Police have arrested the man dubbed ‘Rustling Charlie’ on 13 charges of fraud. Charlie Thompson pleaded not guilty in the Rotorua District Court on Monday after a month in custody, when police opposed bail. The judge said the charges relate to obtaining by deception all over New Zealand, including Alexandra, Rotorua and Palmerston North. “This isn’t harmless offending… We do believe he is a flight risk - he’s extremely transient”. However, Judge Cameron disagreed with Olphert, saying “He’s not a businessman who’s done bad deals.

As New Zealand supermarket stocks of tinned plums, apples and corn are running low, it could be a while before supplies bounce back. This February, the cyclone affected much of the country and caused a “horticulture apocalypse” in Hawke’s Bay, where it impacted about 35% of the region’s crops. A Woolworths NZ spokesperson said the company was experiencing a “significant shortage” of locally supplied tinned fruit and vegetables because of the cyclone. Woolworths hoped to have more New Zealand-grown fruit and vegetables after next year’s harvest. Canned and frozen fruit and vegetables are generally more stable, but less product at harvest time can mean less availability down the line.”Source: stuff.co.nz

One of Netflix’s upcoming horror projects is an adaptation of the best mystery and thriller novels released in recent years, The Whisper Man. Here’s an updated guide to everything we know about the upcoming Netflix movie. What is The Whisper Man on Netflix about? He’d previously been tied to The Whisper Man in April 2023 by Stuff.co.nz, who stated that he’s working on two “thriller” projects, including The Whisper Man. Are you looking forward to an adaptation of The Whisper Man on Netflix?

Halfpenny's new club confirmedLeigh Halfpenny has signed a one-year deal with New Zealand Super Rugby side Crusaders - and could bet set to try a new position in the swansong of his career. After also representing Cardiff and Toulon, the 34-year-old's next destination has now been confirmed as he continues his club career Down Under in Super Rugby. I've always watched Super Rugby and the Crusaders are the team I've always followed. The yellow was later upgraded to a red by the off-field bunker system as Cane became the first player to ever be sent off in a men's Rugby World Cup final. Join the Wales Rugby WhatsApp community The Wales Rugby breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community has launched - and thousands of fans have already joined.

High-profile scientist Siouxsie Wiles left a courtroom in tears after recounting a threat made against her on Christmas Eve. She's taking legal action against her employer, the University of Auckland, saying it didn't seriously respond to those threats until more than two years after Wiles first complained. Herald reporter Isaac Davison says Wiles and colleagues with complaints of harassment counted about 60 emails and 7 meetings before they felt the university was responding. He says the university initially got external security advice- and her complaint was much of it was reactive. LISTEN ABOVE

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Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:30 am, November 6th, 2023 - 32 commentsCategories: act, david seymour, national, nz first, winston peters, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:Let the circus start. It is very early days and already, in what appears to be a finely calibrated insult to make David Seymour appear weak, Winston Peters has responded to the first overture from the Act leader for talks by ignoring him. I want to see someone in person,” Peters said. The article reports that Act had tried to contact Peters on multiple occasions but had been ignored. As James Shaw previously said putting these guys in the same Government would be like putting two cats in a sack.

The anticipation for the arrival of Winston Peters – the Kingmaker for the next government of New Zealand, was one of muted excitement. David White/Stuff Winston Peters speaking at the NZ First Port Waikato by election campaignAn eccentric man from America spun yarns about working as a doctor and running an oil company. David White/Stuff Winston Peters addresses the largely older crowd. Some in the crowd wore black NZ First shirts, others showed their appreciation in more vocal ways. David White/Stuff Winston Peters took jabs at the media and laughed at his jokes during his more than 30-minute speech on Sunday.

Video / NZ HeraldA man has been acquitted of the nine sexual charges he faced, following a week-long jury trial. The suppression of his identity and occupation was continued by Judge Maria Pecotic on Friday in the Invercargill District Court. The man, in his 30s, was found not guilty on five charges of doing an indecent act, two charges of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and two charges of rape. As the verdicts were passed, the defendant broke down in tears, as did his family who had been supporting him throughout the trial. Members of the family performed a haka for the defendant as he left the court.

The explosion of conspiracy theories around the ‘15-minute city’ brings into focus the question, what is it? In essence, the 15-minute city is the idea that a person is able to undertake most of their daily life in a 15-minute radius around where they live, and the conspiracy aspect is about forcing this lifestyle on people. The 15-minute city idea is more developed in some other countries. Martin Pope/Getty Images Conspiracy theorists are trying to whip up fears that the 15-minute city idea is the thin end of an authoritarian wedge. Paris-based urbanist Carlos Moreno is widely credited with the description, “15-minute city”.

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:18 am, November 5th, 2023 - 45 commentsCategories: election 2023, greens, labour, Maori Issues, maori party, Maori seats, national - Tags:I am not sure that there was anyone, apart from John Tamihere, who were publicly predicting that Te Pāti Māori would pick up six seats. Te Pāti Māori’s vote more than doubled from 23,820 to 57,912. And overall the share of the Labour + Green + Te Pāti Māori vote increased by 0.9%. Although Labour still won the party vote in each electorate there was a clear swing against it and to Te Pāti Māori. John Tamihere has indicated clearly that Te Pati Maori will not approach National to be part of a confidence and supply agreement.

A couple of days ago, K Gurunathan – described as a former mayor of Kapiti – had an article in Stuff under the heading “ACT’s Treaty referendum: a bad idea, and even worse timing”. In the article, he noted that former Prime Minister John Key had ruled out the idea

Flying Whale owner Gillian Elliot says she is very excited for the seasonal return of cruise ship visitors. PHOTOS: LINDA ROBERTSONThe first cruise ship of the new season will today receive a warm welcome to Dunedin. On board, 3500 visitors and 1300 crew represent the first of what is scheduled to be a record-setting year for cruise ship visitors. At Sushi Johnny, up the street, the menu changed for cruise ship season and the cruise ship schedule was posted on the back of a drinks fridge. Regarding a cruise action plan, it said consideration should be given to "exploring the consequences of capping cruise ship visits to the city".

Crusaders sign Leigh Halfpenny for 2024 seasonCrusaders sign Leigh Halfpenny for 2024 seasonFormer Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny[Image: stuff.co.nz]Defending Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific champions the Crusaders have just confirmed signing former Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny for the 2024 season. The Crusaders say the 34-year-old will bring maturity and a new perspective to their back line, slotting in alongside the likes of Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, Macca Springer and Chay Fihaki. Halfpenny says he has always watched Super Rugby and the Crusaders are the team he always followed. Crusaders Head coach, Rob Penney says signing Halfpenny for the 2024 season was a massive coup for them. The Crusaders will kick off the 2024 season when they play the Chiefs at 6.05pm 23rd February.

12991106_168488101176232.jpg A bridge on the Otago Central Rail trail. PHOTO: NZ HERALDExtending the Otago Central Rail Trail towards Dunedin could bring millions of dollars of benefits to the city, it has been signalled. The Taieri Gorge trail for walking and cycling is not certain to proceed — principally because of reluctance to rip up railway tracks for such a venture — but the idea has been studied. Its potential value was explored by regional economist Benje Patterson for the Otago Central Rail Trail Trust, which was behind the successful conversion of a disused railway line into a walking and cycling trail between Clyde and Middlemarch. They include the prospect of Dunedin getting an uplift in spending from trail visitors of between $6.9 million and $11.4m if the trail is developed.