Latest news with #NZME
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Debt and deceit: Couple flee country amid unpaid bills
By Tracy Neal, Open Justice multimedia journalist An acquaintance of a couple who ran French bakery Le Posh said they appeared to have fled the country suddenly, leaving a household of personal items, including a 40-year collection of souvenir 'bells' from around the world. A civil claim against Veronica and Didier Crevecoeur over unpaid rent on commercial premises in Nelson has lifted the lid on a trail of debt and deceit left by the couple. NZME recently revealed how the pair failed to appear in the Nelson District Court in June for a hearing in which they were ordered to pay more than $29,000 in unpaid rent, damages and legal costs to the owners of a building where they ran one of their bakeries. Other people claimed they, too, had been left out of pocket after dealings with the couple who arrived in New Zealand around 2018. Now, two more people have come forward saying they are also owed money. I need your help Software engineer Steve, who lived near the Crevecoeurs in an exclusive area of Nelson's port hills, considered the couple as friends. 'At some point, Veronica came to see me - I think it was in November last year. She called me and said, 'I need your help, can I come to see you'?' Steve alleged that Veronica then told him a 'very strange story' about her father, and someone she knew in Spain, and how they needed about 3000 to 4000 Euros ($NZ5800 to $NZ7804) to send. He said she was very convincing, but he did not have that kind of money to lend. In the days before the Crevecoeurs left, Steve said Veronica sent him another message, asking again for money. He alleged she needed almost $1000 to cover what he believed might have been rent. 'I didn't send the money, but she was very insistent. 'She sent me many messages in a way that was very strange.' Steve said he began to get suspicious, but finally relented and gave Veronica a couple of hundred dollars. 'She was saying, 'I will pay you back tomorrow, I will pay you back tomorrow', and then she sent me more messages asking for more (money).' Steve arranged to pay $300 via a bank transfer, so he had a record, then tried to reach the couple a few days later, but says he got no reply. The Crevecoeurs had left, without paying it back, Steve said. Steve understood the couple flew to Perth where they had family, a few days after his final communication with them on February 20 this year. He said he was curious about why she was not responding to his text messages, so he went to the home they rented. He found them gone, and the landlord sorting through a stack of expensive clothes, a huge collection of shoes, and the large collection of souvenir 'bells' from around the world that they had left behind. Latin band left out of pocket Nelson-based Italian/Kiwi musician, Raffaele Bandoli said the Latin band he played in was left out of pocket when the Crevecoeurs failed to pay in full after hiring them to mark France's Bastille Day at an event in Blenheim in July 2019. Bandoli said the band, Los Galanes, was paid a $1100 deposit for the $2245 gig, but he claims they never saw the rest of it. Bandoli said band leader and founder, Jose Luis Perez, paid individual band members from his own pocket. Los Galanes, which at times has been a 10-piece band, was then a seven-piece. 'He was such a responsible and nice person that he paid all the members of the band, regardless,' Bandoli said. He wanted to speak out, in honour of Perez, who died suddenly in March last year, while travelling in Europe with his partner and band administrator Rebecca Knox. Knox said Perez always paid his musicians a set fee, but the 'biggie' for them was Veronica Crevecoeur. 'At first, she was really lovely to deal with,' she said. The band covered its own costs travelling from Nelson to Blenheim, the event went well and the Crevecoeurs seemed pleased. An invoice was sent, but she claims there was no reply. Another statement was sent, they tried contacting the Crevecoeurs by phone, but still nothing, Knox said. They hired a debt collector to recover the money, but when he went to serve them the notice in Blenheim, the premises were empty. Knox said Perez had pleaded with Veronica to pay the remainder of the fee. 'Jose would leave messages saying, 'Veronica, this is really urgent, for the survival of the band'.' When she noticed the shop, Le Posh pop up in Nelson, it was 'a massive red flag'. Knox was then floored when she saw the second Le Posh open up near Nelson's Tāhunanui Beach. The Crevecoeurs moved to Nelson from Marlborough around 2021. The opening of the second store was the beginning of the end of their New Zealand chapter. Le Posh: Unpaid rent The property investment firm, Tawero Holdings (No 2) Ltd, from whom the Crevecoeurs leased the second premises in November 2022, lodged court action when they abandoned the lease, owing $13,175 in rent and outgoings. A spokesperson for Tawero claimed the couple were masters of deceit. He said that taking legal action was a decision not made lightly but 'a lot of deception' had been at play. 'We are not novices at this, and we were taken in.' Tawero Holdings sought, and was granted, a summary judgment of $22,547 against the Crevecoeurs, plus several thousand more in costs associated with re-letting the premises, plus damages. A final dinner before they were gone Steve decided to share his story, after reading about what else they had done. He and his wife had shared a few dinners with the Crevecoeurs, at each others' homes, or at a nearby Thai restaurant. Their last dinner together was earlier this year, when the Crevecoeurs brought French food to share, and some drink. He believed they had Australian citizenship, and planned to spend six months there and six months in France where they owned a small house, near Dieppe, where Didier was from. 'They want to split their time in France between there and Paris, because Veronica really loves Paris,' Steve said. NZME has been unable to locate the Crevecoeurs for comment.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Couple leave behind trail of debt and deceit
By Tracy Neal, Open Justice multimedia journalist An acquaintance of a couple who ran French bakery Le Posh said they appeared to have fled the country suddenly, leaving a household of personal items, including a 40-year collection of souvenir 'bells' from around the world. A civil claim against Veronica and Didier Crevecoeur over unpaid rent on commercial premises in Nelson has lifted the lid on a trail of debt and deceit left by the couple. NZME recently revealed how the pair failed to appear in the Nelson District Court in June for a hearing in which they were ordered to pay more than $29,000 in unpaid rent, damages and legal costs to the owners of a building where they ran one of their bakeries. Other people claimed they, too, had been left out of pocket after dealings with the couple who arrived in New Zealand around 2018. Now, two more people have come forward saying they are also owed money. I need your help Software engineer Steve, who lived near the Crevecoeurs in an exclusive area of Nelson's port hills, considered the couple as friends. 'At some point, Veronica came to see me - I think it was in November last year. She called me and said, 'I need your help, can I come to see you'?' Steve alleged that Veronica then told him a 'very strange story' about her father, and someone she knew in Spain, and how they needed about 3000 to 4000 Euros ($NZ5800 to $NZ7804) to send. He said she was very convincing, but he did not have that kind of money to lend. In the days before the Crevecoeurs left, Steve said Veronica sent him another message, asking again for money. He alleged she needed almost $1000 to cover what he believed might have been rent. 'I didn't send the money, but she was very insistent. 'She sent me many messages in a way that was very strange.' Steve said he began to get suspicious, but finally relented and gave Veronica a couple of hundred dollars. 'She was saying, 'I will pay you back tomorrow, I will pay you back tomorrow', and then she sent me more messages asking for more (money).' Steve arranged to pay $300 via a bank transfer, so he had a record, then tried to reach the couple a few days later, but says he got no reply. The Crevecoeurs had left, without paying it back, Steve said. Steve understood the couple flew to Perth where they had family, a few days after his final communication with them on February 20 this year. He said he was curious about why she was not responding to his text messages, so he went to the home they rented. He found them gone, and the landlord sorting through a stack of expensive clothes, a huge collection of shoes, and the large collection of souvenir 'bells' from around the world that they had left behind. Latin band left out of pocket Nelson-based Italian/Kiwi musician, Raffaele Bandoli said the Latin band he played in was left out of pocket when the Crevecoeurs failed to pay in full after hiring them to mark France's Bastille Day at an event in Blenheim in July 2019. Bandoli said the band, Los Galanes, was paid a $1100 deposit for the $2245 gig, but he claims they never saw the rest of it. Bandoli said band leader and founder, Jose Luis Perez, paid individual band members from his own pocket. Los Galanes, which at times has been a 10-piece band, was then a seven-piece. 'He was such a responsible and nice person that he paid all the members of the band, regardless,' Bandoli said. He wanted to speak out, in honour of Perez, who died suddenly in March last year, while travelling in Europe with his partner and band administrator Rebecca Knox. Knox said Perez always paid his musicians a set fee, but the 'biggie' for them was Veronica Crevecoeur. 'At first, she was really lovely to deal with,' she said. The band covered its own costs travelling from Nelson to Blenheim, the event went well and the Crevecoeurs seemed pleased. An invoice was sent, but she claims there was no reply. Another statement was sent, they tried contacting the Crevecoeurs by phone, but still nothing, Knox said. They hired a debt collector to recover the money, but when he went to serve them the notice in Blenheim, the premises were empty. Knox said Perez had pleaded with Veronica to pay the remainder of the fee. 'Jose would leave messages saying, 'Veronica, this is really urgent, for the survival of the band'.' When she noticed the shop, Le Posh pop up in Nelson, it was 'a massive red flag'. Knox was then floored when she saw the second Le Posh open up near Nelson's Tāhunanui Beach. The Crevecoeurs moved to Nelson from Marlborough around 2021. The opening of the second store was the beginning of the end of their New Zealand chapter. Le Posh: Unpaid rent The property investment firm, Tawero Holdings (No 2) Ltd, from whom the Crevecoeurs leased the second premises in November 2022, lodged court action when they abandoned the lease, owing $13,175 in rent and outgoings. A spokesperson for Tawero claimed the couple were masters of deceit. He said that taking legal action was a decision not made lightly but 'a lot of deception' had been at play. 'We are not novices at this, and we were taken in.' Tawero Holdings sought, and was granted, a summary judgment of $22,547 against the Crevecoeurs, plus several thousand more in costs associated with re-letting the premises, plus damages. A final dinner before they were gone Steve decided to share his story, after reading about what else they had done. He and his wife had shared a few dinners with the Crevecoeurs, at each others' homes, or at a nearby Thai restaurant. Their last dinner together was earlier this year, when the Crevecoeurs brought French food to share, and some drink. He believed they had Australian citizenship, and planned to spend six months there and six months in France where they owned a small house, near Dieppe, where Didier was from. 'They want to split their time in France between there and Paris, because Veronica really loves Paris,' Steve said. NZME has been unable to locate the Crevecoeurs for comment.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Tauranga City Council cocktail party: Ombudsman recommends invite list be publicly released
Communications staff were told to tell NZME 'Marty said he won't be releasing the list of invitees, that they can go to the Ombudsman'. NZME referred the matter to the Ombudsman last July. Chief Ombudsman John Allen's June 17 decision recommended the council 'reconsider' NZME's request 'and make a new decision'. While it may have been a privately sponsored event, it was organised and hosted by the council, he said. The invite-only event was held on May 10, 2024, at the Cargo Shed in Tauranga. Photo / Alex Cairns Allen, who began his term as Chief Ombudsman in March, noted the council's assessment of the use of staff time 'as minimal and non-disruptive'. However, 'public money and resources, through the contribution of Council staff's work hours, were still used in organising the event'. Allen said the Privacy Commissioner considered the privacy interest of invitees and attendees to be 'low' and there did not appear to be 'any inherent or immediate risk' that public knowledge of this could create that would heighten the privacy interest. Allen considered the draft list of invitees, 'a fair number' of which held 'prominent public positions'. 'Given these factors, there appears to be a stronger public interest in releasing this information than the low privacy interest in withholding.' Allen noted the council was governed by four commissioners at the time. He acknowledged the council's comments that the celebration was 'partially to farewell the outgoing commissioners'. 'However, it remains that for the past three years, the people of Tauranga were effectively denied their elected representation in favour of appointed governance. 'The Ombudsman is likely to consider that this heightens the public interest in transparency, and also in accountability by way of council time spent on a non-essential celebration.' Section 7(2)(a) of the Act provides official information may be withheld if it was necessary to 'protect the privacy of natural persons'. He said the council 'improperly applied' this section to withhold the names of invitees, attendees, and sponsors from NZME. In an email on July 9, the council's democracy services team leader, Kath Norris, said the council had 'reconsidered' its decision and sent a list of 240 invitees and 10 sponsors. Norris said there was no attendance list or registration at the event, 'and therefore no definitive record of who attended, or whether other people came in place of someone on the list'. The guest list showed 40 council staff and their partners were invited. Other invitees included MPs, business leaders, construction and property development leaders, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council staff, and iwi leaders. The event's 10 sponsors were economic development agency Priority One, Tauranga Business Chamber and property development companies or groups Twenty Two, Willis Bond, LT McGuinness, Quayside, Watts & Hughes, Urban Task Force, Carrus, and Panorama Ltd. Carrus founder Sir Paul Adams revealed last year that the company was a sponsor and said the party was a chance to celebrate the 'long-overdue' revitalisation of the CBD and to thank the commissioners for kick-starting it. New council offices and a $306m civic precinct redevelopment were among projects the commission approved during its four-and-a-half years governing the city council. A newly elected council began its term in August. Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
Newsroom
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsroom
The Secret Diary of the .. Coldplay affair scandal
Winston Peters from NZ First I have sent a strongly worded letter joining 25 other world leaders to object to the Coldplay affair scandal. We, the undersigned, have called for an end to: The affair. It must cease immediately. Coldplay. They must lay down their instruments, and disband. Astronomer. It must go into receivership. Jumbotrons. The plug must be pulled. It is a public menace. We are confident of a result. Rawiri Waititi from Te Pāti Māori Astronomer CEO Andy Bryson, white. His co-worker Kristin Cabot, white. Coldplay, producers of the whitest music ever recorded. Read into that what you will but I will only add that Māori did not have affairs before white people came to Aotearoa. It was a society based on fidelity, loyalty, peace, harmony, freedom, liberty, equality, and filing audited financial statements. Scott Robertson from the All Blacks Andy and Kristin were just there to play footy with each other and they were in a good place. You could see they were feeling it. I mean once Chris Martin starts singing 'Yellow' then that's when the heat is on and desire is going to lean into the maul. But the Jumbotron incident was against the run of play. Things took a wicked bounce and that's just one of those unfortunate things with modern stadiums. Everyone is watching everyone else, and one thing we know about footy is that you can run but you can't hide. AI-generated content from NZME During a July 16, 2025 Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium (Boston), Astronomer executives Andy Bryson and Kristin Cabot were unexpectedly filmed on the venue's kiss cam, sparking viral attention as they appeared very close on camera (e.g., hugging, whispering). Chris Martin quipped: 'Either they're having an affair or they're very shy,' which became symbolic of the moment's viral nature. In other news dominating the NZME homepage which reflects New Zealand current events, wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan dies aged 71. Natalia Cleland from Wellington's Downtown Community Ministry A new report warns that the number of homeless people in New Zealand has increased at a rate faster than New Zealand's population growth. Christopher Luxon from David Seymour's government Look, what I will say to you is that I'm in no mood to answer any frickin' questions about homelessness or anything else that is part of some media-generated beat-up campaign to discredit the government and the real gains we are making in inflation, in education, in health, and in boot camps, above all in boot camps, you should see them for yourselves, frightened children from bad houses are learning to make their beds and get yelled at if they don't, I'd like to see what Chris frickin' Hipkins think is a better idea, he landed us all in this mess in the first place, but all anyone wants to talk about is the widespread perception that I am some sort of frickin' weakling led around by his nose and that I have manifestly failed to inspire confidence in my leadership, so look let's all just change the subject and talk about the Astronomer affair scandal and how they more or less got busted frickin'.
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- General
- NZ Herald
Whanganui pilot academy investigation: CAA lifts suspension of Part 141 certification
The academy's fleet has been grounded since May 23. Photo / NZME Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. The academy's fleet has been grounded since May 23. Photo / NZME Whanganui's international pilot academy can begin flight training again, with the suspension of its Part 141 certificate lifted by the Civil Aviation Authority. The NZ Commercial Pilot Academy's (NZICPA) fleet has been grounded since May 23 after anonymously reported safety concerns. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) suspended its Part 141 certificate in mid-June. NZICPA director Craig Compain said the reinstatement reflected significant effort and dedication to addressing the CAA's concerns. He said the CAA noted in a letter that the academy had provided assurances of safety and compliance, with its board and senior team enacting a recovery plan and implementing appropriate systems and procedures across the organisation. 'NZICPA will continue to work very closely with the CAA to ensure that all implemented changes provide ongoing assurance of safe and effective training practices.
