Sophia Crestani died after being caught up in a crush of people at an overcrowded Dunedin party in October 2019. Chambers said the party resulted in tragedy but the situation could have been much worse if it was not for Aruwa’s selflessness. A seat in Dunedin was dedicated to Sophia Crestani after her death in 2019. McMillan said Aruwa took control of the situation and stopped more people from coming into the party. Crestani’s father Bede Crestani said Aruwa showed dignity and courage despite chaos from all sides as more people tried to enter the party while others were being crushed.

All the charges related to a single event in September 2024, at a Hastings house where both Taiaroa and the girl were visitors. He found the 14-year-old and another girl drinking alcohol in a shed. He deliberately blew cannabis smoke in her face and later gave her some cannabis and told her to smoke it. “She began shaking with fear and froze,” a Crown summary of facts said. When she woke up, she told an adult woman in the house what had happened, and the woman confronted Taiaroa.

She was allegedly angered by the group’s loud recitation of the Quran, which was being broadcast through a microphone for Ramadan about 11.30pm. The unnamed woman is receiving assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Photo / IndoscopoMuhammad Husni, the head of Gili Trawangan village, told reporters the woman allegedly scratched one person and threatened others with two machetes during the altercation. “While residents were reciting the Quran inside the prayer room, the foreigner suddenly entered, angrily unplugging the residents’ microphones. “The foreigner in question was unfamiliar with our customs and traditions, leading to her outburst.

Photo: RNZ / Peter de GraafNorthland Regional Council chairperson Pita Tipene has called on Cabinet Ministers to stop making "derogatory" comments about councils. Representatives from local and regional councils were gathered in the Beehive's banquet hall for the All of Local Government conference on Thursday. "Too often I hear politicians who sit around the Cabinet table, and you are the highest ranking politician who will address this forum, making very derogatory comments, particularly about regional councils but councils in general," he said. "There are comments that come from Cabinet ministers, in fact from the prime minister himself, who say things like councils have got no social licence. "It's really playing councils off against each other because the focus is squarely on regional councils.

The massive increase in violent crime under Labour has not just reversed, but has dropped to another low according to the latest crime data. In the year July 23 to Jun 24 there were 215,000 NZers who were victims of violent crime. This is what happens when the Government has a policy of reducing the prison population by 30% regardless of crime levels. But since that peak of 215,000, the number of victims of violent crime has dropped by 79,000 to 136,000. This is a 37% drop in violent crime victims in under two years.

Bill Gates admitted having two affairs with Russian women which Jeffrey Epstein knew about. In a town hall meeting on Tuesday, the Microsoft co-founder told his team at the Gates Foundation that he had made mistakes, but insisted he “did nothing illicit. “I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities,” he had told staff, according to The Wall Street Journal. In an email Epstein sent to himself that was made public in January, the paedophile claimed that Mr Gates caught a sexually transmitted infection after sleeping with “Russian girls”. The email also claimed the Microsoft founder asked Epstein for antibiotics he could “surreptitiously give” to his then-wife, Melinda.

It found that more than a third of Kiwi hospitality and tourism workers experienced bullying and harassment by customers in 2025. Neurodivergent and ethnically diverse workers reported higher levels of bullying and harassment compared with neurotypical and New Zealand European workers. AUT School of Hospitality and Tourism associate professor David Williamson said understanding the reality of New Zealand’s tourism and hospitality workforce is essential to the long-term success of the industry. AUT Business School professor Candice Harris, who co-authored the study, said the tourism and hospitality workforce has long faced on‑the‑job challenges. However, less than one-third of all respondents reported that their organisation actively raised neurodiversity awareness (27%) or improved employment practices regarding neurodiversity (28%).

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is retiring from international rugby, leaving an incomparable legacy. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is retiring from international rugby, leaving an incomparable legacy. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, who came out of retirement for last year’s Rugby World Cup, has announced she is bowing out of the international stage. She leaves an incomparable legacy behind. Woodman-Wickliffe was a Rugby World Cup winner in 2017 and 2022, a Sevens World Cup champion in 2013 and 2018, an Olympic gold and silver medallist and a Commonwealth Games gold and bronze medallist.

Relationship with Student AAccording to an agreed summary of facts released by the tribunal, Nordstrom engaged in an “inappropriate relationship” with Student A while she was teaching her. “They called Student A’s parents as they felt uncomfortable after they became aware that Student A was still a student,” the summary said. Nordstrom began sending a male student, Student B, inappropriate messages and met him outside school hours. During these times, Nordstrom would discuss personal issues, including her relationship with her partner and show Student D her Tinder profile. “The tribunal has now formally censured April Nordstrom and cancelled her teacher registration so that she can no longer practise as a teacher,” the school said.

The Natural Environment Bill and the Planning Bill, introduced to Parliament in December, follow the blueprint in their broad architecture. Consider property rights. The 2024 Cabinet paper said respect for property rights should be the default position under the new system. Without safeguards in the legislation, property rights are little more than a pious aspiration. The Government deserves real credit for getting RMA reform to this point in under three years.

A screenshot from the clip, captioned “Hanging out with the homie” shows the hawk perched atop a railing next to a green drinking container. Another screenshot shows a person dispensing the drink into the bird’s mouth with the caption “Hawk loves him some buz [sic] ball”. In addition to the 45-day prison sentence and 12 months probation, Diaz was ordered to serve 20 days of community labour and a 24-session animal cruelty counselling programme. Cesar Gustavo Diaz was convicted after he was caught giving this hawk an alcoholic drink and posting the video to YouTube. Diaz had already completed 44 of his 45-day prison sentence before sentencing, in part due to credit for good behaviour, according to court records cited by NBC News.

Lake Tekapo. Xiaoyang Lu, a tourist from Shanghai, used the holiday to travel around the South Island, stopping at Lake Tekapo along the way. "There were very few rooms available in Lake Tekapo," Lu said. "The risk is that people will start to see Lake Tekapo as poor value, and they'll stop coming. Frewen said Lake Tekapo was accustomed to handling a large number of visitors.

He has PTSD, but like all emergency volunteers, he is not eligible for ACC cover for mental injury. Under current legislation ACC could provide broad physical injury cover to volunteers - the same available to all New Zealanders. If a physical injury resulted in a mental injury that was also covered by ACC. The Minister for ACC, Scott Simpson, said his focus was on ensuring the scheme was sustainable for future generations, not expanding. Around 25 Fire and Emergency volunteer firefighters responded to the Mount Maunganui landslide.

This is the shortest tenure for any Victoria vice-chancellor in 25 years. He said while he and Smith “did not always agree” with each other, Smith made “a really good impression” in their short time together. Outgoing Victoria vice-chancellor Nic Smith. Victoria University of Wellington chancellor Alan Judge said Smith worked closely with the university to achieve financial stability and made the most of the opportunities that come with being located in the capital city. Victoria University says a recruitment process to find Nic Smith’s replacement will begin immediately.

The Tranz Alpine train was delayed over two hours on Tuesday after a passenger suffered a medical emergency. A KiwiRail spokesman said the train stopped at Arthur’s Pass at 10.30am after someone on board required medical attention. Arthur’s Pass Volunteer Rural Fire Force deputy Peter Neale said they responded to the call, whileHato Hone St John said it sent an ambulance to the town. "One patient, in moderate condition, was assessed and treated at the scene," a St John spokesman said. KiwiRail said the train was able to resume its journey about 12.45pm through to Otira, arriving in Greymouth about two hours late, at about 3pm.