Author: Press Room

Bunk beds are back at Christchurch’s newest hybrid hostel-hotel – and they’re a lot flashier than they used to be.A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday officially opened Drifter Christchurch on Lichfield St in the central city.The hotel with a difference is based on the old hostels of a decade ago, but with all the bells and whistles.Leisure Accommodation Collective chief executive Luke Moran said Drifters was designed for travellers from all walks of life.”We offer a mix of private and shared accommodation. The aim for the entire building is that people talk to someone, that they actually engage.”They are travellers, like-minded…

Bumping Australia’s adult vaccination rate to the same level as that of children could unlock a billion-dollar economic frontier.A new report reveals the cost-benefit analysis of funding that would address gaps in vaccine access to deliver a range of economic and health benefits.Diseases like shingles, influenza, RSV and whooping cough were examined by researchers at consultancy Evaluate to show the potential impact of more adults opting for jabs.They found making the challenge a priority could deliver $1.1 billion net after a $320 million government investment.To achieve it would involve setting a 95 per cent adult immunisation target consistent with the…

An unlicensed immigration advisor has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison after providing advice to vulnerable immigrants over a decade — including after charges were filed. Romney Lavea provided advice to vulnerable immigrants in the Samoan community and continued to do so even after being warned by the Immigration Advisers Authority in July 2011, and after charges were filed in May 2022, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said today in a media release.He had previously been sentenced to two years in prison for immigration-related offending.Earlier this year, a jury found Lavea guilty of six counts…

Seven people have been arrested after police dismantled a criminal syndicate’s operation involving the alleged importation and distribution of illegal substances using empty rental homes and storage units.The group were arrested after officers — with support from the armed offenders squad — carried out 12 searches of homes across Auckland and Waikato today under ongoing Operation Banner.A man alleged to be a “key player” in the operation was also arrested after getting off a domestic flight at Auckland Airport.Police seized $800,000 in cash, 4.5kg of methamphetamine, 300 LSD tabs, 250g of cocaine, and 250g of ketamine, Detective Senior Sergeant Andy…

This article was originally published in Italian The centres built by the Italian government in Albania are ready to host migrants rescued in the Mediterranean, eleven months after the agreement between the two countries was signed. ADVERTISEMENTUp to 400 people will initially be sent there. Exclusively male, these migrants will have been rescued by Italian ships in the Mediterranean Sea before being transported to the coastal Albanian town of Shengjin.Here, a centre ran by Italian staff has been set up. Interpreters, medicals visits and the possibility of applying for asylum are guaranteed.The main section is meant to house asylum seekers while…

Zoe Carney moved from Melbourne to regional Victoria to work as a rural teacher. (Source: Zoe Carney/TikTok)More Aussies are moving out of the major cities and into the regions, with many searching for a cheaper lifestyle as the cost of living bites. One Victorian teacher said living in a small town was “definitely” cheaper but the difference wasn’t as dramatic as you might think.Zoe Carney relocated from Melbourne to a small town on the way to Mildura this year to work as a rural teacher. The 29-year-old told Yahoo Finance the high cost of living was a major factor spurring…

Police have located the body of a person who died following a single-vehicle crash into the Waioeka River near Ōpōtiki last week.Emergency services responded to the scene at around 10.20am on October 4 after reports a vehicle had gone down a bank into the river alongside State Highway 2.Two people were taken to Whakatāne Hospital with moderate injuries.Senior Sergeant Richard Miller said search and rescue teams, including a boat, helicopter and Coastguard jet skis conducted sweeps of the river and riverbanks on Friday.”Unfortunately, the person and vehicle were unable to be located.”Conditions on the river remained dangerous as rain in…

Adding a new person or entity to the EU’s terrorist list requires a judicial decision issued by one of the 27 member states. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union has found the legal basis to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, filling a gap that had for years prevented the crucial decision from being taken.The IRGC has been accused of leading a brutal crackdown on Iranian protesters, transferring arms to Russia and launching ballistic missiles against Israel, as well as propping up militias all across the Middle East.The basis stems from a ruling issued in March by the…

South American couple Pablo Yanez and Francisca Contador left a Chilean city with a population of a million people to create a better future for their family in New Zealand. They talk to business editor Sally Rae about going rural and the launch of their new business servicing the rural sector in North Otago. He once thought that milk came from the supermarket. Now a much more enlightened Pablo Yanez is using the experience gained from working in the New Zealand dairy farming industry to launch an agricultural drone business in North Otago. Having experienced first hand the challenges of farming —…

Tax agent Belinda Raso said Aussies are risking a $1,565 fine by failing to lodge their tax returns. (Source: TikTok/Getty)A tax expert is urging Aussies to stop “putting their heads in the sand” and get on top of their tax returns now. An estimated six million Aussies still haven’t lodged their 2024 tax returns with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and they are risking being slapped with a hefty fine.Aussies have until October 31 to lodge their tax return if they are doing it themselves. Missing this deadline means you can be hit with a ‘failure to lodge penalty’ of…