Author: Press Room

It’s 9.30 on a Friday morning at Costco and already the line is spilling out the door. Most of those in the queue are here for another delivery of Costco’s butter, which has risen to fame due to its price, at $9.99 a kilo.It’s become so popular that on Thursday Costco put a limit on it – a maximum of 30 each of the salted and unsalted Kirkland’s butter, which comes pre-packed into slabs of 10 individual kilos.Waiting at the door is Aucklander Lisa Blake, who owns a dessert business. She said the cheaper butter helps keep her costs down.”I’ve…

Cardrona Distillery’s single malt whisky, The Falcon, has won a double gold medal, with a score of 95 points, at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It is the only New Zealand whisky to achieve double gold so far this year. The competition is the oldest and largest of its kind and is renowned for setting the industry standard of excellence. A double gold medal is awarded only to spirits that receive unanimous gold ratings from all judges in a blind tasting, placing The Falcon among the world’s top single-malt whiskies. According to Cardrona Distillery, The Falcon has notes…

Ruapehu District Council Mayor Weston Kirton is welcoming the removal of the last of the Auckland Transport commuter train carriages from the Taumarunui rail yards — calling it a turning point that clears the way for new economic development opportunities. More than 50 carriages were relocated to Taumarunui in 2016 by Auckland Transport while awaiting sale or repurposing. Over time, the rail cars were left to deteriorate, leaving an eyesore that frustrated locals and limited potential usage of the rail yard area. Once vibrant and bustling, the local rail yards now stand silent, overrun by deteriorating wagons, a stark contrast…

ADVERTISEMENTA new YouGov survey has found that between 41% and 55% of respondents in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain think another world war is likely to occur within the next five to 10 years. The vast majority expect that such a conflict would involve the use of nuclear weapons. The research interviewed 7,095 people in the five European countries in the first two weeks of April.If another world war did break out, the respondents expect that their nation would be involved, ranging from 66% in Italy to 89% in Great Britain. Yet there is also a clear sense that…

Auckland War Memorial Museum says it is likely to stay closed for at least another week.It has been almost two weeks since asbestos was discovered at the museum, forcing it closed.A spokesperson for Fire and Emergency said it received the museum’s revised fire evacuation scheme on Wednesday and had approved it on Thursday morning.But the museum’s chief executive, David Reeves, said that was just one of the two issues that needed resolving before it could reopen.”The other one is the full cleaning and approval by WorkSafe for as much of the building as we can in order to open safely,”…

A man has been charged with the murder of a man found dead in Parakao, Northland, earlier this month.Geoffrey Wayne Ware was found by ambulance staff on his rural property off Mangakahia Rd, on State Highway 15, just before 4pm on May 9.A homicide investigation was launched into the 55-year-old’s death on May 12. A 26-year-old Northland man has now been charged with his murder. Detective Senior Sergeant Michelle Harris, of Whangārei CIB, says police are not seeking anyone else in connection with his death.Police are continuing to appeal for information and sightings of a man and a vehicle of…

ADVERTISEMENTIrish family members of Ryan Cornelius, a British businessman jailed for fraud in the United Arab Emirates, whose imprisonment has been labelled unfair by the United Nations, have sought to enlist the help of MEPs and EU officials in an effort to have him released.Heather Cornelius and Chris Pagett, respectively Ryan’s wife and brother-in-law, visited the European Parliament in Brussels to ask MEPs to help put pressure on the UAE to release him. Since Heather has Irish roots and holds an Irish passport, they feel the EU is their only avenue left to help secure Cornelius’ release.Who is Ryan Cornelius?Cornelius…

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has revealed her second Budget at Parliament today, outlining how much the coalition Government will spend and where it will go. Here are some of the main things to emerge.KiwiSaver: Raising default rate of employee and matching employer contributions to 4%KiwiSaver: Extending government contribution and employer matching to 16 and 17-year-oldsKiwiSaver: Halving government contributions to a maximum $260.72 a yearKiwiSaver: Those with income over $180,000 will no longer receive government contributionTwelve-month prescriptions for medicines if clinically appropriate and safe to do so – $91 million over four years.Investment Boost tax incentive – businesses can deduct 20%…

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has unveiled her second Budget, revealing major changes to New Zealand’s KiwiSaver system and outlining how much she’s reprioritised from an overhaul of the pay equity system. Within a tight $1.3 billion operating allowance, Willis has found $5.3 billion in savings and revenue-raising initiatives. That’s used to fund $6.7 billion in new spending annually.Some of that new spending is going towards the “centrepiece” of the Budget, a new tax break for businesses, dubbed “Investment Boost” by Willis.“This is a responsible Budget to secure New Zealand’s future,” Willis said. (Source: Other)Kiwis will also be able to receive…

ADVERTISEMENTEarlier this year, after nine years at the head of Croatian intelligence, Daniel Markić was appointed director of the European Union Intelligence and Situation Centre (EU INTCEN), the closest thing the 27-member bloc has to a European intelligence service.Reporting to the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, INTCEN monitors what happens inside and outside the EU and provides analyses and alerts to institutions, decision-makers, and member states regarding security, defence, and counterterrorism.While in Lisbon to take part in a conference celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Strategic Intelligence and Defence Service (SIED), Markić gave an exclusive interview to Nascer do…