Author: Press Room

Suppose you own a café, restaurant, or eatery in New Zealand’s ever-changing weather. In that case, you already know that creating an inviting outdoor space can be the difference between a packed house and empty tables. That’s where outdoor cafe umbrellas come in—not just as functional shade providers but as branding powerhouses that make your business stand out. Whether in Auckland’s Viaduct, Wellington’s Cuba Street, or Queenstown’s lakefront, properly branded cafe umbrellas can enhance your customers’ experience, reinforce your brand, and even increase your revenue. The Power of Outdoor Cafe Umbrellas: Real Business Wins Many café and restaurant owners across…

The Romanian ultranationalist politician was picked up by police for questioning regarding false funding sources and false information in his last campaign, sources say. ADVERTISEMENTRomanian ultranationalist politician and 2024 presidential election candidate Călin Georgescu was picked up by police officers from a traffic stop on Wednesday and taken to the Prosecutor General’s Office. According to Euronews Romania sources, the prosecutors’ are to question Georgescu as part of an investigation reportedly looking into “zero expenses” declared by Georgescu for last year’s electoral campaign.Georgescu will be asked to provide information over two counts: “false statements regarding funding sources” and “communicating false information,”…

Auckland Council is set to issue 5500 infringement notices over the next few days to dog owners who have failed to register them.Chair of the regulatory and safety committee Councillor Josephine Bartley said dog registration is not optional.“This is the first time we’ve moved to last resort measures and issued infringement notices. Dog registration is a legal requirement designed to benefit both the community and pet owners.”The infringement notices will be sent out to owners of “sighted” dogs. These are dogs which were registered last financial year but were not registered this year, or dogs known to be still alive…

Media company NZME has reported a full year net loss after taking a non-cash writedown of $24 million on its publishing assets, along with a drop in underlying profit.The owner of the New Zealand Herald and various radio stations including Newstalk ZB, said there had been a slower than anticipated market recovery of its Communities publications, though the writedown did not affect its cash flow or operating profit.Key numbers for the year ended 2024 compared with a year ago:Net loss ($16.0m) vs $12.2m net profitRevenue $345.9m vs $340.8.6mUnderlying profit $54.2m vs $56.24mExpenses $296m vs $290.4mFinal dividend 6 cents a share…

Some have falsely claimed that the Ukrainian president did so in retaliation against Trump’s recent tirade against him. ADVERTISEMENTThe internet is awash with false claims that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has banned Truth Social, the social media platform owned by US President Donald Trump. Images have appeared on other social networks such as X, purportedly showing screengrabs of users unable to access Truth Social in Ukraine. It appears that both supporters and detractors of Ukraine have been spreading the message, with some commending Zelenskyy for banning Truth Social and others accusing the president of restricting free speech. The claims follow a war of…

Police have recovered a number of guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition after searching a property in Auckland’s Papatoetoe last night. The police Eagle helicopter located a vehicle of interest linked to an incident where a gun was allegedly pulled on a person on Monday night. Area commander for Counties Manukau West inspector Dave Christoffersen said police then went to the property the car was parked outside.Armed staff asked those inside to come out, which they did, and police searched the property.They found “numerous” guns as well as ammunition. The haul included two shotguns, two SKS assault rifles and…

The EU defence sector is increasingly struggling with finding workers with the skills needed to match the sector needs, industry representatives say – Why? What profiles are they looking for and what is the bloc doing to address the gaps? ADVERTISEMENTEurope’s defence sector needs more than just funding— it needs talent, industry representatives say. “This is certainly one of the periods impacted by the most intense search for new hires in Leonardo’s history, even more intense than in previous conflicts,” the Italian-based aerospace, defence and security company Leonardo told Euronews in a statement, referring to the war in Iraq or the conflict…

Round two of applications are now open for both new schools and state schools wanting to convert to charter schools, David Seymour says. Last year, the Associate Minister of Education announced seven publicly-funded, privately owned schools would open their doors in 2025 as part of the first round. These were Mastery Schools New Zealand – Arapaki; Te Rito, Te Kura Taiao, Ecole Francaise Internationale Auckland, Tipene, The Busy School, North West Creative Arts College and Christchurch North College. The Charter School Agency and an independent Authorisation Board processed 78 applications to open charter schools in the Government’s first round of…

In a short update on Wednesday morning, the Vatican said Pope Francis “had a peaceful night and is resting.” ADVERTISEMENTPope Francis remained in critical but stable condition on Wednesday morning and has suffered no new respiratory crises as he recovers from double pneumonia, doctors have said.The Vatican provided a short update, saying “the pope had a peaceful night and is resting.”The 88-year-old pontiff underwent a follow-up CT scan on Tuesday evening to monitor his lung infection, but no results were provided. Doctors said the pope’s prognosis remained guarded.He was nevertheless well enough to meet with the Vatican secretary of state…

The complexities of funding the sealing of a rural road came to the fore at a Hurunui District Council meeting on Tuesday.After around two hours of debate, councillors agreed in principle to contribute to cost of sealing the unsealed section of Maskells Road, Balcairn, near Amberley, from general rates.The 24 property owners living along that section of road will be expected to pay half of the cost, should 75% of the property owners agree to the terms.The council’s chief finance officer Jason Beck said the project would be loan funded and paid off over 10 years.Property owners will be able…