Author: Press Room

He described yesterday simply as Dog Tucker Day. After 17 years as a director of Silver Fern Farms, and more than 11 of those as chairman, Rob Hewett officially stepped down at 1pm from his governance roles with the company, which he estimated equated to 38% of his total life. “I’m so proud of this company. I’m going to miss it like hell,” he said. Reminiscing on his tenure, following the conclusion of Silver Fern Farms Co-operative’s annual meeting in Dunedin yesterday, Mr Hewett said he joined the board as a “very green” 38-year-old director. Since then, revenue had trebled,…

Published on 20/05/2025 – 18:39 GMT+2ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union agreed on Tuesday to lift all remaining economic sanctions on Syria, hoping the relief will ease access to financial funds and speed up the war-battered country’s recovery after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship in December.”We want to help the Syrian people rebuild a new, inclusive and peaceful Syria. The EU has always stood by Syrians throughout the last 14 years – and will keep doing so,” High Representative Kaja Kallas said at the end of a meeting of foreign affairs ministers.The bloc’s decision comes less than a week after Donald Trump,…

For a long time, New Zealand’s cheapest petrol was often found at Gull Ātiamuri. But now, fuel price monitoring site Gaspy says it is U-GO Waikaraka, Auckland, that has the cheapest gas – and Gull is not the outlier it once was.On Monday, U-GO was selling 91 petrol for $229.7, Gaspy said.While Gull was credited with shaking up competition in the fuel sector through the “Gull effect” when it opened stations around the country, Gaspy director Mike Newton said that impact had been more muted recently.”In the past four months, the gap between the national average price for 91 and…

The remains of a Russian stuntman who had been missing for nearly 23 years have been formally identified thanks to useful information sent in by the public, police say.Artour Melikov was 36 when he was reported missing on September 10, 2002. Police located his vehicle at the Jellicoe Reserve, 400 metres north of Bulli Point at Lake Taupō.There was no sign of Melikov and police established he had not been seen since leaving Auckland two days prior.Before vanishing, he had worked on the locally-produced series Xena: Warrior Princess.On January 9, 2025, police were called to a holiday park at Motutere,…

Napier City Council has confirmed it is reviewing its structure and is consulting with staff on a proposal to reshape its operation.While it wouldn’t confirm the number of staff involved, three separate sources have told Local Democracy Reporting the proposal impacts more than 100 jobs.While restructures were not uncommon in local government, a source told Local Democracy Reporting the scale of this one was significant, and many staff, some with decades of service, had been told their positions may no longer exist.“What’s more concerning is that staff were reportedly warned not to speak to the media, raising questions about transparency…

Published on 20/05/2025 – 14:58 GMT+2•Updated 15:08ADVERTISEMENTEuropean Union’s budget Commissioner sought to reassure farmers protesting outside the institution’s headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday for the first time in almost a year.Farmers oppose a Commission plan to consolidate different EU funding streams, such as the bloc’s farming, regional subsidy and research funds, into a single budgetary pot.While the idea has not yet been formally proposed, they fear the dismantling of the common agriculture policy (CAP), particularly of its support for rural development.During an exchange on the sidelines of the protest witnessed by Euronews, budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin met with farmers’ representatives. Farmers…

A gang member was arrested in Northland overnight after a camera operator saw him allegedly pulling a gun from his pants.Police said a CCTV operator based in Kaitāia saw a man take what appeared to be a gun from his trousers in Paihia just after 2am on Tuesday morning.”He was observed holding it on camera for a few seconds before adjusting it and placing it back into his pants,” said Senior Sergeant Mark Barratt.Officers were sent to the location, and he was found a short distance away.The firearm he allegedly possessed was not found, but they did find equipment for…

A nearly 10m-tall dinosaur sculpture sitting atop a large geometric rock is the latest attraction in Taupō, but not without controversy.The Taupō District Council contributed a one-off $100,000 grant towards the sculpture, which was made by the Taupō Sculpture Trust. But the grant has angered some residents, who are facing a rates increase of more than 8%.Taupō Mayor David Trewavas told Morning Report artwork always has the capacity to cause controversy.”We had sort of a dozen well-meaning artists and business people [who] came to us probably 15 years ago to say, ‘Hey, let’s put a bit of colour into the…

A man has been arrested after allegedly pelting cyclists competing in a race in Hawke’s Bay.Police said the incident took place on April 19 on Mutiny Rd, Poukawa during a Council-sanctioned cycle race.Occupants of a black ute were seen throwing bottles from the vehicle towards participants in the race, Acting Detective Sergeant Steve Leonard said.”A young person was hit by a bottle and fell from their bike – fortunately they were not seriously injured.”An 18-year-old man, who police say was a passenger in the ute at the time of the incident, was today charged with two counts of assault with…

Two IT contractors for Spark NZ have been sentenced to three years in prison for their roles in New Zealand’s largest private sector corruption case involving more than $4 million in kickbacks.The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) filed charges against the IT contractors — Australian citizens Sean Bryan and Mark Lester — in April 2023.Lester was first contracted in 2013 to advise on, manage, and oversee testing associated with a major upgrade to the customer services IT platform of Spark.He was given more responsibility over time and promoted into a senior technology role.Lester recommended using Bryan’s company, Victory IT Ltd, to…