Author: Press Room

After suffering a severe brain injury during a school rugby game, 16-year-old Semisi Naiqara’s life support was turned off and his family was told to be ready to say goodbye. But nearly a year later, he walked out of treatment and is getting ready to return to school next year, in what those who cared for him described as a “miracle”. On September 5, 2024, Semisi was playing for the prestigious Wesley College 1st XV when he took a bad head knock and suffered a traumatic brain injury. The “gentle” young man, described as an “absolute charmer” with a “beautiful…

Canterbury-based milk processor Synlait Milk is anticipating a loss after tax of $27million to $40m after manufacturing challenges at its Dunsandel factory. The company announced to NZX the predicted result for the financial year ending July compared with a $182.1m loss the previous year. Synlait had to deal with manufacturing issues at its Dunsandel facility across a range of products, resulting in one-off costs. The company said the challenges had been resolved. The site is now in new-season production after winter maintenance. Earnings of $50m to $68m before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) are up on the previous $4.1m…

Invercargill mayor Nobby Clark is not backing his brother’s attempt to take over his job when he finishes up this election.Nelson-based Andrew Clark is running for mayor in the southern city while simultaneously standing for Tasman district mayor.Up there, he is running as Maxwell Clark.The move has irked big brother Nobby, who is finishing up as mayor after just one term at the helm.”I do not support my brother’s nomination,” mayor Clark told Local Democracy Reporting.”Why is he using Andrew and not using his known name [Maxwell] – while he is also standing for the Tasman mayoralty for the fifth…

Harsh economic times have been cited as the reason for the liquidation of a Wanaka interior design business. Wanaka Interiors, which was incorporated in March 2022, was placed in liquidation by shareholders resolution last month. In their first report, liquidators Trevor and Emma Laing, of Laing Insolvency Specialists, said the business, owned by Celeste and Isaac Benefield, provided interior design services and retail of high-end home goods. Economic conditions resulted in declining revenue and the decision to close the retail operation was made. The decision was then made to formally wind down the business, new tenants were secured for the…

The owner of Facebook is receiving ongoing criticism for not handing over potential evidence which could help investigators of a Southland toddler’s mysterious death.Lachlan “Lachie” Jones was found dead in a sewage pond in Gore in January 2019, but requests for Facebook messages that allegedly backed up claims he was deliberately thrown in the water have gone unanswered.There have already been two police investigations, and the coronial inquiry remained open. A third police investigation was now under way with new investigators brought in from the North Island in charge.Facebook messages allegedly supported a witnesses’ testimony that they heard one of…

After a career as an urban planner and then running a childcare centre business, Wakatipu’s Gemma Smith is changing tack for a different pace of life. She talks to business and rural editor Sally Rae. It was Winston Churchill who famously said “there is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”. Gemma Smith would agree with that, saying the sense of calm that comes from being with a horse, either on or around one, is almost meditative. The Wakatipu woman recently launched boutique equine experience Willow & Mane at her Lake Hayes home, an initiative designed to help…

Controversially, the production was mostly shot in New Zealand with non-Hawaiian crews. Duncan Caillard asks why. Jason Momoa’s historical epic Chief of War, which launched on Friday on Apple TV+, is a triumph of Hawaiians telling their own stories – despite the fact their film and TV production industry now struggles to be viable.The series stars Momoa (Aquaman, Game of Thrones) as Kaʻaina, an ali’i (chief) who fights for – and later rises against – King Kamehameha I during the bloody reunification of Hawaii.The 45-year-old actor has spent a lot of time in New Zealand in recent years, working on…

New Zealand has been hit with a higher tariff rate than Australia on exports to the US – but economists say the situation could have been worse.It was revealed today that New Zealand exports would have a 15% tariff applied, up from 10% announced earlier.Australia remains at 10%.Brad Olsen, chief executive at Infometrics, said that was a clear challenge for New Zealand.”There is now a wedge between us and Australia.”There were other parts of the world that previously had a higher tariff rate that were now on the same level as New Zealand, such as Europe.”Wine, for example, under the…

Ecogas — a joint venture between Central Otago’s Pioneer Energy Group and Ecostock Ltd — has received global recognition, winning AD Hero of the Year at the 2025 Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Industry Awards in the United Kingdom. The awards, held during the World Biogas Summit and Expo in Birmingham, recognised global excellence in the anaerobic digestion and biogas sector. More than 400 people attended the event hosted by the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) and the World Biogas Association. Pioneer Energy ventured into the waste-to-energy sector through a partnership with Ecostock Ltd to form Ecogas. In 2022, the…

Published on 01/08/2025 – 17:49 GMT+2 ADVERTISEMENT More than 1,000 weapons have been surrendered under a UK government amnesty aimed at tackling the country’s worsening knife crime crisis as a ban on ninja swords comes into force, the Home Office said on Friday. The month-long campaign, which ran throughout July, encouraged individuals, particularly young people, to hand in weapons anonymously at designated amnesty bins and mobile collection vans.  According to media reports, the initiative follows a string of high-profile knife attacks and is part of a broader government crackdown on the sale and possession of bladed weapons. One of the…