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The Prime Minister is rejecting claims Labour’s re-election hopes are in tatters after yesterday losing his fourth minister for misbehaving in less than four months.
Kiri Allan has quit after being arrested following a crash on Sunday night, and being charged with careless use of a vehicle and refusing to accompany a police officer.
As a result, Chris Hipkins was forced to announce his fourth reshuffle of portfolios during his post-Cabinet press conference yesterday.
He says he felt Labour could still overcome the recent ministerial challenges and turmoil.
The jury in Lauren Dickason’s murder trial will today hear her describe in her own words, how she killed her children.
She admits the killings - but her defence is insanity and infanticide.
The court heard evidence yesterday about how she googled methods for overdosing children - two months before killing her daughters.
The High Court trial will watch her hour-long evidential interview with police, recorded a day after the killings.
Dickason’s defence counsel is expected to begin giving evidence tomorrow.
Detectives are trawling through more than 120 pieces of information from the public, in relation to the disappearance of Yanfei Bao.
The 44-year-old real estate agent’s disappearance remains a missing person investigation, but police say concern grows the longer she’s missing.
She was last seen door-knocking properties in Wigram, on Wednesday.
A 52-year-old man has been charged with kidnapping Bao, and the lead detective hasn’t ruled out further charges.
Auckland retailers beset by ramraids and robberies, are also up against delays getting glass repairs done.
The Newmarket Business Association says the area has had its fair share of vandalism and damage to property in the past year.
Pressure on replacement glass supply, and demand for glaziers has become a problem too with it often taking weeks - sometimes months - to swap out broken glass.
It comes as the Government creates a new offence for ram-raiding - which allows 12 and 13-year-olds to be charged in the Youth Court.
And a warning Wellington’s train services will be extra busy today.
Greater Wellington Regional Council Transport chairman Thomas Nash says extra services will be running for the Football Ferns match against the Philippines this afternoon.
He says there’ll be a lot of people on the trains and it’ll help if people spread their travel and wait for crowds to disperse a little, following the game.
Mark Brown says NZ wants too much oversight of a new joint action plan.