Police officers have labelled their latest pay offer a "kick in the guts", "farcical" and an "absolute joke". The 4 percent pay increase is still below inflation, which is currently 4.7 percent, while in September last year, inflation was 5.6 percent. The rejected pay offer has also led to fears of a brain drain across the ditch, with Cahill saying Australian recruitment lines would've been "red hot since our members heard of this offer last Friday". This includes "work to rule", which would see officers refuse to work overtime and ensure they take all mandated breaks. "Yet they insult these very officers by intentionally failing to backdate the pay offer that has been delayed by politics and government processes, not officers."

Retiree Paul Middleton, who has been travelling around the country in a camper van fishing, made the gruesome discovery by the Gulf Harbour ferry terminal on Tuesday afternoon. "I saw a big lump out in the water that I thought might be a cow or something, so thought some kahawai might be hanging around nearby. "As I got closer I realised it was a big black plastic bag," Middleton told Stuff. "There was plastic bag inside of plastic bag inside of plastic bag. Middleton estimated what he thought was a body was wrapped in "at least" three plastic bags.

Kea Kids: Police Minister is outlawing gang patches, but these bikers are exemptMark Mitchell wants to pass new rules to stop criminal gangs from displaying their allegiance, but there’s one biker club that can hoon around loud and proud. Kea Kids News reporter Jaden rides with the Auckland HOGS and we find out what their patches mean to them. Video / Kea Kids

Photo: NZ HeraldA blackmail trial in Christchurch has heard a dispute arose after a paid sexual encounter between a Canterbury based public figure and the accused. The trial started in the Christchurch District Court today of a person accused of trying to blackmail a Canterbury based public figure. Crown lawyer Sean Mallett said the two made contact on dating app Grindr, and had a sexual encounter. Sean Mallett said that prior to the sexual encounter the defendant had mentioned being rewarded for the encounter, but they had not agreed on an amount or method of payment. Later that day the complainant paid the other man $250.

Photo: NZ HeraldPeople "flew through the cabin" after an incident on a flight to Auckland that left one person seriously injured and 50 others needing treatment. They received immediate assistance and were evaluated or treated by medical staff at the airport as needed." Another passenger, Valentina, told RNZ the plane "just stopped" about 50 minutes out of Auckland. Its next flight - LA800 to Santiago - has been cancelled. "The immediate response was handled by Auckland Airport alongside emergency services.

PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSONThe Highlanders are happy to be home. "I was just really happy that we’d found a way to do that in an away trip like that. "It was different to the Blues game, but really glad that we could get that result." The Highlanders have set themselves up nicely attack-wise so far, stringing together some nice phases to get things humming. "They’re helping direct the team ... and they’ve also made some good plays between themselves, so that’s been really good."

Brian Jokat, a passenger onboard a LATAM Airlines 787-9 that had a sudden loss of altitude on Monday, says the captain told him the “gauges went blank” and he was briefly unable to control the airliner. CNN interviewed an American passenger on the plane who said the captain appeared shaken as he surveyed the aftermath of the violent maneuver. He said the captain told him the panel quickly came back on and the systems resumed normal operation. The “sudden drop” sent a dozen people to a hospital in New Zealand after they were flung about the cabin. The flight from Auckland to Santiago was canceled and rescheduled for Tuesday.

Shout Media has announced the acquisition of Shopping Centre media specialist, Adz Up from 1 April 2024. Adz Up has digital and classic media assets spanning 50 shopping centres and 30 cinemas throughout New Zealand, bringing new opportunities to Shout Media’s expanding portfolio. Paul Kenny, Shout Media’s MD, says, “ We have a lot of admiration for Adz Up’s innovative business model and strong landowner relationships. Shout Media has all the right experience and capability to take it to the next level and I will be cheering them on from the side-lines.”Kenny continues, “We see Adz Up as a natural fit with Shout Media, which will provide enhanced capability to reach audiences ‘everywhere’. By incorporating malls and cinemas into Shout’s portfolio, we can provide existing and new clients with extended options, amplifying Shout’s reach across multiple venues and demographics.”Effective April 1st, the three full-time staff members at Adz Up will transition to Shout Media, ensuring continuity and expertise within the team.

Average dwelling values remained almost flat in February, although it's a mixed picture in different parts of the country. QV's figures are a rolling three month average, meaning each month's average value depicts market conditions over the previous three month period. Of the 16 main urban areas covered by the QV HPI, exactly half showed property value declines between January and February and half showed property value increases. Significantly, the country's two largest residential property markets, Auckland and Christchurch, both showed declines in average values between January and February, while Wellington and Dunedin both showed increases. The first table below shows the average value changes between January and February, while the second table shows the quarterly value changes.

Luxon joined AM on Tuesday morning for his weekly interview and defended his Government's approach to police. The Prime Minister disagreed and claimed the offer is not the same as the previous offer. "It's not appropriate as Prime Minister that I am in the middle of all that. "I disagree, there is an enhanced offer that has been put together by the police, again it's an issue for them to work through with the police association," Luxon replied. "All I'm responsible for is making sure those negotiations take place in good faith and importantly we back our police with giving them stronger tools."

Mad Chapman takes a dreary walk through a Stuff article written by AI. to see Stuff publishing an article written by AI, or more specifically, “summarised from original Stuff reporting and published member comments using generative AI tool ChatGPT with oversight and editing from Stuff journalists”. In fact, I will say right here that as of March 8, 2024, AI sucks at writing. The commentsAfter a whole 269 AI-generated words, the article ends with a collection of poll comments from real people. The blurb at the top of Stuff’s AI article does say it was edited by Stuff journalists but I’m going to give those journalists the benefit of the doubt by saying I don’t think they did much editing.

Christian Horner’s Mother’s Day tribute on Instagram to his wife Geri appeared to backfire as his post was mocked in comments online. The Red Bull Formula 1 team principal, 50, shared photos of the former Spice Girl on the social media platform on Sunday. In the caption, he wrote: “Happy Mother’s Day – so appreciative of the mums in our family for everything they do. We’re always grateful, today and every day.”But social media users were quick to criticise Horner, who is at the centre of a controversy over accusations about his behaviour towards a female employee. Comments left underneath the post accused him of following PR advice and said he was “digging himself a bigger hole”.

Exactly a third of the properties offered at the auctions monitored by interest.co.nz last week were sold under the hammer. Although the 573 properties auctioned was slightly down from the 619 offered the previous week, the market is well into its peak selling season for the year. And the number of properties being auctioned is running at more than twice the level of this time last year, so there is plenty of activity in the auction rooms. Interestingly, the overall sales rate in the Auckland Region, which dominates auction activity, has been consistently running at around a third for the last month. Details of the individual properties auctioned, including the prices achieved for those that sold, are available on our Residential Auction Results page.

The Royal Family has shared a moment of personal significance with the public, as the “Princess of Wales: First official picture of Kate since surgery released” makes headlines. Key takeawaysFirst official photo of the Princess of Wales post-surgery. The first official photo of the Princess of Wales since her abdominal surgery has been warmly received, showing her in good spirits with her children and offering a heartfelt Mother’s Day message. Date of Surgery January 2024 Location of Surgery The London Clinic Length of Hospital Stay 13 nights Expected Return to Duties After Easter 2024 Photographer Prince WilliamThe “Princess of Wales: First official picture of Kate since surgery released” has been a significant update for Royal watchers and the general public alike. The photograph is a testament to the resilience of the Princess of Wales and the strength of her family’s bond.

Aya And The ButterflyA child’s journey back to happiness with puppetry, music and more! ‘Aya and the Butterfly’ is premiering at Circa Theatre in Wellington in the April school holidays, Saturday 13 April to Saturday 27th April. ‘Aya and the Butterfly’ is based on a children’s book by Ōtautahi/Christchurch based author Dr Maysoon Salama, who wrote the story for her young granddaughter Aya, after Aya lost her father in the Christchurch Mosque attacks in 2019. Birdlife Productions won ‘Best Direction’ for ‘Birdlife’, Whakatū/Nelson Fringe (2015). LINKS TO ARTICLEShttps://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/133242495/puppet-show-explores-the-journey-from-grief-to-happinessThis stuff article was written when Birdlife Productions did a developmental tour of Aya in Nelson and Christchurch last year.