Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Romance and Refinement at Amari Phuket and Amari Vogue Krabi

February 7, 2025

Source: Media Outreach

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 7 February 2025 – This Valentine’s Day, couples can treat themselves to an unforgettable experience at two of Thailand’s most romantic destinations: Amari Phuket and Amari Vogue Krabi. With their exclusive Valentine’s offers, these stunning beachfront resorts promise to deliver the ultimate romantic getaway.

Amari Phuket:

Nestled on the serene shores of Patong Beach, Amari Phuket offers couples an enchanting escape to the tropics. With its prime location overlooking the turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea, the resort combines luxury with tranquillity. Guests can choose from a variety of elegantly designed rooms and suites, such as the Superior Balcony Room or the Club One Bedroom Suite Ocean View Balcony, all offering breathtaking views and modern comforts.

Amari Phuket boasts exceptional dining venues such as their exclusive TreePods, offering an unparalleled dining experience high among the treetops, La Gritta, serving authentic Italian cuisine, and Rim Talay, which offers international and Asian dishes with panoramic sea views. For those seeking a lively yet sophisticated atmosphere, Samutr Bar and The Jetty provide the perfect settings for sunset cocktails and romantic stargazing dinners.

For adventurous couples, the resort is ideally located near Phuket’s popular attractions, including Jungceylon Shopping Mall, Central Patong, and the vibrant Phuket Town. Water sports enthusiasts can enjoy kayaking, scuba diving, and jet skiing directly from the property.

To make this Valentine’s Day even more special, Amari Phuket presents three exclusive dining experiences on 14 February 2025, from 18:00 – 22:00:

Valentine’s Day Dinner at the Treepod
Valentine Spread at Rim Talay
Valentine’s Day – L’amore in Spiaggia

Amari Vogue Krabi: Sunset Beach Romance

Located on the pristine Tubkaek Beach, Amari Vogue Krabi is a haven of tranquillity and elegance. This 5-star resort is renowned for its contemporary Thai-style architecture, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern comforts. Guests are welcomed into a serene setting with lush tropical gardens, stunning Andaman Sea views, and a range of luxurious accommodation options, from Deluxe Rooms with private balconies to family-friendly villas with private plunge pools.

The resort’s signature restaurant, Marco’s Restaurant & Bar, offers a relaxed beachfront dining experience with Pan-Asian and Mediterranean-inspired dishes, complemented by creative cocktails and live music on selected evenings. For a taste of authentic Thai flavours, Lotus Restaurant provides a rich menu in a beautifully decorated setting. Guests can also enjoy bespoke experiences like the Sunset Beach Picnic, where they can unwind on the soft sands of Tubkaek Beach with wine, canapés, and the backdrop of a breathtaking sunset.

On 14 February 2025, Amari Vogue Krabi presents two exclusive dining experiences:

1. Romantic Candlelight Dinner

Couples can celebrate their love with an exquisite four-course menu in the romantic candlelight setting of Marco’s Restaurant.

Price: THB 3,499++ per couple

2. Sundown Beach Romance

Couples can enjoy a curated five-course menu at a romantic beachside candlelit dinner, featuring breathtaking limestone views. Complimentary welcome bubbles included.

Price: THB 5,499++ per couple

Beyond dining, the resort offers a range of activities, including rejuvenating treatments at Chaonang Spa, three swimming pools, and a fully equipped fitness centre. Guests can also embark on island-hopping adventures to iconic locations like Hong Island, just 10 minutes away by longtail boat, or explore Krabi’s lively town centre, a 40-minute drive from the resort.

Why Choose Amari for Valentine’s Day?

Amari Phuket and Amari Vogue Krabi offer more than just a holiday – they create moments to treasure forever. Whether it’s a secluded dining experience in a treetop pod, a candlelit dinner by the sea, or indulgent spa treatments, every detail is designed to celebrate love in the most enchanting settings. For more information or to book your romantic getaway, visit www.amari.com.

For more information on ONYX Hospitality Group please visit: www.onyx-hospitality.com

Hashtag: #ONYX

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Auckland overnight motorway closures 7–17 February 2025

LiveNews Publisher

February 7, 2025

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi advises of the following closures for motorway improvements. Work delayed by bad weather will be completed at the next available date, prior to Friday, 14 February 2025.

Please note this traffic bulletin is updated every Friday.

Daily updated closure information(external link)

Unless otherwise stated, closures start at 9pm and finish at 5am. Traffic management may be in place before the advertised closure times for the mainline.

NORTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)

Onewa Road northbound off-ramp, 9-13 February
Stafford Road northbound off-ramp, 9-13 February
Curran Street northbound on-ramp, 9-13 February

CENTRAL MOTORWAY JUNCTION (CMJ)

SH1 southbound to SH16 eastbound (Port) link, 12 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
SH1 southbound to SH16 westbound link, 13 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
Northbound lanes between Symonds Street off-ramp and Fanshawe Street on-ramp, 10-11 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
- Wellington Street northbound on-ramp, 10-11 February
- SH1 northbound to SH16 westbound link, 10-11 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
Westbound lanes between Stanely Street off-ramp and Newtown Road on-ramp, 10-11 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
- SH16 (Port) westbound to SH1 northbound link, 10-11 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
- SH16 (Port) westbound to SH1 southbound link, 10-11 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
- Wellesley Street East (SH1) westbound on-ramp, 10-11 February
SH16 eastbound to SH1 northbound link, 10-11 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
Westbound lanes between Stanley Street off-ramp and Great North Road on-ramp, 13 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
- SH16 (Port) westbound to SH1 northbound link, 13 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
- SH16 (Port) westbound to SH1 southbound link, 13 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
- Wellesley Street East (SH1) westbound on-ramp, 13 February
- Hobson Street westbound on-ramp, 13 February
- Newton Road westbound on-ramp, 13 February
- St Lukes Road westbound on-ramp, 13 February
- SH16 westbound to SH20 southbound link, 13 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
SH1 northbound to SH16 westbound link, 13 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
Eastbound lanes between Wellesley Street East (SH1) off-ramp and Alten Road on-ramp, 12 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
Eastbound lanes between Wellesley Street East (SH16) off-ramp and Alten Road on-ramp, 12 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
Grafton Road eastbound on-ramp, 12 February
Westbound lanes between Stanley Street off-ramp and Grafton Road on-ramp, 11-13 February
Westbound lanes between Quay Street/Tamaki Drive and Parnell Rise, approx. 9:00pm 7 February to 5:00am 10 February (24/7)
Westbound lanes between Quay Street/Tamaki Drive and Parnell Rise, approx. 9:00pm 14 February to 5:00am 17 February (24/7)

SOUTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)

Southbound lanes between Papakura off-ramp and Drury/SH22 on-ramp, 9 February
- Papakura (Loop) southbound on-ramp, 9 February
- Papakura (Diamond) southbound on-ramp, 9 February
Southbound lanes between Papakura off-ramp and Ramarama on-ramp, 10-13 February
- Papakura (Loop) southbound on-ramp, 10-13 February
- Papakura (Diamond) southbound on-ramp, 10-13 February
- Drury/SH22 southbound on-ramp, 10-13 February
Northbound lanes between Drury/SH22 off-ramp and Papakura on-ramp, 9-13 February
- Drury/SH22 northbound on-ramp, 9-13 February
Bombay southbound off-ramp, 9-13 February
Bombay northbound on-ramp, 9-13 February
Bombay northbound off-ramp, 9-13 February
Southbound lanes between Hampton Downs off-ramp and Hampton Downs on-ramp, 9-13 February
Northbound lanes between Hampton Downs off-ramp and Hampton Downs on-ramp, 9-13 February
- Dragway Road northbound off-ramp, 9-13 February
- Hampton Downs northbound on-ramp, 9-13 February

NORTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH16)

SH16 eastbound link to SH20 southbound (Waterview southbound tunnel closed), 10-11 February
- Great North Road eastbound off ramp (Waterview southbound tunnel closed), 10-11 February
Westbound link to SH20 southbound (Waterview southbound tunnel closed), 10-11 February
Eastbound lanes between Great North Road off-ramp and Alten Road, 12 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
- Great North Road eastbound on-ramp, 12 February
- St Lukes Road eastbound on-ramp, 12 February
- SH16 eastbound to SH1 northbound link, 12 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
- SH16 eastbound to SH16 (Port) link, 12 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
- SH16 eastbound to SH1 southbound link, 12 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)

UPPER HARBOUR MOTORWAY (SH18)

None planned

SOUTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH20)

Southbound lanes between Maioro Street off-ramp and Hillsborough Road on-ramp, 10-11 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
- Maioro Street southbound on-ramp, 10-11 February
- Dominion Road southbound on-ramp, 10-11 February
Northbound lanes between Maioro Street off-ramp and Great North Road on-ramp (Waterview northbound tunnel closed), 12-13 February
- SH20 Northbound to SH16 Eastbound Link, 12-13 February
- SH20 Northbound to SH16 Westbound Link, 12-13 February
- Maioro Street northbound on-ramp, 12-13 February
Southbound lanes between Massey Road off-ramp and Puhinui Road on-ramp, 9 February (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)
- Massey Road southbound on-ramp, 9 February

GEORGE BOLT MEMORIAL DRIVE (SH20A)

None planned

PUHINUI ROAD (SH20B)

None planned

STATE HIGHWAY 22 (SH22)

None planned

STATE HIGHWAY 2 (SH2)

None planned

Please follow the signposted detours. NZ Transport Agency thanks you for your co-operation during these essential improvements and maintenance.

Current overnight closure information(external link)

Auckland roads and public transport(external link)

MIL OSI

Maintenance work ahead on SH1 through Rangitikei

LiveNews Publisher

February 7, 2025

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Road users travelling through the Rangitikei district are advised to expect some minor delays on State Highway 1 in the coming weeks due to planned maintenance and resilience works.

The Manawatū-Whanganui 2024/25 renewals season is nearing completion, with less than 2 months left.

Some crucial work on SH1 is still to be completed, with crews scheduled to be at different sites over the coming weeks.

The timing and location of these scheduled works has been specifically chosen to minimise disruption for travellers.

Utiku: From Monday 10 February, tree felling works will be taking place off the state highway near Utiku. Work to remove the trees will take place over 4 days, with crews working from 7am til 7pm. Temporary traffic management will be in place, with an occasional stop/stop (stopping traffic flow completely) while trees are removed alongside the highway. Motorists can expect delays of up to 10 minutes.
Taihape: Preseal repair works are taking place between Manu Road and Rauma Road, just south of Taihape, from Monday 10 February to Friday 14 February. Crews will be working from 8am til 5pm. Stop/go temporary traffic management and a reduced speed limit of 30km/h will be in place, with delays of up to 15 minutes expected. Following these works, crews will return to complete resealing works before the end of this renewals season. This will be communicated closer to the time.

Once these works are complete, further road maintenance is planned later in the month for SH1 near Mangaweka and Bulls.

North of Bulls: From Monday 17 February – Friday 28 February, planned road maintenance work will take place on SH1 near the intersection with Wellington Road. Crews will be working from 6am til 6pm each day. Stop/go temporary traffic management and a reduced speed limit will be in place, with delays of 5 minutes expected.
Bulls: From Wednesday 19 February, crews plan to complete a 3-week road rebuild on the passing lane north of Watson St, Bulls. This road renewal work will take place each day, with crews working from 6am til 6pm each day. The first week of work involves contraflow (allowing both directions of travel) and the remaining 2 weeks of work involves stop/go temporary traffic management, with delays of 5 minutes expected.
Mangaweka: Road rebuild works are planned for the passing lane near Mangaweka, from Thursday 20 February to Thursday 20 March. These renewal works will be completed under contraflow so minimal disruption is expected for road users.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi acknowledges State Highway 1 has seen a lot of construction activity over the past few months during the renewals season and we really appreciate people’s patience during this work to increase the resilience of the network.

The upcoming works are weather dependent and may be postponed or rescheduled at short notice. Changes in programming will be communicated on our online channels such as NZTA’s Journey Planner.

Journey Planner(external link)

MIL OSI

Firearms and ammunition seized following a Porirua traffic stop

LiveNews Publisher

February 7, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Attributable to Detective Sergeant Vincent Smylie:

A man is before the courts following a vehicle stop which led to the discovery of two firearms and shotgun ammunition.

Around 4pm on Tuesday 4 February, Police conducted a vehicle stop in Cannons Creek, after seeing a person of interest in the passenger seat of a vehicle.

The 34-year-old man was arrested in relation to a warrant to arrest.

The day after, Wednesday 5 February, Police conducted a search warrant at his house nearby, leading to the discovery of two firearms, shotgun ammunition, and gang insignia that had allegedly been displayed in an earlier incident in January.

He is due to reappear in Porirua District Court on Friday 21 February, facing charges of prohibited display of gang insignia in a public place, burglary, male assaults female, intentional damage, speaks threateningly, and unlawful possession of ammunition. Further charges relating to the two firearms are being considered.

Police are glad to have been able to pull two more unlawfully possessed firearms off the street, as they have the ability to cause serious harm in our community.

“We will continue to target offenders who show little regard for the community, including violent offenders, and those who unlawfully possess firearms,” Detective Sergeant Smylie said.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

Wildberries Empowers Women in Tech in Kyrgyzstan

MIL OSI

February 7, 2025

Source: Media Outreach

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 7 February 2025 – Wildberries, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in Eurasia, has become an official partner of Women in Tech Kyrgyzstan, part of a global community dedicated to empowering women in technology and reducing gender inequality.

Wildberries experts shared their experience in training young women for digital professions at the launch of the Kyrgyzstan Chapter of Women in Tech, which took place at the American Institute of Central Asia in Bishkek on 2 February.

As part of its Girls in IT initiative, Wildberries last year trained 30 young women from low-income families across seven regions of Kyrgyzstan in marketplace design. Participants learned to use the Figma interface design tool, develop product cards for the online marketplace and design one-page websites. The two-month online course was led by top design and content creation experts from Wildberries and the company’s WH School.

“We strive to ensure that women in Kyrgyzstan have access to modern e-commerce technologies. The Girls in IT project is not just about education—it’s an opportunity to apply knowledge in practice,” said Ksenia Shkolnikova, head of Wildberries in Kyrgyzstan.

The initiative was supported by the First Lady’s Foundation of Kyrgyzstan, the country’s Ministry of Education and Science, and Kyrgyz Post. Eight of the top-performing participants were offered internships with Kyrgyz sellers on the Wildberries marketplace.

The pilot project in Kyrgyzstan sets the stage for expanding the Girls in IT initiative to other countries where Wildberries operates. The project is planned to launch in Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in 2025.

Founded by the entrepreneur Tatyana Kim while she was on maternity leave, Wildberries actively supports the advancement of women in tech professions and educates aspiring entrepreneurs from all walks of life. The company offers an online educational program for marketplace sellers, PRO WB, which has held 650 webinars that engaged 80,000 sellers across eight countries over the past six months.

Hashtag: #wildberries

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

Extradition file to be prepared in Wellington assault case

LiveNews Publisher

February 7, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Police investigating alleged criminal behaviour by visiting Vietnamese officials are preparing an extradition file.

Police received two complaints of assault following an incident at a Wellington restaurant in March last year.

Detectives investigating the matter identified the suspects as members of a Vietnamese delegation, who had already left the country.

While no extradition treaty exists between New Zealand and Vietnam, Police have continued to explore all available options.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers says extradition needed to be explored, and preparing an extradition file is the next step in progressing this matter.

“We have had positive engagement with Vietnamese officials to date, and I am confident that will continue.

“While this process is ongoing and complex, we hope our ongoing efforts provide some assurance to the complainants that we are taking this matter seriously,” Commissioner Chambers says.

Travel alerts are in place at the border to ensure Police are notified, and given the opportunity to take affirmative action, if the individuals of interest in this case return to New Zealand.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

SH30/Wharenui Road intersection upgrade starting

LiveNews Publisher

February 7, 2025

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advises work begins Monday (10 February) to upgrade and install traffic lights at the intersection of State Highway 30 (SH30) Te Ngae Road and Wharenui Road.

NZTA advises Rotorua drivers that, as part of this work, a short section of Wharenui Road, between SH30 Te Ngae Road and Reeve Road/Glenfield Road, will be closed to through-traffic.

This closure will be in place from Monday 10 February, not Monday 3 February as earlier stated, until the project is completed in May this year.

Access for residents, pedestrians and cyclists will be maintained. A detour will be in place for other traffic.

Temporary footpaths and pedestrian access will be available and clearly signposted.

Residents, service providers, and visitors will be able to take vehicles into the closed section of Wharenui Road from the Reeve/Glenfield intersection.

All other traffic will need to use Brent Road or Coulter Road to access eastern Wharenui Road, Reeve Road and Glenfield Road, and any connected roads.

While this work is underway a temporary speed limit of 30km/h will be in place on SH30 Te Ngae Road through the work zone.

More information about additional traffic management will be shared as construction progresses.

View larger map [PDF, 104 KB]

MIL OSI

Unleash Your Children’s Potential: iCare Eyecare’s Solutions Enhance Learning and Sports Engagement

MIL OSI

February 7, 2025

Source: Media Outreach

iCare Eyecare’s Mission: Keep your eyes, sharpen your edge, and promote your wellness

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 7 February 2025 – With the rise of digital media, screen devices have become an integral part of everybody’s life, and e-learning is an inevitable trend in school. However, this has posed unprecedented challenges to the visual health of everyone, especially children. According to a recent study by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the prevalence of myopia among children in Hong Kong has reached a record high. Notably, after the pandemic, the myopia rate among six-year-olds surged from 13.9% pre-pandemic to 25%, nearly doubling. This trend has raised widespread concerns as myopia is now considered a multifaceted condition that significantly impacts eye health in the long run. In addition to myopia, children may also suffer from other refractive errors (such as hyperopia and astigmatism), strabismus, and various levels of dynamic visual impairments, such as convergence insufficiency (CI). These eye conditions can significantly hamper children’s reading, learning, concentration, and sports performance, potentially affecting their overall development. Parents must be aware of these issues and seek professional analysis to ensure their child’s vision is not a barrier to their success.

Experience analysis combined with advanced equipment such as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and automated eye movement analysis systems

Studies in the United States indicate that 1 in 4 children experiences some form of visual impairment, which can sometimes be misdiagnosed as neurodevelopmental disorders such as dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or other learning disabilities. Misdiagnosis, as such, can severely impact a child’s academic and motor development. In Hong Kong, families often lack awareness of the connection between vision problems and learning or motor skills. Children with visual impairments may display short attention spans, skip lines when reading, have difficulty retaining information, experience discomfort or fatigue, or even avoid reading altogether, behaviors resembling ADHD. Moreover, convergence insufficiency (CI) occurs more frequently among ADHD patients than in the general population. Apart from academic hardship, various vision disabilities can also lead to poor depth perception, meager eye tracking proficiency, and below-par visual signal brain processing, collectively translating to low performance in sports such as ball games. This underlines the urgent need for parents to be aware of these issues and seek professional analysis to ensure their child’s vision is not a barrier to their success.

Dynamic and Sports Vision Training to Sharpen Your Edge

To improve children’s overall visual function, iCare Eyecare offers evidence-based myopia management services, customized orthokeratology (OK lenses) treatments, unique dynamic and sports vision analysis and training programs. These services aim to promote children’s long-term eye health, improve overall visual function, and bolster their learning and athletic performance.

At iCare Eyecare, our services are directed by Dr. Marco, Ph.D., a visiting lecturer at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Optometry, and delivered by his professional team. With years of experience and a deep understanding of vision science, Dr. Marco and his team employ diverse advanced technologies, such as Optical Coherent Tomography (OCT), non-invasive optical ocular biometry, corneal topography, and automated eye movement analysis systems.Their expertise, combined with state-of-the-art technologies, enables unmatched comprehensive optometric and visual function assessments, creating personalized eye care plans and professionally tailored vision training recommendations for every child.

Maintaining good visual health and dynamic vision abilities is crucial in today’s ever-changing world. For instance, in emergencies, well-developed visual skills can help individuals anticipate and react to situations more quickly, potentially saving lives! Both static and dynamic visual skills are essential in daily life, whether reading or participating in sports like football or basketball. With scientific analysis, individuals can now better understand their sports vision capabilities. Most importantly, customized and effective training can be carried out to sharpen their edge in case of a flaw. This knowledge empowers parents to take proactive steps to ensure their child’s visual health is not overlooked.

iCare Eyecare Professional Services Include:

1. Myopia Management for Children: Professional advice and evidence-based practice to control myopia progression.
2. Dynamic and Sports Vision Analysis and Training: Comprehensive assessments and specific training to enhance visual skills.
3. Personalized Eyeglasses and Contact Lens Customization: Tailored solutions to optimize visual outcome.

Founder of iCare Eyecare Dr. Marco

Dr. Marco, the founder of iCare Eyecare, is a highly experienced registered optometrist (Part I) with a strong background in clinical practice and basic science research. He graduated with first-class honors from the School of Optometry at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and holds a Ph.D. in Vision Science, making him a physiologist.

Dr. Marco previously served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City (specializing in dry eye disease and cataracts) and as a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Hong Kong. He also enjoys teaching and is a visiting lecturer in myopia science at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Optometry and HKU SPACE.

The establishment of iCare Eyecare stems from Dr. Marco’s vision to expand the role of optometrists as the first line of defense for the eye and overall health. His “family optometrist” concept aims to protect every family member’s health.

To promote public awareness, Dr. Marco is an expert contributor to the popular parenting media Oh!爸媽, sharing valuable eye care tips. His dedication to sports and vision have led him to join the International Sports Vision Association (ISVA) and earn a professional diploma in sports nutrition from the Barcelona Innovation Hub (BIHUB). By integrating cutting-edge vision science and nutrition, Dr. Marco helps students and athletes improve their focus, overall vision abilities, academic performance, and athletic achievements.

Hashtag: #iCare #iCareEyecare

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

SH25 closed following crash, Kereta, Thames

LiveNews Publisher

February 7, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

State Highway 25, the Thames Coast Road is closed near Kereta while emergency services attend a crash reported at 12.45pm.

Initial indications are that there have been serious injuries in the crash involving a vehicle and a motorcycle.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area and expect delays.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

New Zealand Sugar Company fined almost $150,000 for importing and selling sugar products contaminated with lead

LiveNews Publisher

February 7, 2025

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

New Zealand Sugar Company, trading as Chelsea Sugar, has been fined $149,500 for manufacturing, distributing and selling sugar products contaminated with lead.

In November and December 2021, the company recalled thousands of packs of sugar products because of potential low level lead contamination.

Media release: New Zealand Food Safety to investigate sugar recalls

Two other product recalls were needed when it was later discovered New Zealand Sugar Company provided incorrect information to supermarkets, resulting in more sugar products being released to consumers.

“These recalls had a significant impact on consumer access to certain sugar products, such as brown sugar. It also affected a large number of other businesses which had to recall products made with the contaminated sugar,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director general Vincent Arbuckle.

In the Auckland District Court, the company was sentenced on 2 charges it pleaded guilty to in May last year, including breaching its National Programme (NP) – designed to manage any food risk to consumers – along with negligently endangering, harming, creating, or increasing risk to consumers by distributing its product.

A sentencing hearing was held in September last year and the court has released its reserved decision today.

“New Zealand Sugar Company knew what its responsibilities were to consumers – ensuring the safety and suitability of its products and managing any potential risk to consumers.

“It failed to properly detect the extent of lead contamination until after the imported sugar had been used in production.

“Offending at this scale is rare, and the Court’s sentence today sends a strong message that it will not be tolerated,” says Vincent Arbuckle.

In September 2021, the New Zealand Sugar Company imported sugar from Australia that became contaminated with lead during sea transport. From this sugar it manufactured and distributed 971 tonnes of contaminated sugar products to businesses in New Zealand.

The sugar had been freighted to New Zealand from Australia aboard the cargo ship Rin Treasure – a vessel that had been used to ship metal sulphide concentrates (lead and zinc) on its previous voyage.

Before choosing this ship, New Zealand Sugar Company was advised the vessel failed a survey report on 3 September, meaning it was not fit to load and transport bulk sugar. Prior to its departure, the vessel was cleaned, and a cleanliness report certified the vessel’s hold was in a fit state for the stowage and carriage of raw sugar.

However, the cleaning was not effective, and the cargo of sugar became contaminated with lead during the journey from Queensland. This contamination may have been potentially exacerbated by a broken pipe aboard the vessel that spilled water into the sugar during the cargo unloading process by contractors.

Samples of the sugar were collected between 15 and 24 September for testing but New Zealand Sugar Company followed its normal process of producing sugar products from the cargo for distribution and sale.

“The test result on 7 October showed high readings of lead contamination, but rather than take immediate action and stop production and distribution, they instead sought more testing which confirmed the same result.

“Some of this product was sold between October and early November. We were not informed of the lead contamination until 3 November, which is unacceptable.

“New Zealand Sugar Company’s lack of definitive action resulted in a consumer level recall of sugar products on 4 November – around 6 weeks after the contaminated product arrived in New Zealand.

“Although the short-term exposure to increased lead levels through these sugar products would not have endangered people’s health – we cannot afford to take a chance on public health,” says Vincent Arbuckle.

If you have concerns about a food product, you can contact New Zealand Food Safety on 0800 008 333 or use our online food complaint tool

For further information and general enquiries, email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

MIL OSI

1...921922923...1,079 Page 922 of 1,079