Author: Press Room
Finer details of the proposed $200 million Ayrburn Screen Hub, earmarked for fast-track approval, have been leaked ahead of an information evening for the film industry next week. Waterfall Park Developments Ltd has invited a large number of people to the meeting at Ayrburn on Wednesday. The invitation contains construction plans for the hub, which show purpose-built studios and a variety of supporting buildings that would attract productions of varying sizes. The hub can accommodate two or more productions at the same time. The development aimed to be a “one-stop shop flexible screen hub”. The plans show workshops and workrooms…
Billy Joel has cancelled all his upcoming concerts across North America and England after being diagnosed with fluid build-up in his brain that has affected his “hearing, vision and balance”. Joel revealed on Instagram that he has Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, “a brain disorder that can affect brain-related abilities, including thinking and concentrating, memory, movement and more,” the Cleveland Clinic said. “This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance,” according to a statement from Joel’s team. “Under his doctor’s instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain…
A person has died after a vehicle crashed into a garage and caught on fire in Otago this afternoon.The single-vehicle crash on Station Rd in Tapanui occurred just after 3.30pm, police said.”The sole occupant of the vehicle died at the scene,” a spokesperson said.”Police are making inquiries to determine the circumstances of the crash.”Station Rd remains closed as inquiries continue.
It’s 9.30 on a Friday morning at Costco and already the line is spilling out the door. Most of those in the queue are here for another delivery of Costco’s butter, which has risen to fame due to its price, at $9.99 a kilo.It’s become so popular that on Thursday Costco put a limit on it – a maximum of 30 each of the salted and unsalted Kirkland’s butter, which comes pre-packed into slabs of 10 individual kilos.Waiting at the door is Aucklander Lisa Blake, who owns a dessert business. She said the cheaper butter helps keep her costs down.”I’ve…
Cardrona Distillery’s single malt whisky, The Falcon, has won a double gold medal, with a score of 95 points, at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It is the only New Zealand whisky to achieve double gold so far this year. The competition is the oldest and largest of its kind and is renowned for setting the industry standard of excellence. A double gold medal is awarded only to spirits that receive unanimous gold ratings from all judges in a blind tasting, placing The Falcon among the world’s top single-malt whiskies. According to Cardrona Distillery, The Falcon has notes…
Ruapehu District Council Mayor Weston Kirton is welcoming the removal of the last of the Auckland Transport commuter train carriages from the Taumarunui rail yards — calling it a turning point that clears the way for new economic development opportunities. More than 50 carriages were relocated to Taumarunui in 2016 by Auckland Transport while awaiting sale or repurposing. Over time, the rail cars were left to deteriorate, leaving an eyesore that frustrated locals and limited potential usage of the rail yard area. Once vibrant and bustling, the local rail yards now stand silent, overrun by deteriorating wagons, a stark contrast…
ADVERTISEMENTA new YouGov survey has found that between 41% and 55% of respondents in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain think another world war is likely to occur within the next five to 10 years. The vast majority expect that such a conflict would involve the use of nuclear weapons. The research interviewed 7,095 people in the five European countries in the first two weeks of April.If another world war did break out, the respondents expect that their nation would be involved, ranging from 66% in Italy to 89% in Great Britain. Yet there is also a clear sense that…
Auckland War Memorial Museum says it is likely to stay closed for at least another week.It has been almost two weeks since asbestos was discovered at the museum, forcing it closed.A spokesperson for Fire and Emergency said it received the museum’s revised fire evacuation scheme on Wednesday and had approved it on Thursday morning.But the museum’s chief executive, David Reeves, said that was just one of the two issues that needed resolving before it could reopen.”The other one is the full cleaning and approval by WorkSafe for as much of the building as we can in order to open safely,”…
A man has been charged with the murder of a man found dead in Parakao, Northland, earlier this month.Geoffrey Wayne Ware was found by ambulance staff on his rural property off Mangakahia Rd, on State Highway 15, just before 4pm on May 9.A homicide investigation was launched into the 55-year-old’s death on May 12. A 26-year-old Northland man has now been charged with his murder. Detective Senior Sergeant Michelle Harris, of Whangārei CIB, says police are not seeking anyone else in connection with his death.Police are continuing to appeal for information and sightings of a man and a vehicle of…
ADVERTISEMENTIrish family members of Ryan Cornelius, a British businessman jailed for fraud in the United Arab Emirates, whose imprisonment has been labelled unfair by the United Nations, have sought to enlist the help of MEPs and EU officials in an effort to have him released.Heather Cornelius and Chris Pagett, respectively Ryan’s wife and brother-in-law, visited the European Parliament in Brussels to ask MEPs to help put pressure on the UAE to release him. Since Heather has Irish roots and holds an Irish passport, they feel the EU is their only avenue left to help secure Cornelius’ release.Who is Ryan Cornelius?Cornelius…