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New Zealand’s top office dog crowned

New Zealand’s top office dog crowned

After three consecutive years in the finalists’ circle, Christchurch Huntaway Koozer has finally fetched the top spot after being named New Zealand’s Top Office Dog 2025. Frog Recruitment annually celebrates the country’s canine colleagues, with 2025 marking the competition’s tenth year. This year’s winner, Koozer, is a much-loved fixture at Airpark Christchurch. He has twice finished on the podium in previous years of the competition before clinching this year’s title. But his owner, Graeme Hughes, said Koozer is more than just a beloved office mascot. “The first thing staff ask when they arrive is, where’s Koozer?” Hughes said. “He’s the one they cuddle when they’re stressed or anxious, and he has this unconditional, non-judgemental love that instantly calms the room. “He’s been my teammate, HR specialist, ops manager and best friend rolled into one, and never taken a sick day yet. “Even in meetings, if he heads off to his bed, we all know it’s time to wrap things up.” But Koozer isn’t the only winner of this year’s competition, with Boss, the forestry accelerant-detection German Shepherd from Invercargill, being named ‘Top Dog with a Job’. Boss works alongside Fire and Emergency NZ to detect trace flammables in challenging forestry environments, an important job that protects native wildlife and helps investigators determine the cause of suspicious fires. Boss, the forestry accelerant-detection German Shepherd from Invercargill, had been named ‘Top Dog with a Job’. Photo / Supplied His owner-handler, Murray Milne-Maresca, said Boss’s role is “demanding but vital”. “Boss is a superstar, reliable, professional and calm under pressure,” said Milne-Maresca. “His nose is 200 times stronger than ours, and he can detect accelerants days after a fire has been extinguished.” Boss has even been granted legal name suppression during a court case, which Murray said demonstrates just how important his work is in protecting the community. “He’s a lifesaver and a partner I can trust in the most dangerous situations,” said Milne-Maresca. Frog Recruitment Managing Director Shannon Barlow says this year’s winners show the impact dogs have at work, from lifting team morale to safeguarding communities”. “Koozer shows us that persistence pays off, he’s been a finalist three years running, loved by his workplace for his ability to calm, support and lift morale. “His story is proof that the everyday presence of dogs at work can transform stress into calm and help teams thrive. “Boss, meanwhile, represents the extraordinary skills that dogs can contribute in highly specialised roles, supporting investigations and keeping communities safe.” Jazlyn Whales is a multimedia journalist based in the Christchurch newsroom.

Minneapolis shooting: Suspect had homages on weapons to Christchurch mosque terror attack

Minneapolis shooting: Suspect had homages on weapons to Christchurch mosque terror attack

The US suspect who opened fire on school children attending a church service in Minneapolis had written homages on gun magazines referencing the Christchurch mosque terrorist. The heavily-armed shooter killed two young children and wounded 17 people in today’s attack at Annunciation Church during Mass, marking the first week back at school. According to CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller, Robin Westman, the suspect in the attack, posted a YouTube video which showed writings that contained anti-Black, antisemitic and anti-religious messages. Westman had written homages on rifles to people such as the Christchurch mosque terrorist, Miller said. The 23-year-old suspect legally changed their name in 2020 and identified as female, court papers show. Miller, who read Westman’s writings, said the suspect “has been depressed for a long time”, and his attack had been long-planned. The suspect knew their friends would hate them for the attack, and planned to take their own life after the shooting, Miller reported. Weapons from a YouTube video Robin Westman posted before the shooting on Wednesday. Photo / YouTube Miller said Westman thought “it was better to die standing up than kneeling down for all the injustices” that they experienced. New Zealand’s Muslim community suffered a horrific attack when self-proclaimed “white nationalist” Brenton Tarrant opened fire on worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019. Fifty-one people were killed and 41 wounded, one of whom died six weeks later. Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern described it as one of New Zealand’s darkest days. Minneapolis shooting City Police chief Brian O’Hara said that the attacker sprayed bullets through the windows of the Annunciation Church as dozens of young students were at a Mass marking their first week back at school. “Two young children, ages 8 and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews,” O’Hara said, adding that another 14 children and three elderly parishioners were injured by gunfire. The gunman fired a rifle, shotgun and pistol before dying by suicide in the parking lot. They had purchased the weapons legally, police said. A parent hugs her son during an active shooter situation at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo / Getty Images One 10-year-old said he had survived the shooting thanks to a friend who covered him with his body. “I just ran under the pew, and then I covered my head,” he told broadcaster CBS. “My friend Victor saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit.” FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was investigating the shooting as “an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics”. US media reports said Westman had been a student at the school. The attack drew condemnation and expressions of grief from many, including President Donald Trump, who directed that US flags at the White House be lowered to half-staff. The church sits next to an affiliated Catholic school in Minneapolis, the largest city in the Midwestern state of Minnesota, AFP reported. The mass shooting is the latest in a long line of deadly school attacks in the United States, where attempts to restrict easy access to firearms face political deadlock. At least 16,700 people were killed in US firearms violence last year, not including suicides. - Additional reporting by AFP

Minneapolis shooting: Suspect had homages on weapons to Christchurch mosque terror attack

Minneapolis shooting: Suspect had homages on weapons to Christchurch mosque terror attack

The US suspect who opened fire on school children attending a church service in Minneapolis had written homages on gun magazines referencing the Christchurch mosque terrorist. The heavily-armed shooter killed two young children and wounded 17 people in today’s attack at Annunciation Church during Mass, marking the first week back at school. According to CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller, Robin Westman, the suspect in the attack, posted a YouTube video which showed writings that contained anti-Black, antisemitic and anti-religious messages. Westman had written homages on rifles to people such as the Christchurch mosque terrorist, Miller said. The 23-year-old suspect legally changed their name in 2020 and identified as female, court papers show. Miller, who read Westman’s writings, said the suspect “has been depressed for a long time”, and his attack had been long-planned. The suspect knew their friends would hate them for the attack, and planned to take their own life after the shooting, Miller reported. Weapons from a YouTube video Robin Westman posted before the shooting on Wednesday. Photo / YouTube Miller said Westman thought “it was better to die standing up than kneeling down for all the injustices” that they experienced. New Zealand’s Muslim community suffered a horrific attack when self-proclaimed “white nationalist” Brenton Tarrant opened fire on worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019. Fifty-one people were killed and 41 wounded, one of whom died six weeks later. Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern described it as one of New Zealand’s darkest days. Minneapolis shooting City Police chief Brian O’Hara said that the attacker sprayed bullets through the windows of the Annunciation Church as dozens of young students were at a Mass marking their first week back at school. “Two young children, ages 8 and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews,” O’Hara said, adding that another 14 children and three elderly parishioners were injured by gunfire. The gunman fired a rifle, shotgun and pistol before dying by suicide in the parking lot. They had purchased the weapons legally, police said. A parent hugs her son during an active shooter situation at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo / Getty Images One 10-year-old said he had survived the shooting thanks to a friend who covered him with his body. “I just ran under the pew, and then I covered my head,” he told broadcaster CBS. “My friend Victor saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit.” FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was investigating the shooting as “an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics”. US media reports said Westman had been a student at the school. The attack drew condemnation and expressions of grief from many, including President Donald Trump, who directed that US flags at the White House be lowered to half-staff. The church sits next to an affiliated Catholic school in Minneapolis, the largest city in the Midwestern state of Minnesota, AFP reported. The mass shooting is the latest in a long line of deadly school attacks in the United States, where attempts to restrict easy access to firearms face political deadlock. At least 16,700 people were killed in US firearms violence last year, not including suicides. - Additional reporting by AFP

Qantas makes nearly $1.8 billion profit, says Jetstar outstanding, acknowledges scandals

Qantas makes nearly $1.8 billion profit, says Jetstar outstanding, acknowledges scandals

Qantas Group made a A$1.61 billion ($1.78 b) profit in the latest financial year, up 28% on a year earlier. The airline group, including Qantas and Jetstar, said it carried four million more customers during the year. The Qantas results were released shortly after Air New Zealand reported a $126 million net profit after tax in its annual report. While Air New Zealand was battling a lacklustre domestic economy and engine maintenance issues, Qantas said it was enjoying strong demand across all segments. But Qantas, like Air New Zealand, complained of high inflation. “Despite the strong performance across the group, we saw some costs rise above the rate of inflation, which reduced the benefits of lower fuel,” Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said today. She said the Australian airline group faced ongoing increases in airport and government charges. Hudson said Qantas was renewing its domestic fleet renewal and in the coming years would take delivery of more Airbus A321XLR narrow-body twin jets with lie-flat business-class seats. “We will also be using more sustainable aviation fuel [Saf] from overseas airports while we continue efforts with Government and industry to establish a Saf industry in Australia.” Hudson in a speech this morning also said business travel was rebounding in Australia. “Qantas continued to benefit from the return of business-purpose travel with corporate travel almost back to pre-Covid levels domestically, showing that Zoom and Teams meetings have not ended face to face business meetings.” The airline signalled flights from Australia’s eastern seaboard to London and New York were getting closer to reality. These ultra long haul flights fall under the airline’s Project Sunrise plan, for which the Airbus A350-1000 was the chosen aircraft. An Airbus A350-1000 demonstration flight at the 55th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget in June. Photo / Panayotis Pavleas, Hans Lucas via AFP Qantas said existing ultra-long-haul routes were enjoying strong financial performance. “Work on Qantas’ first A350-1000ULR is progressing, with the aircraft entering the final assembly line in Toulouse, France in October 2025.” The first aircraft was due to be delivered in October next year and fly its first non-stop ultra-long-haul commercial flight in the first half of calendar year 2027. “Jetstar had a standout year, with its fleet renewal providing a significant boost to earnings,” Hudson said. The budget airline carried about 25% more customers internationally to and from Australia than in the prior year. The company said Jetstar had an especially positive performance in Japan, Thailand and South Korea. Qantas acknowledged several recent scandals, including a May cyberattack in which data for about 5.7 million customers were compromised. The company said it was still supporting impacted customers, with a helpline and specialist identity protection advice available. And 10 days ago, Qantas was ordered to pay A$90m in penalties after it unlawfully sacked more than 1800 ground staff. “Qantas has reiterated its apology to affected former employees for the impact that losing their jobs and the subsequent five-year legal process has had on them and their families,” the company said today. Meanwhile, Jetstar is facing prosecution in New Zealand for misleading customers over refunds. Jetstar was due to be sentenced today but it’s understood that matter has been pushed back to next week. Financial outlook On its outlook for the first half of the financial year ahead, Qantas said it expected strong ongoing travel demand. “Group domestic unit revenue is expected to increase by 3% to 5% in the first half of FY26 compared to the previous year.” International revenue was expected to increase by 2% to 3% over the same period. Qantas Group Underlying pre-tax profit: $2.65b, up 15% Net profit after tax: $1.78b, up 28% Capital expenditure: $4.33b, up 22% Fully franked base dividend: 18.33c per share Figures are in New...