Rachel Lamberth blamed an out-of-control gambling addiction for the offending.

Police will be at the East Auckland ride to ensure safety for all.

Nine complaints about seagulls were logged with Whangārei District Council.

Former Olympic swimming champion Neil Brooks and his wife Linda were "ecstatic" at learning their long-running fraud charges were about to be formally abandoned in a Brisbane court.

The pair had been accused of making dishonest representations to induce investor Glenn Melcheck and his wife to pay $1.95 million for a 50 per cent stake in their sports merchandise company in 2008.

After being introduced in late 2007 by a third party, the Brooks and the Melchecks held a series of meetings before signing an agreement in January 2008.

BREAKING: Rabbitohs star medically retires after shock diagnosis

Days later, the Melchecks paid a $50,000 deposit only for the now-defunct company to collapse within months.

In Brisbane District Court today, prosecutors told Judge Anthony Rafter they would not proceed with the case, effectively ending the prosecution.

The Brooks' lawyer, Daniel Hannay, said they were finally vindicated after almost a decade.

"We had a FaceTime discussion last night – where I gave them the good news, they were both overseas," he said in a statement.

"There were lots of tears – but not many words. They are both ecstatic that the matter is finally over, and they can move on with their lives."

READ MORE: Firebrand MP Mark Latham avoids airing dirty laundry in court as ex's abuse claim dropped

The Brooks were charged in 2017, and during the proceedings, the court heard about alleged relationships with major European football clubs, including Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Prosecutors alleged the couple, as directors of the company, made misleading claims about the business's success and prospects to induce the investment.

Brooks won gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and was part of Australia's famed "Mean Machine" relay team before going on to work as a television presenter.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

Australia is one of nearly 100 countries set to be impacted by new visa rules when travelling to Thailand after the Asian nation said it would remove a key visa exemption.

Thailand's government announced it would be removing a policy that allowed tourists from 93 different countries to travel throughout Thailand for up to 60 days without needing to apply for a visa.

The policy was first implemented in 2024, designed to help a recovery in the tourism industry after the COVID-19 pandemic.

LIVE UPDATES: Trump's bizarre choice to govern Iran

However, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said his cabinet had reviewed the rule and decided it was in the country's interest to make a change.

"The Cabinet has decided to cancel the 60-day visa-free policy for over 90 countries, and is now awaiting the new policy criteria for each country," he said in a statement.

"The government recently found that the policy needs to be revised to be more suitable for the current situation, both in terms of the economy and national security."

It is understood that the visa-free period of travel for Australian tourists will now be reduced to 30 days, which is what it used to be before the 60-day exemption was introduced.

The changes have not yet taken effect and the timeline of when they will be introduced is unclear.

According to Australian government data, around 750-800,000 Aussies visit Thailand each year.

It is one of the most popular tourist destinations with Aussies, with people flocking to cultural centres in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, or to beach resorts in Phuket.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has not updated its travel advice for Thailand yet.

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play

• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here

• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here

An early US and Israeli war goal was to install a former president of Iran famous for hating them.

Australia is frittering away $1 billion every year by building unnecessary carparks that homeowners and renters don't actually want or need, according to a new report.

Local and state law mandates off-street parking for newly-built apartments and townhouses in most Australian capital cities – and it comes at an eye-watering cost.

Researchers from the Grattan Institute have called for an urgent law change to abolish these minimum-parking requirements, which could save $5.2 billion in construction costs by 2031.

NATIONAL: Australian watchdog takes action against viral AI 'nudify' site

READ MORE: One dead, four wounded in shooting at Sydney home

The report, aptly titled "Wasted Space", claims developers could afford to build around 9000 extra homes over five years with this saving.

Meeting the current standards is forcing homebuyers to pay tens of thousands more in an already severe housing crisis.

It can blow out the construction budget for a new two-bedroom apartment by an average of $70,000 in Sydney, by $137,000 in Perth, $113,000 in Brisbane, $62,000 in Melbourne and $95,000 in Adelaide, according to the report.

For three-bedroom units, this cost exceeds $100,000 in most capital cities.

Grattan researchers found that a large chunk of people living in apartments don't need parking.

CRIME: Phone boast got Australia's youngest murderer re-arrested

Around 40 per cent of those living in studio or one-bedroom apartments don't own a car, while 19 per cent of households in two-bedroom apartments don't have a vehicle.

In Sydney and Melbourne, there are more car spaces in apartment buildings than cars.

As much as 40 per cent of these spaces sit vacant each night, the report found.

The experts at Grattan say reducing or scrapping the legal requirements would lower the price of new homes and drive down rent.

They suggested that developers "unbundle" car spaces so that renters or buyers can opt out of using them.

The report also recommended that state and local governments better manage on-street parking, including more permit schemes, time limits and user charging in high-demand areas.

READ MORE: Urgent vaccine warning amid 'biggest outbreak in decades' of rare disease

Some councils have already abolished minimum car-parking requirements.

Brisbane City Council relaxed the rules for inner-city developments in March 2025 and several Sydney councils, such as the City of Sydney, City of Parramatta and the Inner West, have introduced maximum parking requirements.

And last year, the Victorian government axed minimum requirements for areas that are a short walk from public transport.

If every council and state government does the same, the report notes, Australian cities will have "livelier streets, more productive economies, and a higher quality of life".

NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.

• Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
• Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
• Sign up to our breaking newsletter here