Author: Press Room

While the farming sector may be the one economic bright spot at present, it isn’t stopping some provincial areas from suffering heavy job losses, new data shows.Stats NZ’s business employment data for the June quarter, released on Tuesday, showed the number of filled jobs dropped 10,000 in three months, and 50,000 fewer jobs than in December 2023.Construction lost 2315 jobs in the quarter, or 1.3%. Accommodation and food services was down 1.2% or 1869 jobs, and administrative and support services was down 1.4% or 1337 jobs.Since December 2023, there are 16,000 fewer filled jobs in construction, 8700 fewer in manufacturing…

In the way of Smaug, Jake Sully and Sleeping Beauty, Marlborough’s screen office is being placed into a long slumber.The rise of AI, political changes, economic conditions and the fickle nature of movie-making are all being blamed for the move.The Marlborough District Council voted to make Screen Marlborough “dormant” last Thursday, as the council’s economic development team undergoes restructuring.Economic development manager Dorien Vermaas told council that the office had been instrumental in promoting Marlborough as an attractive screen production destination.Screen Marlborough supported seven productions from outside the region in 2023-24, including a feature film, and an international Volkswagon commercial filmed…

In the barren paddocks of the Cardrona Valley, a sporting revolution has quietly taken shape. What was once just farmland on the side of a hill has been transformed into one of New Zealand’s most ambitious training facilities – a $2.3 million dry slope and big air jump that Snow Sports NZ is calling a “game changer.”And the timing could not be better. Now, with just less than 150 days until the Winter Olympics in Milan, where New Zealand’s athletes are targeting a record medal haul. Snow Sports NZ high-performance boss Luke Hetzel remains confident. Asked how he rates the…

A fraudster has persuaded a Whangārei couple into giving up their PINs and leaving their bank cards in the mailbox. Police were in the early stages of an investigation into the scam, which was launched after a couple described as “elderly” had tens of thousands of dollars taken from their accounts over the weekend. Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said the couple were contacted about replacing their bank cards and were then convinced to give up their personal identification numbers (PINs) and to leave their EFTPOS cards in the letterbox. “Sadly, over the weekend, tens of thousands of dollars has…

The powerful toxin, sought after in the form of Botox, can be a killer if it forms in a can of beans. Medicinal Microbiologist Manal Mohammed explains. A food truck in southern Italy recently became the centre of a deadly health scare. A food-borne outbreak linked to preserved vegetables killed two people and sent more than a dozen to hospital.At the same time, the UK’s Food Standards Agency warned shoppers to avoid jars of broccoli from a specific batch code, fearing they too could contain the same hidden danger, Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that produces the toxin responsible for botulism…

The police officer shot in the head and shoulder during a confrontation with fugitive father Tom Phillips is recovering in hospital, where he remains unable to open his eyes but has managed to share a few laughs with visitors.The rural Waikato officer was critically injured early on Monday morning after approaching Phillips’ quad bike, which had crashed following a police pursuit and the deployment of road spikes.As the officer arrived, Phillips opened fire with a “high-powered rifle”, striking him in the head and shoulder.A second officer responded and fatally shot Phillips at the scene.Aerial footage shows the aftermath of the…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ While the farming sector may be the one economic bright spot at present, it isn’t stopping some provincial areas from suffering heavy job losses, new data shows. Stats NZ’s business employment data for the June quarter, released on Tuesday, showed the number of filled jobs dropped 10,000 in three months, and that there are now 50,000 fewer jobs than in December 2023. Construction lost 2315 jobs in the quarter, or 1.3 percent. Accommodation and food services was down 1.2 percent or 1869 percent, and administrative and support services was down 1.4 percent or 1337 jobs. Since December…

It will take time for the sequence of events in the Marokopa case to be established, and rightly so, writes criminology lecturer Ross Hendy.Police found two children, alone at a camp site in a remote location, after their fugitive father was shot dead during a burglary early on Monday morning. The death of Tom Phillips came after almost four years on the run, hiding out in dense bush in the North Island’s western Waikato region.Parallels have already been drawn with the ongoing search in Victoria for alleged police killer Dezi Freeman, who remains on the run and is believed to…

Accidental activations of emergency locator beacons are increasing, costing thousands of dollars in wasted resources.Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre search and rescue officer James Simpson told RNZ’s Midday Report the “inappropriate” disposal of locator beacons has resulted in call outs to landfills and transfer stations.”That’s detracting from our core business of responding to genuine alerts,” he said.Simpson said ownership of locater beacons had increased in New Zealand, meaning their disposal rate, and their wrong disposal rate had increased.He said it was costing not only money but time.”It depends entirely on where the beacon is located and how easy it is…

Concerns have been raised about the “undue influence” a problem-plagued Dunedin liquor store owner could be having over the operation of two of her businesses. Patricia McCarthy has been in hot water many times over the operation of her liquor stores — including selling to underage customers, selling without a licence and court proceedings. Her daughter Corrina McCarthy now operates the Bottle-O stores in Andersons Bay and Kaikorai Valley and is seeking to renew their liquor licences, but authorities are worried Mrs McCarthy is really running them. The two separate off-licence renewal applications, by McCarthy Enterprises Ltd and Jethro Holdings…