Author: Press Room

People looking to declutter and downsize are finding a growing market for their cast-offs. A survey by Trade Me Marketplace estimates the second-hand market grew by half a billion dollars in last year with the sale of an estimated 81 million items. The survey of 4000 consumers indicates second-hand sales were at record highs, driving up the size of the circular economy to $5.5 billion. “This is Trade Me’s sixth annual report and each year we continue to see an upward trend, with 89 percent of respondents having bought something second-hand in the past six months marking the highest level…

The government isn’t slowing its plan to increase speed limits, despite evidence this will increase fatalities without delivering the touted benefits in “productivity”. By Timothy Welch.Despite community resistance and legal push-back, the government isn’t slowing down on its plan to roll back speed limit reductions on many roads. In the process, it’s going against expert advice from transport officials and solid economic evidence showing the benefits of slower speeds.Documents recently released quietly by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) show Land Transport Director Brent Alderton raised serious concerns in 2024 about the proposed speed limit changes and urged decision makers…

Police have released the name of the woman who died in a fatal shooting in Whangārei last week.She was 66-year-old Yvonne Ann Chapman of Parua Bay.She died on Thursday morning following the shooting at Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi.A man was found at the scene with serious injuries – police said they are not seeking anyone else over Chapman’s death and believe there is no ongoing risk to the community. Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said inquiries into the events leading up to her death are continuing.”Our team has been working hard to piece together the circumstances leading to the…

Popular Auckland eatery Monsoon Poon will close in May after almost 20 years. The building which has housed the Southest Asian restaurant since 2005, on the corner of Lower Hobson St, has been sold and is set for demolition. In a statement shared to social media on Tuesday, owner Nicola Richards says the closure brings with it “mixed emotions”. “We want to express our deepest gratitude to all of our incredible staff, past and present, who have helped make this place what it is. A huge thank you to our loyal customers, friends and suppliers – your support has meant…

The economic climate remains challenging with all manner of debt creating hardship for consumers and businesses alike, according to the latest report by credit agency Centrix.The January credit report indicates mortgage arrears were at an eight-year high, with personal loans, buy-now-pay-later (BNPL), retail energy and telco arrears on the rise.Consumer credit defaults also increased by 42% on the year earlier, while personal insolvencies showed signs of an uptick, but remained below historical levels.Financial hardship cases reached the highest level in five years, at 14,700 accounts, though arrears were 3% down over the year earlier — the first year-on-year improvement since…

Police are offering a $100,000 reward for information that helps lead to a conviction over the death of 51-year-old Brett Fraser in 2014.Fraser was killed on October 21, 2014 in the West Auckland home he shared with his flatmate.Acting Detective Inspector Simon Harrison said police would pay a reward of up to $100,000 for material information or evidence which leads to the identity and conviction of any person, or persons, responsible for his death.”We want to provide answers to Brett’s family, and to hold the person or persons responsible for his death to account,” he said.The offer would remain in…

A deep sea power cable hopes to bring cheaper electricity to both New Zealand and Australia.Taslink is developing a 2600km power cable to run below the Tasman Sea, enabling both countries to trade surplus electricity.The high voltage direct current cable would also be the deepest in the world at nearly 5km below sea level.Taslink’s goal was to buy power from one country at a cheaper rate and then sell it to the other, taking advantage of the differing climates and time zones.”The thing about New Zealand and Australia is that we have a two hour time difference, so we have…

By Nona Pelletier of RNZ The number of people falling behind in mortgage payments has hit levels not seen since 2017, according to credit agency Centrix. Its January credit report indicates mortgage arrears were at an eight-year high, with personal loans, buy-now-pay-later (BNPL), retail energy and telco arrears on the rise. Consumer credit defaults also increased by 42 percent on the year earlier, while personal insolvencies showed signs of an uptick, but remained below historical levels. Financial hardship cases reached the highest level in five years, at 14,700 accounts, though arrears were 3 percent down over the year earlier -…

The Ministry for Primary Industries has launched an investigation into School Lunch Collective meals served to children with plastic packaging melted into the contents, one of four food safety investigations underway into the troubled scheme.The Collective – which provides most of the country’s school lunches – has been plagued with problems since it replaced local providers this year.Murchison Area School principal Andy Ashworth said its certainly not the first problem he’d had with the School Lunch Collective programme.He has avoided criticising the quality of the food, wanting to give the companies “a bit of leeway”, but said even before the…

The suspected perpetrator in the car ramming attack which has killed at least two people is a 40-year-old German from Ludwigshafen. ADVERTISEMENTA 40-year-old German from the nearby state of Rhineland-Palatinate has been detained in relation to the car ramming attack on Monday which killed at least two people and injured 10 others.Local media have reported the man’s name is “Alexander S.”The suspected perpetrator was taken to hospital after being injured, according to Baden-Württemberg State Interior Minister Thomas Strobl.He added that there is currently no evidence of an extremist background in the attackers motivations, which could be more related to his…