Author: Press Room

Stargazers will be in for a treat over the next few nights, with all seven of the other planets in the solar system visible across the night sky.  The rare phenomenon, called a “grand planetary alignment”, will be visible over the next few evenings. It will be the last time Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury and Saturn can be simultaneously seen so clearly until 2040. How do you catch a glimpse of the alignment? Stardome astronomer Josh Aroaki said the alignment would be visible in New Zealand on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening this week. He said all the…

International tourist spending has returned to pre-Covid levels, while domestic tourism has dipped, according to the latest figures. StatsNZ has released its annual tourism satellite figures, showing international tourism expenditure was up 60% to $16.9 billion, returning to levels similar to 2019 ($17.2b). The largest increase on 2023 came from Asian visitors, a 168% increase year on year, followed by visitors from the Americas, up 59.1%, visitors from Europe up 25.9% and visitors from Oceania, an increase of 18.4%. International student expenditure (studying less than 12 months, which meets StatsNZ’s definition of a tourist) also leapt up on 2023 – by…

Retailers and members of the public will soon have beefed-up rights to detain and arrest suspected thieves by using “reasonable force”, the Government has announced.It says the measures will help tackle retail crime.Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the coalition would implement the first suite of recommendations from its retail crime advisory group.The changes recommended by the group included:Amending the Crimes Act so that citizens can intervene to stop any Crimes Act offence at any time of the dayRequiring that a person making an arrest contact police and follow police instructionsClarifying that restraints can be used, when reasonable, when making an…

Belgium’s inflation rate is one of the highest compared to its neighbouring countries, report by FPS Finance shows. ADVERTISEMENTMore and more Belgians are shopping across the border in France, as they are able to save up to 30% on certain products, as Belgium’s inflation lies higher than many of its neighbouring countries. Belgium’s inflation rate rose to 4.4% in January, according to statistics based on the European harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP). While Belgium’s inflation has increased, it has gone down in neighbouring countries, such as Germany, France and the Netherlands, the Federal Public Service (FPS) Finance of Belgium…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Borrowers taking an extra interest in their home loans as rates fall are putting additional pressure on banks. The country’s biggest bank, ANZ, said last week’s official cash rate cut and subsequent reductions to floating and fixed rates had resulted in an increase in calls to the bank’s contact centre, and longer wait times. One customer told ANZ she had been told she would have to wait an hour to talk to someone on the phone. She could not refix through the app because she wanted to divide her loan into smaller parts. The bank branch told…

Students at an Auckland high school have finished work on a former state house which is now up for grabs after almost a year of work. One Tree Hill College bought the 1970s house from Kāinga Ora for just $1 in May last year as a project for its trades education students. It was moved to the school. The house, which was at the end of its life, has now been completed and is ready to go up for auction. The course is an effort by the school to build a connection between the classroom and the trades sector. “This…

The West Coast is preparing for a mining boom, with the Resources Minister recently announcing the Government’s plans to double mineral exports by 2035. With the current price of gold at a record high, things are going well, but there are questions about how towns in the region will benefit. Development West Coast CEO Heath Milne told 1News the region had been thriving over the summer, with a good tourism season thanks to sunny weather. He hoped to keep that momentum going as mining operations ramped up in the region. “With the gold price, it’s over $5000 an ounce. We’ve…

Two men, including a gang associate, have been charged following a ram raid burglary at a Flat Bush liquor store in Auckland early this morning.A third person is being sought.Counties Manukau CIB Detective Inspector Karen Bright said two allegedly stolen vehicles arrived at the store on Bishop Dunn Place just before 12.30am, and one was used to gain entry into the business.”The Eagle helicopter deployed to the area and located the offenders fleeing the scene in one of the vehicles,” she said.The trio drove to Belinda Ave, before getting into another vehicle.”One offender got out and returned to the vehicle…

Dunedin shoppers hunting for a bargain on fresh produce should skip the supermarket queue and head for the farmers’ market, a study shows. A nationwide price comparison study conducted by Farmers’ Market New Zealand found six out of seven farmers’ markets surveyed were cheaper than their supermarket counterparts. The survey, taken earlier this month, compared the cost of a basket of produce from the markets compared with an equivalent basket from their two closest supermarkets. The Otago Farmers Market, held every Saturday morning near the Dunedin Railway Station, was found to be 17.5% cheaper than the supermarkets — the second…

A woman who alleges she was sexually abused as a child by a well-known New Zealand artist wants one of his sculptures removed from Dunedin Hospital.The grandmother – who does not want to be named – has asked Te Whatu Ora Southern to not move John Middleditch’s 1980 Water Sculpture to the new hospital.In 2012 she requested the then-Southern District Health Board remove the large water feature, but when she told the art advisor Middleditch had been convicted of assaults on children in the 1970s, the woman was told she had no proof.”My complaints and requests were ignored.”In December, supported…