NZ wool should be sold as a premium product, and through forward wool contracts, companies say. The post We should be selling wool like fine wine appeared first on Farmers Weekly .

• Farmers Weekly NZ
• 2 gün, 3 saat, 14 dakika

A Christchurch traveller returned from Bali with more than just souvenirs after a live snake was discovered wrapped around a jandal inside their suitcase. Biosecurity New Zealand sent trained handlers to a Christchurch property today after a small snake was discovered in the suitcase of a traveller recently returned from Bali. Biosecurity New Zealand’s manager of biosecurity surveillance and incursion, Wendy McDonald said a very small live snake was found wrapped around the toe of a jandal in the suitcase. Preliminary identification by a specialist herpetologist suggests it is a wolf snake, which is a type of non-venomous boa. The snake will be humanely euthanised, McDonald said. “Each year, we detect one or two snakes at post-border locations, with more typically intercepted at the border. “These are usually non-venomous and often arrive dead due to cargo treatment,” McDonald said. She said they respond to any alert as quickly as possible, including dispatching trained handlers to detection sites. “Our handlers undergo intensive training, including specialist instruction in Australia where they work with live snakes under expert supervision.” The training is refreshed every two years.

• Newstalk ZB
• 2 gün, 3 saat, 19 dakika

The non-venomous wolf snake had travelled to Christchurch, wrapped around a jandal.

• nzherald
• 2 gün, 3 saat, 28 dakika

Labour MP Willie Jackson has suggested price regulations as a possible option to address cost-of-living pressures, but also says it is not his party’s policy. The Government this week announced several steps it’s taking to remove barriers to companies setting up new supermarket chains nationally, including introducing a fast-track option for stores that improve grocery competition. Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis is still exploring restructuring options for the country’s current grocery duopoly, Woolworths and Foodstuffs. She said such a significant intervention carries costs and risks that need to be weighed against potential benefits. Appearing on Herald NOW on Friday morning, Jackson said that was something the previous Labour Government looked at. That administration made a handful of changes, such as introducing a Grocery Commissioner, but didn’t go as far as divestment. He believed Labour “created an environment where prices started to come down”. “Prices have come down,” he said, something disputed by National’s Paul Goldsmith, who was featuring alongside him. Jackson said, “just building more supermarkets is not the way to go”. “People want relief now. They want price relief now. ‘Oh, we will build another supermarket’, that is great, the duopoly loves that. “How about doing what you said you were going to do, which was address the cost of living, and looking at prices and maybe regulating prices because it is out of control and people are suffering.” Host Ryan Bridge picked up on the point about regulating supermarket prices. Jackson said: “These guys should be looking at something like that.” Goldsmith said: “I think the Soviets tried that at one point and it didn’t do very well”. Jackson interjected, appearing to backtrack: “I am not saying we’ll do that.” When Bridge asked if Jackson would regulate butter prices, the Labour MP didn’t answer and instead asked the host whether he knew what the price of butter was. Price regulation refers to measures taken by a regulator or government departments to control pricing decisions, often to ensure affordability. Labour's Willie Jackson says the party will release its policy on supermarkets before the 2026 election. Photo / Mark Mitchell The Herald asked Labour whether it was the party’s policy to regulate supermarket prices and why Jackson had initially suggested this. “I suggested regulation as something the Government could look at to provide Kiwis with some relief,” Jackson said in a statement. “It is not Labour policy, our policy will be released before the election. It seems like this Government needs some ideas because they are doing nothing despite having the power to act.” The response did not answer another question about what evidence there was Labour created an environment where prices started to come down. Stats NZ figures show food price annual percentage change of up to 12.5% in the final year of the Labour Government. That happened in June 2023. The rate of increase dropped off from that point but there wasn’t a percentage decrease until June 2024. It has increased each month since then, hitting 4.6% in June this year. The rest of Jackson’s statement spoke about efforts Labour had taken to create a more affordable grocery sector. “Because of Labour, Commerce Commission now has the power to take the supermarkets to court over unfair pricing practices like misleading specials,” he said. “This will see unfair pricing stamped out over time, but the Government needs to keep coming down hard or the duopoly will work out ways to get around Labour’s rules.” Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis is waiting on advice about a possible restructure of supermarket regulations. Photo / Mark Mitchell Goldsmith said more competition was necessary and believed the fast-track approach would help new competitors enter the market. “There are some practical difficulties about building a new supermarket to compete against the incumbents, so we are going to make th...

• Newstalk ZB
• 2 gün, 3 saat, 33 dakika

From images of fruit to claims of being ‘sugar-free’, baby foods often feature misleading claims aimed at convincing parents the products are a healthy choice, new research shows.

• Scoop News
• 1 gün, 15 saat, 34 dakika

The money from the Emergency Waste Fund will be used to help dispose of flood waste following widespread flooding in the district.

• RNZ
• 1 gün, 15 saat, 41 dakika

There are concerns the current setup could exacerbate income inequality in retirement.

• RNZ
• 1 gün, 15 saat, 43 dakika

Brazilian police cracked down today on a sprawling criminal network that defrauded motorists at petrol pumps and concealed billions of dollars in illicit earnings in cahoots with financial companies. As more than 1400 police officers deployed to execute hundreds of warrants countrywide, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hailed “the largest response from the Brazilian state to organised crime in our history”. The group allegedly laundered money for the First Capital Command (PCC), one of the country’s most powerful gangs engaged in cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe, prosecutors said. According to the Federal Revenue Service (RFB), the network is alleged to have hidden ill-gotten gains of some 52 billion reais ($16.3b) in investment funds and fintech digital companies in four years to 2024. It controlled four refineries and allegedly diluted fuel products to increase yield and cheated clients with pumps that supplied less fuel than indicated. Irregularities were identified at more than 1000 service stations in 10 of Brazil’s 26 states, according to officials. The group is alleged to have controlled elements of fuel supply all the way from import, production, distribution and marketing to the end consumer, and had more than 1000 fuel delivery trucks of its own. The group allegedly concealed US$9.6 billion in illicit earnings and controlled elements of the fuel supply chain. Photo / AFP “Investigations indicate that the sophisticated scheme devised by the criminal organisation, by laundering the proceeds of crime, generated significant profits in the fuel production chain,” the statement said. The operation was carried out in a dozen states including Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo – the South American giant’s financial hub. In the first hours, police arrested five people and seized 1500 vehicles, 192 properties, two boats and more than 300,000 reais in cash. Brazilian police released images of a mass deployment of officers in Sao Paolo’s Faria Lima Ave, where many financial institutions are headquartered. According to Lula, the investigation had “allowed for tracking the entire chain and targeting the financial core that sustains these practices”. He added: “Our commitment is to protect citizens and consumers: to cut off the flow of illicit money, recover resources for the public coffers, and ensure a fair and transparent fuels market, with quality and fair competition”. According to the revenue service, the PCC gang controlled “at least 40 investment funds” worth about US$5.5b. The funds were used, among other things, to purchase ethanol plants to produce fuel sold at service stations controlled by its members. Some station owners who sold their establishments to PCC members “did not receive the transaction amount and were threatened with death” if they insisted on payment, it said. Investigators said the PCC was also involved in illegally importing methanol, a “highly toxic and flammable” substance that was then mixed with ethanol, which Brazil produces mainly from sugar cane, and sold as car fuel. One of the fintech companies implicated in the fraud acted as a “parallel bank” and received nearly 11,000 suspicious cash deposits in 2022 and 2023, according to the RFB. The financial companies under investigation allegedly allowed clients to transfer money clandestinely, added the prosecutor’s office. Organised crime represents an immense challenge for Brazil’s security forces, with a plethora of gangs involved in drug trafficking, illegal logging, extortion, and other rackets. Brazil is South America’s biggest producer of petroleum and other liquid fuels, and the ninth biggest in the world, according to a 2023 report of the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), based on 2021 data. According to the International Energy Agency, it is the second biggest biofuels producer in the world. -Agence France-Presse

• Newstalk ZB
• 2 gün, 3 saat, 43 dakika

An end-of-season “boys’ trip” to Las Vegas for a team of semi-professional Australian footballers has derailed Auckland FC’s pre-season, and the A-League high-flyers are blaming Football Australia for the mix-up. Auckland FC coach Steve Corica has slammed the “poor planning” of Football Australia, after its last-minute schedule change in the Australia Cup – which has caused considerable dramas behind the scenes for the A-League Premiers. Their semifinal has been brought forward by two weeks – after a scheduling error behind the scenes – while Football Australia refused to consider alternative future dates because Auckland FC’s opposition had an end-of-season “boys’ trip” to Las Vegas already booked. It might sound hard to believe – but it’s true. Auckland FC will face Victorian NPL team Heidelberg United in the last four of the Australia Cup on Saturday (9.30pm NZT). The Australia Cup semifinals were meant to be staged in two weeks – on the weekend of September 13-14 – but were suddenly rescheduled at short notice, with the new dates confirmed only last Monday. The late change has caused considerable disruption to Auckland FC’s pre-season schedule. Auckland FC's incredible debut season was one of the A-League's key narratives last season. Photo / Photosport Originally, Auckland FC were set to play a pre-season friendly against Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney on Wednesday, before returning to New Zealand, where the squad had a four-day break, with some players already booked on trips away with families and partners. That has all been cancelled, while the club has scrambled to find suitable training venues and accommodation in Melbourne. Privately, the club is fuming, especially given the rationale. The Herald understands: The semifinals were initially moved because Football Australia had double-booked the dates. The original dates of September 13 and 14 would have potentially clashed with Australia’s National Premier League finals, which are due to be staged that weekend. There are two NPL clubs still in the Australia Cup (Heidelberg United and Avondale FC), along with Auckland FC and Newcastle Jets. Not anticipating that potential clash is hard to understand, given Football Australia oversees both competitions. Given that news, Auckland FC pushed for a number of alternative dates for the semifinal, including the following two weekends (September 20-21 and 27-28), plus numerous midweek dates in the same period. Despite some frank conversations, the A-League club was told that none of those was possible, partly because Heidelberg United have already booked an end-of-season jaunt to Las Vegas. An Auckland FC club insider described the process as a “shambles and thoroughly unprofessional”. There is also a feeling that Football Australia has devalued the Australia Cup by giving precedence to the NPL arrangements. It creates an unusual scenario, with a massive five-week gap between the semifinals and the final. Last year, there was only one week, while the buffer in 2022 and 2023 was a fortnight. It’s also less than ideal for the five-strong All Whites contingent in the squad. Those players, who have already been in Australia for more than a week, will have no opportunity to return, given the national team assemble in Canberra on Monday, September 1. Auckland FC chief executive Nick Becker: 'Obviously very frustrated.' Photo / Photosport “We’re obviously very frustrated with how this has played out,” Auckland FC chief executive Nick Becker told the Herald. “We worked back from the advertised, publicly available, semifinal date if we did progress, and we had a whole preseason training programme in place. “We’re a professional club and we have staff who are preparing for not only the Australian Cup, but also the A-League. So to drop these changes on us at the last minute was far from ideal. “We thought it would have made more sense to move to after the proposed date, but the solution that they found really only suited o...

• Newstalk ZB
• 2 gün, 3 saat, 56 dakika

With the case now stretching on for years, it's been suggested that the NZ Special Air Services be tasked with locating him and his children.

• RNZ
• 1 gün, 16 saat, 10 dakika

Profit after tax of $3.84 million substantially higher than the FY24 adjusted profit after tax. The post Livestock underpins buoyant Allied Farmers appeared first on Farmers Weekly .

• Farmers Weekly NZ
• 2 gün, 4 saat, 14 dakika

Forecasters take their cue from nature and weather patterns, not the other way around, says Phil Duncan. The post Spring is officially unofficially here appeared first on Farmers Weekly .

• Farmers Weekly NZ
• 2 gün, 4 saat, 14 dakika

The food title has the biggest cross-platform audience of any lifestyle publication in NZ, new figures show. The post Dish tops the charts with 50% audience jump appeared first on stoppress.co.nz .

• StopPress
• 2 gün, 4 saat, 15 dakika

The Auckland Harbour Bridge. File photo: Getty Police in Auckland say planning is well under way ahead of a pro-Palestinian march that will shut the city's Harbour Bridge next month.

• Otago Daily Times
• 1 gün, 16 saat, 26 dakika

'Planning by firing squad' and 'a gun to the head of the city' are a sample of reactions.

• nzherald
• 2 gün, 4 saat, 32 dakika

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has revealed that he received an enthusiastic response from Travis Kelce after extending an open invitation for the newly engaged American football star and Taylor Swift to celebrate in New Zealand.  Grammy-winning pop icon Swift and Kelce, who plays in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs, announced their engagement on Instagram on Wednesday.  Luxon revealed his exciting announcement at the Business Canterbury Prime Minister’s Lunch this afternoon.  He said he received a response after sending a message yesterday to Kelce and Swift, congratulating them on their engagement, with Kelce jokingly asking if he could have an NZ passport.  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at the Business Canterbury lunch. Photo / George Heard  “One of my best friends in America is actually in business with Travis, and he actually got a reply back from Travis, he loved the offer and asked jokingly whether he could get a passport.  “I wish Taylor and Travis congratulations. I said to them I’d really love it if you came out to New Zealand for your wedding or your honeymoon, I think that’d be amazing,” Luxon said.  In a video message shared on his official Facebook account earlier this week, Luxon congratulated the pair and painted a picture of the country as the perfect location.  Luxon extended an open invitation to Swift and Kelce to host their wedding or honeymoon in Aotearoa.  “Well, Taylor and Travis, a big congratulations on this fantastic news. Getting engaged is such an exciting time,” Luxon said in the video.  Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement. Photo / @taylorswift, @killatrav  “Now I know you might not be thinking this far ahead, but there would be no better place in the world to have the wedding than here in New Zealand, or even your honeymoon.”  Luxon highlighted some of the nation’s most iconic hotspots, such as Aoraki Mount Cook and the Waitomo Caves.  He said that New Zealand’s people were “the best and the most friendliest in the world”.  “I bet you, Travis, you would love to watch some rugby here too.”  The initial engagement post made by Swift quickly gathered more than 16 million likes within a matter of hours.  “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” they captioned the joint Instagram post.  The photos featured a slideshow of moments from the proposal, along with a shot of the large diamond ring set in yellow gold.  AUT senior lecturer in Critical Media Studies, Dr Rebecca Trelease, told Herald NOW’s Ryan Bridge this was a snapshot of the massive impact Swift has had in the media climate.  “That’s really impressive in terms of impact.  “Because if it’s a like, that’s not even just the people who have seen the post, that’s people who are really happy about the post, obviously. So that’s really impactful in terms of media coverage, especially in today’s age.”  She said fans will be overjoyed for Swift after her 19-year history of sharing her personal dating journey as a young teen all the way to her mid-thirties.  Their relationship began in July 2023 when Kelce went to an Eras tour show at the Chiefs’ home arena, Arrowhead Stadium.

• Newstalk ZB
• 2 gün, 4 saat, 39 dakika