Author: Press Room
US President Donald Trump announced the tariffs in April. Photo: Getty Images New Zealand exports to the US will face a 15 percent tariff rate, it has been announced. The White House has revised its list of tariffs for particular countries and New Zealand has been put on a 15 percent base rate, up from the original 10 percent announced earlier. US President Donald Trump announced the tariffs back in April and said he they would be imposed on more than 125 countries. More to come . . .
Coalition parties are calling for the opposition not to re-ban oil and gas exploration in the hope more political consensus will bolster the industry – but those pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears.The legislation scrapping the 2018 ban passed through Parliament on Thursday night with Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori pledging to restore it if they win power – a stance that could yet keep oil companies from investing in exploring for new wells.The repeal fulfils election promises from both National and ACT, though New Zealand First’s Shane Jones has been leading the effort.Jones stood alongside…
TVNZ and South Pacific Pictures have announced that Shortland Street will return for its 2026 season.New Zealand’s longest-running drama will continue due to funding support from NZ On Air, combined with eligibility for the Screen Production Rebate. The show’s future had come into question amid ongoing cost-cutting at the state broadcaster and wider media uncertainty. In July 2024, it was announced it would continue screening three days week instead of five. Last year, the Government tweaked eligibility criteria for the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate for local shows “with strong industry and cultural value” such as Shortland Street. TVNZ’s chief executive…
A Southland mayoral hopeful has taken shots at a council chief executive during a fiery public speech.On Wednesday, Wendy Baker presented to district councillors about the council’s dog control policy and bylaw review.But her presentation began on an unrelated note when she read out a letter she’d received from the Minister of Sports and Recreation about her sporting accomplishments.“I wanted to bring that up because it’s a positive letter of praise. And unfortunately, just recently, your CEO — who is extremely well paid — sent me a letter which was very upsetting to me,” Baker said.“This letter as you all…
A man died in hospital overnight after being critically injured in an incident at a Westport motel yesterday afternoon. One person was arrested and charged following the incident, and a homicide investigation was also underway.Police were called to the motel on Palmerston Street at 3.10pm yesterday after an “altercation” was reported. When police arrived, a man was found critically injured and flown to Greymouth Hospital. He died shortly before midnight. A 35-year-old man was arrested at the scene and charged with intent to injure. He was due to appear in the Greymouth District Court today. Inspector Jacqui Corner said a…
Wānaka’s award-winning Top 10 Holiday Park has been sold to an overseas-based joint venture, which intends to maintain its current use. Overseas Investment Act decisions released yesterday show Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand has granted consent to Tasman Tourism New Zealand Ltd to acquire a freehold interest in about 3ha of land in Studholme Rd. The applicant is a joint venture between an Australian private equity firm with experience in the holiday park industry and an investment company based in the United Arab Emirates. It owns and operates holiday parks in New Zealand, including Te Anau, under the…
Justin Timberlake has been diagnosed with Lyme disease, the former NSYNC star said on Instagram overnight.Timberlake shared the news in a post commemorating his Forget Tomorrow tour, which wrapped in Türkiye on Thursday, adding that the disease “can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically”. The SexyBack singer, who described himself as a private person, wrote he considered ending the tour when diagnosed, but wrote that he “decided the joy that performing brings me far out weight the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I’m so glad I kept going”.Lyme disease is transmitted by Ixodes ticks, also known as deer…
The owner of a vehicle is being sought by police after a young person was assaulted and robbed in Christchurch earlier this month. The incident took place near the corner of Kendal Ave and Whitby St around 3pm on Friday, July 18.”The victim sustained minor injuries and is understandably very shaken by this incident,” police said. Police have today released a photograph of a vehicle as part of their investigation.”We would like to speak with the owner of the vehicle pictured, or anyone who may have information about the vehicle, or may have witnessed the incident.”Anyone with information has been…
Christchurch-based Ravensdown has reported a loss of $5.4 million after tax and one-off costs for the year ending May, with the costly closing of Dunedin fertiliser manufacturing among business challenges. The fertiliser co-operative’s result follows a profit after tax of $2.8m a year ago. Closing the site, off-loading five lime quarries and the sale of assets from its agritech subsidiary C-Dax in a bid to reshape the business resulted in impairments of $9m. Fertiliser manufacturing officially ended at Ravensbourne earlier this year with the loss of about 30 jobs. The site will remain a port store and distribution centre with…
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has set up a base in New Zealand to “strengthen and enhance” its cooperation with a “key Five Eyes partner in the southwestern Pacific region”.The director of the US domestic intelligence and security service, Kash Patel, travelled to Wellington yesterday. He met with key officials — including Defence Minister Judith Collins, Police Minster Mark Mitchell and Foreign Minister Winston Peters — this morning. He also met with Police Commissioner Richard Chambers; the Director-General of the Government Communications Security Bureau, Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Clark; and Director-General of the Security Intelligence Service, Andrew Hampton.Agency sets up…