Author: Press Room

Published on 14/11/2025 – 15:00 GMT+1 •Updated 16:02 Elicit Plant is a French startup that has gained international recognition for helping crops cope with water shortages — a challenge that’s becoming critical for farmers worldwide. The company’s breakthrough started with phytosterols. Aymeric Molin, agronomy engineer and Chief Operations Officer at Elicit Plant, explains: “Phytosterols are natural molecules found in all plants. They help regulate how easily substances pass through the plant’s cells, enabling the plant to adapt to the different stresses it encounters.” Elicit Plant’s headquarters function as both a research centre and a testing ground, equipped with biology and…

As Angela Davis looked at those attending the Emerging Director Awards function in Dunedin last week, she felt uplifted. Those in the room were inspiring and they were all cheerleading one another in what was a friendly, inclusive and supportive space, she said. Ms Davis, a Dunedin-based strategy consultant, is this year’s winner of the Institute of Directors’ Otago-Southland branch emerging director award, while Central Otago’s Emily Walker was named runner-up. From Wellington originally, Ms Davis also did a stint living in South Korea as her husband was a project manager for the New Zealand Defence Force. She moved to…

Hanmer Springs is gearing up for a busy summer season after a storm ripped through the town, forcing many popular walking tracks to close.Gusts of more than 200km/h swept through the Canterbury tourist area on October 23, uprooting trees, overturning irrigator pivots and uplifting roofs and fences.Popular trails like Alligator Alley, Easy River and Perseverance could be out of action for several months, but it is hoped the popular Conical Hill Walk will be open before Christmas.Popular trails like Alligator Alley, Easy River and Perseverance could be out of action for several months. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting)Hurunui Mayor Marie Black…

All critical strategic supplies can be used as a weapon against the European Union, Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič told Euronews in an exclusive interview. The EU is dealing with the fallout from the Dutch government’s takeover of Nexperia, a chipmaker, citing national security. The move from the Hague has prompted a clash between Europe and China over who controls the company and its finished products, resulting in Chinese restrictions on chip exports. Šefčovič, an experienced politician who oversees the all-important trade portfolio for the EU, said the episode highlights the complexities of the global supply chain as well as the…

Pioneering Dunedin-founded business Oritain is expanding its scientific network through the phased acquisition of three leading European laboratories. The company, which uses forensic science to determine product provenance, invested in Agroisolab in Germany in 2023 and Advanced Isotopic Analysis (AiA) in France and Imprint Analytics in Austria this year. Co-founder and chief scientist Prof Russell Frew said Oritain had recently started the integration process for all three laboratories. While the purchase prices were not available, Prof Frew confirmed staff at the three laboratories had been retained. Oritain’s founding facility and centre of excellence for forensic origin verification, Isotrace, in Dunedin,…

A former senior leader at police is on leave from his job at the Civil Aviation Authority following the police watchdog’s scathing report into how police handled allegations of sexual offending by former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.RNZ earlier revealed the identities of some of the senior leaders referred to in the IPCA’s 135-page report.Among them is Chris de Wattignar, referred to in the IPCA’s report as Deputy Commissioner PLC, now works as the Upper North head of aviation security at the Civil Aviation Authority.Asked for comment on Wednesday, a CAA spokesperson said the matters discussed in the IPCA’s report “relate…

A new Eurocities Pulse survey has found that climate threats are intensifying faster than the European local capacity to adapt. Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world, with extreme climate events predicted to get worse, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA). Heatwaves, floods, and droughts are the top three most pressing urban climate risks. More than 75% of Europeans live in urban centres, putting them on the front line of the fight against climate change. The Eurocities survey analysed 54 cities across 17 European countries, including Portugal, Italy, Germany, Spain, and France. 80% of the cities surveyed say…

The Regulatory Standards Bill has passed with the backing of the coalition parties.National and New Zealand First agreed to pass the bill into law as part of their coalition agreements with ACT.The bill has faced fierce pushback from the public, with more than 98% of public submissions opposed.The legislation sets down principles for lawmaking which would not be enforceable in court but – if a piece of law would breach them – politicians would need to explain. It also sets up a Regulatory Standards Board which would assess current laws for their adherence to the principles.Its critics say the principles…

The “Seaview stench” could stage an unwelcome sequel over the Hutt following an operational maintenance error at a wastewater treatment plant.Wellington Water said the mistake occurred during work at the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant undertaken by its contractor, Veolia.While the error had been fixed, the community is being warned to the “strong possibility of increased odour”, Wellington Water chief executive Pat Dougherty said.”The mistake has been corrected, however the biological process at the plant has become unbalanced,” he said.”The biological process treats wastewater and, when it is healthy and balanced, the risk of related odour is very low. However, when…

The European Union must find new levers of growth in a changing world where competition and geopolitics dominate, Eurogroup boss Paschal Donohoe told Euronews. Donohoe, who leads the group of euro area finance ministers, said the European economy now requires a combination of internal market reform and diversified external ties. Caught between Trump’s tariffs and escalating tensions with China, Europe is looking for ways to boost its powerful single market and multiply its trading partners. “The responsibility for European growth lies, first and foremost, here in Europe,” he said in Euronews’ interview series 12 Minutes With. “That means making the…