Each weekday The Front Page keeps you up to date with the biggest news in New Zealand. Today, a U-turn over Karel Sroubek's residency case, New Zealand's biggest tobacco smuggling hit, a possible appeal over sex offender's sentence of home detention, and the new ice cream combination causing a flurry.
The Front Page podcast: Czech drug dealer liable for deportation, Crown may appeal sex offender's sentence
By Juliette Sivertsen
NZ Herald·
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Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says the original Karel Sroubek file presented to him didn't include Interpol information about his convictions in the Czech Republic. Photo / File
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The investigation was prompted by a firestorm of criticism of Lees-Galloway for his initial decision to grant Sroubek New Zealand residency, despite his criminal convictions.
Lees-Galloway says the original file presented to him by Immigration New Zealand didn't include Interpol information about Sroubek's convictions in the Czech Republic.
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Customs has seized 1.8 million cigarettes in New Zealand's biggest tobacco smuggling hit.
The cigarettes were found with five rubbish bags, stuffed with $2m in cash.
One man has been arrested and charged with defrauding Customs revenue.
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Further charges and more arrests are likely.
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The Crown is considering an appeal against the sentence of home detention handed down to an Auckland youth worker who sexually groomed and abused a 12-year-old girl in his care.
23-year-old Devonte Mulitalo pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual connection with a young person under 16, and a second charge of indecent communication with a young person.
In the Auckland District Court on Monday, Judge Mary-Beth Sharp sentenced Mulitalo to 11 months' home detention for his offending.
Just after 1pm today, a spokeswoman for the Crown Law office confirmed that the prosecutor had requested an appeal against the sentence.
That request was now being formally considered.
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The son of the woman killed in a fatal car accident in Horowhenua yesterday says he feels destroyed.
It was one of two fatal crashes on the stretch of State Highway One south of Levin in the space of a few hours.
Tepihi Kauwhata's mother Wendy was killed in a head-on collision.
He says she was 54-years-old and a social worker.
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His dad remains in ICU and a younger cousin is also in hospital after the crash.
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A tragic end to efforts to save a pod of rare pygmy whales in the Far North.
Five of the six creatures refloated yesterday, restranded on another beach further north.
The mammals, which despite their name are a rare type of dolphin, first stranded near the top of Ninety Mile Beach on Sunday night.
They were transported on a convoy of trailers to Rarawa Beach on the opposite coast, where it was hoped calmer conditions would improve the chances of a successful refloating, on Monday evening.
More than 300 people helped release the eight whales yesterday.
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Six initially made it out to sea and two were euthanased after repeatedly restranding.
Now, five of those six have restranded, leading the Department of Conservation to deciding to euthanise them.
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The Reserve Bank is lifting LVR restrictions on bank lending to both owner occupiers and investors.
Banks will be allowed to lend 20 per cent of their new loans to owner-occupiers with a deposit of less than 20 per cent, up from the current level of 15 per cent.
They'll also be able to lend 5 per cent of their new loans to investors, with a deposit of less than 30 per cent.
Housing Minister Phil Twyford believes the changes show the market has stabilised and it will assist more people into their homes.
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Online broking firm Halifax New Zealand has followed its Australian-based parent company into administration within days.
Halifax New Zealand was placed into voluntary administration yesterday, with partners at insolvency specialist Ferrier Hodgson being appointed administrators.
Halifax New Zealand says it's ceasing trading immediately and all client accounts have been placed on "close only" mode.
A creditors meeting will be held on December 7th.
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It's 100 years since the first woman physician to qualify and practice in New Zealand, died.
Dr Margaret Cruickshank has being commemorated in Waimate throughout the day.
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She passed away in 1918, after contracting influenza while caring for her patients.
Commemorations Group chair Sandra Coles says Doctor Cruickshank was the sole practitioner in Waimate during World War I, taking on a huge workload.
For more on this story, tune in to Newstalk ZB.
And on the same day we've honoured our first female physician, new research shows women make up less than half of medical practitioners.
Otago University's released figures showing women made up 42 per cent of medical practitioners in 2015 to 2016 but only 4.8 per cent of interventional cardiologists.
Dr Sonya Burgess was the first female graduate from a New Zealand medical school to become an interventional cardiologist.
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She medicine is very traditional and hierarchical.
For more on this story, tune in to Newstalk ZB
More adventurous visitors are expected to flock to Canterbury after global recognition for the region.
The annual Best Trips issue of the National Geographic Traveler magazine reveals its 28 must-see destination and travel experiences for 2019.
Canterbury is selected in the Adventure category.
ChristchurchNZ, General Manager of Destination and Attraction Loren Heaphy says it will shape future marketing campaigns.
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Other regions that have also come under the Adventure category include Greenland, Oman, Macedonia, Isla de los Estados in Argentina, Caño Cristales River in Colombia and Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico.
For more on this story, tune in to Newstalk ZB
McDonald's and Uber Eats have teamed up with iconic Kiwi brand Cookie Time to release a limited-edition McFlurry.
The creation contains tiny crushed pieces of chocolate chip Cookie Time cookies ... I'm drooling already ... whipped with McDonald's classic caramel sauce and soft-serve ice cream.
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That's the Front Page for today, Wednesday November 28, making sure you're across the biggest news of the day. For more on these stories, check out The New Zealand Herald, or tune in to Newstalk ZB.
You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple podcasts here, iHeartRadio here, and Stitcher here.
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If you like to stay up to date on social media, you can find host Juliette Sivertsen on Twitter.
