Author: Press Room

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster is set to lead the Government’s Social Investment Agency.It replaces the Social Wellbeing Agency which was part of the Public Service Commission.Acting Public Service Commissioner Heather Baggott announced today Coster had been appointed the agency’s secretary for social investment and its chief executive.He has been appointed for five years from November 11. Earlier this year Coster said he wouldn’t seek another term when his current one came to an end in April 2025. “The secretary is responsible for embedding the government’s social investment approach, driving change in the delivery of social services, influencing more effective expenditure…

This article was originally published in Italian Belgium’s Lebanese ambassador Fadi Hajali accused Israel of “targeting civilians and violating human rights.” ADVERTISEMENTLebanon’s ambassador to Belgium Fadi Hajali has denounced the escalation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon in recent days, calling it an “existential threat” to the Lebanese people in an interview with Euronews. “The huge number of casualties is simply atrocious, unheard of in Lebanon in a single day,” Fadj said, referring to the Israeli bombardment on Monday which authorities say has killed over 500 people. Hajali added that he hoped the international community will intervene to help resolve the conflict.…

Sustainable Tarras is urging Santana Minerals to drop its fast-track consent application for its open-cast goldmine development and focus on the existing consent process instead. Speaking after the gold-prospecting company’s first community engagement meeting in Tarras on Monday, Sustainable Tarras represenative Rob van der Mark said he came away feeling “none the wiser” and wondered if Santana’s attempts to get its fast-track application done by February was “a bit rushed”. Sustainable Tarras is a lobby group formed several years ago to oppose Christchurch Airport and has since turned its energies to opposing the mine. Mr van der Mark said the…

A new species of ghost shark that lives exclusively in deep New Zealand and Australian waters has been discovered by scientists.The Australasian Narrow-nosed Spookfish was previously thought to be part of a single globally distributed species.However, in a media release today, NIWA revealed new research shows, “it is genetically and morphologically different to its cousins”.NIWA fisheries scientist Dr Brit Finucci has given the shark the scientific name Harriotta avia in memory of her grandmother.”Avia means grandmother in Latin; I wanted to give this nod to her because she proudly supported me through my career as a scientist. Chimaeras are also…

A skier has been dug out from under a metre of snow after being caught in an avalanche near Treble Cone.The man, who was with a well-prepared group of five, including three avalanche professionals, was dug out from beneath a metre of snow, the Mountain Safety Council said.Incredibly, the man was not injured and did not lose consciousness. He was able to create an air pocket around his face as the avalanche slowed.The event on Monday was the second human-triggered avalanche in the area, with a previous one on Saturday.The NZ Avalanche Advisory said: “Thanks to a high-level of training…

On Monday, rail sector specialists spent a six-hour train ride attempting to figure out how to fix a network that’s fragmented, expensive and arguably holding back European growth. ADVERTISEMENTThe EU’s plan to boost cross-border rail will take some serious investment, as it won’t be easy to speed up a network that’s currently sluggish and poorly-connected.The European rail sector got together on Monday (23 September) to discuss that issue — and where better to do so than on a six-hour rail trip?During the trip from Brussels to Berlin, coffee and conversations flowed among over 230 participants on how to get the…

A major Dunedin brewery has had its liquor licence challenged by students who claim it was behind “predatory” alcohol marketing during O Week. An application for the renewal of an on-licence for the Speight’s Heritage Centre has been opposed by Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Ōtepoti. The applicant, Lion NZ Ltd, took over operations at the Rattray St brewery in about 1977 and was not looking to make any changes to its licence, a report to Dunedin’s district licensing committee said. The licence allowed it to offer tastings at the end of tours of the brewery and to host…

Working from home — at least some of the time — is just part of the job for many New Zealand office workers.But with the Government cracking down on remote work, and international organisations such as Amazon and Tesla taking a harder line, more questions are being asked about the future of the home office.Here are reasons for and against the WFH life.For…ProductivityDespite what some pundits might have you believe, there’s limited evidence that whether you work from home has any impact on your productivity.Jarrod Haar, a professor at Massey University, said his research had consistently shown that hybrid workers…

European Affairs Minister János Bóka insists he won’t pay a €200m fine imposed by EU courts for restricting asylum rights, though Brussels has triggered a special procedure to deduct the sum from EU funds. ADVERTISEMENTHungary is willing to enforce a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that declared longstanding restrictions on asylum rights unlawful, European Affairs Minister János Bóka said on Tuesday (24 September).But Bóka insisted he will not pay the hefty fine imposed by judges, which grows by the day.In June, the EU’s highest court found that Hungary had committed an “unprecedented and exceptionally serious” legal…

OPINION: New Zealand writer Charlotte Grimshaw spent the eight weeks of the Polkinghorne trial in Menton, France on the Katherine Mansfield fellowship. But that didn’t stop the novelist, whose books often explore the nuances of privileged Auckland society, from following the trial in detail. She reflects on character, drugs, and why we were all so gripped by Philip Polkinghorne and Pauline Hanna. While I was in France and following reports of Philip Polkinghorne’s murder trial, I happened to watch a classic movie about a man with a hidden life. The film makes one thing very clear: character witnesses are of…