Author: Press Room

It is mid-January and people have been, or still are, dribbling back into the workplace after a relaxing and refreshing summer break. I always find it a struggle adjusting at this time. I love my job but I love being on holiday more! For those of us in leadership roles, it is a good time to reflect on how we can make that adjustment more positive for our people and inject some “promise of the new year” motivation into our teams. As we head into what is shaping up to be an economically challenging 2025, every business will be relying…

A migrant worker was charged more than $10,000 in fees to get a job by a Singaporean agency used by an Auckland construction company and was subsequently told after a week of work that his services were no longer required.The Employment Relations Authority heard 6 Meter Homes was accredited to recruit an estimated 55 migrants but was likely to have known and profited from the agency charging an $11,000 job premium.The mansion-building firm was ordered to pay more than $46,000 in compensation, fines and lost wages, with its founder Wenbin (Ray) Hua to pay $6,000 of that for seeking a…

Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has pledged to impose tough border controls if elected chancellor in next month’s vote. ADVERTISEMENTGermany’s opposition leader Friedrich Merz is under fire for vowing strict border controls if he is elected chancellor, with the frontrunner citing a deadly knife attack that was allegedly carried out by a rejected asylum seeker as justification for a migration overhaul.The leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Thursday presented a five-point migration plan calling for, among other things, a “de facto entry ban” for all people without valid documents and permanent control of all…

Police are appealing for information about a spate of separate burglaries that resulted in military medals, jewellery and a go-kart being stolen. Rolleston police are investigating three separate burglaries at residential addresses that have been reported since January 1. Some of the medals stolen in the Canterbury burglaries. (Source: NZ Police)”Police are appealing for any information that could reunite these items with their rightful owners,” Senior Sergeant Rachel Walker said. “We would also like to remind people to keep their homes as safe as possible if they’re going away this summer.”Some of the jewellery taken in the burglaries. (Source: NZ…

Rotorua iwi will regain a seat at the council table this year – but without voting powers.The decision has “thrilled” one iwi leader, who hoped it would help Te Arawa’s vision for the next quarter-century be realised.The inaugural meeting of the Te Arawa 2050 Vision Committee was scheduled to be held on February 18 in the Rotorua Lakes Council chambers and would be open to the public, the council confirmed.Councillors voted to establish the new committee in their final meeting of last year. The committee would be able to make recommendations to the full council, which would make the final…

The Kremlin is suspected of deploying the vessel to stalk the seabed, gathering intelligence that could be used in acts of sabotage. ADVERTISEMENT”We see you.” That was UK Defence Secretary John Healey’s defiant warning to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin after his spy ship was spotted in UK waters this week.The ship, known as Yantar, is operated by a Russian Ministry of Defence agency and officially carries out oceanographic research. But Western officials believe it is used for deep-sea espionage.Yantar is well-known to European governments and is commonly escorted by their naval commands.Yet the ship’s latest passage through European waters comes…

A car that crashed into a building in Auckland’s Mairangi Bay injured three people in an accident that one witness described as ‘gnarly’. Police were called to the scene on Beach Rd just after 1pm with St John sending three ambulances and one rapid response unit. Two people were taken to Auckland City Hospital, “One in a moderate condition and one in a serious condition,” St Johns said in a statement. “One additional patient, in a moderate condition, is being transported to North Shore Hospital.”Witness Joshua Cole James told 1News he was working in a dairy across the road at…

A south Auckland train station that had pedestrian level crossings removed to improve safety, is now ready for more frequent train services when the City Rail Link opens.Homai Train Station in Wiri on the Southern Line was blessed on Thursday by mana whenua Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua and will re-open to passengers when train services resume on January 28.Work on the station focused mainly on improvements to help the local blind and low vision community.Three accesses to the Homai Train Station — all frequently used by the Blind and Low Vision Education Network NZ (BLENNZ) school close by — were…

The judicial watchdog has recommended Attorney-General Judith Collins establish a panel after a district court judge and her husband allegedly gate-crashed and disrupted a Christmas party for New Zealand First in November last year.The incident at an exclusive Auckland members club, previously reported by The Post, saw District Court Judge Ema Aitken allegedly yell at Winston Peters, and her husband – former doctor David Galler – allegedly corner Casey Costello over repealing smoke-free legislation.Collins, who previously said she was “really disgusted” at the “very serious” incident, said she referred the matter of Aitken’s alleged conduct to the Judicial Conduct Commissioner.”The…

Eden Park’s CEO and local businesses have backed the Prime Minister’s call for unlimited concerts at the Auckland stadium, but the city’s mayor, Wayne Brown, says it is not a priority for the council.In his State of the Nation speech yesterday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Auckland Council should open up Eden Park to unlimited concerts.”Kiwis spend thousands flying across the Tasman to see massive concerts, go out to bars and restaurants, and boost the Australian economy when, back home, Eden Park sits empty because of council event rules.”A ruling by Auckland Council in November approved Eden Park’s request to…