Author: Press Room

Two Vietnamese officials accused of sexually attacking two young female servers at a restaurant in New Zealand won’t return to face criminal charges after attempts to extradite them failed, New Zealand authorities said.New Zealand police would not disclose why efforts to return the men had stalled, but the two countries don’t have an extradition treaty so Hanoi would have had to turn over the alleged attackers voluntarily.”It’s disappointing that police requests for extradition have been unsuccessful,” a spokesperson for New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a statement. “Clearly it is not the outcome we wanted.”One of the women…

The hospitality sector fears the Government’s NCEA overhaul will worsen staff shortages and undermine its drive to grow the tourism industry.It has written to Education Minister Erica Stanford urging her to change her mind on leaving a Year 11 qualification out of her proposed new school qualification.Teachers and business owners told RNZ they needed a qualification like NCEA Level 1 that recognised the basic kitchen skills Year 11 students learned when studying hospitality.Sam MacKinnon from Hospitality New Zealand said axing the Level 1 qualification could make the subject less attractive for students and prompt schools to put less resources and…

The school holidays is forecast to end on a sodden note for many, with thunderstorms and heavy rain on the cards for parts of the North Island.MetService said the forecast for Auckland on Friday painted a picture suited to indoor activities.”Periods of rain, becoming persistent and heavier by afternoon, with thunderstorms possible from evening. Northerlies, strong for a time this afternoon,” the forecaster said. ‘Very active weather on the way’ – watch on TVNZ+It was a similar story for Northland, with the weather getting worse as the day progressed, with thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast from the afternoon.Further south, Bay…

Generations of of children — and more than a few adults — have been both frustrated and fascinated by the toys sold by the company made famous by Shunsaku Tamiya. The Shizuoka-born son of a lumber merchant, Tamiya helped transform his father’s firm into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of kit set models and radio-controlled cars. Tamiya kits were not easy to assemble — the chairman insisted on rigorous and often fiddly attention to detail so as to achieve his aim of his models being as authentic as the machines they were modelled on. Tamiya often photographed or bought…

The Government has announced it will contribute $5 million of funding toward a new Centre Court roof for Auckland’s Manuka Doctor Arena.Announced this morning by Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston, the investment will support Tennis Auckland in co-funding its Centre Court Roof project, estimated to cost $15 million and planned for completion in 2027. This was the first infrastructure investment announced in the Government’s $70 million Major Events and Tourism Package, designed to energise the events sector, boost visitor numbers, and drive economic activity across New Zealand.“I’m thrilled our recent support package for major events and tourism will help…

The company behind arguably New Zealand’s most famous custard square owes unsecured creditors more than $500,000, the first liquidator’s report shows. The Official Assignee was appointed liquidator of Denheath Corporation Ltd, which traded as Denheath Desserts, in August. The custard and flaky pastry treats were produced in South Canterbury for decades, initially from the former post office in Pleasant Point and then from a factory in Timaru. Reasons given for the liquidation included Covid, insufficient capital, economic conditions, retail compliance costs, export issues and costs, the report said. Various parties had expressed interest in purchasing the company’s business, including trademarks…

The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including a terror attack at a Manchester synagogue, Te Pāti Māori’s reassurance to members, and how Elon Musk set a new world record. Two people have been killed in a terror attack on a Manchester synagogue.Te Pāti Māori has emailed members to reassure them amid ructions with the Toitū Te Tiriti movement. A refreshed All Blacks lineup has plenty to play for against the Wallabies this weekend. Elon Musk has become the first person to have a net worth of more than 500 billion US dollars.

Attendance numbers at events hosted by Dunedin Venues Management Ltd (DVML) have fallen more than 30% in a year amid an ‘‘extremely challenging and competitive’’ environment, a report says. The result was included in the 2025 annual report for Dunedin City Holdings Limited (DCHL). It said the past financial year had been ‘‘one of solid achievement’’ across DVML’s venues, and a diverse range of events had made meaningful contributions to the city’s economic and social landscape. It recorded a total of 207,409 attendees across 274 events hosted by DVML – compared to 312,013 across 288 events in the last financial…

Bullying at Dunedin Hospital has been revealed in documents released following reports some staff at Southland Hospital had been told they couldn’t chat to each other for more than five minutes.RNZ first revealed complaints flagged by the PSA union involving staff in Southland’s clinical records and coding team in May 2025.But the problems ran deeper and wider than that, documents newly released under the Official Information Act (OIA) showed.In May, Health NZ Southern told RNZ it did not have a ‘no talking’ policy and it had held an “amicable” meeting with the union in March.But in June the talk was…

A more than $10 million distribution and warehousing site, United States and European sales offices and ‘‘mobile showrooms’’ are among the latest developments at a Dunedin fireplace company. Construction began a few months ago on Escea Fireplace Company’s new 6000sqm distribution warehouse in Mosgiel. The building is situated on an L-shaped section of land between McGlashan St and Cemetery Rd. Chief executive Nigel Bamford said the development would increase the company’s total square metres of operating space by about a third. It would also allow it to increase production by a further 30% to 40%. ‘‘It’s going to make us…