Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

The murder of Tūrangi mother Cheri-Lee Bell followed months of escalating harassment, threats and breaches of a protection order by her former partner. Lance Dickinson has now been sentenced to life imprisonment, with the court finding numerous aggravating features in the killing. eLocal Report: Based on reporting by Ric Stevens for the New Zealand Herald, republished by RNZ HERE. · Lance Dickinson has been sentenced to life imprisonment with…

A Waikato man previously imprisoned for serious child-sexual exploitation offending has been jailed again after objectionable material was found on his phone just weeks after his release. Michael John Loye received a 25-month prison sentence, with the court hearing that an extended supervision order is expected to apply again when he is released. Waikato Man Jailed After Child Exploitation Material Found Weeks After Prison Release · Michael…

ACT wants to fundamentally change the way New Zealand taxes cryptocurrency, promising that qualifying personal crypto gains would become tax-free once an asset had been held for more than 12 months. The party also wants exemptions for small everyday transactions and clearer rules for stablecoins and financial technology companies. eLocal Report: Based on reporting by Craig McCulloch for RNZ HERE. · ACT has unveiled a cryptocurrency policy that…

Balancing the books is only half the job. Dr Oliver Hartwich argues that while National and Labour are focused on deficits, spending and taxation, New Zealand’s deeper challenge is declining productivity and competitiveness. He says restoring credible institutions, simplifying government and making ministers clearly accountable should be just as important as returning the budget to surplus. Over the past couple of weeks, the two major parties…

Residents of a quiet Wattle Downs street have described the frightening moments surrounding a suspected double homicide in which a man and woman were found dead. Police say a 30-year-old man is in custody and is being spoken to as investigators work to establish whether he was involved. eLocal Report: Based on reporting by Jessica Hopkins for RNZ HERE. · A South Auckland neighbourhood remains at the centre of a double-homicide investigation…

Labour has promised New Zealand motorists there will be no increase in fuel excise duty during its next term in government, while also calling on the coalition to cancel a 12-cent-a-litre increase currently scheduled for January. The commitment offers motorists certainty at the pump, but it also creates a larger question: if fuel-tax revenue does not rise, what transport spending will have to give way? eLocal Report: Based on reporting by Giles…

China has unveiled a new tunnelling machine designed to solve one of underground construction’s persistent problems: what happens when soft ground suddenly turns into solid rock. The 4.5-metre-wide Xianglong can excavate conventionally, drill explosive charges into a rock face and then continue boring after the rock has been fractured. eLocal Report: Based on reporting by David Szondy for New Atlas HERE. · China has rolled out what is being…

An Auckland man who fatally strangled his partner in her Avondale home has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison. The High Court heard Hao Feng had two previous reports of strangling Xiaoyan Wang on his police file, including one incident in which she was reportedly rendered unconscious. eLocal Report: Based on reporting by Amy Williams, Senior Reporter for RNZ, HERE. · Hao Feng, 37, appeared in the High Court at Auckland on…

Bread looks simple: flour, water, yeast and salt. Yet many supermarket loaves contain considerably more — including oils, sugars, emulsifiers, acidity regulators, enzymes and flour-treatment agents. A Kiwi Food Truth video argues that this makes much of New Zealand's bread aisle an industrial product rather than “real bread”, while recommending three simpler alternatives. The ingredient question is legitimate; some of the video's wider health…

Political advertising on Facebook and Instagram is becoming harder for voters to see and understand as a whole. Parties can begin with broad audiences, but Meta's automated advertising systems can optimise delivery towards the people most likely to respond — potentially producing very different election campaigns for different voters. eLocal Report: Based on reporting published by The Conversation, Algorithms are choosing who sees what…