Author: Press Room

Retailers are defying reports of economic gloom and are queuing up to build at Three Parks in Wanaka, Willowridge developer Allan Dippie says. Asked by the Wanaka Sun on Wednesday to comment on Woolworths NZ’s bid to build a large scale supermarket at his Three Parks subdivision, Mr Dippie replied “there’s quite a line up of new retailers and service businesses coming”. He felt one of the most “exciting” buildings would be the “Fitgym” building near the Warehouse and Smiths City. This was a complex development over several floors and would include a 1000sqm gym on the first floor. The…

Liquidators will take care of the Maketū Pies business while they find a buyer.The celebrated brand, registered as Maketū Foods Ltd, was placed into voluntary solvent liquidation last week.Its owner, Te Arawa Management Ltd, bought the national pie supplier in 2019 during a receivership process but says it has operated at a loss since.It was, at the time, the town’s largest employer and had operated for about 40 years. It had about 40 staff, mostly locals.Te Arawa Management Ltd is a subsidiary of the Rotorua-based Te Arawa Lakes Trust.Joint liquidators Thomas Rodewald and Paul Manning from BDO Tauranga released their…

Every high school in New Zealand is set to receive a copy of a new book about the Treaty of Waitangi following a surprise donation by an Auckland couple. The pair, who are Pākehā and did not want to be named, said they wanted to do their bit to help educate Kiwis. The book, called Understanding Te Tiriti, is a basic guide to New Zealand’s founding document. The couple decided to buy and gift the books after attending a talk with author Roimata Smail at The Women’s Bookshop earlier this year. “She and her husband came to that event, and…

Former Harry Potter film actor Rupert Grint faces a 1.8 million-pound (NZ$3.87 million) bill after he lost a legal battle with the tax authorities.Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the magical film franchise, was ordered to pay the money in 2019 after HM Revenue and Customs, the UK tax agency, investigated his tax return from seven years earlier.The agency said Grint had wrongly classed 4.5 million pounds in residuals from the movies — money from DVD sales, TV syndication, streaming rights and other sources — as a capital asset rather than income, which is subject to a much higher tax…

Eight young Kiwis have been selected for the trip of a lifetime – a month-long excursion to Antarctica. They’ll be visiting the sites of some of history’s bravest explorers, including huts used by Antarctic greats Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton. One of the expedition members is student Kitiona “Billy” Pelasio. The 16-year-old told 1News he was “happy” and “excited” after he was selected for the trip.”He told me not to tell anyone but… I ran back to class telling everyone,” he said. Billy had never been to the South Island until last week.But come January, he’ll be off on…

The National Public Health Service is reviewing all potential public submissions from the agency after its southern arm wrote a submission raising concerns over a proposed McDonald’s restaurant in Wānaka.Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has taken a swipe at the NPHS for the content of its submission, saying it should be focused on prioritising serious public health issues.McDonald’s has been attempting to gain resource consent to build a new 445 square metre 24/7 restaurant at the intersection of State Highway 6 and State Highway 84.The Queenstown Lakes District Council has been hearing submissions from the public about the proposal. Of…

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited the border with the Russian region of Kaliningrad to inspect newly constructed military fortifications. ADVERTISEMENTTusk’s visit comes a month before Poland is to take over the rotating presidency of the 27-member European Union. Polish officials say their priority is to urge Europeans to beef up defences at a time of Russian aggression and with change coming soon in Washington. Some European leaders are concerned that the incoming administration of Donald Trump might be less committed to Europe’s defence. Poland’s government and army began building the system dubbed “East Shield” this year. It will eventually…

Banksy fans are flocking to a Wellington exhibition of his works – even though it hasn’t been approved by the world-famous street artist.The British artist is well known for his public murals that pop up out of nowhere, often with a politically charged message. But he also makes screen prints – sometimes selling them for very little, sometimes for millions.The exhibition at Wellington’s Tākina convention centre is made up of 150 pieces – mostly screen prints – belonging to 43 collectors. Most are sold works, with a small number gifted by the artist, such as thank you cards to staff.The…

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has positioned the Social Democratic Party as the only one for the people, heavily criticising CDU, who are currently leading the polls. ADVERTISEMENTGermany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) held a so-called ‘election victory conference’ on Saturday in Berlin, ahead of the snap elections that are due to take place next year.SPD members were met at the party’s headquarters by protesters demanding an immediate ban on the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).Inside, party leaders Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil delivered tough speeches, promising to a party for workers which also uphold policies for the people. German Chancellor Olaf…

Peter Kaye, the father of former MP Nikki Kaye, has died just days after his daughter.Nikki Kaye, 44, died on Saturday following a long battle with cancer. The former Auckland Central MP also served for a time as deputy leader of the National Party.A friend of the family confirmed today that Peter Kaye, a prominent lawyer, had died this week.He had been in poor health.Friend and former colleague Paul Dacre said Peter Kaye was one of the great advocates of his generation.”He was a mentor to a number of lawyers. I think a number of senior lawyers throughout the country…