Author: Press Room

ASB has cut its fixed home loan rates by up to 20 basis points, bringing its one-year term to 5.79%.All retail banks moved to cut rates last week, following the Reserve Bank’s decision to lower the official cash rate (OCR) by 50 basis points.Other banks, including ANZ and Westpac, have also dropped their fixed-rate offerings.ASB announced its new changes today, with reductions across all fixed-term periods from six months to three years, following its earlier cuts to its floating rates last week.The six-month, one-year, 18-month and two-year terms were the largest drops of 20 basis points each, while the three-year…

France’s famous cathedral will reopen Saturday after five years of reconstruction following a devastating fire in 2019. ADVERTISEMENTUS president-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening ceremony at France’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, in his first foreign trip since winning re-election in November.Notre Dame will reopen in a lavish ceremony attended by around 50 heads of state and government after it was nearly destroyed by a fire in 2019.“It is an honour to announce that I will be travelling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which…

Arbitration costs have now driven the cost of the Waimea Community Dam up to more than twice the $104.4 million cost forecast at the time of its approval.The cost of the dam is now sitting at $211.3 million, up almost $4m from the $207.5m it was sitting at in September.Legal costs for the council-controlled dam operator Waimea Water’s arbitration, relating to a dispute with the joint venture contractor who built the dam, were behind the increase.Chief executive Mike Scott told Tasman District Council on Thursday that the disputes were the last remaining risk to the dam’s cost.”We expect to have…

Romania will join the Schengen Area in January 2025 after a 13-year wait. Pro-European parties won Romania’s recent elections, but far-right groups gained a 30% share of the vote, partly due to frustration over the delayed accession. ADVERTISEMENTIn January 2025, Bulgaria and Romania will officially become members of the Schengen Area, ending a 13-year wait. Many, however, feel this has come too late.Sunday’s parliamentary election in Romania may have brought about a victory for pro-European parties, but the far-right was also a big winner, receiving a historical high voting share of 30%. The much-delayed Romanian accession to the Schengen Area,…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Sanitarium has probably fallen victim to the problems of being in the middle of the peanut butter market, one expert says. It told RNZ that production of its peanut butter products stopped in late July. “After careful consideration and analysis, Sanitarium Health Food Company made the decision earlier this year to cease production of its peanut butter range due to declining customer demand and growth of other favourites. “Our people have proudly produced every jar made and we thank all our loyal consumers over the last 100 years for loving our quality range of peanut…

A flight bound for Auckland from Gisborne this morning has been turned around after experiencing an engine issue shortly after take-off.Air New Zealand told 1News as per “standard operating procedures”, the engines on flight NZ5166 were shut down and the aircraft returned to Gisborne where it landed safely after circling for a short time.”The matter is now being investigated,” it said.The flight’s path after taking off this morning. (Source: Flightradar24.com)Yesterday, an Air New Zealand flight from Wellington to Sydney was diverted to Auckland, also after an engine issue.One passenger told rnz.co.nz the plane made a “rapid descent”, while another said…

The Social Democrat party won Romania’s presidential elections just one week after pro-Russian, far-right candidate Călin Georgescu stunned the country by coming in first place. ADVERTISEMENTNegotiations are underway for a government coalition in Romania following the victory of the pro-Western centrist parties and the gains for far-right parties in Sunday’s parliamentary elections.With 99% of the votes counted, the governing social-democrats (PSD) are leading with 21% of the votes followed by the nationalist far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) with 18%. The National Liberal party (PNL) won 14.6% of the vote and centre-right Save Romania Union (USR) took 11.1%.Marcel…

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,…