Author: Press Room

Bank economists expect the economy shrank in the second quarter of the year, with three out of five forecasting a deeper contraction than the Reserve Bank’s expectation of a 0.3% quarter on quarter (q/q) drop.The official second quarter data will be released on Thursday morning, but the writing was already on the wall following months of weaker-than-expected manufacturing, wholesale trade and services data.No one was forecasting anything near the solid 0.8% q/q rise in gross domestic product (GDP) reported in the three months ended March, though annual growth was still 1.1% down on the year earlier.The second quarter had been…

The coroner wants people to heed speed restrictions, after a woman died by hitting a bridge support, while being towed on a ski biscuit by a jetski.Coroner Heidi Wrigley has released her findings into the jetski death on the lower Waitara River in Waitara in 2021, recommending signs that tell people to travel slower than five knots near structures.What happened that dayOn November 10, 2021 Patricia Elaine Teresa Wilson Wirihana Takanini, 40, also known as Tira Wilson, was riding on the craft on the lower Waitara River, near New Plymouth.It was going faster than the five-knot speed limit allowed near…

A New Zealand-born Royal Air Force commander who played a key role in the Battle of Britain has today been honoured with a statue in his hometown of Thames.Sir Keith Park was credited with helping develop the winning strategy for the decisive air battle that helped secure England an early victory over Germany in the summer of 1940.Sir Keith commanded No. 11 Group, which was responsible for defending South East England and London. His leadership was said to be instrumental in defeating Germany by air, preventing a land invasion of Britain.He was later knighted for his efforts.Sir Keith died in…

Health New Zealand says changes to allow family members to stay with hospital patients around the clock is about valuing family support, but the nurses union says the move has more to do with staffing shortages.In a note sent out to staff, Health NZ chief executive Dale Bramley said the introduction of a new national Patient and Whānau Family Support Policy was a step to elevate compassion within their culture.Under the policy, he said: “Whānau will be supported to be with patients 24/7 where appropriate, working alongside our nursing and maternity teams to make this possible, while also respecting the…

Former Australian health minister Greg Hunt says vaping will cause “catastrophic public health outcomes” in the coming decades, defending his country’s prescription-only model despite black market growth.He also advocated for the creation of a single clinical trial zone between Australia and New Zealand to make the nation-pairing a “one-stop shop” for medical research.Hunt told Q+A this week that vaping was “overwhelmingly an on-ramp to tobacco use” and rejected suggestions Australia should follow New Zealand’s approach to e-cigarettes.The former Liberal minister said Australian National University research showed vaping led people to smoking, contradicting harm reduction arguments.”I don’t think it’s a solution,”…

Professor Rawinia Higgins, the Māori Language Commissioner, says te reo has made significant progress over 50 years, with over 70% of New Zealanders now supporting the language.She spoke to Q+A as Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori / Māori Language Week kicked off amid its 50th anniversary. Higgins is the chairperson of the Māori Language Commission.For the full interview, watch the video aboveQ+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air

Thousands of residents across the upper North Island are being urged to prepare for a night without electricity as crews work to repair widespread damage caused by powerful winds overnight.Lines company Powerco confirmed at the peak of the outages, there were around 13,456 customers without power.By Sunday afternoon, that number had dropped to around 8651.The worst-hit areas were the Coromandel Peninsula and western Bay of Plenty, where crews have been working since early morning to assess damage and begin repairs.Powerco head of network operations Mark Dunn said those currently without electricity should prepare to remain without power overnight.”We know it’s…

A Queenstown hotelier made a string of false claims, after the business’s luxury “heli-crayfish experience” caught the attention of fisheries officers, documents show.Rees Management Limited, which trades as The Rees Hotel, was fined $22,000 in July for illegally selling recreationally caught crayfish and failing to keep records.Company chief executive Mark Rose was discharged without conviction.Guests paid between $4650-7750 to fly to a remote location in Fiordland or the West Coast, and watch a diver, who had been paid $800 cash, take the maximum recreational limit of six crayfish, while they were entertained with crayfish facts and photo opportunities.Back at the…

The Government has announced a $70 million investment package aimed at supercharging New Zealand’s events and tourism sectors, introducing new money to attract global acts, support existing events, and drive regional visitor growth.The package – a combination of new money and widened criteria for existing funding – included a $40 million Events Attraction Fund to secure large-scale international events from 2026; a $10 million Events Boost Fund to support existing events and attract global opportunities; a $10 million Regional Tourism Boost Campaign to draw international visitors; and up to $10 million for tourism infrastructure upgrades.Major artists including Taylor Swift, Lady…

Thousands across the upper North Island have woken up to power outages after strong winds bore down overnight, lifting roofs, toppling trees and downing power lines.Lines company Powerco confirmed there were around 13,456 customers without power on its electricity network as of 9am on Sunday.The worst-hit areas were the Coromandel Peninsula and western Bay of Plenty, where crews have been working since early morning to assess damage and begin repairs.Whangamata, Katikati, and Waihi appeared to be among the centres with large outages.”What a wild night! We have extra crews in the affected areas,” Powerco said in a statement. “Thank you…