Author: Press Room

Since Kent Marshall was a boy, he has been dismantling, fixing and rebuilding all kinds of electrical equipment – even the family oven – all without electrocuting himself. But recently, the 25-year-old Dunedin electrical apprentice got the shock of his life when he won the industrial category at the New Zealand Master Electricians Apprentice Challenge in Auckland. The win has qualified him for the WorldSkills Competition in Germany next year. “I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands. “Back in the day, I would pull things apart. “It started with normal toys, then it moved to anything electrical that I could…

The man charged with the murder of Christchurch real estate agent Yanfei Bao has accused police of falsifying evidence.Chinese national Tingjun Cao, 53, is representing himself in his High Court trial at Christchurch after sacking his defence lawyers last week.Bao, 44, vanished on July 19, 2023, and her remains were found in a shallow grave in farmland on the outskirts of Christchurch more than a year later.Cao is charged with her murder.The Crown is arguing that Cao murdered Bao on the day she vanished after arranging to meet her at a home for sale in Hornby.As the trial entered a…

The Government is today making a national apology to New Zealanders who were abused while in state and faith-based care.The apology comes after the release of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care in July, which found almost a third of people in state and faith-based institutions between 1950 and 2019 were abused. It described it as a “disgrace” and a “stain” on the national character.An apology from officials would begin at 9.45am today, and could be viewed here. The national apology will be delivered later in the morning by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Parliament.After years of…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Facebook users are being warned to watch out for ads designed to cash in on New Zealand’s economic gloom. Netsafe chief executive Brent Carey said dodgy Facebook ads were a long-standing problem and new versions, which claim that businesses are closing down because of conditions in various parts of the country, for example, were the latest iteration. Often these businesses were not based in New Zealand if they existed at all. Multiple businesses with different names all claiming to be based in Wellington were advertising with identical text, which included a claim that the owners…

An immigration adviser has been recorded telling an overseas worker she can help get him residency with a fake job in return for $70,000.The conversation was taped by migrant Richard Wu, who arrived from Singapore in May and lost his job two months later. He claims he had already paid $18,000 to the adviser, Heidi Castelucci, for arranging a five-year Accredited Employer Work Visa and what he thought was a legitimate job as a driver and administrator at Liberty Consulting Group in Auckland.Castelucci is heard in the recordings discussing the job-selling scheme, which she says was her husband Toby Castelucci’s…

A major West Coast highway will remain partly closed until the end of this week as contractors battle unstable conditions with more rockfall occurring overnight.Heavy rain, flooding, and slips hit Westland over the weekend, which saw a local state of emergency declared in part of the region.On the West Coast, State Highway 6 is shut between Haast and Paringa. A section between Paringa and Fox Glacier re-opened late this afternoon. An update on the section between Lake Moeraki to Paringa is expected at 9am tomorrow.Rockfall on SH6. (Source: NZTA)Meanwhile, in Tasman, a sudden rockfall this afternoon has closed SH6 between…

A struggling Queenstown hotel among the most luxurious in New Zealand has been sold, but some creditors owed money are unlikely to be paid. A second receivers’ report released last week says the Carlin Hotel, a lavish six-star, seven-storey boutique property built for about $30million in 2022, continues to operate after the sale. All company employees had accepted offers of employment by the new owners, the report said. Carlin Hotel Property Management Ltd, the management company operating the hotel, and Queenstown Views Villas Ltd, which owned six of the hotel’s nine units subject to a management agreement with the former,…

Dairy giant Fonterra has confirmed it will sell its consumer business, including major brands Anchor and Mainland.Chief executive Miles Hurrell said it decided a sale was in the cooperative’s best interests.”We have been working with our team of advisors to assess potential divestment options, the assets and businesses in scope, and the best pathway to maximise value for our Co-op.””This work, coupled with the confidence we have in our revised strategic direction, has confirmed a divestment of our global Consumer and associated businesses is in the best interests of the Co-op,” Hurrell said. Famous brands attract interestThe sale would include consumer…

Under the new proposal, the current four-month fully paid leave could be extended to six months, and five-month leave at 80% pay could increase to seven months. ADVERTISEMENTA proposal for extending fully paid parental leave in Portugal to six months is currently under parliamentary review but will not be approved by the end of this year as although the measure was sent for specialized discussion, a final vote date has yet to be scheduled.The Portuguese Parliament recently approved an extension of initial parental leave benefits. Under this proposal, the current four-month fully paid leave could be extended to six months,…

The Government has announced law changes aimed at better protecting people in state care, ahead of Tuesday’s formal apology for historical abuse.The Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Bill will have its first reading debate after the apology at Parliament.The changes include:Removing strip searches of children in care and provide new search powers for people visiting youth justice facilitiesStrengthen restrictions for people working with young children, including closing a loophold which allows people with overseas convictions to work with childrenEnforce better record keeping by Government agencies by giving the Chief Archivist more powers, including giving deadlines by which agencies…