Author: Press Room

A Bay of Plenty kiwifruit labour supply company and its director have been ordered to pay $100,000 in penalties after underpaying three migrant workers tens of thousands over several years.The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) ordered Asad Horticulture Limited to pay $70,000, and sole director Mohammad Asaduzzaman $30,000, for breaching minimum employment standards and being in arrears with paying owed holiday pay entitlements.Asaduzzaman and the company, placed into liquidation in August, must each pay the penalties in quarterly $5000 instalments.MBIE lead inspector for strategic alignment and primary sector Kevin Finnegan said while the company had taken responsibility for the breaches, it…

Two bus drivers were assaulted within one hour of each other in Auckland on Saturday night.Police said they were called to Customs Street East at about 7.40pm after a bus driver was punched several times by a passenger.A 58-year-old man was arrested at the scene and scheduled to appear at Auckland District Court on Monday charged with assault with intent to injure.About 8.30pm, police said they received a report that another bus driver had been assaulted by a passenger on a bus in Grey Lynn. The passenger fled the scene.Tramways Union president Gray Froggatt said attacks on drivers were terrible…

A massage therapist has been recommended to undergo mentoring and training as well as make a written apology to two of three women who accused him of inappropriate behaviour.Warning: This report includes sensitive details some readers may find distressing. Helplines are included at the end of the article.The Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) said separate complaints included failing to stop the massage after repeated requests to do so due to pain and discomfort; making racist and inappropriate comments, including about a client’s weight; and engaging in explicit sexual conversations.Three women who attended sessions with the massage therapist in 2022 reported,…

A supervising pharmacist who did not realise a man had accidentally been given someone else’s Parkinson’s medication prescription three times failed to “provide services of an appropriate standard”, the Health and Disability Commissioner says.The incidents began in December 2021, when a man went to pick up a prescription faxed by his GP to his pharmacist which was printed on four double-sided pages.The final page contained a prescription for a Parkinson’s Disease medication called Sinemet, which was intended for another patient at the same practice.A Health and Disability Commission report released today said the prescription was processed by an “experienced” intern…

The Supreme Court has ruled the majority of the Court of Appeal “erred” in its interpretation of a law that allows Māori to be granted customary marine title over the foreshore and seabed. It has unanimously allowed an appeal by the Attorney-General, following the Court of Appeal’s decision last October. Customary marine title is a right that allows Māori to give or refuse permission for certain activities that require a resource consent. Under section 58 of the Marine and Coastal Area Act 2011, it can be granted if Māori can show they have held a specified area of the foreshore…

This article was originally published in Hungarian Budapest has maintained close political and economic ties with Moscow since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, drawing ire from the EU. ADVERTISEMENTHungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday to discuss the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine and energy supplies, marking the Hungarian minister’s twelfth visit to Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.Hungary is one of the only NATO and EU countries that has maintained strong ties with Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and has refused to join other Western nations…

Air New Zealand is making further cuts to its domestic network, blaming the move on weak economic conditions. It said the changes would result in 2 percent fewer seats on the domestic network between February and June next year. Air New Zealand said it did not have an exhaustive list of affected routes, but said services between Wellington and regional routes like Rotorua, Gisborne and Blenheim would see cuts. The airline said it was responding to the domestic economy and adapting to the changing market while meeting community needs. “Like other airlines in Aotearoa, our domestic business continues to be…

A commercial egg farm in rural Otago is under strict movement controls after testing confirmed a high pathogenic strain of avian influenza in chickens at the premises. Biosecurity New Zealand deputy director-general Stuart Anderson said tests from the Mainland Poultry-managed farm have identified a high pathogenic subtype of avian influenza called H7N6, which has likely developed from interactions with local waterfowl and wild birds.”While it is not the H5N1 type circulating among wildlife around the world that has caused concern we are taking the find seriously,” he said. Anderson said low pathogenic viruses are already present in wild birds here,…

Georgia sees its fifth night of consecutive protests against the government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union. ADVERTISEMENTAt a press conference with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Jolie expressed Canada’s solidarity with the Georgian people, and said they “are very concerned about what Russia is trying to do in Georgia.”On Sunday, the three Baltic states announced they would impose national sanctions against those “who participate in the suppression of legitimate protests in Georgia.”Jolie said Canada would follow suit and “will sanction key individuals and also businesses, entities that are involved in either human rights…

A do not drink notice has been issued for consumers of the Lower Waihao rural water supply, including Waikakahi East, after nitrate levels breached the maximum acceptable value for drinking water. In a statement this afternoon, the Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai said it had been advised by the Waimate District Council that nitrate levels in the source water for its Lower Waihao rural water supply had breached the maximum acceptable value for drinking water of 50mg/L. As a result, a do not drink notice was issued. “An exceedance of the MAV for nitrates poses an immediate risk to…