Author: Press Room

A national kitchen appliance chain has gone into receivership because of weak consumer demand and tough competition. The directors of the Kitchen Things group asked its bankers to call in the receivers as the business made continuing losses despite cost cutting and restructuring. Receiver Stephen Keen of Grant Thornton said efforts to keep the chain going have not countered the drop in sales and shrinking margins. “Over the past two years, the group has faced sustained pressure from weaker consumer demand and increased competition on pricing, leading to ongoing trading losses.” “Despite efforts to restructure and reduce costs, including exploring possible sales…

An Auckland woman has been jailed for two years on numerous tax fraud charges. Caitlin Briar Ashby appeared in the Manukau District Court on August 14, where she faced 18 charges of using documents with intent to obtain a pecuniary advantage from income tax returns, GST returns and applications to two Covid-19 support schemes.She had previously admitted the charges. Ashby had set up three bank accounts using false identities and filed 64 false income tax returns for 14 different taxpayers. She also made two false GST returns, two false Small Business Cashflow scheme loan (SBCS) applications – of which one…

Food prices are rising but people ducking out for a pint of milk or loaf of white bread have been especially hard hit by rises in the last year.Stats NZ data shows that between June 2006, the start of the available data, and July this year, the combined cost of a loaf of sliced white bread and bottle of standard milk rose from $4.35 to $6.58.But much of that increase was concentrated in the past year.In July 2015, the cost was $4.45, although the bread that Stats NZ was using in its measurement at that point was 100g smaller.Last July,…

Roadworkers who were on a crew with Johnathon Walters do not want to talk about his death 15 months ago — it is just too raw.Walters was crushed on a Remuera street last year by a runaway truck so dodgy it had been banned from the road multiple times since 2017.Operator and director of Ashik Transport, Ashik Ali, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.Truckers are speaking up, angry about a road safety system they say is full of holes.Many others were flouting the rules, one said.”Systemic failure killed Johnathon Walters,” a National Road Carriers Association post read.But NZTA has rejected that.Murray…

A Dunedin gin distillery is “thrilled” to have been named best in class at a national awards — for the fourth time in a row. Sandymount Distillery was awarded a trophy and named the best in the “Navy Strength” gin category at the 2025 New Zealand Spirit Awards for its Ladybird Navy Strength Gin. More than 400 entries in total were received at this year’s awards. Sandymount Distillery owner Richard Wilson said they were “thrilled” to take home the award. It showed that their momentum was building. “The whole business has snowballed considerably since I started it. “It was just…

An inmate at Auckland Prison has been taken to hospital in a critical condition after allegedly being assaulted by three other prisoners today. In a statement, Auckland Prison general manager Stephen Parr said three prisoners had been placed on directed segregation after the incident at Paremoremo, which involved an assault on another prisoner.”Staff immediately secured the perpetrators and provided first aid to the victim,” he said.”Violence in prison is not tolerated and anyone who resorts to this behaviour will be held to account.”Police said the prisoner was taken to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition. Detective Inspector Simon Harrison…

The mother of Marokopa fugitive Tom Phillips has written her son and his kids a heartfelt letter. Phillips and his three children, Jayda, Maverick and Ember, have been missing since December 2021. Despite multiple police operations and rewards offered to find them, there has been no success. Speaking to Paddy Gower Has Issues, Phillips’ sister Rozzi revealed their mother Julia had written a letter to her son described as being “from a mother’s heart, just to her son”.“Tom – I feel really sad that you thought you had to do this,” her letter said. “Not considering how much we love…

Fifteen-storey apartment towers could soon rise around select Auckland train stations in keeping with new zoning plans councillors will consider sending out for public feedback later this week.The newly-released draft plans will also clamp down on new housing in areas deemed to be flood or otherwise hazard-prone. Councillors will consider releasing the draft plan and maps for public consultation and submissions at a Thursday meeting. The Government required Auckland’s housing plan change must be notified by October 10.The council’s policy and planning director, Megan Tyler, described the draft as retaining earlier plans’ focus on housing around transport and town centres…

Public Service Minister Judith Collins rejects that her comments regarding teachers’ pay has harmed their relationship with the Government.Secondary school teachers will strike on Wednesday after they were offered a 1% pay increase.The Government condemned the industrial action the day it was announced on Wednesday last week.In a statement at the time, Education Minister Erica Stanford and Collins said the average salary for secondary school teachers had increased to $100,000 compared to $93,000 three years ago.But in the press conference last week, Collins incorrectly said on average a teacher with 10 years’ experience was on an annual salary of around…

A Richmond retailer says rules banning advertising flags from the street would cut his revenue by hundreds of dollars.Coffee on Queen owner Matt Redwood said his flag was “essential” to his business.”At the moment, 90% of our customers that I’ve asked how they know we’re open, they go: ‘we see the flag’.”The Queen St café opens at 4.30am, and putting the flag on the edge of the footpath brings in about $200–300 a day, he estimated, and ensured the employment of up to four workers.However, Tasman District Council’s new bylaw for public places, adopted in November 2024, bans their use.Last…