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File image. Photo: RNZ / Kate Newton A digger driver has died after his machine became submerged at Rotorua's Kaingaroa Forest. Forestry company Timberlands says the incident took place at its processing plant just after 11am. Emergency services were called to the address around midday. Specialists including the Serious Crash Unit, police and the National Dive Squad were called in and the driver was found dead. WorkSafe has been advised. In a statement, Timberlands said the man who died was a third-party contractor working on site. "We are deeply saddened by this tragic event. I have been to the site and spoken to many of the people on site," Timberlands chief executive Ryan Cavanagh said. "At this stage, what we know is a contractor was operating a long-reach excavator to clear a drain...

(file image) Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King Business confidence jumped for the first time in six months as firms expect activity to improve from its lows and inflation to come down. ANZ's monthly business outlook showed headline confidence up 21 points to a net 27 percent in July, while firms' activity outlook rose 4 points. However, reported past activity fell further as firms continued to struggle in challenging economic conditions. ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner said the survey was a mixed bag, as forward-looking indicators picked up, but past activity showed most sectors were doing it tough. "Most sectors continue to deteriorate, with construction and retail the weakest sectors by quite some margin. The economy-wide indicator is looking very soft," she said. The improvement i...

Building consents for new residences have fallen to a five-year low as a slowing economy and high costs knock demand. Stats NZ said consents for June were down 14 percent on May, and about 24 percent on a year ago driven by a slump in apartments, town houses, and retirement village units. "The number of both apartments and retirement village units consented in the year ended June 2024 is the lowest in the last nine years," Stats NZ construction and property statistics manager Michael Heslop said. The annual number of consents has fallen from a peak of 51,000 in mid-2022 to 33,600 in the year ended June. The sharpest declines occurred across the country but most pronounced in Auckland down 27 percent, Wellington down 36 percent, and Canterbury down 16 percent. The business and commercial se...