Attributable to Detective Sergeant Mark Leathem, Thames CIB:
Police have today made an arrest in relation to two aggravated robberies in the Waikato East area.
On Friday 28 February, Police were alerted to four people entering a commercial premises on Tararu Road at around 5:10am with their faces covered.
Three were armed with a machete, a metal pole and a crowbar.
The group assaulted an employee and targeted cash and cigarettes, before fleeing the area in a vehicle.
The employee received minor injuries and is being provided support.
On Monday 3 March, four people entered a premises on Kerepehi Town Road, where they have also had their faces covered and threatened an employee with weapons.
Thankfully, in this instance, the employee was not injured, however they are shaken by the incident. They are being provided support.
They targeted cigarettes, tobacco, and vapes, then fled the scene in a vehicle.
After making initial enquiries and conducting scene examinations, Waikato East CIB launched an investigation to identify and locate the persons responsible for the incidents.
Today, Police executed a series of search warrants in the Thames area, supported by the Waikato Armed Offenders Squad.
As a result, a 17-year-old was arrested and is due to appear in Hamilton Youth Court on Wednesday 5 March.
A 20-year-old man was also located and arrested on unrelated warrants to arrest.
Police continue to investigate the two aggravated robberies and are working hard to identify and hold those responsible to account.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell is avoiding accountability by refusing to answer key questions in the House as his Government faces criticism over their dangerous citizen’s arrest policy, firearm reform, and broken promises to recruit more police.
“Despite being responsible for policing, Mark Mitchell is missing in action. He has refused to answer questions on key issues affecting New Zealander’s safety,” Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said
“Instead of fronting up on the citizen’s arrest proposal, Mitchell left it to Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, despite strong opposition from the Police Association and Retail NZ.
“When asked about firearms law changes, Mitchell defers to Nicole McKee, a former gun lobbyist.
“On police recruitment, Mitchell promised 500 new officers in two years, but since his statement, police numbers have dropped. The Government now needs to recruit 572 officers in just nine months to meet its target—an impossible task if done properly. Instead of answering for his continued failures, he hides behind his deputy, Casey Costello, to respond.
“Meanwhile, under Mark Mitchell’s watch, methamphetamine use has surged to historic levels. New Zealanders deserve a Police Minister who will break the cycle of crime, not one who hides when the tough questions come,” Ginny Andersen said.
Game bird hunters can look forward to more hunting opportunities in the future, with the Government announcing three new commercial upland game preserves today. The new upland game preserve areas are:
Mangakahia (Whangārei) (359 ha) Lagoon Hill (southern Wairarapa) (653 ha) Grange Hill (South Canterbury) (2481 ha)
Each preserve area is on private land, with landowners providing pheasants for release and determining when their property will be open for hunting. Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager says this announcement supports the Government’s commitment to make it easier for New Zealanders to hunt and fish. “We want to support the growth of New Zealand businesses, which includes boosting opportunities for hunting. Commercial hunting business also provide local economic and employment benefits,” says Mr Meager. “Game preserves currently constitute a $7 million per year industry, employ about 40 people full-time, and provide recreational enjoyment for many people. We want to encourage opportunities to build on that. “This a simple but effective step towards our ambitious growth agenda for New Zealand, and I am looking forward to bagging a pheasant or two when the new preserves open.” Notes to editor: Game preserves are areas on private farmland where captive-bred pheasants are released and then hunted recreationally by paying clients. Under the Wildlife Act 1953, the Government needs to give permission for commercial upland game bird preserves to operate. New Zealand has 22 commercial game preserves, including the three announced today. Upland game birds are birds other than waterfowl. Under current regulations, upland gamebird hunting is restricted to pheasants and red-legged partridges.
Government announcements positive, says University of Auckland dean
The government’s announcement today to fund more locally trained doctors and more places for graduate doctors in general practice is welcomed by the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences dean Professor Warwick Bagg.
Health Minister Hon Simeon Brown today announced an increase of 25 training places for doctors in the two existing medical schools and training opportunities in primary health for up to 50 New Zealand-trained graduate doctors. Yesterday, the Minister announced 100 clinical places for overseas-trained doctors to work in primary care
Professor Bagg says the announcements recognise the urgent workforce needs of the health system.
“Every New Zealander knows our health system is under strain, and we need a range of solutions to meet those needs. The announcements are excellent news. The University of Auckland looks forward to offering more places for students to study medicine.”
The additional 25 places will raise the cap on second-year medical school enrolments at the universities of Auckland and Otago to 639 in 2026. The University has previously advised the government that the two universities can educate a further 120 doctors.
As the weather gets colder but not too cold, it’s the perfect time to get in some outdoor hiking and running adventures across the Auckland region. Check out these epic Auckland tracks and immerse yourself in nature while getting a vigorous work out – take in the scenic views, fresh air and enjoy the wonders of Tāmaki Makaurau.
Coast to Coast Walk –Waitematā to the Manukau Harbour
TheCoast to Coast walkis a 16km hike across Auckland from Waitematā to the Manukau Harbour, ending in Onehunga. This scenic track takes you through landscapes shaped by the Auckland volcanic field and 600 years of Māori heritage, offering panoramic views along the way.
The trail can be split into three easy parts, or those keen on a challenge can tackle all three in one day:
Enjoy the views of nature with this scenic path from Cornwall Park to Manukau Harbour.
Bird lovers be prepared to encounter native birds along the way, from iridescent blue kingfishers (kotare), fantail (pīwakawaka), tūi and the wood pigeon (kererū). Other bird species that might be hanging about are the sparrow, blackbird, thrush, and rock pigeon.
Watercare’s Coastal Walkway - South Auckland
Another path that takes in the sights along the foreshore of the Manukau Harbour is the Māngere Foreshore Path – a 14km walkway that starts at Ambury Regional Park and takes you alongside the coast, where you’ll encounter several examples of volcanic activity, including remnants of lava flows running into the harbour and the Māngere Lagoon explosion crater.
A quarter of the national wading bird population can be found in the Manukau Harbour at any given time; keep an eye out for eastern bar-tailed godwit, pied oyster catcher, banded dotterel and a range of other birds you may spot along the way. Not to mention the many farm animals you’ll encounter as you make your way past Ambury Regional Park during your hike – perfect for an outing with whānau.
Don’t miss out on the chance to see the lambs at Ambury Regional Park.
Arataki Visitor Centre & Loop Track – Waitakere Ranges
This is a family friendly, scenic 6km loop walk that combines three trails, the Beveridge Track, Pipeline Road and Slip Track. Don’t forget to check out the magnificent Arataki Visitor Centre, otherwise known as the gateway to the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park, before or after your walk and make the most of the exhibitions and nature activities on offer, as well as a wonderful gift shop selling locally made goods.
Walk or run through lush native bush, with stunning views along the way; spot native wildlife like tūi, kererū and pīwakawaka. Whether you’re after a breath of fresh air and a leisurely walk or a fitness challenge, the Arataki Loop Track is a fantastic way to explore the Waitākere Ranges.
Come visit Arataki Visitor Centre in the heart of the Waitākere Ranges.
Te Ara Hura - Waiheke Island
For a unique way to actively explore Waiheke Island, check out Te Ara Hura. This track network spans 100km and gives adventurers access to Waiheke’s stunning coastlines, native bush and historic sites.
The great thing about Te Ara Hura is that you can customise your experience, depending on what you’re after. Choose between a day trip or a multi-day adventure -there’s a great range of tracks from short and easy through to the more challenging. You can also build your workout around overnight stays, tastings or great meals at vineyards and cafes. Simply follow the Te Ara Hura marker posts to stay on the trail and enjoy!
Te Ara Hura includes some of the best views on Waiheke Island, including Island Bay.
Protect our kauri
Kauri dieback in Auckland is a serious problem and it’s important we all play our part to prevent the spread of the disease.
If you enter or leave a forest/area with native trees anywhere across the region, here are three easy steps you need to remember:
For more information about Kauri Dieback, visit Kauri Protection for more information.
Waikato Police have confirmed the reported sightings of a man matching the description of missing man Travis Langford on Sunday were not him.
Police received a number of reported sightings on Sunday, including State Highway 30, approximately 20-25km south of Te Kuiti.
Police would like to thank the members of the public who contacted us following these reported sightings and encourage anyone who sees a person matching the description of Travis to report that to Police.
It is also possible that Travis has travelled outside of the Waikato region since the time he was reported missing in January.
If you have any information that could assist Police, please get in touch by calling 105 or online here.
Please quote reference number 250119/4439.
ENDS
Statement from Angela Grocott, mother of Travis
Please make contact with me Travis, just a quick text message or phone call that you are safe and are okay. You are so missed by your brothers, Dad and I, Zeus and our entire whānau.
Our hearts are heavy. We don’t have the words to express how much you are loved and how much you complete our lives.
Please come home son. We love you.
Note for media:
The family are requesting privacy at this time and do not wish to speak to media and request that anyone with information about the whereabouts of Travis contact police.
OPPO is one of the first smartphone brands to implement Private Computing Cloud and has further integrated applications with Google Gemini so users can soon take action across OPPO apps in Gemini.
During MWC2025, OPPO unveiled new AI features, including AI Call Translator and AI VoiceScribe, and has committed to releasing new AI updates roughly every month.
OPPO plans to bring generative AI features to around 100 million users by the end of 2025, doubling its 2024 target of 50 million.
BARCELONA, SPAIN – Media OutReach Newswire – 4 March 2025 – OPPO today announced its enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) strategy, positioning itself as a leader in AI experiences by delivering comprehensive, secure, and continuously evolving AI solutions at OPPO AI Tech Summit during MWC2025.
Billy Zhang, President of Overseas Marketing, Sales and Services at OPPO
“When it comes to AI, the user experience is ultimately all that matters,” said Billy Zhang, President of Overseas Marketing, Sales and Services at OPPO. “Smartphones are not just a vehicle for AI – they are the engines that power the best possible AI experiences. As a global leader in smartphones, OPPO is driving in-house innovation and open collaboration with industry partners to bring our users these unparalleled AI experiences.”
Collaboration with Google to deliver new advances in system-level and secure AI
Matt Waldbusser, Managing Director for Global Solution and Consumer AI, Google Cloud
As applications of AI continue to evolve, OPPO is advancing its AI experience from functional-level to system-level AI. This in turn is placing new demands on the extent of AI integration and security required on devices. OPPO is further integrating Google AI experiences across its smartphones, and Google Gemini can soon take action across native OPPO apps, such as Notes, Calendar, and Clock. These new capabilities will work alongside existing support for Gemini 1.5 Pro and Gemini 1.5 Flash on OPPO AI Phones to unlock unprecedented levels of performance and responsiveness. The two companies are working closely to bring the latest Gemini 2.0 to OPPO Phones soon.
To protect user security and privacy when accessing these deeply embedded AI features, OPPO is also implementing Private Computing Cloud (PCC) built with Confidential Computing from Google Cloud. Starting from AI Recording Summary, AI features including AI Search, AI Studio, AI Call Summary will be integrated with OPPO Private Computing Cloud this year.
“We are excited to collaborate with OPPO to shape the future of mobile AI by bringing together Google technologies with OPPO’s exceptional hardware and software,” said Matt Waldbusser, Managing Director for Global Solution and Consumer AI, Google Cloud. “Through our extensive partnership spanning apps, AI models and cloud solutions, we are unlocking immense potential to redefine the mobile AI experience.”
Extensive AI R&D delivers non-stop innovation in AI features
Darren Chen, Director of AI Technology Strategic Planning, OPPO
Under its latest AI development strategy, OPPO is focusing on the three core areas of AI Productivity, AI Creativity, and AI Imaging to deliver meaningful features that will make AI an essential part of users’ everyday lives.
Underlying these three pillars is a comprehensive AI R&D strategy that covers the entire AI ecosystem – from chips and devices to the cloud. OPPO is working closely with MediaTek to optimize chips for high-efficiency, real-time AI processing that enables powerful performance without compromising energy efficiency. Will Chen, Deputy General Manager of the Wireless Business Group at MediaTek said, “The partnership between MediaTek and OPPO is set to unlock new opportunities in AI. From AI-enhanced photography to next-generation gaming experiences, from intelligent security solutions to seamless device connectivity, the possibilities are limitless.”
Will Chen, Deputy General Manager of the Wireless Business Group at MediaTek
On the device side, AI technologies like LoRA (Low-Rank Adaptation), Parallel Decoding Solution, and MoE (Mixture of Experts) are significantly boosting the performance of AI capabilities on OPPO devices. On the cloud, OPPO has built a comprehensive data security protection system that works across devices and the cloud.
Reaching more users with more features faster than ever
OPPO will offer monthly updates on average in AI features and experience
As AI technology and applications continue to develop, OPPO is evolving its own approach to redefine how AI enhances everyday experiences. After surpassing its goal of reaching 50 million users last year, OPPO now aims to double that, expecting nearly 100 million users by the end of 2025.
To meet users’ growing demand, OPPO will deliver an average of one new AI update per month. New AI innovations like AI Search and integration of OPPO applications with Google Gemini are coming to the OPPO Find N5 soon.
AI Call Translator, which interprets calls in multiple languages in real-time, and AI VoiceScribe, offering multi-use voice summarization across voice calls, online learning, and meetings, are coming to OPPO devices via a future update.
UCL Legendary football player David Villa joining OPPO AI Tech Summit
Spanish football legend David Villa also graced the event and experienced OPPO AI first-hand. With OPPO AI, Villa aims to explore new possibilities for enhancing his daily life and professional endeavors through cutting-edge, continuously evolving AI features.
OPPO AI Phones and AI Features showcased across MWC2025
Besides OPPO AI Tech Summit, OPPO AI features and AI phones, including the Find N5, Reno13 series, Find X8 series are widely showcased by leading partners such as Google, MediaTek, and Qualcomm at MWC2025.
From deep technical research to continuous enhancements in user experience and in collaboration with the strongest partners, OPPO is dedicated to leading innovations in AI experience.
Hashtag: #OPPO
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
New capabilities supercharge proactive risk management, threat modeling, attack path prediction, and actionable insights
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 4 March 2025 – Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), has launched a breakthrough AI Agent designed to change the way enterprises approach cyber risk. Today’s announcement introduces Trend Cybertron, the industry’s first specialized cybersecurity large language model (LLM) designed to drive proactive security outcomes. Using the most precise local risk assessments and deepest global threat intelligence in the industry, the new AI engine predicts and prevents threats across an organization’s entire attack surface in any environment.
Trend Cybertron combines the reasoning capabilities of Agentic AI with 35 years of data, threat intel, and human expertise to build a vastly capable cybersecurity agent. To learn more, visit:https://www.trendmicro.com/predictions/artificial-future-security-predictions-for-2025
Eva Chen, CEO: “Trend is building a cybersecurity AI agent unlike any other. We’re bringing together a massive quantity of the highest-quality data in the industry to supercharge our capabilities and make it easier than ever for customers to proactively manage their cyber risk. Our customers and partners are already seeing reduced costs and improved security posture.”
More than a standalone LLM, this new approach to AI for security will leverage all of the core technologies in Trend Vision One™—threat data, analytics, engines, and beyond—to provide a truly complete solution for organizations’ entire cybersecurity workload.
Organizations worldwide are grappling with increasingly complex security challenges. Understanding attack surfaces, managing siloed tech stacks, responding to threats, handling alert fatigue, and integrating AI are all leading to overwhelmed and fatigued security teams. Trend Cybertron connects real-time and historical data from around the globe to:
Accelerate security outcomes by anticipating needs and predicting risk
Reduce alert overload, increasing precision in prioritization and preventing fatigue
Unleash greater value and more powerful insights from existing risk sensors
Stuart MacLellan, CTO at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust: “This evolution of AI in the Trend platform is unique as it calculates our constantly changing risk profile and cross references millions of bits of data for custom threat intelligence. This has made it possible to be more proactive than reactive with our entire security strategy.”
Seamlessly integrated into the flagship Trend Vision One™ platform, Trend Cybertron is now available to customers worldwide. An industry-leading focus on proactive security enables IT teams to anticipate and predict risk and threat activity with exact precision across the entire attack surface. This makes it possible for teams to get ahead of breaches and mitigate risk before it has the chance to materialize.
Frank Dickson, Group Vice President, Security & Trust at IDC: “Let’s face it. Cybersecurity has been detection centric for some time. Prevention was simply uncool. Trend is looking to change the market narrative; there is no need to detect an attack if it never happens. Leveraging AI in combination with its cyber risk exposure management, Trend enables organizations to see threats from an attacker’s point of view and thwart them before risk becomes reality, creating a massive ROI for overworked security teams. Trend promises to make proactive prevention cool again in 2025.”
Trend Cybertron will be trained on an unmatched foundation of intelligence and AI expertise, including:
Trend’s threat intelligence from over 250 million sensors that protect over 82 million assets at 500,000+ enterprises in 175+ countries—the broadest in the industry, blocking over 160 billion threats in 2023
Machine learning that enables data classification, vulnerability discovery, and detection of deepfakes, phishing techniques, malware, lateral movement, user anomalies, and scams
Decades of institutional knowledge from over 3,000 security experts, with over 700 patents in cybersecurity technology
20+ years of advanced vulnerability and zero-day research from the Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative™ that enables protection of customers an average of 70 days ahead of the industry
The result is a highly resilient, rapidly evolving system that can independently perform risk management tasks and make decisions to anticipate, understand, and mitigate billions of cyber threats worldwide every month. This empowers customers to make informed security decisions and manage their cybersecurity posture, data privacy, and compliance.
Rachel Jin, Chief Enterprise Platform Officer at Trend: “Trend Cybertron represents a paradigm shift in cybersecurity—combining advanced AI with decades of human intelligence to deliver truly proactive security. By leveraging real-time and historical global intelligence along with comprehensive visibility across every attack surface, we empower enterprises to predict and prevent threats, reduce risk, and create a more resilient future.”
Trend Cybertron redefines industry standards in key areas:
AI for Security: Trend breaks down longstanding security silos via complete connection of all available information to build a comprehensive understanding of security, intelligence, and data. With the ability to securely access data from all layers, security teams can make informed decisions with a depth of understanding that exceeds any previous cybersecurity platform. Data breach risk was reduced by 17% on average, saving millions of dollars per year in potential risk.
Security for AI: The rapid expansion of AI has also raised concerns for data security. A growing number of enterprises and governments worldwide are training proprietary LLMs to reduce the associated risks. Trend has made it safer and easier than ever for organizations at all levels to protect training data, prevent misalignment, and stop cyberattacks against their AI models.
Actionable Insights: With complete telemetry across endpoint, cloud, network, email, identity, AI, and data, Trend makes real-time predictions and addresses the impact and likelihood of thousands of potential attack paths for each customer. The platform also learns and adapts to a customer’s unique environment to find and address new vulnerabilities and attack vectors. Comprehensive visibility and automatic prioritization equip organizations with fast and effective mitigation 24/7.
Simplifying Workflows: The new AI model is designed to enhance Trend’s flagship platform, ensuring organizations at any stage of their cybersecurity journey can seamlessly integrate this technology with their existing security stack. Security teams benefit from reduced workloads and improved accessibility at all levels of expertise.
Empowering Leadership: Going beyond other cybersecurity platforms, Trend Vision One™ empowers security leaders to change roles from reactive defender to proactive business enabler. By transforming security from a cost center into a driver of innovation, Trend enables leaders to effectively communicate cyber risk in the context of business risk—ensuring both operational protection and future growth. Trend research has shown this is a critical issue for many organizations worldwide.
AI is only as powerful as the data it’s trained on and the experts who build it. Trend’s experienced global team of security and AI specialists collaborated in Ottawa, Canada to refine every stage of development, ensuring that the new AI agent is fine-tuned to deliver the most effective proactive security.
Industry analysts have recognized Trend as a Leader across critical security categories including endpoint protection, attack surface management, cloud native application protection platforms, network analysis and visibility, network detection and response, and more. Trend is also a pioneer in AI deployments within cybersecurity, with AI-driven annual recurring revenue exceeding $200 million at the end of Q3 2024.
