Author: Press Room

Mark Hastie is a smooth operator. On the other hand, his brother Michael is more of a crunchy fan; the pair being the duo behind Dunedin’s Bay Rd peanut butter which recently produced its 1000th batch. Michael Hastie was unaware of the milestone until his brother pointed out the batch number and it was now something he considered an achievement — “just to still be here”. Bay Rd was launched at the Otago Farmers Market in 2017. Initially produced from a commercial kitchen at the Musselburgh Baptist Church, it moved to premises in Roberts St the following year. Four years…

More than 12,000 new construction products will flow into New Zealand by July with up to 250,000 by the end of the year as the Government loosens regulations.International standards and certifications will be soon allowed once Parliament passes the Building (Overseas Building Products, Standards, and Certification Schemes) Amendment Bill under urgency.Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk said plasterboard, insulation and, potentially, concrete would be the first products to be imported as part of the new regime.He said the changes would cover, “commonly used materials where there’s a big gain in terms of improving competition and also allowing the benefits…

The European Union has just taken a step towards deregulating New Genomic Techniques used for the improvement of agricultural plants. The agrichemical sector argues that they are essential to ensuring the future of food production, but many remain sceptical. ADVERTISEMENTIn the late 20th century, genes from different species were introduced into seeds, creating Genetically Modified Organisms, known as GMOs. The aim of the technology is to develop more resilient plant lines and increase productivity.About two decades ago, the European Union implemented strict rules to cover authorisation, labelling and risk assessment; but now it has proposed deregulation of New Genomic Techniques, which modify the plants’ own…

Legislation will ensure a fair, democratic and safe digital environment, European Commission Vice President for technology Henna Virkkunen told Euronews. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union is pressing ahead with its plans to enforce new laws on social media platforms like X, TikTok and Facebook, despite pressure from the US. In an interview with Euronews, European Commission Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen, who is responsible for Security and Technology, explained that these laws are crucial for protecting democracy from disinformation and market abuses.The Digital Services Act (DSA), which addresses disinformation, and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), aimed at ensuring a fairer digital economy,…

The 2025/2026 New Zealand Living Wage will rise by $1.15 to $28.95 per hour from later this year.The increase, which aligns with a 4.2% rise in NZ’s hourly wage, will be introduced for employees and contractors of accredited living wage employers and will come into effect on September 1.It means living wage employees will earn at least $5.45 per hour more than those on the minimum wage.The minimum wage goes up to $23.50 an hour from today.The new living wage rate of $28.95 per hour is around 68% of the average hourly earnings in New Zealand.Living Wage Aotearoa NZ calculates…

Pay to use loos have been floated as a solution to combat the increasing vandalism of public toilets across Mid Canterbury.Ratepayers footed a toilet vandalism bill of more than $30,000 over the previous two years, while loo paper thieves are targeting a number of facilities.Ashburton District Councillor Rob Mackle raised the possibility of a trial user-pays toilets at last week’s activity briefing meeting.“Overseas they do it, and it’s effective.”Vandalism of the toilet facilities has been “constant” during his time as councillor, he said.He suggested introducing the user pays trial on the toilets that had the most repeated damage.There was a…

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited says Auckland is unable to proceed with a bid to host the next America’s Cup in 2027.  In a statement, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU) chief executive Nick Hill confirmed the news with “great disappointment” this morning.”Auckland’s bid was contingent on a three-way funding partnership between Auckland Council, central government and the private sector. MBIE has informed TAU that the government is unable provide the funds required and on that basis the bid cannot proceed,” he said. Why the govt decided not to fund hosting the Cup: Watch on TVNZ+He said the situation illustrates the need for “a long-term…

Two people have been found dead at a home in the Wellington suburb of Roseneath overnight.Around 10pm police received a request from a concerned family member to carry out a welfare check at the property.Detective Inspector Haley Ryan said police found the bodies of two people.A scene examination was underway at the property today and inquiries into the circumstances of their deaths were ongoing.Ryan said she wanted to provide assurance that there was “no ongoing risk” to the community.”The Roseneath community can expect to see a high presence of police while our inquiries are carried out.”

A proposed pedestrian crossing to get people across a busy Christchurch road and into Hagley Park has become “a bit of a joke”, after two community boards voted for different plans at a joint meeting.The result meant a new $500,000 crossing for Deans Avenue, near Al Noor Mosque, would have speed bumps on a narrowed southbound lane but none on the single lane heading north.The decision was made at a joint meeting of the Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton and Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central community boards last Thursday.Both were involved in the decision-making as the Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton board’s area covers the west side of Deans…

Brussels has a “strong plan to retaliate” against Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, Ursula von der Leyen has said while calling for a “negotiated solution”. ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union holds “a lot of cards” that can be leveraged to negotiate, dissuade and, if needed, “push back” against Donald Trump’s plan to impose sweeping reciprocal tariffs on all America’s trading partners, Ursula von der Leyen has said on the eve of what the US president has dubbed “Liberation Day”.Trump, whose unprecedented initiative has antagonised long-time allies, rattled stock markets and raised the spectre of recession, has said his tariffs would target “all countries” as…