Author: Press Room

By Bella Craig of RNZ  High rents, expensive groceries and car parking costs have sucked life out of the CBD, Wellington business say, leaving them struggling with few customers. Post-Covid-19, businesses say the vibe has been off, with the area feeling less safe and more people choosing to stay away. Cuba Street has been long-known as the lively heart of the Wellington CBD, bustling with locals and tourists visiting locally owned cafes, shops and bars. But Ainsley Robinson, manager of Olive – a café and restaurant in Cuba Street – told RNZ’s Checkpoint programme today the street had changed, as it had…

Police are warning retailers to be cautious after fake cash was used at an Auckland charity shop. Auckland City East Area prevention manager Inspector Rachel Dolheguy said that a fake $100 bill was used at a Remuera Rd charity shop at around 2pm on Thursday. Dolheguy said a woman had entered the shop and purchased a couple of items.”Unfortunately the volunteers didn’t immediately realise the $100 note was a counterfeit,” Dolheguy said. “It wasn’t until they did the banking later in the afternoon that they were alerted.”Investigations are underway to locate those responsible for the counterfeit cash, but police are…

Whānau with loved ones buried at an Upper Hutt cemetery are upset and furious someone has moved dozens of vases of flowers from headstones.A picture posted to Facebook by the Upper Hutt City Council showed the vases had been moved away from headstones and arranged around a nearby seat at Akatārawa Cemetery.”Unfortunately, someone has visited Akatārawa Cemetery overnight and removed all the flowers and vases from a section of the Monumental 4 area,” the council said.”We’re very disappointed this has happened and are asking anyone who has loved ones in rows 31-40 of Monumental 4 to please come by and…

By Anusha Bradley of RNZ Well-off New Zealanders are paying less tax than their peers in nine similar OECD nations, new research shows. New Zealand had the lowest income tax rate, did not systematically tax capital gains, and did not have any other types of wealth taxes, the Victoria University study commissioned by Tax Justice Aotearoa found. The group’s chair Glenn Barclay said the analysis countered claims that the wealthy would take their money offshore if capital gains were taxed in Aotearoa. The study looked at how much tax someone earning five times the average New Zealand wage – around $330,000…

A man has been charged over an alleged stabbing which took place in the Auckland suburb of Pakuranga earlier this month.Police launched an investigation into the matter after a man arrived outside a property with stab wounds on Jade Ave on the afternoon of September 6.Detective Sergeant James Mapp said inquiries led police to a Mt Wellington address this week.The 24-year-old man was arrested and appeared at Manukau District Court today.”Police have charged the man with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm,” said Mapp.”While we can’t go into specifics about a case now before a court, we can…

Huawei and Apple’s latest smartphones go on sale in China today, with the Chinese tech company’s much-anticipated tri-foldable phone offered at more than twice the price of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. However, analysts warn that supply chain constraints could leave many buyers of Huawei Technologies’ Mate XT empty-handed. The launch of the Mate XT, costing $US2800 ($NZ4480), which analysts say has a locally-made chipset, underscores Huawei’s ability to navigate US sanctions and solidifies its position against Apple in China, where some consumers criticised the new iPhone 16 for its lack of AI features in the country. Huawei unveiled the Mate XT to much…

Prince Harry will reportedly return to the UK later this month without his wife to attend the WellChild awards.The Duke of Sussex, 40, who has children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, with his partner Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, 43, has been a patron of the charity for 16 years, with the good cause holding the event each year to celebrate children and young people living with serious illnesses and complicated medical requirements.It is thought that Harry will not be accompanied by Meghan on his trip back to Britain from his home in Montecito, California, The Times has reported.The newspaper added…

The man in charge of turning around New Zealand’s health system has batted away criticism that he’s not focused on the $320,000-a-year role, saying he works 70-hour weeks alongside lecturing two university courses.Health NZ commissioner Lester Levy was appointed to the role in July, part of what minister Shane Reti has said was a “turnaround job”.But a report in The Post revealed Levy is dividing his time on that job with another — as a lecturer at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT).One nurse told 1News today he was “utterly astounded and disgusted” Levy’s attentions weren’t solely on his commissioner…

Debt-ridden milk producer Synlait is back from the brink of receivership after a meeting in Canterbury’s Dunsandel today.Shareholders have voted in a landslide decision to give the green light to a $218 million dollar cash injection from Synlait’s largest shareholder, Chinese owned Bright Dairy. This increases their stake to 65%.Synlait’s independent chairperson George Adams told the meeting: “The seriousness of today’s resolutions should not be understated, if the resolutions do not pass Synlait will be unable to repay its debt.”The majority of votes were registered online, approving three resolutions with more than 95% in favour.Bright Dairy appointed director Julia Zhu…

An Auckland hospitality entrepreneur hopes to flip the New Zealand culture of ‘no tipping’ at bars and restaurants. Luke Dallow told Morning Report a struggling economy means many hospitality spots are employing fewer waiters, so diners are getting slack service. With the cost of goods and rents increasing, something needs to change, he said. “And what is controllable is wages. My concept would be to reduce the menu price on the menu, then that would get more consumers into the restaurants or bars. “Now to top this up you would tip, encourage tipping.” He said it would mean minimum wage plus tips…