Author: Press Room

Rising beef prices are making it tougher to sell meat and source cattle to homekill, a Taieri butcher says. Outram Butchery owner Lyndon Gold buys meat from processors to sell in his shop in the rural village on the Taieri. Fewer cattle being processed at meatworks between now and Christmas, strengthening beef slaughter prices, had increased the cost to buy meat for retail in butcheries. The rising costs needs to be passed on to customers, which could make beef too expensive for some people. He reduced his profit margin to try to keep his meat as affordable as possible. “We’ve…

Invercargill parking wardens are working in pairs following an increase in bad behaviour after infringement fees went up.The city council said there had been several abusive incidents in recent months, and pairing-up meant there was “immediate support”.In October 2024, central government hiked fines nationwide by an average of 70% — something the council linked last month to a rise in push back.Council manager consenting and environment Jonathan Shaw said bad behaviour normally occurred during compliance action or fine enforcement.”While officers are professional and experienced in dealing with challenging situations as part of their role, the team has noticed a rising…

There’s a growing number of local sport broadcasters embracing te reo Māori, following the footsteps of Māori pioneers who dared to speak it on-air when few did. Veteran rugby commentator Tony Johnson is the voice behind some of New Zealand rugby’s greatest moments, and he’s been using his platform to help normalise te reo Māori in homes.“If you talk about the forwards rolling up their sleeves, doing the mahi, or the backs having a little kōrero before the line up takes place… hopefully, that’s doing a little bit to help those words become part of everyday usage in Aotearoa.”Commentator Tony…

Robert Redford, the Hollywood golden boy who became an Oscar-winning director, liberal activist and godfather for independent cinema under the name of one of his best-loved characters, died Wednesday at 89.Redford died “at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah — the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved”, publicist Cindi Berger said in a statement. No cause of death was provided.Redford was one of the biggest stars of the ’70s with such films as The Candidate, All the President’s Men and The Way We Were, capping that decade with the best director Oscar for 1980’s best…

Food company Talley’s has admitted in court it cannot quantify how much money it has lost as a result of a series of 1News stories.Talley’s is suing TVNZ to restore its reputation. The company has claimed it lost income, and its reputation had unfairly suffered after a series of reports alleging health and safety concerns.TVNZ said in response that it reported truthfully and responsibly in the 2021 and 2022 stories. Talley’s said there were six reports which unfairly did damage to its business.Today, TVNZ’s lawyer Davey Salmon suggested those reports had benefited the business.Talley’s Group chief financial officer Greg Kingston…

ADVERTISEMENT Many EU products currently pay high export tariffs to the Mercosur bloc, comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Some notable examples are cars (35%), wines and spirits (up to 35%), cheese (28%) and machinery (up to 20%). With the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement, these tariffs will be eliminated or significantly reduced, creating new opportunities for a market of 780 million consumers, representing 25% of world trade. The European Commission has just presented a proposal for the ratification process of the political agreement reached in December 2024. However, farmers, environmentalists, some groups in the European Parliament and member states oppose the agreement.…

A Dunedin automation and robotics company hopes to grow its workforce in the city by 50% over the next five years. Scott Technology unveiled its five-year strategy, “Destination 2030”, at its inaugural investor day in Auckland last week. In a statement to the New Zealand stock exchange, the company said it was targeting $530 million in revenue by 2030, up from $276m reported in the 2024 financial year. Chairman Stuart McLauchlan said yesterday the announcement was a big one for Dunedin. The company was growing and keeping its base in Dunedin, whereas many other companies over the years had moved…

A Motueka woman who has limited use of her arm says she’s in limbo after a public referral to a specialist was declined. Maria Best had been on opioids for for years to cope with worsening pain in her left arm, which had now started to impact her right arm too. “The pain down my arms is like being stung by a thousand bees on the inside,” she said. In 2014 she was in a workplace accident and eventually underwent spinal surgery. Doctors treating her found a rare brain condition and a second surgery saved her life. She said she…

ADVERTISEMENT In an interview with Euronews, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas confirmed the strategy to suspend trade-related provisions within the Israel-EU Association Agreement.   The EU is Israel’s biggest trading partner. “We have a trade of 42.6 billion euros with Israel, in 2024. So, it is a significant amount. And when it comes to the preferential treatment, then 37% of that trade really has preferential treatments. So definitely this step will have a high cost for Israel”, Kaja Kallas confirmed.  However, it’s up to EU member states to decide if the measure can pass, and so far,…

A person has been injured and a gun has been fired at a vehicle following an altercation outside an Auckland supermarket this afternoon.Police said they were called to a supermarket in Hobsonville around 4.40pm following reports of an incident unfolding.”At this stage it appears an altercation between two groups of people has taken place,” Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Renfree said.A gun was fired towards a vehicle in the carpark during the incident, he said.”Thankfully there were no reports of injury in relation to this.”However, one person was taken to hospital with moderate injuries after being injured with a weapon.Renfree…