Author: MIL OSI Publisher

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UPDATE – Serious incident Nelson

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Please attribute to Police Commissioner Richard Chambers:

It’s with a heavy heart that I announced that a Police officer has been killed following an incident in Nelson in the early hours of this morning.

At just after 2am this morning, two police officers were on a routine foot patrol in Buxton Square carpark in Nelson when completely unprovoked, a vehicle drove towards them, at speed, hitting both of them.

Both officers were transported to Nelson Hospital in a critical condition, and it is here that one of the officers has sadly succumbed to her injuries sustained in the incident.

She was Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming. A widely respected police officer with 38 years front line service. She was also a loved and cherished, daughter, mother, wife and valued member of the wider Nelson community.

Lyn was a beautiful soul and her death will be felt across the Nelson community and our Police family.

Her injured colleague, Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay, also a very senior and experienced officer with 16 years’ service. He remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Two members of the public were also injured in this incident. Both are reported to be stable.  One other Police officer was assessed and discharged from hospital.

The driver of the vehicle was tasered and then arrested at the scene. The 32-year-old man is due to appear in Nelson District Court this Friday and will be charged with serious criminal offences. 

Police officers immediately tried to perform first aid acting admirably in what was an incredibly dynamic and dangerous situation. Members of the public were present and attempted to assist our staff. I thank them for this.

Lyn and Adam, like so many of our officers were working on New Years Eve to keep people safe on a night intended for celebration. It fills me with great sadness that their efforts to do so has ended in a senseless act that has taken the life of one of our colleagues and seriously injured another. My absolute priority is to ensure our people and their families are supported as best they can be, during this difficult time.

A Police investigation is underway as we seek to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.

Lyn’s family has come into a new year with the worst possible scenario. We are wrapping support around our staff. I know that officers and police staff across the country will be feeling this loss, as Senior Sergeant Fleming was their colleague and a part of our police family.

Police do not expect there to be any further updates today.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Fatal water related incident, Omaio

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

One person has died following a water related incident off the coast of Omaio, Ōpōtiki.

Police responded to Omaio following reports that a man was struggling in the water. He was retrieved by members of the public and CPR was commenced prior to Police arrival.

Emergency services arrived and continued CPR, however efforts to resuscitate the man were unsuccessful and he died at the scene.

Enquiries are ongoing and his death will be referred to the Coroner.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Fatal Crash, Old West Coast Road, Darfield

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

One person has died following a two-vehicle crash on Old West Coast Road near Pitt Road, Darfield, Selwyn.

Police responded around 11am, locating two people in critical condition.

One person has subsequently died at the scene and one person remains in hospital in a critical condition.  

The Serious Crash Unit conducted a scene examination.

The road remains closed, however should reopen shortly.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre 

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Advisory – Police Media Centre closing early, Wednesday 1 January

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Due to staffing constraints, the Police Media Centre will close at 7pm tonight, Wednesday 1 January.

Prior to that time, we will be operating with reduced staff numbers, and will be prioritising urgent matters and incidents.

We thank you for your patience and understanding.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Gaming – New study reveals these are the best countries for gaming

Source: Clash.gg

  • South Korea has been crowned the best country in the world for gamers, with a gaming index score of 94.14 out of 100
  • Spain is in second place with a score of 93.06, and Iceland is in third with a score of 92.63
  • New Zealand comes in tenth place, with a gaming index score of 81.89.

A new study has revealed the best countries for gamers by calculating their gaming index score, and South Korea topped the ranking.

CS gaming site Clash.gg analyzed two factors: download rate and total bytes per person from Steam Stats to create an index score out of 100 for each country. They ranked the index scores from highest to lowest to reveal the 10 best countries for gamers.

South Korea has come first with the best download rates and highest data usage for gaming per person, combining to make an index score of 94.14 out of 100. South Korean gamers have an average download rate of 135.4 Mbps and use 519.82 MB of data per person per week for gaming.

Spain ranks second as the best country for gamers and has an index score of 93.06 for gaming. Gamers in Spain have an average download rate of 134.9 Mbps and use approximately 396.56 MB of data per person weekly for gaming.

In third place is Iceland, where gamers also benefit from fast download rates and high data usage for gaming. This country’s score is 92.63 out of 100. In Iceland, the average download rate is 128.30 Mbps, and across seven days, each gamer uses 1,296.58 MB of data.

Denmark is in fourth place, with an index score of 92.44. In Denmark, gamers experience an average download rate of 129.2 Mbps and use 1,025.53 MB of data per person per week for gaming.

Chile ranks fifth with a score of 88.52 out of 100 on the gaming index. Chilean gamers each use 406.94 MB of data for gaming every week at a download rate of 127.3 Mbps.

The United States ranks sixth with a gaming index score of 85.12. Americans use 848.38 MB of gaming data per week per gamer, with an average download rate of 118.1 Mbps.

Canada ranks seventh with an index score of 84.29, based on download rates and data usage for gaming. Canadian gamers each use 888.06 MB of data on gaming weekly, achieving download rates of 116.5 Mbps.

Qatar is in eighth place, scoring 84.20 in the gaming index, just below Canada. In Qatar, gamers each use 293.58 MB weekly, with a 116.5 Mbps download rate.

The Netherlands ranks ninth, where gamers enjoy fast download rates and higher data usage for gaming, with an index score of 83.58. Dutch gamers have an average download rate of 117 Mbps, each using 635.62 MB of data for gaming every week.

New Zealand ranks tenth, with a gaming index score of 81.89 out of 100. Each gamer in New Zealand uses 734.61 MB for gaming weekly, with an average download rate of 113.5 Mbps.

Top 10: The best countries for gamers

Rank

Country

Gaming Index Score

1

South Korea

94.14

2

Spain

93.06

3

Iceland

92.63

4

Denmark

92.44

5

Chile

88.52

6

United States

85.12

7

Canada

84.29

8

Qatar

84.20

9

Netherlands

83.58

10

New Zealand

81.89

Gabriele Asaro, Head of SEO and Research at Clash.gg, commented on the findings: “The best countries for gamers often excel in internet infrastructure, boasting top-tier download speeds and high data usage tailored for gaming. Nations like South Korea lead the pack with lightning-fast broadband, low latency, and high average download rates, ensuring smooth gameplay especially for data-intensive titles.

“The countries in the ranking not only have advanced digital networks but also a large percentage of the population actively engage in gaming, leading to higher bytes used per person for gaming activities. This creates a perfect environment for casual and competitive gamers.”

For more, see:  https://clash.gg

Methodology

The raw data for the two factors was cleaned, checked, and standardized on the same scale from 0 to 10, where 0 and 10 represent the worst and best values present in the data to allow for accurate comparison between factors. Factors for which a high score would be negative were subtracted from 10 to invert their scoring.

Each factor was assigned weighting, reflecting its importance in the analysis. The factors, their source and their percentage weightings are as follows:

Avg. Download Rate (Mbps) on Steam, 80.0%: https://store.steampowered.com/stats/content/
Total MB Used on Steam per Person from 24/08/20-24/08/27 (using 2023 populations), 20.0%: https://store.steampowered.com/stats/content/

Once the weightings were assigned, the total score for the factors was calculated, producing an overall index score out of 100 for each entry, upon which the final ranking is based.

Populations source: https://population.un.org/dataportal/home?df=3e3a9692-5b7a-4abb-b490-5c5711488da3

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Health – Vaping starter kit plan lacks detail, may cause wider health issues

Source: Asthma and Respiratory Foundation

The Government’s plan to use vaping starter kits to help adults quit smoking is irresponsible and fails to consider future health complications.
That is the message from the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ following the announcement that stop-smoking services around the country can start supplying vaping starter kits from next week.
Foundation Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says she has deep concerns about this plan given that vapes are not an approved product for smoking cessation.
“We are concerned that the government is proceeding with this plan without fully understanding the long-term consequences.
“We support efforts to help smokers quit, but not by providing them with another product that can also be harmful.”
The lack of consultation with health experts and the lack of detail is concerning, Ms Harding says.
“It leaves many questions unanswered -why was there no meaningful consultation with independent health experts, other stakeholders and the wider community?”
It was important there is ongoing support for smokers-turned-vapers to quit vaping, but there was no indication that would be offered, she says.
“What is the exit strategy? How will the government ensure that those who successfully quit smoking using vapes are not left trapped in a new addiction to nicotine?
“There needs to be a clear pathway for people to move away from nicotine altogether, and we see no evidence of that in the current proposal.”
The Smokefree 2025 plan aimed at reducing smoking rates should focus on evidence-based methods that help people quit nicotine entirely, she says.
“We urge the government to rethink its approach.
“This cannot simply be about shifting smokers from one form of nicotine to another.”
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Hot Cross Bun lovers rejoice! Woolworths’ range hits stores nationwide

Source: Woolworths NZ

1 January 2025: Hot Cross Bun fans can get their hands on an early fix of the ever-popular treat at Woolworths New Zealand stores with a range of buns available nationwide and ready to enjoy from today. 

The 2025 Woolworths range includes nine different flavours from the Traditional and Brioche Style, to the Lotus Biscoff and Cadbury Caramilk for the more adventurous. For those that love the flavour of a Hot Cross Bun, but take a hard pass on the fruit, the Fruitless Bun has also returned this year after a stint off the baker’s rotation. 

Michael Whorskey, Woolworths Hot Cross Bun Expert and Bakery Merchandise Manager says the January start for hot cross bun season might be controversial to some but, time and time again, New Zealanders have shown that they simply love the tasty treat – no matter the time of year. 

“In January alone, we’ll sell over 1.4 million individual hot cross buns across the country and another 5.6 million individual hot cross buns in the lead up to Easter. Traditional is always our most popular flavour with around 65% of customers picking that as their favourite, but some of our innovative, new flavours like Lotus Biscoff have certainly found their way into the hearts (and stomachs!) of Kiwis.

“The best part is, when shoppers buy a pack of in-store baked buns, they’re not just getting a sweet treat but they’re also helping Kiwi kids. For every pack we sell, we’re donating 5 cents to support the fantastic work of KidsCan,” adds Michael.

KidsCan supports children in 1100 schools and early childhood centres nationwide with food, shoes, jackets and health items – so they can focus on learning. 

KidsCan founder, Julie Chapman says “We’re really pleased that Woolworths are once again supporting KidsCan through the sale of their hot cross buns. Every pack sold means a donation that helps Kiwi kids thrive – meaning you can feel great about picking up a pack, even if it’s only January!”

In 2024, Woolworths donated over $85,000 to KidsCan from sales of in-store baked Hot Cross Buns. Customers can pick up Woolworths’ range of Hot Cross Buns in stores and online from today.

The full 2025 lineup of Woolworths Hot Cross buns is: 

About Woolworths New Zealand:

Woolworths New Zealand is one of New Zealand’s largest employers with 21,000 team members across over 185 supermarkets, distribution centres, processing plants and support offices. Each week we serve over three million customers and work with hundreds of food producers and suppliers throughout Aotearoa. We’re committed to delivering New Zealand’s best supermarket experiences for customers and team with more value, innovation and accelerated investment in our stores. We’re proud to give back to the communities we live and work in, including through the Woolworths Food for Good Foundation. Every year we donate more than $7 million in food, funding and sponsorship to our communities. Woolworths New Zealand is also the franchisor of more than 70 FreshChoice stores, which are locally owned and operated.  Woolworths New Zealand is part of Woolworths Group.

About KidsCan: 

One in six children in New Zealand live in hardship. KidsCan provides food, jackets, shoes, and health products to 889 schools and 203 early childhood centres in areas of high deprivation across New Zealand. With these basics, kids can participate in learning and have the opportunity for a better future. The charity has been feeding school children since 2005, and preschoolers since 2019. In 2023 KidsCan supplied children with: 6.2 million items of food, 57,884 pairs of shoes, and 66,280 jackets.  

www.kidscan.org.nz

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Media advisory: Media stand-up, Serious incident, Nelson

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Media are advised that Police will hold a stand-up at 3pm today to speak to media about a serious incident in Nelson this morning.

Media are asked to report to the front entrance of Tasman District Police HQ on Bridge Street, Nelson by 2.40pm.

Please park on the street and walk in to the front entrance where you’ll be met.

Please RSVP to media@police.govt.nz to confirm your attendance.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Man who escaped Corrections custody arrested

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

The 48-year-old man who escaped Corrections custody at Waikato Hospital on 23 December has now been arrested.

He was located early this morning at an Oparau address and taken into custody without incident.

He is due to appear in the Hamilton District Court tomorrow on a charge of escaping custody.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Homicide investigation launched, Fairfield

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

A homicide investigation has been launched after an incident at a Hamilton address overnight that has left one person dead and three others seriously injured.

Emergency services were called shortly after midnight to Douglas Crescent, Fairfield, after a report of an assault.

When Police arrived at the property, they found one person deceased and two others seriously injured, who were transported to hospital.

A 34-year-old man was found a short distance from the address with serious injuries and was also transported to hospital, where he remains under Police guard.

A scene examination will take place at the property today.

Police would like to reassure the community that this is an isolated incident and there is no ongoing risk to the wider public.

The 34-year-old man will face charges in due course in relation to the incident.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre