The Bull Ring

𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕣 𝔸ℂ𝕋 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕪 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕋𝕚𝕞 𝕁𝕒𝕘𝕠 𝕟𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕣 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕗𝕚𝕘𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕠 𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕟𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕓𝕠𝕪𝕤 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕣 𝔸ℂ𝕋 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕪 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕋𝕚𝕞 𝕁𝕒𝕘𝕠 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕓𝕖 𝕟𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕣 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕗𝕚𝕘𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕠 𝕒𝕓𝕦𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕟𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕓𝕠𝕪𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝟙𝟡𝟡𝟘𝕤. J ago indecently assaulted two teenagers he had been mentoring through a sports club between 1995 and 1999. He's had name suppression since being charged in January 2023, preventing the media from identifying him during  his trial  last year. Jago's lawyer Ian Brookie told the Court of Appeal his client was abandoning his name suppression fight this afternoon and the court has since confirmed the order has lapsed. He maintains his innocence and this development does not affect his plans to appeal both his convictions and sentence. It took a jury two hours to return unanimous guilty verdicts on...

𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕟 ℙ𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕤 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕄𝕖𝕩𝕚𝕔𝕠 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕤 𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕟 ℙ𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕤 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕤 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕄𝕖𝕩𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕞𝕓𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕣 𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕤𝕖𝕤 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕤 W inston Peters - after initially saying nothing was wrong with his and Shane Jones' comments - has now backed down after the Mexican Ambassador raised concerns. MPs were debating the Prime Minister's Statement on Tuesday when Shane Jones yelled "send the Mexicans home" across the floor. Winston Peters then told Green MPs Lawrence Xu-Nan and Francisco Hernandez to "show some gratitude" for being in New Zealand. . . The Green Party has written to the prime minister and the Speaker of the House calling for action, saying the comments were "outwardly racist and xenophobic". Oh Winnie - what a spectacle you made of yourself! Isnt it time you gave it all up? @winstonpeters makes a farce of Parliament! Ze...

𝕍𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕁𝕒𝕟 𝟞 𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕠𝕟 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕕 𝕤𝕖𝕩 𝕤𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝔸𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕨 𝕋𝕒𝕒𝕜𝕖, 𝟛𝟞, 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕗𝕖𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝 𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝕕𝕖𝕤𝕡𝕚𝕥𝕖 𝕒 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕝 𝕣𝕖𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕓𝕪 𝕋𝕖𝕩𝕒𝕤 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕔𝕦𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕜𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕙𝕚𝕞 𝕚𝕟 𝕔𝕦𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕠𝕟 𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕕 𝕤𝕖𝕩 𝕤𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 A violent Capitol rioter who was released from prison after being pardoned by Donald Trump is now wanted on separate charges of child sex solicitation. Andrew Taake, 36, from Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty in 2023 to beating officers with a metal whip and dousing them with bear spray while storming the Capitol grounds on January 6, 2021. . . After being turned in by a woman he chatted with on the dating app Bumble, he was sentenced to six years in federal prison plus three years of post-released supervision. But now that he's free again...

Treaty referendum ruled out under Luxon's watch Anneke Smith , Political reporter @AnnekeJSmith anneke.smith@rnz.co.nz Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Rātana Pa. Photo: RNZ / Reece Baker The prime minister has ruled out signing up to a treaty referendum if National and ACT are back at the negotiating table after elections in 2026. The Treaty Principles Bill continues to dog the National Party despite Luxon's repeated efforts to communicate the legislation will not go beyond second reading. At Rātana Pa today, Kiingitanga spokesperson Rahui Papa told Luxon "the state of the Māori nation is at the highest level of concern that it has been for a whole lot of years." Luxon responded by reiterating a message he has repeated ad naseum during his time in the top job, that "National won't support the bill, it will be voted down and it won't become law". He was later asked what he would do if ...

  Former Christchurch car dealer Chris Schwartz sent customer photos of excrement, genitalia Christopher Schwartz from iSeeCars Ltd in Christchurch has had more Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal rulings made against him. Photo: NZ Herald / Google Maps A former car dealer with a history of sending explicit pictures to disgruntled customers has now been caught sending photos of genitalia to a woman attempting to recoup money from his company. Christopher Schwartz, the bankrupt head of Christchurch car dealership ISeeCars Ltd, was taken to the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal last year after he pocketed a $15,000 refund owed to a customer and then sent them photos of excrement when they complained. This week, two further rulings by the tribunal have been published relating to Schwartz taking money from customers who had purchased mechanical breakdown insurance from him. The rulings state the policies were never lodged. One of the customers, Jes...

𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕤 𝕁𝔽𝕂, ℝ𝔽𝕂 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕄𝕃𝕂 𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕤 𝕖𝕩𝕖𝕔𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕠 𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕁𝔽𝕂, ℝ𝔽𝕂, 𝕄𝕃𝕂 𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕤. P resident Trump announced that he'll declassify any remaining files from the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. He signed an executive order at the White House Thursday. After an aide announced the president was signing the executive action "ordering the declassification of files relating to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Dr. Reverend Martin Luthern King Jr.," Mr. Trump said, "That's a big one, huh? A lot of people are waiting for this for a long — for years, for decades." . . The president instructed his aide to give the pen he used to sign the order to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ...

𝕁𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒 𝔸𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕟'𝕤 '𝕕𝕖𝕖𝕡𝕝𝕪 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝' 𝕞𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕚𝕣 𝕥𝕠 𝕙𝕚𝕥 𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕁𝕦𝕟𝕖 ℙ𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕟 𝔻𝕒𝕞𝕖 𝕁𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕒 𝔸𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕟'𝕤 𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕝-𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕞𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕚𝕣. A "deeply personal memoir" by former prime minister Jacinda Ardern will be out in early June, promising to share pivotal moments from her leadership and the details behind her decision to step down from the role. Ardern was 37 when she became Prime Minister in October 2017, making her the world's youngest female head of government. She gave birth to daughter Neve the following June, which made her the first leader of a country in nearly 30 years to give birth while in office. . . During her tenure as prime minister, Ardern navigated the Christchurch mosque terror attacks of March 2019, the Whakaari White Island eruption of December 2019 and the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020. A Different...

ℂ𝕒𝕓𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕗𝕗𝕝𝕖 𝕒 𝕗𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕖𝕩𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕚𝕤𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕘𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥. ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝'𝕤 ℂ𝕒𝕓𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕗𝕗𝕝𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕒 𝕗𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕞𝕡𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟 𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕒 𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕘𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥. T his reshuffle is just rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic. The Government is failing miserably at managing health, economy, race relations, climate – you name it. A reshuffle isn’t going to change that,” Labour leader Chris Hipkins said. “If anything, putting Simeon Brown in as health minister is another blow to New Zealand’s faith in their health system,” Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. . . “Replacing Dr Shane Reti as health minister after only one year shows what a mess they’ve made of the health system. PM Luxon admits NZ will never be back on track. file:  𝕵𝖔𝖍𝖓𝖓𝖞 ᴴᴰ “Dr Reti is a decent man who never stood a chance because of the budget he was given. Recruitment freezes, cuts...