Deon Swiggs

Air New Zealand customers travelling this Mother’s Day were treated to a big, blooming surprise as the airline rolled out more than a thousand bouquets of flowers on baggage claims around the country. Customers travelling to seven regions, including Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Napier, Gisborne, Nelson and Palmerston North, across a total of 18 flights, were…

The Cyclone recovery package is providing dedicated investment into mental health and wellbeing support, including extending the successful Mana Ake programme developed following the Christchurch quakes into every school in the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti. “We know from other disasters in New Zealand and globally that mental health impacts emerge over time. The demand for…

It’s no secret that the Aged Care sector in Aotearoa New Zealand is struggling but the Budget can help to significantly rectify this, a veteran nurse says. The sector is in a constant fight for funding, recruiting and retaining staff, paying them a salary on par with colleagues in other sectors, and in some cases…

Sea conditions where a vessel lost power and steering near Farewell Spit are improving. At 8.27 AM 12 May, the Shiling, a Singaporean flagged vessel put out a request for assistance, after it lost power and steering. The vessel is situated about 22 nautical miles North North-West of Farewell Spit. It is slowly drifting North-East….

Awanui Labs is consulting APEX and affected staff on a proposal to cease their histology service at the Nelson Laboratory. They propose disestablishing ten positions, and transferring the region’s histology work to their Christchurch lab. ‘This is shocking and upsetting news’, David Munro, Advocacy Lead at APEX remarked today. ‘No- one saw this coming,’ he…

Connor Ure described being put on the spot by an avalanche of school students looking for insights into future study paths as “fun and invigorating”. “It’s been really nice to provide some reassurance,” the Ara | Te PÅ«kenga Student Ambassador said after a day at Ara’s stand at the New Zealand Careers Expo at the…

A draft plan that outlines how to shape and accommodate future growth in Greater Christchurch will go out for public consultation in mid-June, following feedback from more than 7000 residents. Greater Christchurch has seen rapid growth over the past 15 years and its population is expected to double within the next 60 years, if not…

In a move to be more sustainable and make life easier for dog owners, the Dunedin City Council is changing its approach to the tags and bags it provides as part of the dog registration process. In a move to cut plastic waste, from next month the DCC will start issuing metal disc tags for…

The Council of Licensed Firearms Owners (COLFO) warns that firearm owners are likely to hold off entering information with the newly announced firearm registry, betting that within the next five years the system will break or prove of little practical use. Spokesperson Hugh Devereux-Mack says the Government has been unable to show how the system…

TRENZ 2023 is winding up in Ōtautahi Christchurch tonight with a farewell function for hundreds of delegates showcasing some of the region’s best food and beverages and with performances from local artists. The event is expected to have generated $174 of economic impact a minute over the past four days, with ongoing benefits to the…

Images of SENZ talent for media use – HERE. SENZ (Sports Entertainment Network) continues demonstrating its commitment to delivering unparalleled sports coverage to New Zealanders by securing highly coveted radio broadcasting rights for the upcoming 2023 Rugby World Cup. During the seven-week tournament in France, rugby fans can turn to SENZ for extensive coverage of…

Trade Me’s Property Price Index for April put Ōtautahi apartments back in the spotlight as the whare which is increasing in value amongst the property slump. The average asking price of the Garden City’s apartments increased exponentially by $101,050 over the past year, to $748,700 (by 16 per cent), illustrating Christchurch’s urban life is once…

Straight after Cyclone Gabrielle raged through Hawke’s Bay, Cam Devine knew he had to do what he could to help his local community. Cam, who runs Devine Plumbing in Napier, told his team he would be using his plant and equipment over the ensuing two weeks to bolster the recovery effort for people in the…

Hawke’s Bay plumber Tyson Kihi has been awarded the industry’s top national apprentice award at the 2023 New Zealand Plumbing Awards, held at Te Pae in Christchurch on Friday 5 May. Tyson came relatively late to a plumbing career at the age of 29, having spent the previous 11 years as a freezing works employee….

Aotearoa New Zealand’s most significant international business-to-business travel and trade event – TRENZ – is underway in Ōtautahi Christchurch following a formal welcome for delegates from Ngai Tūāhuriri this evening. During four days of appointments, presentations, activities and networking functions for 1500 delegates, over 300 New Zealand tourism businesses showcase their products and services to…

Unique, first-hand experiences shared with followers online are fuelling a shift in Chinese travel preferences as China reopens for international outbound travel. Scott Tasker, Chief Customer Officer at Auckland Airport, said China has always been a country where consumer trends move extremely fast, and travel has not been immune in the three years since borders…

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited is excited to show off Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s abundant tourism offerings at this year’s TRENZ event – Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest international tourism business showcase. Taking place this week in Ōtautahi Christchurch, and for the first time in person for four years, TRENZ gives tourism operators the chance to meet with key…

Aotearoa New Zealand’s average home value is zeroing in on the $900,000 mark following yet another month of widespread declines across the motu. The latest QV House Price Index shows values have reduced by an average of 4.5% throughout the first four months of 2023, including an average reduction of 0.6% in the month of…

$3.5 billion in new aircraft and retrofitting of its existing fleet over the next five years In final negotiations to secure another Boeing 777-300ER aircraft Flying 4.5 million seats across 39 international routes between March and October Domestic network returns to pre-Covid capacity and international network back to 91% $30 million investment in marketing New…

A three year partnership between Christchurch Airport and Tourism New Zealand will grow high-quality visitation to Christchurch and the South Island The airport and United Airlines recently announced the first direct flights from Christchurch to San Francisco. The new promotional partnership will support this route, alongside securing and promoting future airline routes. Christchurch Airport Chief…

TRENZ in Ōtautahi Christchurch is building momentum for the tourism industry after a first summer of recovery but it will take 2-3 years before it settles into a new normal pattern. That’s the message TIA Chief Executive Rebecca Ingram gave this morning during a presentation at TRENZ, the country’s most significant international business-to-business travel and…

Despite continued affordability pressures, tight lending rules and higher mortgage rates, first home buyers (FHBs) in Aotearoa New Zealand have maintained their record high market share over the past two quarters. CoreLogic’s latest First Home Buyer report, released today, shows the number of purchases made by FHBs in Q1 2023 was 3,260; the lowest for…