Wellsford subdivision granted COVID fast-track consent – EPA

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Source: Environmental Protection Authority An independent panel has approved resource consent, subject to conditions, for the Wellsford North residential subdivision in Wellsford, Auckland. Wellsford Welding Club Limited applied for resource consent under the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020. The project involves constructing a residential subdivision on Rodney and Monowai Streets in Wellsford, Auckland. The resource … Read more

Fire Safety – All of Wellington District to move to restricted fire season

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Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand The remainder of the Wellington District will move into a restricted fire season at 8am on Tuesday, 25 February, until further notice. Porirua and the Kāpiti Coast entered a restricted season on 28 January. Now, Wellington’s city suburbs, Hutt Valley and all of the Wairarapa will join those areas in … Read more

Geotechnical investigations next step for HB Expressway project

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Source: New Zealand Transport Agency It’s not every day commuters between Napier and Hastings get to see a drilling rig in Tutaekuri River. But that’s exactly what they’ll see from early March as work progresses on the State Highway 2 Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance project. The drilling rig will be here and … Read more

British Council Singapore Honours Outstanding UK Alumni at the Study UK Alumni Awards 2025

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Source: Media Outreach SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 24 February 2025 – British Council Singapore celebrated the achievements of exceptional UK alumni at the Study UK Alumni Awards 2025, held at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, on 20 February. This flagship event honours individuals who have leveraged their UK education to make significant contributions to … Read more

BAFS Reports Strong 2024 Performance with First Profit in Five Years at THB 102.9M, Approves THB 0.30 Yearly Dividend, Eyes Asian Market Expansion in 2025

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Source: Media Outreach BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 24 February 2025 – BAFS has announced its 2024 financial results, reporting total revenue of THB 3.507 billion and a net profit of THB 102.9 million, marking a 175% increase from the previous year and the company’s first profitable year since the COVID-19 pandemic. This … Read more

Cakebar Katong Unveils Singapore’s First 24/7 Self-Pickup Cake Kiosk

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Source: Media Outreach SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 24 February 2025 – In a strategic move to reshape the dessert service landscape through the comprehension of local consumer needs, Cakebar Katong introduces Singapore’s first 24/7 self-pickup cake kiosk, marking a significant shift towards innovative unmanned store concepts. Setting a new standard in customer convenience, … Read more

Media Advisory: Waitematā East Custody Unit re-opens

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Source: New Zealand Police (National News) Police invites media to the re-opening of the Waitematā East Custody Unit on Tuesday 25 February. The Custody Unit will be based at the North Shore Policing Centre. Minister of Police Mark Mitchell, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, and District Commander Superintendent Naila Hassan will open the facility. Media are … Read more

The Great Outdoors – New field guide helps trail groups share stories

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Source: Herenga ā Nuku – the Outdoor Access Commission A new field guide will help community groups and trailmakers tell the stories of their trails. Many walking tracks, mountain bike paths and outdoor community spaces have important stories behind them that record our history, our connection to nature and the people who cared for the land. … Read more

Weather News – Final Week of Summer ticks all the Summer Boxes – MetService

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Source: MetService Covering period of Monday 24 – Friday 28 February 2025 – Settled weather characterised by light winds, clear skies, warm days, and low amounts of rainfall continues over Aotearoa New Zealand this week due to a persistent area of high pressure lying over the country. The only disturbance in the flow comes in the … Read more

Northland Regional Council media briefs 24/02/25

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Source: Northland Regional Council Mōtatau Students learn to use stream testing kits Northland Regional Council’s Land Management team has supported tamariki of Mōtatau School in their freshwater kaitiaki mahi through an event involving NRC, Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, and local landowner Waipapa Ahuwhenua Trust. The team taught 35 children to use the council’s Stream Health … Read more

Early licence renewal a convenient option for senior drivers

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Source: New Zealand Transport Agency NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is reminding senior drivers that they have the option of renewing their driver licence up to six months before it expires, in order to allow plenty of time to complete the renewal process. “We understand how important it is for senior drivers to have … Read more

Hornswoggling porch pirate nabbed in Waikato

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Source: New Zealand Police (National News) Police have arrested a 35-year-old Hamilton woman in relation to a number of parcel thefts around the region. She is facing five charges of burglary and is due to appear in the Hamilton District Court on Thursday 27 February. In recent weeks, Police have received a number of reports … Read more

Release: Overhaul of Overseas Investment Act a Fire Sale of Kiwi Assets

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Source: New Zealand Labour Party The Government’s reckless overhaul of the Overseas Investment Act is a fast track for foreign investment at the expense of Kiwi interests. “The Government’s reforms to the Overseas Investment Act are a significant shift away from the current overseas investment rules, and not in the best interests of New Zealanders,” … Read more

Putting things right – Waimakariri Road SH5

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Source: New Zealand Transport Agency Work starts shortly to create a right-turn bay southbound into Waimakariri Road on State Highway 5 (SH5) in South Waikato. The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says the work, which includes some road widening at the T-intersection, will be done during resealing in the area. It will provide a … Read more

Improvements for users of busy Waikato intersection 

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Source: New Zealand Transport Agency The journey through Karāpiro is set to get a little bit easier, with the completion of works on the intersection of State Highway 1 and Karāpiro Road.   New line marking and signage have been installed near this busy intersection, including new electronic signs that will display safety messages. NZ Transport … Read more

ChildFund – Keep Ukrainian Children Learning. One Day They Will Rebuild Their Country

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Source: ChildFund New Zealand We are grateful to the New Zealanders who continue to support children in Ukraine. They need us more than ever, as we enter the fourth year of the war. “This war has gone on so long, some children have never been inside a school,” says Josie Pagani CEO of ChildFund. “This is … Read more

Government Cuts – Stop Defence civilian job cuts if the Govt is serious about increasing spending – PSA

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Source: PSA The PSA is urging the Government to stop planned job cuts to the Defence Force civilian workforce in the wake of promises to increase defence spending. “We welcome the u-turn on Defence spending by the Government and urge it to start by stopping any further cuts to the civilian workforce,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, Assistant … Read more

Environment – EPA approves new crop protection tool

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Source: Environmental Protection Authority The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has approved a new insecticide to control pests on key crops such as beets for livestock, and brassicas. Bayer New Zealand applied to import or manufacture Sivanto Prime, an insecticide containing 200 g/L of flupyradifurone, a chemical new to New Zealand. Bayer says Sivanto Prime has a … Read more

UNICEF – Three years on: One in five children in Ukraine has lost a relative or friend since the escalation of war

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Source: UNICEF Aotearoa NZ One in five children in Ukraine has reported losing a close relative or friend since the escalation of war three years ago, according to survey data released by UNICEF. “For far too long, death and destruction have remained a constant in the lives of children in Ukraine,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine … Read more

Business – Successful Māori business accelerator returns for second year

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Source: Tapuwae Roa Building on its successful debut in 2024, Tapuwae Roa announced today the return of the Tupu Accelerator, an eight-week programme designed to propel Māori-founded startups toward substantial and sustainable success. Developed in partnership with Sprout Agritech and co-funded by Callaghan Innovation, this year’s programme will welcome ten teams of aspiring Māori entrepreneurs from … Read more

Finance – ASB lowers fixed mortgage rates for fourth time this year, including a 4.99% offer

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Source: ASB ASB has today reduced a number of its fixed home lending rates, marking the fourth round of fixed rate decreases so far in 2025. ASB’s 2-year mortgage rate drops 30 basis points to a joint-market leading 4.99%*, while its 1-year rate drops 24 basis points to 5.25%. ASB’s has also lowered its 3-year … Read more

Retail activity up in the December 2024 quarter – Stats NZ media and information release: Retail trade survey: December 2024 quarter

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Source: Statistics New Zealand Retail activity up in the December 2024 quarter – 24 February 2025 – The total volume of retail sales in New Zealand increased by 0.9 percent in the December 2024 quarter compared with the September 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. Figures are adjusted for price inflation … Read more

Future blooms bright for rare tree daisy

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Source: Department of Conservation Date:  24 February 2025 The seedlings are the product of a growing partnership between the Department of Conservation and the Department of Corrections. Commonly known as Gardner’s tree daisy, Olearia gardneri is found in the southern half of the North Island. The small tree is dependent on conservation efforts as its seeds … Read more

76 gang patches seized by Police under new law

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Source: New Zealand Government In the three months since the Government’s new gang laws came into effect Police have seized 76 patches, 67 firearms, and laid 337 charges for insignia breaches. Police Minister Mark Mitchell, and Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith say that Police have done an outstanding job of enforcing the new laws and holding … Read more

Police put pressure on gangs

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Source: New Zealand Police (National News) Police have filed over 3000 charges against gang members since the introduction of the Gangs Act in late November. Between 21 November 2024 and 19 February 2025, Police filed 337 charges for insignia breaches and 3037 charges for other offending including serious violence, drugs, and firearms. Police Commissioner Richard … Read more

New Zealand stands with Ukraine, three years after illegal Russian invasion

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Source: New Zealand Government As the world marks three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced additional sanctions on Russian entities and support for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.  “Russia’s illegal invasion has brought three years of devastation to Ukraine’s people, environment, and infrastructure,” Mr Peters says.  “These additional sanctions target 52 individuals and entities … Read more

Public Service – Oranga Tamariki workers strike over insulting pay offer, unmanageable workloads – PSA

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Source: PSA Strike to begin 28 February with two hour full labour withdrawal 7 March PSA members at Oranga Tamariki are taking strike action over an insulting pay offer and a refusal to address the concerns of workers over unsafe and unmanageable workloads. “Enough is enough – Oranga Tamariki is effectively offering a real pay cut … Read more