Author: Press Room
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is shrugging off criticism by business leaders he is performing poorly, saying he won’t be standing down. The New Zealand Herald’s Mood of the Boardroom has been released, with Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis out of the top-10 Cabinet ratings. The survey is made up of responses from 150 chief executives and business leaders. Luxon was ranked the 15th best minister in his own Cabinet, while Willis ranked 13th. Luxon scored on average 2.96 out of 5 where 1 is “not impressive” and 5 is “very impressive”. Willis’ performance scored an average 3.09 out of 5. At a…
The Commerce Commission has launched civil proceedings alleging cartel conduct against four Harcourts franchises and their franchisor.The alleged conduct involves the businesses’ franchisor, Harcourts Group Limited, and franchisees Four Seasons Realty 2017 Limited, Gold Real Estate Group Limited, Grenadier Real Estate Limited, and Holmwood Real Estate Limited.Commerce Commission chairperson John Small said authorities believed the franchisees had a “significant share” of the market and therefore the alleged conduct was damaging.Because the franchisees competed with each other for customers, entering into agreements that affected the prices they charged customers – including commission rates – constitutes alleged cartel conduct under the Commerce…
A lawyer for the man who lit the fatal Loafers Lodge blaze says for the jury to accept the Crown’s case, “massive guesswork and speculation” would be involved.The 50-year-old defendant, whose name is suppressed, is charged with five counts of murder and one of arson after setting the Wellington hostel alight on 16 May, 2023.His lawyers say the man – who has schizophrenia and has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity – lit the fire when he was experiencing serious psychotic symptoms.But the Crown says he knew lighting the fire was wrong, and he did so because he did…
By Lillian Hanly of RNZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon ranks 15th in Cabinet in a survey of senior business leaders who are also casting doubt on New Zealand’s economic performance. The New Zealand Herald has released its latest Mood of the Boardroom, which attracted 150 responses from chief executives and other leaders. Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis were out of Cabinet’s top 10 performers, according to the results. He scored on average 2.96 out of 5 where one is “not impressive” and five is “very impressive”. Herald head of business Fran O’Sullivan told RNZ’s Morning Report programme today there…
A senior first responder has pleaded not guilty to multiple child exploitation charges in the Christchurch District Court.The man, whose name and occupation are suppressed, faces five charges relating to the possession and exportation of child exploitation material. He was arrested in June following a Customs investigation.Lawyer Craig Ruane told the court his client would plead not guilty to all charges and had elected a trial by jury. Ruane said the man’s employment was terminated because the charges had brought his employer into disrepute, and that an employment process was underway to address the matter.He added that the man had…
By Russell Palmer of RNZ Employers seem to be on board with the government’s proposals to replace the Holidays Act, but unions and opposition parties fear they could trample workers’ rights and entitlements. Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden yesterday announced the plan to make annual leave and sick leave pro-rated. For every hour worked, employees would get a fraction of an hour of annual and sick leave. Those banked hours could then be used to take time off – again, measured in hours. It means people could take only part of a day off if they get sick, or…
A police officer has been convicted with assault with a weapon following an unlawful arrest in which excessive force was used against a motorcycle rider not wearing a helmet in Auckland last year.The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) oversaw a police investigation into the allegations, with a summary report released on Tuesday.The officer attempted to stop the rider at a gas station in April 2024, using their patrol car to pin the bike against bollards protecting the gas pump.”The police investigation established that the officer intended to stop the rider because they were not wearing a helmet,” the report summary…
After years of payroll failures, billions in remediation payments and persistent calls for reform from businesses and unions alike, the Government is scrapping and replacing the Holidays Act in a move it says will finally fix New Zealand’s “broken” leave system.Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden revealed today that Cabinet had agreed to repeal and replace the Holidays Act 2003 with a new Employment Leave Act.The changes were aimed at making leave calculations more straightforward and ensuring that workers received their correct entitlements.”Full-time and part-time workers will start earning annual and sick leave in direct proportion to the…
A company co-owned by a former All Black which ran a Canterbury restaurant has gone into liquidation owing more than $450,000 to creditors. Tap And Go Ltd had operated the Grain & Grape establishment in the small township of Darfield. The New Zealand Companies Office lists Murray Davie and Bernadette Taylor as directors and equal shareholders of Tap And Go. A previous company owned by the business partners, Kick for Touch Ltd, went into liquidation in 2023, after a Rolleston bar and restaurant struggled through Covid-19 restrictions. Mr Davie, 69, is a former All Black who made the national team…
A woman has been guilty of murdering her two children, whose bodies were found in suitcases years after their deaths. Hakyung Lee – also known as Ji Eun ‘Jasmine’ Lee – faced two murder charges over the deaths of her children Yuna and Minu Jo in 2018.The bodies of Minu and Yuna, aged six and eight at the time of their deaths, were found in suitcases almost four years after they were killed, when a family bought the contents of an abandoned storage locker in an online auction.A family photo of Ian Jo, Hakyung Lee, Yuna Jo and Minu Jo.…