Author: Press Room

“People say, ‘how many birthdays have you had?’ I say, I’ve only had one … all the rest are just celebrations,” Robbie Burnside says laconically. But he does acknowledge there are probably few nonagenarians that have their private pilot’s licence and still fly, let alone own two planes. Mr Burnside, who turned 90 yesterday, was a prominent figure in governance for decades, particularly in agribusiness — most notably as a director of PPCS (now Silver Fern Farms) for 35 years, including 18 as chairman — and the health sector, along with various other organisations. At his Mosgiel home this week…

Three security guards have been arrested following complaints after demands were allegedly made of customers at a South Auckland supermarket. The incidents involved some external security contractors at Pak’nSave Manukau, police said in a statement.Five alleged victims filed complaints with police, Detective Senior Sergeant Kevin Tiernan, Counties Manukau Central CIB, said.”Enquiries have been carried out since the first report was made to police in late January, culminating in the arrests being made today,” he said.Two men, aged 23 and 39, and a 19-year-old woman were due to appear in the Manukau District Court on March 26.”All three charged face a…

The oil tanker ‘Eventin’, believed to be part of Russia’s efforts to evade sanctions, was already towed into safer waters by a German tugboat in January after it was discovered adrift in heavy seas off the Baltic coast. ADVERTISEMENTGerman customs authorities have seized the Panama-flagged tanker ‘Eventin’, which has been anchored off Germany’s Baltic Sea coast since January.The ship is believed to be part of Russia’s so called ‘shadow fleet’ of aging tankers of uncertain ownership and safety practices that Western governments say Moscow has resorted to using to dodge sanctions and keep oil revenue flowing.Security sources told German news…

Police have paused a search for a woman who failed to catch her flight home to Taupō from Dunedin earlier this month after no new search areas were identified.Penelope, known as Penny, was last seen on March 1 in the Sandfly Bay area.A CCTV image of her last sighting was released on March 6, with police saying inquiries indicated the 65-year-old may have travelled to the Otago Peninsula area.She was wearing a dark coloured hat, green top, tan pants and jandals.Police had conducted several searches in Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula areas and said no new search areas had been…

According to energy company REN, wind production on Wednesday reached historic highs and supplied 56% of the country’s total electricity consumption. ADVERTISEMENTElectricity produced by wind power in Portugal has hit an all-time high, fuelled by the strong winds of Storm Martinho. The total daily production of electricity generated by wind totalled 112.4 GWh, energy company and national grid operator Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN) said on Thursday.”The Martinho depression also allowed for a new maximum wind power of 5080 MW at 12.15pm,” REN said in a statement.The wind production recorded on Wednesday supplied 56% of the country’s electricity consumption, the national…

A giraffe at Hamilton Zoo has died during a routine health check.Dume, a 19-year-old giraffe, was one of the oldest animals at the zoo.In a Facebook post, Hamilton Zoo said Dume had captured the hearts of everyone with his gentle and majestic presence.”Our team is heartbroken by this loss. We are committed to providing the highest standard of care for all our animals, and this incident is a profound reminder of the delicate nature of wildlife care.”Head veterinarian Richard Sim said there was always a risk with anaesthetic treatments on large animals but the zoo needed to correct some hoof…

Turkey and the US are the biggest export partners. ADVERTISEMENTIn 2024, the EU exported iron and steel and related articles worth €77.8 billion and imported €73.1 billion. This resulted in a trade surplus of €4.7 billion, according to the latest Eurostat data. Compared with 2019, exports rose by 15.2% and imports increased by 23.7%. Despite these monetary increases, the physical weight of exports declined by 17.3%, and imports decreased by 1.6%. This indicates “that the value rise was primarily driven by increasing prices”, according to Eurostat.Turkey was one of the main partners both for exports and imports in 2024 of iron and steel. The country occupied the first place in exports with a total…

Three workers at Auckland International Airport have been arrested over the alleged importation of boxes containing around 58 kilograms of methamphetamine.Customs identified suspicious activity within the airport and investigations established that three workers had moved a container off a flight from Malaysia on March 12.Indicative testing of the item returned a positive result for methamphetamine.The seized 58kg of methamphetamine equated to nearly 2.9 million doses with a potential value of up to $21.7 million.Subsequently, the men were arrested and appeared in the Manukau District Court the same day.They faced multiple charges related to importation of methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine…

While Russia has said seizing its assets would amount to ‘theft’, the question of whether such a move is legal under international law is a thorny one. ADVERTISEMENTEurope is divided over whether an estimated €210bn in frozen Russian assets held in member states can be seized to support Ukraine’s military and help rebuild the country. While Russia has condemned these prospective plans as “theft”, European governments supporting the Ukrainian war effort have been examining whether such a move would in fact be permitted under international law. The total figure for assets frozen by the EU, US and other allies since…

A body has been found in the search for a man reported missing after his car was found in a ditch near Tongariro National Park.A search was begun after Geoffrey Kelly’s vehicle was discovered on Makokomiko Rd in Hikumutu around 10.30am on February 21.The body was found after police and a cadaver dog were deployed in Hikumutu this afternoon, police said.Police had previously carried out extensive searches of the surrounding area with a drone, Police Search and Rescue, Land Search and Rescue volunteers, local farmers and residents, and a private helicopter.”While the formal identification process is yet to be completed,…