Five Big Things That Happened Today: Thursday, June 27

June 27, 2024
Golriz Ghahraman during her interview with John Campbell.

Golriz Ghahraman sentenced for shoplifting charges, a coroner casts doubt on police story after a detained man’s death in custody, and a sad day for chocolate fish lovers.

1 John Campbell asks Golriz Ghahraman why she threw it all away

Golriz Ghahraman has been ordered to pay a total of $1600 on four counts of shoplifting and $260 in court costs.

Before her sentencing today, the former Green MP sat down with John Campbell for an exclusive, in-depth interview.

She said there was "no joy" in stealing expensive clothes, she claimed, "just shame".

“The self-sabotage was to get out," Golriz Ghahraman says.

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2 'I knew where they'd be': How whānau found Gisborne fishermen

The uncle of one of the deceased fishermen found near Māhia on Wednesday morning has told Breakfast how he knew where they would be.

The men failed to return to Gisborne from a fishing trip as planned on Monday afternoon, and two were sighted briefly in high seas by a freighter, before their bodies were recovered on Wednesday morning.

"Me and my nephews and my son-in-law, who was really close to Elwood, we had enough of sitting around on Tuesday night. At 11pm we decided to go to Māhia and search ourselves," Jack Higgins said.

"I knew where they would be."

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3 How much are our supermarket workers really getting paid?

A job at the local supermarket is a rite of passage for many New Zealanders entering the workforce. But does the pay stack up as a career?

Data from First Union, which represents some supermarket workers, shows that the pay on offer can vary a lot, depending on which supermarket you work for.

Bearing in mind the minimum wage is $23.15 per hour, what is on offer?

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4 Coroner casts 'considerable doubt' on police account of Alo Ngata's death

Since Alo Ngata’s death in 2018, police have maintained that he was violent and non-compliant while in custody.

But a coronial investigation released today reveals Ngata was “poorly monitored” and police did not recognise his “severely reduced consciousness”.

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5 Georgia cause major upset at Euro 2024 beating Portugal 2-0

Georgia pulled off one of the biggest upsets in European Championship history on Thursday NZT, beating Portugal 2-0 and advancing to the last 16.

The Georgians needed a win to reach the knockout stage at Euro 2024 and got their opening goal after only 93 seconds.

Georgia advanced in its debut at a major tournament as one of the best third-place teams. Portugal had already qualified from Group F after winning its first two games.

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ONE SAD DAY FOR CHOCOLATE FISH FANS

It's a sad day for fans of Cadbury’s chocolate fish as the company has confirmed the “iconic product” is on the way out.

According to the confectionary brand, production of the aquatic chocolate treat ended last year, and stock has been depleting from store shelves ever since.

“You might catch some rare species in some places, but they will be the last of the breed,” a spokesperson said.

It was not a case of “overfishing” they said, rather it was a decline in popularity among Kiwi consumers over the past few years.

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ONE RUSTY RELIC

A warning sign at the Westland Industrial Heritage Park reads 'Retired person on premise. Knows everything and has time to tell it.'

In reality, there are many retired persons at the park, all using their remarkable skills accumulated over a lifetime to keep the industrial history of the West Coast alive, with pistons pumping.

As Jim Staton explained to Seven Sharp, "Everything we get, we try and make it work again."

The former DOC historian is working to restore a steam engine that drove the Gilbert & Tomasi sawmill from 1912 to 1937.

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