Author: Press Room

Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran has announced his resignation. The company said he will leave the airline on October 20.He has been in the role for five years. “Leading Air New Zealand has been one of the greatest privileges of my career,” he said.Air New Zealand chair Dame Therese Walsh noted Foran indicated the time is right for him to take on a new challenge.“Greg has always displayed exceptional leadership and grit, not only guiding Air New Zealand through global aviation’s most significant crisis, but at the same time also maintaining the airline’s tradition of innovation, strong culture…

Jim Grenon, the new billionaire investor in media company NZME, has proposed an overhaul of the company’s board.Grenon, who holds a 9.3% stake in NZME, has proposed that the company remove all current directors and appoint four new directors to the board, including himself, according to a notice to the NZX today.A fifth director from the current board would be chosen by the nominee directors.Grenon, an Auckland-based Canadian, claimed to have the support of some of NZME’s largest shareholders, who hold around 37% of the company’s shares.NZME told the NZX it had received a letter from Grenon and his entity…

This article was originally published in Italian The pope’s audio greeting was broadcast before the nightly recitation of the rosary prayer in St. Peter’s Square. ADVERTISEMENT21 days into his stay at Gemelli hospital in Rome, Pope Francis recorded an audio greeting thanking people for their prayers.“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the square, I accompany you from here,” he said as his message was broadcast in Spanish in a hushed St. Peters Square with people gathered for the nightly recitation of the rosary prayer. “May God bless you and the Virgin…

A bus service in Whangārei has been temporarily re-routed for safety after continued incidents of rocks being thrown, smashing bus windows.Northland Regional Council transport manager Chris Powell said bus windows had been smashed in separate rock-throwing incidents on Matai St in the suburb of Ōtangarei.Rocks were first thrown on Saturday and Monday, but “several more incidents” had occurred throughout the week, including today, he said.Powell said the drivers and passengers had been shaken by two incidents in particular.”We take these incidents very seriously as, in both cases, there were passengers on board and either incident had the potential to injure…

Customs have seized more than 36 kilograms of methamphetamine found in unaccompanied bags at Auckland International Airport yesterday.The two bags arrived on March 5 on a flight from Los Angeles and were referred to Customs for inspection.A search of both bags identified several plastic-wrapped, vacuum-sealed parcels which tested positive for methamphetamine.It is estimated the amount of methamphetamine would have had a street value of up to $13.5 million and caused around $37.9 million in potential harm and cost to New Zealand.Customs Auckland Airport manager Paul Williams said it was an example of collaboration by agencies and stakeholders to combat the…

Canberra captain Joe Tapine has accepted a two-game ban while star winger Xavier Savage will miss one match after pleading guilty to charges from their win over the Warriors in Las Vegas.Tapine went to the sin bin for shoulder-charging Warriors co-captain Mitch Barnett in the second half of the 30-8 victory that opened the NRL season on Sunday.He will miss Canberra’s next two games against Brisbane and Manly, avoiding the risk of a third match with an early guilty plea for his grade-two charge.Savage will miss the Broncos clash for attacking Chanel Harris-Tavita’s legs as he kicked in the first…

Former president of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker cautioned against Ukraine joining Nato as a form of security guarantee. Talking to Euronews for The Europe Conversation, he also said that Ukraine should be granted limited EU membership. ADVERTISEMENTJean-Claude Juncker, former president of the European Commission, has cautioned against Ukraine joining NATO as a form of security guarantee. Juncker warned that NATO membership for Ukraine could trigger Article 5—the NATO clause asserting collective defense, which could lead to a direct confrontation between the alliance and Russia. He emphasized that, as long as Ukraine is at war and under attack, it cannot…

Sheep and beef farmers are only half chuffed as they wait for an international trade war to play out on an expected turnaround in farmgate profits from higher export prices. Red meat export returns are projected to increase by $1.2 billion in 2024-25 — up 13% to $10.2b — by Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) mid-season update. The industry body’s team of economists and analysts have found the red meat sector is on track for a strong rebound, as farm profitability and export returns head for a marked increase. At this stage, weaker demand from China is being offset…

Salvage crews have finished removing more than 300,000 litres of diesel fuel from the HMNZS Manawanui, according to the Defence Force.A precautionary fishing zone around the vessel has now been removed, and salvors are now focusing on removing equipment, weapons, ammunition and debris from in and around the ship before making it secure, according to the Defence Force.The Navy vessel sank after it ran aground on a coral reef off the coast of Upolu and caught fire on October 6. All 75 crew and passengers were evacuated.Local authorities said about 200,000 litres of diesel leaked from the wreckage in the…

Christchurch’s Acrux Wool Systems is bringing wool garment manufacturing back to the city with the help of robotic knitters. The company was started by a father and son, Don and Tim Symon, joined by a group of investors last year to accelerate growing the business at the Phillipstown site. So far, 14 whole-garment knitting machines, each fed by six to eight spools of yarn, are computer programmed to put out a garment every 50 minutes to 1.5 hours. About 500 to 700 garments are being made a week, with plans to step this up into a 24-hour shift operation to…