Author: Press Room

The recent Supreme Court decision regarding Uber drivers is not surprising when all the facts are considered. However, how the scheme actually operates will surprise many. The decision is likely to have significant ramifications. The Parliament Education and Workforce Select Committee is considering the Employment Relations Amendment Bill, which includes a gateway test to determine whether workers are contractors or employees. This test is widely viewed as a response to the previous Uber decisions. The Supreme Court’s decision will only serve to better inform the legislation which is designed to give certainty and flexibility to both employers and employees. The…

The woman at the centre of the Jevon McSkimming scandal says her ordeal became an “ongoing nightmare”, as she speaks out for the first time. Known only as Ms Z, the woman broke her silence to further detail her allegations against McSkimming, stating a relationship began when she was a 21-year-old student, and he was a 42-year-old superintendent who met her through a sports club in 2016.According to the interview, published in the New Zealand Herald, she alleges McSkimming would spend hours alone with her.”I wasn’t interested in him, or hoping for a relationship or anything like that. Looking back,…

The European Central Bank has declined to provide emergency liquidity to the reparations loan for Ukraine, warning that doing so would breach the European Union’s founding treaties and undermine the bank’s much-prized independence. The news, first reported by the FT, represents a new setback to the bold plan of using seized Russian assets to support the country it has invaded and destroyed. “Such a proposal is not under consideration as it would likely violate EU treaty law prohibiting monetary financing,” a spokesperson for the ECB said in a statement. The reparations loan is one of the three options presented by…

The nation’s largest pig farm is being sold after being developed into a major North Canterbury employer and business by a family over 25-plus years. Close to 100,000 pigs are raised each year at Patoa Farms, a nearly 900-hectare operation near Hawarden. The business owned by the Sterne family is a large employer for the surrounding community, retaining more than 50 staff and contributing about $4 million in wages to the local economy. First converted in 1998, the property has grown into a free-farmed pig operation of 5000 breeding sows producing finished pigs under an ethical and environmental model. Steve…

A 14-year-old has been arrested after a person was seriously injured in a stabbing during a robbery at a Christchurch dairy this morning.Officers were called to a report of robbery and assault carried out by three people at a business on Opawa Rd shortly before 7am.”During the incident, the store owner was stabbed, causing serious injuries to him,” Christchurch District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said.The trio fled the scene in a vehicle – a silver Toyota MarkX – taking a till and “other items” with them.“We would like anyone who may have seen this vehicle in the Opawa or surrounding…

Russia’s suspected provocations, including drone incursions and the recent bombing of a Polish rail line, are changing warfare doctrines, European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius said on Euronews’ flagship programme The Europe Conversation. “What we have seen from a technical point of view is that we do not have enough detection capabilities, we have no cost-effective means to destroy drones,” he said. Here, he referred to the fact that drones with a value of around €10,000 are being shot down by €1 million missiles. “That’s not the best way to defend yourself,” Kubilius added. “It shows that our way of…

Auckland’s mayor has hit out at the government’s rates cap, saying the strategy “won’t work” .The government is setting a target range of 2% to 4% increases – with councils having to appeal to a regulator if they want to go higher.The cap would take effect from January 1 2027.Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown took aim at the policy.”How else does the government think we’re going to pay for what Auckland needs and for things like the City Rail Link – which were the result of decisions made by previous governments and councils?”Councils are faced with making decisions that involve significant…

Single women are turning to reverse mortgages as a way to get more cash flow in retirement – and some commentators say it may sometimes be because the adjustment to a “single” pension rate is too tough.Professor Graham Squires from Lincoln University has conducted research on reverse mortgages in New Zealand.”This research has not been conducted in New Zealand before, and it is timely given the trajectory of our ageing population and the financial pressures retirees face,” he said.He said while reverse mortgages were relatively niche, only offered by Heartland Bank and Southland Building Society, they could become more common.”Reverse…

Heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds are expected for much of the North Island tomorrow and Thursday, with several warnings issued for multiple regions. According to MetService, an active low-pressure system was expected to move onto central and northern New Zealand tomorrow before moving east on Thursday. “The system is expected to bring heavy rain with thunderstorms and strong winds,” MetService said. An orange rain warning had been issued for the entire Bay of Plenty, including Rotorua, lasting 22 hours from 2am to midnight tomorrow. Residents could expect 80 to 120mm of rain with peak intensities of 15 to 25…

Wellington City Council is installing motion-activated cameras after a spate of vandalism which appeared to target mountain bikers on Matairangi Mt Victoria.The council said over the last few days, logs, stumps and other obstacles had been placed on several mountain bike priority trails in locations where they could cause serious injury if hit by a mountain biker.Wellington City Council parks and open spaces manager Bradley Schroder said police had been notified of the vandalism and cameras which would be installed, adjacent to the bike trails with the aim of identifying the culprits.Schroder said timber had been fastened to trees at…