Passport wait times blow out, facial recognition technology wrongly identifies woman as a thief, and a comedian's public booting of a mother and baby sparks backlash.
1. Rotorua mother wrongly identified by supermarket as a thief
Te Ani Solomon said she felt humiliated after a supermarket trialling facial recognition technology singled her out and wrongly identified her as a trespassed offender.
The Privacy Commission has previously raised concerns about bias within the technology, particularly with identifying women of colour as someone they are not.
Solomon said she had to explain to her son "what racism is" and had become paranoid about being labelled as a thief.
2. Why wait times for new passports have blown out this month
The Department of Internal Affairs has warned Kiwis to apply for new passports at least two months before they need them while a "major system upgrade" causes delays.
The government target for processing passports is 10 days, but the current wait-time guideline is more than a month longer than that.
3. Northland policewoman dedicated to community, youth
Police have farewelled off-duty constable Gail Shepherd at a Whangārei service today after she was hit by a car while walking dogs over the weekend.
Her uncle spoke of the family's pride in her strong work ethic and said that losing Shepherd was a "great loss for the community", as she was always there for young people.
4. Accused mushroom killer Erin Patterson asks for local hearing
Mushroom murder accused Erin Patterson told a court today that she would be happy to wait behind bars for more than a year if it means her case can be held near her regional Victorian home.
The 49-year-old, who is charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder, faced Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court for the first time in five months via video link from prison.
5. Air NZ unveils food and fare changes on short international flights
Air New Zealand today announced big changes on the way for short haul international flights between New Zealand and Australia or the Pacific Islands.
The new "Seats to Suit" offering will debut on June 11, replacing the existing model for all short haul customers to include tea, coffee, water and juice as well as inflight entertainment and a snack or meal.
ONE 'UNBELIEVABLY AWKWARD' MOVE
Comedian Arj Barker faced backlash online after reportedly asking a mother and her seven-month-old baby to leave his Melbourne International Comedy Festival show over the weekend.
The Flight of the Concords star claimed the child was "disrupting" his performance and "ruining his train of thought", when he stopped the show and said: 'Can you take this baby outside?'
ONE REVISED BILL
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced the Government will introduce revised Three Strikes legislation today, alongside Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
McKee said New Zealanders were "rightly concerned" about violent crime within their communities and the bill aimed to deter offenders with the threat of progressively punishing repeat offenders.
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