Author: Press Room

Vape stores setting up inside booze shops “only exacerbates the harm from both”, say opponents, but the vaping industry says liquor store age restrictions would likely limit exposure to young people.Communities Against Alcohol Harm (CAAH), which assists groups to oppose alcohol licences, says several south Auckland liquor stores have been allowed to sell vapes in the same premises in the past year.Recent off-licence renewal applications, which include variations to operate a vape shop, showed that small sections of bottle shops were being sectioned off and turned into a vape store.Bottle shops approved by the District Licensing committee (DLC) to sell…

French dairy giant Lactalis is set to pay Fonterra another $375 million for its global consumer business – which includes brands like Mainland and Anchor – bringing the total sale value to $4.22 billion.It comes after Fonterra said it had resolved a licence dispute with Bega Cheese in Australia.The settlement means Bega licences held by Fonterra’s Australia business will be included in the divestment.On Friday, it was announced Lactalis would purchase major brands from Fonterra, such as Anchor and Mainland, but the Bega licences weren’t included at the time due to the dispute. Prior to the dispute being resolved, the…

South Auckland is losing doctors, lawyers and leaders because barriers keep blocking young people from reaching their potential.That was the challenge issued by Dr Timoti Te Moke, who told locals the focus should not be on congratulating him for becoming a doctor but on the wasted potential of others.“I grew up here in Māngere with 19 other guys. I’m the only one that’s not in prison or dead,” he said.“A lot of them were smarter than me, better leaders than me. People call me an outlier, but what we should be lamenting is the loss of 19 other doctors, 19…

By Gill Bonnett of RNZ Baby boomers struggling to sell up their small businesses have got a surprise boost after the government announced a new visa for migrants who might want to buy them out. International investors could be given residence after as little as 12 months if they buy an existing firm and employ at least one more person. The new business investor visa announced on Wednesday will replace the entrepreneur visa, and has been welcomed by immigration industry members. Investors would get a 12-month fast-track to residence pathway through a $2 million investment, while those with less to spend…

NZ Post services to the US should resume within weeks, as it figures its way through the Trump administration’s tariffs.The postal service had temporarily suspended parcel services to the US because of confusion caused by the tariff regime.This included American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.NZ Post’s Jared Handcock told Morning Report the process was complex because the tariffs rate would depend on the origin of the goods.”So this falls to the sender to actually determine where the goods are manufactured.”He said NZ Post was relying on the sender therefore to declare the origin…

A man has been arrested in Christchurch following reports of female students being approached by a “suspicious person” offering cash for “inappropriate favours”. An investigation was launched by police after it received “reports of concern” in the Merivale and St Albans areas on August 4. Police said yesterday that a man was allegedly offering cash in return for “inappropriate favours”. Letters were sent to 11 schools in the area, alerting them to the incidents. Detective Constable Andrea McDowell said this “resulted in more reports of students being approached”.Officers made inquiries and checked CCTV footage. A 53-year-old man was due to…

A 20-year-old law student has won a court case against Auckland Transport after deciding to “give it a go” himself to avoid having to pay hefty fees for legal representation.Sean O’Loughlin took a case to the High Court at Auckland arguing Auckland Transport (AT) failed to follow the law when installing three speed bumps and a raised pedestrian crossing on The Parade in Bucklands Beach.Justice David Johnstone found the installation had been unlawful.”Regrettably, when making its decision to install the crossing and humps, AT did not consider whether they would unduly impede vehicular traffic.”Instead, its decision-making commenced with the assumption…

New supermarkets that could boost competition will be eligible for fast-tracked approval, under changes announced by the government today. Building consent processes will be streamlined too, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said, and the Overseas Investment Act amended to clarify “pathways available for grocery investments, including through grocery-specific provisions”. “We’re creating an express lane for new supermarkets to boost competition and deliver better deals for Kiwi shoppers,” Willis said. In June, the IPSOS Issues Monitor survey had Labour overtaking National as the party New Zealanders believe is most capable of handling the cost of living. Food prices were about 3% higher in…

A man was arrested in Auckland yesterday for the alleged illegal importation of nearly one million cigarettes and evasion of $1.4 million in taxes. An investigation was launched after Customs officers at the Auckland Processing Centre intercepted two shipments from China declared as clothes. The first contained around 340,000 uncustomed cigarettes of the Chinese Double Happiness brand. The second shipment contained 587,000 cigarettes of the same brand. The cigarette shipments were intercepted by Customs. (Source: Supplied)Investigators found that neither the man or the company listed as the consignee had an import permit for the cigarettes, making it an illegal importation.…

An Ashburton man has been sentenced after his 12 horses were left underfed and in poor condition on a small paddock covered with rubbish. Barry Alexander Hill, 55, had been keeping his dozen horses on a 1.2-hectare lifestyle property that had the capacity to hold only two horses. When animal welfare inspectors visited the property, they found it was rundown, and the animals living in “hazardous conditions” with rubbish strewn across the paddock. Ministry of Primary Industries district manager, animal welfare and NAIT compliance, Canterbury, Richard Notley said: “There was no grass cover to graze, and a lack of decent…