Author: Press Room

Queenstown Airport is set to start the next major project in its capital development programme. Over the next 14 months, the terminal building will be extended north towards the airfield to provide 800sq m of new office and operational space for Air New Zealand, Planebiz, and the Aviation Security Service. Fitout of the new space and renovation of existing offices will then proceed in stages. The overall project is scheduled for completion early in 2027, the airport said in a statement yesterday. “This will give airline staff working behind the scenes a much better work environment, and will also improve…

The main cause of Gene Hackman’s death was heart disease, but he was also in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease and likely had not eaten for a long time, according to a new autopsy report.The report documents the 95-year-old actor’s poor heart health, noting he had experienced congestive heart failure, an aortic valve replacement and an irregular heart beat. He was given a pacemaker in April 2019.Hackman’s carbon monoxide concentration was less than 5% saturation, which is within the normal range. He tested negative for the hantavirus, which is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent…

Santana Minerals has worked out a way to halve the amount of rock it needs to waste before it reaches its Central Otago payload. The company outlined the information in a note to the Australian Stock Exchange last week. It said the results of a study it commissioned on the Bendigo-Ophir gold mine found an improved pit design could make the project more efficient, meaning less waste material needed to be processed, which would also significantly reduce costs. Santana Minerals chief executive Damian Spring said the company initially estimated 15 million bank cubic metres (a bcm is the unit of…

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has announced she is no longer running for a second term.In a statement, Whanau said Andrew Little entering the race had “changed the game”, and she did not want a “Green vs. Labour narrative to distract from what’s important for our city”.”I have a lot of respect for Andrew and his leadership skills. He has support from many corners and the skills and experience to unite our Council. The progressive goals I have fought for are at risk this election and I do not want a Green vs. Labour narrative to distract from what’s important for…

ADVERTISEMENTGermany will step up to the new security demands in Europe, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said, as his country marked 70 years of NATO membership against the backdrop of the Trump administration signalling that US defence priorities lie elsewhere.”Today, with Putin’s war against Ukraine raging on in full force and with the United States putting fierce pressure on its European allies, Germany, I think, is in a crucial position,” Steinmeier said.”Germany is being called on and we heard the call. We got the message and indeed, Mark, you can count on us,” he said, standing alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte…

A Southland recycling company has decided to close the doors of one of its plants to ensure the long-term future of its operations and secure the jobs of about 80 people with disabilities, the general manager says. Recycle South announced yesterday the closure of its further processing plant at Makarewa due to the ongoing financial climate and global export unrest. The $2 million plant was opened in 2022 with the aim of sorting agricultural plastic, such as bale wrap, from Southland farms, as well as from parts of Otago. At the time, it was pitched as the first of its…

Dunedin-based cancer diagnostic firm Pacific Edge has been dealt a severe financial blow after its key testing procedure was excluded from coverage by the United States Medicare federal health insurance scheme. The firm has been battling for more than a year to overturn a draft decision by a regional manager of the Medicare scheme to cease paying for the bladder cancer tests. However, the new coverage regime has now come into force and excluded Pacific Edge’s test, which accounted for 60% of the company’s income. “We are obviously disappointed we have been unable to maintain coverage of our tests in…

ADVERTISEMENTBrazil is optimistic that the EU-Mercosur trade deal can be ratified despite some opposition, and believes the current US tariff situation will impel this, a leading Brazilian trade envoy has told Euronews. “We are very optimistic especially now that US has raised tariffs across the world,” Jorge Vian, head of ApexBrasil, Brazil’s Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, told Euronews, adding: “With the hostile environment that the world is facing right now we may collaborate to improve the implementation of the agreement.”In December, the European Commission concluded a political agreement with the Mercosur countries – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – to…

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal brought by a rapist who claimed he had sex unknowingly with his victim while he was asleep.A jury found Damin Peter Cook was not asleep when he raped an unconscious woman in 2019, who he had put in his bed after she passed out from alcohol at his Christchurch flat.Cook did not deny having sex with the victim, but claimed it happened because of a condition known as sexsomnia, or sleep sex.He was convicted of sexually violating and raping the woman in 2022 and sentenced to eight years imprisonment. In July last year,…

Northland Civil Defence says a heavy rain watch was “certainly not what we were wishing for” after another wet weekend for the region.MetService issued the watch for the region north of Whangārei as a front associated with a subtropical low moves over Northland tomorrow.There was also a heavy rain watch issued for Christchurch and Canterbury north of Timaru from Wednesday morning to Friday morning.For Northland, periods of heavy rain with thunderstorms and possible localised downpours were forecast from 10am through until midnight on Tuesday.”Surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions possible,” the forecaster said.There was a high chance the watch…