Author: Press Room

A new report has found one in every eight central Auckland retail stores is empty.Bayley’s New Zealand Retail Market Update reported a 13% vacancy rate within the Auckland CBD, far exceeding Wellington’s 5.3% and Christchurch’s 3.3%.Bayley’s national director for retail sales and leasing Chris Beasleigh told RNZ the city had been through the wringer.”If you look at Auckland, it’s gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson. It had [City Rail Link], Covid-19, work from home, and interest rate increases that have dented consumer confidence,” he said.That vacancy figure included former retail giant Smith and Caughey’s, which closed in July and was…

Reserve Bank chair Neil Quigley. Photo: RNZ The chair of the Reserve Bank Neil Quigley has resigned with immediate effect. A statement from the Finance Minister said Quigley had decided that having overseen a number of key workstreams for the bank, now is the appropriate time for him to hand over to a new chair. Earlier this week, it was revealed Quigley had told the Treasury it would destroy the goodwill between Treasury and the bank if it publicly released details of a meeting before Adrian Orr’s resignation as governor. Nicola Willis said she disagreed with Quigley’s comments, and it…

A man has been charged for allegedly importing blocks of methamphetamine into New Zealand, disguised as lollies. Blocks of pressed methamphetamine — wrapped and labelled as Malaysian Rinda pineapple lollies — were unknowingly handed out in Auckland City Mission food parcels last year, prompting some to seek medical attention after tasting the lollies.Detective Sergeant Ilona Walton said an investigation by the National Organised Crime Group identified a 32-year-old man, who was charged with importing 3g blocks of meth, wrapped in Rinda Packaging. Police said there was “insufficient evidence” at this time to link the person arrested to the meth distributed…

Warriors coach Andrew Webster has stood up for Ivan Cleary, insisting Penrith have every right to rest their first-choice NRL side – even if it could end up having a flow-on effect on his team’s hunt for a top-four finish. Panthers coach Cleary drew criticism after he opted to put 16 of his NRL regulars on ice this week.Cleary has named a side boasting just 398 games of first-grade experience combined, in what is the least-experienced teamlist in the NRL era. Penrith’s significant reshuffle rocketed the Bulldogs into favouritism and turned up the pressure on the Warriors to ensure they…

The Chief Ombudsman has reprimanded Marlborough District Council’s use of public-excluded briefings and workshops, saying they should be “open by default”.It comes two years after councils were given a dressing-down for holding workshops behind closed doors too often and for invalid reasons.However, Marlborough’s council boss maintains they are well within the law and it’s important to discuss complex information without scrutiny.Chief Ombudsman John Allen made his critiques in his official opinion on the council’s compliance with the Local Government Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA), which was presented to councillors on August 4.All councillor briefings and workshops, which were held to…

The health of the Tāmaki Estuary is under scrutiny as environmental advocates raise concerns about sewage overflows, climate change and biodiversity loss in one of Auckland’s most vulnerable waterways.In a recent address to the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board, Julie Chambers, co-chair of the Tāmaki Estuary Environmental Forum, highlighted three major threats to the estuary: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.Chambers says birds, plants, fish and sea life were being lost under the board’s watch.”We can’t blame anyone else – this is our watch,” Chambers says.Sewage spills under spotlightJulie Chambers, co-chair of the Tāmaki Estuary Environmental Forum. Photo/Tāmaki Estuary Environmental Forum Facebook…

The Government is hoping that supermarket reforms announced this week will tempt another player into the supermarket sector in New Zealand.When she unveiled plans for an “express lane” for supermarket developments and other policy changes to boost competition, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said five players, as well as Costco, had expressed interest.But who could our new supermarket player be?Experts say there are a few potential options.Night ‘n Day operator wants separation forced on major brands owned by Foodstuffs and Woolworths. (Source: 1News)An existing New Zealand businessOne option is that a business already in New Zealand might branch out into grocery,…

Whakaari/White Island erupted briefly this morning, sending dark-coloured plumes, containing ash, into the sky before winds dispersed them to the northeast. Observers watched the “minor, short-lived” eruption through cameras, which began at 10.15am with the final observed ash emission at about 12pm.Scientists said it was “unclear at this stage” whether this morning’s volcanic activity would cease or progress to more sustained ash emission in coming days.Volcanic alert levels remained unchanged at level 2, with aviation colour codes staying yellow “given the short duration and small scale of this emission of ash”.The eruption was first identified as a dark-coloured plume rising…

Four men in Wellington have appeared in court after one of New Zealand’s largest ever drug seizures at the border – almost two tonne of liquid ecstasy.The estimated 1950 litres of gamma butyrolactone (GBL) – with a street value of around $14 million – was seized as part of Operation Hermes, a six-month operation led by police and Customs.GBL – commonly known as Fantasy or liquid ecstasy – was a depressant which could make users feel nauseous, groggy, confused and cause memory lapses.Customs officers made the mammoth discovery after an inspection of a commercial shipment arriving in the country identified…

A secretive sect embroiled in allegations of abuse is offering advice to “anyone struggling with harmful sexual thoughts or behaviour”.Known as the Two By Twos or The Truth, the church has sent an email to its members with “resources created to offer possible pathways for those affected by sexual harm”.Police in New Zealand, Australia, and the USA were currently investigating the group.In an email, shown to 1News, the leadership said the three documents acted “as a one-stop resource for advice — whether you’re seeking support for someone who has been harmed, for those who have caused harm, or for anyone…