Author: Press Room

Fonterra accepts farmers may have mixed feelings about selling the Mainland consumer business to Frances Lactalis for $4.22 billion. The co-op was targeting a capital return of $2 per share for farmer shareholders from the Mainland sale, which amounted to $3.2b. The sale would be subject to approval from farmer shareholders, regulatory approvals and businesses being separated from Fonterra. A farmer shareholder vote is due to take place at a special meeting on October 30. Should the sale pass, regulatory approvals were expected to be completed within the first half of next year for the sale to proceed. This would…

A new $26 million water reservoir has been officially opened in Northland, part of a wider plan to future-proof the region against increasingly severe droughts.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today opened the Te Waihekeora Reservoir near Dargaville.The facility can hold 3.3 million cubic metres of water, enough to irrigate around 1100 hectares of farmland. It is the second of three major storage projects being developed by the Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust.Te Waihekeora is the second of three major reservoirs planned with the largest, Otawere at Waimate North, due to be completed later this year.The trust is also planning a 22km…

Ash Thom, general manager of Dunedin Airport’s new cafe, Fuel to Fly, pours a coffee yesterday before the cafe’s opening this morning. The addition of the cafe, on the airport’s upper floor, is part of a wider terminal enhancement project. In a statement, Dunedin Airport CEO Daniel De Bono said the cafe looked “stunning” and offered a good range of food and drink to travellers. The cafe includes Modbar, a “state-of-the-art technology, under-counter espresso machine” which would elevate coffee, an airport spokeswoman said. “The machine is the largest of only two in the South Island and only a handful around…

An Auckland man has been sentenced to nine months’ home detention for possessing child sexual exploitation material involving children as young as 5 years old.Lee Irving Musham was sentenced in the Manukau District Court yesterday after pleading guilty to one representative charge of knowingly possessing child sexual exploitation material.Searches of Musham’s residential and business addresses were carried out following an investigation by the Department of Internal Affairs’ digital child exploitation team.Several electronic devices were seized, which after forensic examination were found to contain images of sexual exploitation of children as young as 5 years old, bestiality, and computer-generated files promoting…

Businesses are giving up on engagement with local councils out of “pure frustration” and more effort is needed to win back their trust this election, a Dunedin business leader says. Businesses planned in decades, not terms, “and they want to see leaders with the courage to do the same”, Business South chief executive Mike Collins said. “The projects that matter most to Otago are the ones that outlast election cycles.” Business South had been advocating with Business New Zealand for bipartisanship across the country on education, health and infrastructure projects. Mr Collins said with local elections and a new political…

Two people have been charged after a man was assaulted in an “unprovoked attack” outside an Auckland supermarket last week.On September 19, the victim and his family were in a supermarket car park when they were approached by two people around 12.30pm. The pair allegedly assaulted the man in a “brazen” unprovoked attack, Inspector Matt Hoyes said. “These alleged offenders have viciously attacked this man in broad daylight, punching him and kicking him while he was on the ground.”Hoyes said security intervened and stopped the assault before police arrived at the scene. “The victim was incredibly lucky he only suffered…

A fire which broke out at a Whangārei property early yesterday morning while five people slept inside is being treated as arson.Police were called to the address on Raumanga Valley Rd around 6.20am on Wednesday.It appeared a couch on the front deck had been deliberately set alight, Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said.Five people were asleep at the time of the fire and managed to evacuate safely.”It’s fortunate that no one has lost their life, and a homicide investigation is not being commenced.”The property sustained “extensive damage” in the blaze, which is now being treated as an arson, Pilmer said…

When a Kaikōura conservationist made a plea to her local council earlier this year for help to protect local seabirds, she never imagined it would lead to a new bylaw just weeks later.Ailsa McGilvary-Howard and her husband Ted Howard made a presentation at a Kaikōura District Council workshop in March calling for help to protect the banded dotterels, which nest in the area.Councillors adopted a new animal bylaw and dog control policy, which will come into effect on October 1, at a council meeting on Wednesday, September 24.McGilvary Howard said it was “a win for nature”.”I’m very happy. I didn’t…

Published on 26/09/2025 – 15:33 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT Former Brexit Party MEP Nathan Gill has pleaded guilty to bribery charges relating to statements in favour of Russia, the BBC and other UK media have reported. Gill served as an MEP from 2014 to 2020, first representing Wales for the UK Independence Party (UKIP), and then from 2019, for the Brexit Party. During his first legislative term, he allegedly made statements in the Parliament “supportive of a particular narrative” which would “benefit Russia regarding events in Ukraine”. According to the charges, Gill “agreed to receive financial advantage, namely money” to make these…

The Electoral Commission says official election results won’t be available any sooner based on changes proposed by the Government’s Electoral Amendment Bill.That’s despite the alterations primarily being made to improve the timeliness of the official vote count, and the Justice Minister responsible said he’s sure New Zealanders can manage getting enrolled early.The Justice Committee is considering the bill, which makes a suite of changes including ending same-day voter enrolment, banning prisoner voting, changes to treating on Election Day and expanding anonymous political donation limits.Submissions made on Thursday have been overwhelmingly in opposition.Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne fronted the Justice…