Author: Press Room

Stuff and TradeMe have announced a merger. In a statement, the companies say TradeMe will take a 50% stake in Stuff Digital – which publishes the website stuff.co.nz and ThreeNews. Stuff’s mastheads – The Post, the Press and the Waikato Times. Its events business and Neighbourly are not included in the deal. Last year the media company was divided in two – Stuff Digital and Masthead Publishing, which runs newspaper brands and their own websites. In February this year Boucher changed her holdings in Stuff Digital from being the owner of the one and only share to being the sole holder of one million…

Jonathan Joss, a voice actor best known for his work on the animated television series King of the Hill, was fatally shot near his Texas home, authorities said.Police were dispatched to a home in south San Antonio about 7pm Sunday (local time) on a shooting in progress call. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the wounded 59-year-old near the street.”The officers attempted life saving measures until EMS arrived. EMS pronounced the victim deceased,” San Antonio police said in a statement.Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, confirmed the actor’s death to The Associated Press in a text. The two…

Stuff Digital, the publisher of one of the country’s major news websites, is set to become half-owned by Trade Me in a significant move in the media sector. The two companies jointly announced the deal this morning, saying it would close in the next few months. The value of the 50% stake being acquired was not disclosed. It comes on the same day as Stuff’s primary competitor, Herald-owner NZME, appears ready to settle an attempted boardroom coup at its annual general meeting.Stuff Group owner and publisher Sinead Boucher will chair a new board, with equal representation from both companies. A…

Power restrictions on the Tiwai Point smelter in Southland are being eased as hydro lakes levels have risen enough to ease fears of stretched power supplies this winter. An agreement between the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter (NZAS) near Bluff and main power supplier Meridian Energy has allowed production to be cut and electricity usage reduced to preserve hydro resources. “New Zealand’s hydro storage is looking much healthier than it was just a few weeks ago, so we are now confident regarding security of supply this winter.  As a result, we want NZAS to get back to business,” Meridian chief executive designate Mike…

Auckland War Memorial Museum has reopened this morning after its closure last month caused by the detection of asbestos.The museum had been closed since May 10 after asbestos was discovered on the roof and in a ceiling cavity in the original 1929 part of the building.The building is set to reopen in stages from today, with the first stage encompassing around two-thirds of the museum.Sections of the north side – including Te Marae Ātea Māori Court, Pacific Galleries and the Grand Foyer – will remain closed while asbestos remediation work continues.Air monitoring will be ongoing throughout the building to reassure…

All eyes are on the capital as a barometer of gains in the property market, with Wellington recording a sharp 12.9% year-on-year increase in average asking prices.New data from realestate.co.nz shows an increase in the average asking price for a home in six of New Zealand’s 19 regions.Wellington now asks almost $95,000 more on average when compared to May 2024, the second highest increase in the country.Realestate.co.nz chief executive Sarah Wood said Wellington was worth watching closely after months of subdued figures.”This lift could be early evidence of buyer confidence returning to the capital. A jump like this gives vendors…

By Russell Palmer of RNZ The government is shifting its work and safety regulator’s priorities from enforcement to advice, saying this will help address concerns about underfunding and a “culture of fear”. First steps include updating more than 50 guidance documents and launching the hotline – announced in March – for reporting excessive road cones. The restructure goes much deeper than that, though, with Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden issuing a new letter of expectations, rearranging the regulator’s finances and redefining its main purpose in legislation. The government has cut $2.2 million from the agency’s funding since 2023…

Days away from learning if she would be New Zealand’s next Prime Minister, 37-year-old Jacinda Ardern was wrestling with insecurities and a few odd physical symptoms when her friend handed her a pregnancy test. In an extract from her memoir, out today, she reflects on that unforgettable evening. I was in a standard bathroom. The kind you’d find in a 1950s timber home just about anywhere in New Zealand, with a dark linoleum floor and small handbasin – enough of a bowl to wash your hands, but not enough to contain all the water while you do it. I had…

By Gavin Blackburn with AP Published on 02/06/2025 – 21:05 GMT+2•Updated 21:11ADVERTISEMENTPoland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said he would ask parliament to hold a vote of confidence in his coalition government after his ally, the liberal Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, lost Sunday’s presidential runoff.Conservative Karol Nawrocki won the election, finishing with 50.89% of the vote.”Regardless of how we evaluate the winning candidate, we should acknowledge his victory and congratulate his voters,” Tusk said in a televised speech on Monday.”I want to declare to you that I will not stop for a moment as prime minister of our government. The presidential elections…

WorkSafe has launched a new road cone hotline as part of sweeping reforms by the Government that aim to “significantly refocus” the agency’s scope from strict enforcement to greater collaboration with businesses and individuals.Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden said she heard “many concerns” during public consultation from a wide range of Kiwi businesses and workers about WorkSafe’s “inconsistency, culture and lack of guidance”.”For too long, businesses and employers have asked for more guidance and help from WorkSafe on how to comply with health and safety legislation, only to be told it’s not WorkSafe’s job.”A culture where the…