Wednesday, April 22

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Wellington real estate agent’s $200,000 loss
10Sep By No Comments
Business

Wellington real estate agent’s $200,000 loss

Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas A Wellington real estate salesperson who lost about $200,000 on a new build townhouse says a similar situation is being played out around the country. Mike Robbers of Lowe & Co Realty told clients last week that he and partner Socheata had signed a contract for a three-bedroom Wellington investment property which was not yet built in 2020. At the time, ASB was offering a 1.9 percent interest rate for new builds and the expected rent would cover repayments. "The market was booming, our incomes were solid and we expected that by the time it was built, our townhouse would be worth considerably more than what we agreed to pay for it." But by the time the house was built and ready for settlement, almost everything had changed. "Interest rates hadn't just doubled, t...
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North Face fleeces, 66° North coats, Arc’teryx boots: 5 ways to look chic during London’s ‘Arctic blast’
10Sep By No Comments
Life Style

North Face fleeces, 66° North coats, Arc’teryx boots: 5 ways to look chic during London’s ‘Arctic blast’

No one was downcast than I when I found myself (on September 9, no less) readying the first of the annual ‘big chill’ fashion features. Dear lord, it’s a long way to go until June comes again. Nevertheless, the Met Office (never one to mind causing offence) today issued their first grim weather warning of the season: “London and UK set for Arctic blast,” read their statement. “Looking further ahead,” it continues, merrily, “We’re likely to see fresher, cooler temperatures sweeping across the UK, becoming notably cool in the north by mid-week.”In other words: high time to buckle up, team. Here are a handful of first layer defense mechanisms you can use to survive the chill this year (and look cool while doing so).Iceland-approved outerwear66° North has been “keeping Iceland warm since 1926”...
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Shortage of beds, nurses – Fiji’s only mental health facility struggling to cope
10Sep By No Comments
World News

Shortage of beds, nurses – Fiji’s only mental health facility struggling to cope

A patient wanders through the hall containing the men's cells at the St Giles Psychiatric Hospital. 24 February 2004 Photo: AFP / Torsten Blackwood Fiji's only psychiatric hospital is battling with resource constraints as demand for mental health services, linked to drug use, is surging in the country. Local media are reporting substance abuse-related mental health cases, particularly due to the use of hard drugs such as methamphetamine, is creating problems for the St Giles Psychiatric Hospital. The problems range from a shortage of nurses and doctors to beds for patients, at the only facility of its type in the country. The medical superintendent at the hospital in the capital Suva, Dr Balram Pandit, told the state broadcaster FBC on Monday that 100-beds was "insufficient" and they ne...
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Hope for the end of the hurt in construction
10Sep By No Comments
Business

Hope for the end of the hurt in construction

Photo: Paul Blomfield "Doing it hard." "Struggling." "An incredibly tough year." These were the words used to describe many people's experiences in 2024, but particularly that of those in the construction industry. Building and related trades have certainly been in the doldrums: work has dropped off, trades shops are nearly empty, builders are working on their own projects just to keep their employees busy, insolvencies are up and staff are being laid off. Many financial commentators say the key economic change that's needed to breathe life back into the sector is for interest rates to come down. On 14 August they did. The Official Cash Rate dropped a quarter of a percent, to 5.25. Three weeks later the Auckland Home Show kicked off its four-day extravaganza of house plans, spa pools, ...
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Eight people on trail in Thailand over Red Bull heir’s alleged hit and run
10Sep By No Comments
World News

Eight people on trail in Thailand over Red Bull heir’s alleged hit and run

Interpol has issued an international red notice for Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya (pictured in 2012). Photo: Somchai Poomlard /Bangkok Post via AFP By Lauren Day, ABC South-East Asia correspondent There's a saying in Thailand: "Only the poor go to jail." And no case proves it like that of Red Bull heir Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya. In the early hours of 3 September, 2012, the then-27-year-old allegedly smashed his Ferrari into the back of a police officer's motorbike on a busy Bangkok road. The officer was flung from the bike, dragged almost 200 metres under the car and died at the scene. But by the time police arrived, Yoovidhya had already sped away. A trail of oil leaking from the sports car led investigators to his luxury home and medical tests reportedly taken in the hours after th...
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Thousands of Woolworths supermarket staff strike
10Sep By No Comments
Business

Thousands of Woolworths supermarket staff strike

Woolworth staff at 190 stores strike for two hours Tuesday. Photo: Supplied Woolworths supermarket staff are taking their first nationwide strike today because the company is resisting efforts to pay a living wage, their union says. Members from more than 190 stores will walk off the job from 12pm until 2pm Tuesday. First Union spokesperson Rudd Hughes said workers were also concerned about the rising levels of abuse directed at staff in stores. Woolworths has been approached for an updated comment on Tuesday. In August, Woolworths managing director Spencer Sonn told RNZ the supermarket already paid near the top of the market and offered a range of benefits to staff. "Our offer includes a 6.6 percent increase for our store team on average over two years, and we have a genuine focus on h...
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Harvey Weinstein rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery
9Sep By No Comments
World News

Harvey Weinstein rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery

By Eric Beech and Lisa Richwine, Reuters Photo: ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was rushed to a hospital from a New York City prison on Sunday and underwent heart surgery on Monday, his representatives said. Weinstein, 72, is due in court this week where prosecutors have presented evidence to a New York grand jury to try and secure a new indictment against him on sex crimes charges. Spokespeople for the Oscar winner said in a statement he had been taken to Bellevue Hospital on Sunday night because of several medical issues. "We can confirm that Mr Weinstein had a procedure and surgery on his heart today," Craig Rothfeld and Juda Engelmayer said. They did not provide any information on his condition. ABC News first reported that Weinstein had undergon...
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Where is it cheaper to own than rent?
9Sep By No Comments
Business

Where is it cheaper to own than rent?

Wairoa's typical first-home repayment is only 79 percent of the cost of a median rental. File photo. Photo: Pool / NZME Buying a house is about twice as expensive as renting in New Zealand as a whole, but there are still places where it is cheaper to own your home than rent it, new data shows. Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan has run the numbers on how the average rent around the country compares to the cost of buying a first home, based on a median-priced house with a 20 percent deposit over a 30-year term, and a one-year fixed home loan rate. That data shows that in areas such as Wairoa, Kawerau, Ruapehu, Buller and Tararua, it is cheaper to service a mortgage than to pay typical rent. Wairoa's typical first-home repayment is only 79 percent of the cost of a median rental, ...
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James Earl Jones, voice of Darth Vader, dies at 93
9Sep By No Comments
World News

James Earl Jones, voice of Darth Vader, dies at 93

By Bill Trott and Lisa Richwine, Reuters American actor James Earl Jones overcame a stutter to have a voice recognised the world over as intergalactic villain Darth Vader. Photo: Getty Images / Jemal Countess American actor James Earl Jones, an imposing stage and screen presence who overcame a childhood stutter to develop a stentorian voice recognised the world over as intergalactic villain Darth Vader, died Tuesday at the age of 93, his agent said. Jones, a longtime sufferer of diabetes, died at his home surrounded by family members, agent Barry McPherson said. No cause of death was provided. Jones had a great physical presence on stage and television, as well as in movies, but he would have been a star even if his face was never seen because his voice had a career of its own. The r...
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Turners to buy digital vehicle repair platform My Auto Shop
9Sep By No Comments
Business

Turners to buy digital vehicle repair platform My Auto Shop

The value of Turner's investment in My Auto Shop was not disclosed. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Car dealer Turners has filled a gap in its after-sales product line-up with a deal to buy half of digital vehicle repair platform My Auto Shop. The value of the investment was not disclosed, but involved TradeMe and the My Auto Shop founders selling down part of their stakes, as well as a capital injection by Turners. "Vehicle servicing and repairs is a $3-billion business in NZ and has been a gap in the Turners offering," Turners chief executive Todd Hunter said. "The investment was a great opportunity for Turners to broaden its relationship with customers." My Auto Shop was a vehicle repair platform with more than 300 Motor Trade Association-approved repairers as well as a mobile repair offe...
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