Author: Press Room

Dunedin Venues has defended its decision to award a contract to a Christchurch company after being accused of aiding the city’s “direct competitor”. Dunedin marketing agency Firebrand hit out at the organisation after losing out on a tender to manage the rebuild and design of its website. It was awarded to Dunedin-based Walsh & Beck, in a joint venture with Christchurch-based Voyage Studios. Firebrand managing director Georgina Guthrie-Murray said she took issue with work being taken out of Dunedin. “These organisations are owned by Dunedin ratepayers, yet they have elected to shift the work and investment out of our city…

The Government is loosening rules for home-based cake makers – promising to make it cheaper and easier for hobby bakers to sell their goods.Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard and Regulation Minister David Seymour on Thursday announced changes designed to reduce compliance costs and paperwork for “low-risk” businesses.From November, home-based cake makers will no longer face ongoing verification and will have simpler registration requirements.”There is no reason low-risk cake makers should have to navigate the same level of red tape and compliance costs as a large commercial bakery, but currently they do,” Hoggard said.”These changes fix what matters for bakers. They…

With flames licking up above their knees, two police officers struggled to restrain an offender and save all of them from a blazing garage.The dramatic events of July, 2024 have been recounted today as the two officers were recognised for their bravery.”I don’t know if we’ll get out of this one,” Sergeant Richard Bracey said he thought as he and Constable Friederike Faber tussled in the locked, petrol-soaked garage – and an offender holding a lighter. They were soon in waist-high flames, desperately trying to find a way to get out. Faber had responded to a routine family harm incident…

A 0% rate rise sounds attractive, until you consider what needs to be cut from the council budget, a Canterbury council boss has warned.Introducing library book charges, hiking swimming pool fees and selling off community halls could be among the trade-offs to keep rate bills the same.Candidates across the country promised a 0% rate rise, including some running for the Waimakariri District Council.This was despite the fact Waimakariri had one of the lowest rate rises this year at 4.98%.Council chief executive Jeff Millward said a 0% rate rise is possible, but it would come at a cost.The council would need…

ADVERTISEMENT The European Commission on Thursday said that its newly-unveiled defence roadmap paves the way for the bloc to reclaim its security independence – at least materially. The 16-page paper builds on months of discussions between the Commission and member states on how to ensure the bloc is ready to defend itself before the turn of the decade when some intelligence agencies have warned Russia could attack another country. The roadmap’s only novelty is that it puts clear timelines and objectives on targets identified in previous documents including the capability priority areas and the four pan-European flagship projects the Commission…

We spend a third of our lives at work, so it’s no surprise that when things aren’t going well we are miserable.And work is even more highly charged now thanks to a flat job market and reports that 5.2% of people are unemployed.HR expert Lisa Oakley says that while conflict in the workplace can drive innovation, it can also turn toxic. She joined RNZ’s Afternoons to answer questions about those gnarly workplace disputes.HR expert Lisa Oakley. (Source: Supplied)Someone at work pushes my buttons all the time. Even when I swear to myself, I won’t react and I manage for a…

Five people have been arrested in relation to alleged drug dealing in Ōpōtiki – with police claiming children were involved in the offending.Police carried out four search warrants on September 15 at addresses believed to be involved in the sale or supply of controlled drugs where drugs and evidence of drug dealing were seized.At one address, children and young people were present and implicated in the supply of cannabis, which was of “serious concern”.Among the arrests was a 47-year-old woman who was on bail for selling controlled drugs. She was arrested again for the possession of cannabis and methamphetamine, and…

Contamination of a private drinking water supply at a North Canterbury campground has left six people in hospital and at least 10 others ill, the national water authority says.Taumata Arowai said it was alerted by the National Public Health Service of Health NZ to cases of gastrointestinal illness among people, including school groups, who visited the Hanmer Springs Forest Camp in September.Taumata Arowai head of operations Steve Taylor said there were 10 confirmed and 37 probable cases associated with the outbreak, and six people had been in hospital.The illness was caused by a shiga toxin-producing E. coli which, could be…

HelloFresh New Zealand has been fined $845,000 for misleading consumers after admitting it reactivated cancelled subscriptions through cold-call voucher offers that weren’t clearly explained.The campaign to reactivate lapsed memberships took place during an 18-month period between February 2022 and July 2023, when former HelloFresh customers were phoned and offered discount vouchers to return.In many cases, the calls didn’t make it clear the offer would automatically restart their subscription and payments.In the Auckland District Court today, Judge Catherine Maxwell sentenced the company an aggregate fine of $845,000 – apportioned $169,000 equally across five charges.The Commerce Commission prosecuted the company on five…

ANZ has dropped its home loan interest rates today, just over one week after the Reserve Bank made an “aggressive” 0.5% cut to the official cash rate.Before and following the OCR announcement, banks have made moves to ensure their interest rates remain competitive.Today, ANZ announced changes to some standard and special fixed home loan rates.The standard six-month (5.39%), 18-month (5.09%) and two-year (5.09%) rates were all decreased. The standard three-year, four-year, and five-year rates were also lowered to 5.49%.The standard one-year rate was unchanged at 5.09%.For special rates, the six-month (4.79%), 18-month (4.49%), two-year (4.49%), and three-year (4.79%) rates were…