an investigation. During the event, which detailed $604.6 million allocated for rail upgrades in New Zealand, Peters and Bishop faced multiple hecklers, including a Tonkin + Taylor employee. The consultancy expressed regret for the disruption and stated that they are investigating the incident according...

A young father expressed his heartbreak after admitting to causing severe injuries to his baby son, who had multiple fractures when brought to Wellington’s Kenepuru Hospital in December 2022. Initially, the father claimed the injuries resulted from the child falling off a bed; however, the baby suffered fractures in both forearms, an upper arm, wrist, ribs, a lower leg, and his skull. This story contains distressing descriptions of violence related to the incident. Full Article

SummaryWidespread internet outages were reported across New Zealand, affecting customers in major cities including Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and Dunedin around 7.30pm. Many of those impacted were customers of Contact, who expressed their frustrations on social media. Devoli attributed the outages to a route reflector issue in Sydney. Full Article