Numerous hours of scouring video footage has led to the arrest of a woman in relation to retail crimes in Thames.
Yesterday, Police arrested and charged a 52-year-old woman following multiple shoplifting incidents dating back over the past month.
“This type of offending, especially at this large scale, has a big negative impact on our local businesses and I’m pleased with this outcome,” says Inspector Mike Henwood, Eastern Waikato Area Commander.
The woman was due to appear in Thames District Court today, charged with 20 counts of wilful trespass, and two counts of speaking threateningly.
“I commend the tenacious work of local Police staff to pull these, and other investigations, together to prosecute offenders.
“Recidivist retail thieves are not tolerated – by business owners, their honest customers, or Police – and this highlights Police’s commitment to target and hold these offenders to account,” Inspector Henwood says.
If you witness any retail crime, or any other crime, please call 111 if it is happening now or for historic offending, please make a report, with as much information as possible, either online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 or by calling 105.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
New Zealand will provide $8 million in new assistance for Ukraine and implement additional sanctions targeting Russia’s war machine, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.
“Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion, now entering its fifth year, has devastated Ukraine, destabilised Europe and impacted the security of our own region,” Mr Peters says.
“Russia’s relentless bombardment of civilian infrastructure this winter has hit Ukraine’s people hard, and this assistance demonstrates New Zealand’s continued solidarity.
“These contributions will help address urgent needs as a result of Russia’s brutal winter attacks on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure.”
New Zealand will provide $5 million in humanitarian assistance to international aid partners supporting Ukrainian civilians badly affected by the war.
This brings New Zealand’s total humanitarian assistance to Ukraine to $45 million over the past four years.
A further $3 million will go to the World Bank-administered Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund, which supports energy resilience and reconstruction.
New Zealand is also implementing its 34th round of sanctions against Russia.
New measures include lowering the price cap on Russian crude oil and sanctioning 100 shadow fleet vessels.
“These are calculated steps to curtail crucial oil revenues fuelling Putin’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine,” Mr Peters says.
New Zealand has also sanctioned actors from Belarus, Iran, and North Korea, alongside alternative payment providers, malicious cyber actors, and those supporting Russia’s military‑industrial complex.
More information about sanctions, travel bans, and export controls against Russia, as well as diplomatic, military and economic support to Ukraine, can be found on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website here.
Headline: Thousands of NZ Businesses May Be Exposed Under New Contractor Law
A major change to New Zealand employment law has come into force with the new Gateway Test, potentially exposing thousands of businesses using independent contractors to legal and financial risk.
Good old-fashioned Police work has ended in the arrest of a man wanted in relation to an aggravated robbery in New Lynn last week.
At about 1am on 16 February, four masked offenders entered a venue on Great North Road and stole a large amount of cash.
The group fled the scene in a stolen vehicle and a short time later were seen entering a second vehicle.
Detective Senior Sergeant Ryan Bunting, Waitematā West Area Investigations Manager, says that vehicle was located abandoned on Winstone Road, Mt Roskill.
“A substantial amount of money was recovered from inside the vehicle.
“Following this, our enquiries team reviewed CCTV from the area and spoke with a number of people.”
He says the information received led officers to pound the pavement, eventually locating an address of interest.
“Police executed a search warrant at a Mount Albert Road address and located a suspect hiding inside a closet.
“He has subsequently been charged with aggravated robbery and unlawfully using a motor vehicle.
“This was a great arrest, and we can’t rule out further arrests or charges.
“This is a great example of good old-fashioned Police work, getting great results and holding people to account.”
A 22-year-old man appeared in court on Friday and was remanded in custody to appear in Waitākere District Court this week.
Anyone with any further information is asked to please contact Police via 105, either over the phone or online, and use the file number 260216/2305.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers online or through 0800 555 111.
Education Minister Erica Stanford has today announced the appointment of Debbie Francis to the Teaching Council board, providing a valuable addition as the organisation undergoes significant change.
“Ms Francis is a highly respected operator with strong, extensive experience in organisational change and strategy. She has led various change programmes across both the public and private sectors,” Ms Stanford says.
“The Teaching Council has been identified as having a number of serious, pressing issues that need to be resolved in order for it to fulfil its roles effectively and enable trust and confidence heading into the future.
“Ms Francis has shown that she has a strong, clear understanding of changes that need to happen, as outlined in her own report. I have full confidence that she will be a valuable contributor on the recently refreshed board.
“I am pleased to welcome Ms Francis to the role. I am glad that her expertise will join the board as they work to restore the Teaching Council to a position where it is able to operate and serve teachers, children, and the sector, brilliantly.”
Ms Francis was lead partner for the PwC People and Change practice and head of the PwC central government practice. She was also Chief Executive at the
New Zealand Correspondence School, Deputy Chief Executive for UCOL, and the Director of Strategy and Futures at Lincoln University. She holds a Masters in Public Policy.
Police can confirm a person has sadly died following a serious crash involving a car and a pedestrian in Te Anau today about 8.45am.
Police investigating the crash are seeking help from the public.
The driver of the vehicle involved left the scene, and police would now like to speak to them.
Police would like to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed the incident, or anyone who has dashcam footage of the crash, or the moments before it.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police as soon as possible online at 105.police.govt.nz, clicking “Update report”, or by calling 105.
AI systems generating realistic images and videos depicting identifiable individuals without their knowledge and consent has led to the New Zealand Office of the Privacy Commissioner co-signing a joint statement on the issue. The concerns about these technologies include the creation of non-consensual intimate imagery and potential harms to children and other vulnerable groups.
The co-signatories remind all organisations developing and using AI content generation systems that these systems must be developed and used in accordance with applicable legal frameworks, including data protection and privacy rules. The statement also notes that fundamental principles should apply when using AI content generation systems, including implementing robust safeguards, transparency, and addressing specific risks to children.
Joint Statement on AI-Generated Imagery and the Protection of Privacy
The co-signatories below are issuing this Joint Statement in response to serious concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) systems that generate realistic images and videos depicting identifiable individuals without their knowledge and consent.
While AI can bring meaningful benefits for individuals and society, recent developments – particularly AI image and video generation integrated into widely accessible social media platforms – have enabled the creation of non-consensual intimate imagery, defamatory depictions, and other harmful content featuring real individuals. We are especially concerned about potential harms to children and other vulnerable groups, such as cyber-bullying and/or exploitation.
Expectations for Organisations
The co-signatories remind all organisations developing and using AI content generation systems that such systems must be developed and used in accordance with applicable legal frameworks, including data protection and privacy rules.
We also highlight that the creation of non-consensual intimate imagery can constitute a criminal offence in many jurisdictions.
Whilst specific legal requirements vary by jurisdiction, fundamental principles should guide all organisations developing and using AI content generation systems, including:
Implement robust safeguards to prevent the misuse of personal information and generation of non-consensual intimate imagery and other harmful materials, particularly where children are depicted.
Ensure meaningful transparency about AI system capabilities, safeguards, acceptable uses and the consequences of misuse.
Provide effective and accessible mechanisms for individuals to request the removal of harmful content involving personal information and respond rapidly to such requests.
Address specific risks to children through implementing enhanced safeguards and providing clear, age-appropriate information to children, parents, guardians and educators.
Coordinated Response
The harms arising from non-consensual generation of intimate, defamatory, or otherwise harmful content depicting real individuals are significant and call for urgent regulatory attention.
To encourage the development of innovative and privacy-protective AI, the co-signatories of this statement are united in expressing their concern about the potential harms from the misuse of AI content generation systems. The co-signatories aim to share information on their approaches to addressing these concerns that can include enforcement, policy and education, as appropriate and to the extent that such sharing is consistent with applicable laws. This reflects our shared commitment and joint effort in addressing a global risk.
Conclusion
We call on organisations to engage proactively with regulators, implement robust safeguards from the outset, and ensure that technological advancement does not come at the expense of privacy, dignity, safety, and other fundamental rights – particularly for the most vulnerable of our global society.
List of signatories
Information and Data Protection Office of the Republic of Albania
Andorran Data Protection Agency, Andorra
Agency of Access to Public Information – DPA Argentina
Ombudsman’s Office of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Office of the Information Commissioner, Queensland, Australia
Basque Data Protection Authority, Spain
Data Protection Authority, Belgium
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Bermuda
National Data Protection Agency, Brazil
Commission for Personal Data Protection of the Republic of Bulgaria
Commission for Information Technology and Freedoms, Burkina Faso
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, Canada
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia, Canada
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Commission on Access to Information of Quebec, Canada
National Commission of Data Protection, Republic of Cabo Verde
Catalan Data Protection Authority, Catalonia (Spain)
Superintendence of Industry and Commerce of Colombia
Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency
Commissioner for Personal Data Protection, Cyprus
Superintendence of Personal Data Protection of Ecuador
European Data Protection Board
European Data Protection Supervisor
National Commission for Information Technology and Civil Liberties, France
Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Germany
Data Protection Commission Ghana
Gibraltar Regulatory Authority
Office of the Data Protection Authority, Bailiwick of Guernsey
Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (SAR), China
The Icelandic Data Protection Authority
Data Protection Commission, Ireland
Isle of Man Information Commissioner
Israeli Privacy Protection Authority
Italian Data Protection Authority
Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner, Bailiwick of Jersey
Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Kenya
Information and Privacy Agency, Kosovo
Office of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner of Malta
Mauritius Data Protection Office
Institute for Transparency, Access to Public Information and Personal Data Protection of the State of Mexico and Municipalities, Mexico
Institute for Transparency, Access to Public Information and Personal Data Protection of Nuevo León, Mexico
Personal Data Protection Unit of the Anti-Corruption and Good Government Secretariat, Mexico
Personal Data Protection Authority, Monaco
Dutch Data Protection Authority, Netherlands
Office of the Privacy Commissioner, New Zealand
Nigeria Data Protection Commission
Norwegian Data Protection Authority
The National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information, Panama
National Authority for the Protection of Personal Data, Peru
National Privacy Commission, Philippines
Personal Data Protection Office, Poland
Portuguese Data Protection Supervisory Authority, Portugal
Personal Data Protection Commission of the Republic of Singapore
Information Commissioner of the Republic of Slovenia
Personal Information Protection Commission, Republic of Korea
Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner, Switzerland
ADGM Office of Data Protection, Emirate of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)
Dubai International Financial Centre Authority, Emirate of Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
UK Information Commissioner’s Office, United Kingdom
Regulatory and Control Unit for Personal Data, Uruguay