Beck Eleven, writing for thepress.co.nz, covers the rise in "minor offending" in New Zealand through the lens of a particularly unfortunate cheese crime™:

The case of the pilfered cheese may never be solved.

The weather forecast looked bright as mother-of-four Hayley Marsh opened the fridge in the communal kitchen in the Reefton Domain Camping Ground. She'd expected to find milk for her cup of tea and the kids' cereal, but the plastic bag containing the family's dairy products was missing.

"[the investigating policeman] was so earnest. He asked what kind of cheese. I told him it was a wedge of blue cheese, some processed cheese singles and some brie. Then I heard an audible groan. He said: 'Oh no, not the brie'. He sounded more devastated than me."

Read the full story here for a fascinating account of daily police work in Chirstchurch, and for the conclusion of the case of the kidnapped curds:

Marsh later found a little pile of plastic wrappers in a nearby skate park - wrappers from processed cheese singles - and the wedge of blue cheese that remained untouched.

"Yes," says Marsh. "They'd eaten the rubbery cheese and dumped the good stuff. Hurtful."