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Dozens of stores have closed between Courtenay Place and Lambton Quay in 2024. File photo. Photo: RNZ / Jake McKee While the council is looking into a financial package for some areas affected, some critics said it does not go far enough. Flora Quintana has run Syrian restaurant Damascus for five years and like many restaurant owners around the capital, she is facing tough times. She also lost most of her family's belongings in a house fire earlier this year. Not about to give up, she has opened a takeaway bar to bring in more sales. "You don't need as many staff so mainly the high costs that a restaurant has is the staff, is wages. I think that with a takeaway as well, what happens is that you can offer something a bit smaller, kind of like a cheaper price and people I think at the mom...

Port Nelson Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal A Talley's staff member has died at the company's wharf at Port Nelson. Talley's Ltd chief executive Tony Hazlett said a staff member was fatally injured at its Nelson wharf on Tuesday. Police said the person was located in a critical condition after a workplace incident shortly before 1pm and CPR was commenced, but they were unable to be revived. St John was notified at 12.35pm and sent an ambulance and three rapid response vehicles to the incident. Police are still working to notify the next of kin. Enquiries into the circumstances of the incident were ongoing and the death would be referred to the Coroner. Hazlett said the company was extremely saddened by the death and sent its deepest condolences to the person's family. It was providing the famil...

Photo: Unsplash/ Simon Kadula Business sentiment has improved sharply but is still pessimistic as firms struggle with lower sales, leading them to shed staff and hold back on investment. The Institute of Economic Research's September quarter business survey shows a net 5 percent of respondents think economic conditions will get worse in coming months, compared to a net 40 percent in the June survey. Firms reported a decline in their own trading with a net 31 percent of firms reported a fall their trading in the past quarter from 27 percent decline in the previous survey. The weakness was expected to ease in the coming quarter with a net 2 percent forecasting a drop in their own business from 13 percent in the previous quarter. NZIER principal economist Christina Leung said businesses wer...