Author: Press Room

Kawerau District Council has come up with a concept to help familiarise residents and visitors with new street names and the meanings behind them.The council created QR code signs attached to two new street signs – Tiwhatiwha Crescent in Central Cove subdivision and Piripiri Crescent in Porritt Glade Lifestyle Village. Using a smartphone, the code can take readers to a page on the council website which provided a translation of the names into English, along with a short history of the areas and the meaning behind the names.Mayor Faylene Tunui and councillors attended an unveiling with residents of Tiwhatiwha and…

When Re: News visited Ashburton and Greymouth as part of our new series The Regions, we asked rangatahi where they hung out in their free time. Why did so many of them say Macca’s?Fast food joints are a favourite hangout spot for young people, especially for those living in the regions. But not all small towns want their own Macca’s. In February, a consent application to build a McDonalds in Wānaka was declined.The commissioners who made the decision said the proposed restaurant would be “at odds with the character typically associated with rural living”.When Re: News visited Ashburton and Greymouth…

Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa is concerned schools have been left without information on how to teach students about relationships and sexuality after the Ministry of Education removed guidelines from its website.“This is age appropriate, evidence-informed, best practice guidance and it’s really disappointing to see that it’s disappeared before there’s any new guidance issued,” Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa director health promotion Fiona McNamara said. The move answered a coalition agreement promise with New Zealand First. Winston Peters had referred to them as “woke out-of-touch guidelines”.In a recent review, 85% of school leaders told the Education Review Office they were useful.“I think that by…

Trump praised the Irish Prime Minister but spoke about the European Union as an opponent of the US that had been treating his country “unfairly” for decades. ADVERTISEMENTUS president Donald Trump added Ireland to the list of countries he says are taking advantage of the United States as he welcomed Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin to the White House. Martin, who was visiting the US as part of annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations, countered by noting Ireland’s contributions to the US. Trump has been sparring with US allies and adversaries alike over trade, slapping tariffs on imports from countries from Canada to…

“In the end, successful business is people working together.” That was one of the messages from economist Shamubeel Eaqub to those attending a People Expo in Oamaru this week, organised by Dairy New Zealand and the Dairy Women’s Network. Mr Eaqub outlined both global and national economic trends, and spoke about what farming businesses must to do stay successful and attract and retain people. With so much change and so much uncertainty, the world was becoming harder to make sense of, he said. People were used to a world that was relatively stable and where global politics “kind of makes…

Award-winning New Zealand children’s book illustrator and author Gavin Bishop is about to have his work immortalised at Te Papa museum.The museum’s modern art curator, Lizzie Bisley, was in Christchurch to look through his many original works to select what belonged in the vast collection in Wellington.”Gavin is one of our most important illustrators and has this amazing practice that’s ranged over 40 years of producing these incredible artworks. For me illustrations like Gavin’s are often the first artworks children have contact with in their lives,” Bisley said. Bishop and Bisley spoke in detail as they looked through his paintings,…

The coalition plans to scale back the number of rules agencies must follow when tendering contracts, which it says will make it easier for New Zealand businesses to access government contracts worth $50 billion a year. Minister for Economic Growth Nicola Willis wants to axe one third of 71 rules which include paying the Living Wage in contracts for cleaning, catering and security guard services. Union E tū says this will send some of those workers into poverty and is “heartless”. Cleaner Liam Shaw said he was concerned as the Living Wage allowed people like him to buy basic things.…

A 4.99% two-year rate has been enough to pull New Zealanders back from a strategy of short-term home loan fixes, the country’s largest mortgage advisory firm says.Data released from the Reserve Bank this week showed that in January, 89.5% of new owner-occupier loans were floating or fixed for less than a year.But Squirrel chief executive David Cunningham said that had since changed dramatically.”It’s a point in time thing. We saw in November there was a massive amount of money going into floating and six-month fixes because there was the OCR reduction, which was widely expected.”People held off. That was the…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ As New Zealanders move to carry more cash, it is becoming less common to go into the bank and ask for a withdrawal. Those who want to withdraw large amounts of money may find they are asked to phone ahead, and can expect to be asked questions about where the money is going, in line with the banks’ anti-money laundering obligations. Banking expert Claire Matthews, of Massey University, said she would expect banks generally to allow people to withdraw from a branch, without notice, a similar amount to what is available from ATMs – $2000…

Police have issued the first dispersal notice to gang members and associates, three months after new laws bolstered enforcement of offending involving gang members.As of March 11, 403 charges had been laid for insignia breaches under the new law which came into effect on November 21, 2024. Over the same period, more than 4000 charges were laid against gang members.Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham said on Friday afternoon the Waitematā officers reponded to a “firearms event” in Torbay on Auckland’s North Shore.A report was made about a gun at an address on Toroa St, before offenders left in three vehicles.”Two vehicles…