Author: Press Room

Trail camera footage near nests on Waiheke Island shows the first North Island Brown kiwi chick has hatched.It follows the introduction of 10 kiwi on Te Motuaarairoa, the eastern and most isolated side of the island, in May this year.According to Save the Kiwi, the parents of this chick were already a pair when brought to the island, with landowners, volunteers and Save the Kiwi monitoring their progress.”This is a huge milestone for the kiwi released earlier this year,” says Save the Kiwi dog specialist Emma Craig.”We’re hopeful this one will make it to adulthood — but we always remember…

The nation’s largest rural-supply store Farmlands has turned around a disappointing financial result a year ago with a profit credited to business improvements. Farmland’s $2.8 million profit after tax for the year ending June follows a net loss of $9.3m in the previous year. The return to profitability was put down to progress in year 2 of its five-year strategy and confidence lifting in the rural sector. Turnover increased 4% to $2.55 billion from $2.46b the previous year, and revenue rose 14.5% to $847.3m from $740.3m. Gross profit of $185.4m was up 16.4%. Operating ebitda of $33.5m was up 64%,…

If you’ve ever wanted to share breath with the rainforest – or become stardust in the cosmos – Te Papa’s newest exhibition promises to take you there.Opening on December 13, Breathe | Mauri Ora is an immersive digital art experience that invites visitors on a journey through nature, from the Amazon to the human body, and out to the farthest reaches of the universe. Developed by London-based art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast, the exhibition blends art, science, and technology to explore the invisible forces that connect all living things. At Te Papa’s workshop this week, curators tested some of the…

South Port has posted record full-year results, highlighting strong growth in cargo volumes, robust financial performance and continued progress across key strategic initiatives. In an announcement to the NZX, chairman Philip Cory-Wright said the year ended June 30 reflected a significant step up for the company. Record normalised profit after tax of $13.9 million was up 40% on the previous year while reported NPAT of $13.3m was up 81%. Revenue increased 13% to $63.3m, driven by a stronger recovery in bulk cargo and continued diversification of trade. The company declared a full-year dividend of 28 cents per share, up from…

Police in the tourist destination of Phuket in Thailand are investigating the death of a 47-year-old New Zealand woman who was found dead in her hotel room this week.Phuket News reported the woman was found unresponsive in her room at about 2.45pm at her hotel near Kata Beach.Officers estimated the woman had been dead for eight to 10 hours before she was found, Phuket News reported.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told 1News the New Zealand embassy in Bangkok was providing assistance to the woman’s family.”We extend our sympathies to the family at this very sad time.”

Otago has bucked the national trend for the number of people in work, but some jobs are still attracting hundreds of applicants. One part-time job in Dunedin recently garnered more than 400 applications and comes after the Otago Daily Times reported a part-time position receiving more than 135 applications. According to data released by Stats NZ this week, the number of filled jobs in Otago rose by 921 (0.8%) in the 12 months to September. For the country overall, the number of “actual filled jobs” fell 10,647 (0.5%) to 2.33 million. The largest change was in the construction industry, down 8982 jobs…

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has had a crack at the Prime Minister’s real estate portfolio while making the case for his party’s new capital gains tax policy.The Labour Party announced on Tuesday it would campaign on a capital gains tax on property, excluding the family home and farms, at a rate of 28% from July 1, 2027.Part of Hipkins’ pitch on the tax policy has been that it’s a simple approach that would capture one in 10 New Zealanders but deliver three free GP visits each year, for everyone.National has been poised to jump on Labour’s long-awaited tax policy and…

A tramper’s day walk on Northland’s Mt Tutamoe turned into a late night ordeal after he became lost in dense bush.The event has prompted police to issue a reminder about proper preparation for activities in challenging environments.Northland police search and rescue lead Detective Sergeant Paul Overton said the tramper had almost reached the summit of the mountain when he abandoned the track due to tough terrain.Overton said the tramper had ended up lost after he unintentionally wandered off the track.Although he had patchy reception on his cell phone, he was able to get through to the police emergency call centre.Police…

The EU has learnt from its mistakes with the UK and Georgia and is now prepared to be “more assertive” including by investing in candidate countries to counter fake narratives, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said. In a group interview on Tuesday in which Euronews took part, Marta Kos said 2025 marked a departure for the way the European Commission approached enlargement, notably because “it was the first time that we invested resources, we have invested men and women power to help fend off foreign malign interference”. “This included for the first time the deployment of the EU’s rapid…

People born into the Gloriavale community are trapped into a working structure resembling “a sweatshop”, lawyers for former members say.But counsel for the Christian community told the Court of Appeal this week that members did not expect to be paid, and were supported by the collective.The former leader of the community, overseeing shepherd Howard Temple, is appealing an Employment Court decision which found members were employees, rather than community volunteers, working in factories, farms or Gloriavale’s domestic teams.Temple, 85, resigned as overseeing shepherd in August after being convicted of sexual offending against girls and women at the West Coast Christian…