Category: Public Media

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New name for Courtenay Place cinema complex revealed

Source: Radio New Zealand

A render of the Courtenay Place entrance at The Court, the proposed new complex in central Wellington. Supplied

A complete overhaul of Wellington’s abandoned Reading Cinemas complex is moving closer, with resource consents lodged for the project.

The large earthquake-prone building on the city’s main nightlife road Courtenay Place had been sitting empty since 2019 – and has often been referred to as an eyesore.

In an effort to get the building redeveloped, the council put together a bid to buy the land under it for $32 million – but that failed last year.

A render of the Wakefield St entrance at The Court, the proposed new complex in central Wellington. Supplied

It was announced in January that property company Primeproperty Group had bought the site.

The new owners lodged resource consents with Wellington City Council on Friday for its exterior, and has released renders of the new building, under a new name called “The Court”.

The exterior design was created by Australasian architecture and design firm Buchan.

Primeproperty Group said the complex would be a blend of cinemas, retail, hospitality and dining.

A render of the Courtenay Place entrance at The Court, the proposed new complex in central Wellington. Supplied

Chief executive Eyal Aharoni said its new façade was a major step in reshaping the look and feel of the building.

“It will play a key role in how The Court reconnects with the city and its surroundings.”

The complex would be upgraded to 70 percent of the New Building Standard for a structure its size (equivalent to 100 percent for standard commercial buildings).

A render of the Wakefield St entrance at The Court, the proposed new complex in central Wellington. Supplied

Earthquake strengthening work included thickening, new shear walls, diaphragm strengthening with fibre-reinforced polymers, and additional roof bracing and movement joints to significantly enhance seismic performance.

That work was already underway under current building consents.

Mayor Andrew Little said the redevelopment would be good for the central precinct, which was a key area for hospitality and entertainment.

“It’s great to see that there’s further development happening,” he told RNZ. “It’s a bit of a gap on Courtenay Place.”

He said development work would always bring disruption, but “I think what most people are focused on is we do want Courtenay Place precinct to be a vibrant, exciting place that’s really attractive for people to get to.”

It was appropriate the development went ahead as a private project, following the former council’s failed bid to buy the land in 2024, he said.

“It’s a privately owned property, it’s a private development, which is where it should stay. The council’s role is to support – through the consenting process – but to support developers to get on and make the properties viable and habitable and an exciting place to be.”

The building was expected to reopen in 2027.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

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Man accused of swallowing Fabergé pendant pleads not guilty

Source: Radio New Zealand

The valuable pendant. Supplied / NZ police

The man accused of swallowing a $33,500 Fabergé egg pendant has pleaded not guilty to a number of charges.

The man, who cannot be named, was charged with theft after allegedly trying to steal the pendant from Partridge Jewellers in the central city.

Court documents name the necklace as a Fabergé James Bond Octopussy Egg pendant, worth $33,585.

The man faced a number of charges when he appeared in the Auckland District Court on Monday, and entered not guilty pleas through his lawyer.

He has been remanded in custody and is expected to reappear in court in February.

An online listing for the locket said it had been crafted from 18ct yellow gold and set with 60 white diamonds and 15 blue sapphires.

A golden octopus inside the locket was set with two black diamonds for eyes.

It took multiple days for the pendant to be ‘recovered’.

Partridge said the pendant would be returned to Fabergé.

In a statement released to RNZ, Partridge Jewellers confirmed the attempted theft took place at its Queen Street store.

“The store management team responded immediately, and police were on site to detain the person in question within minutes.

“The safety of Partridge’s clients and staff is the highest priority, and the team is grateful for the police’s swift support in dealing with the situation, which is now in the hands of legal professionals.”

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Canterbury to move to restricted fire season at midnight

Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

Canterbury moves into a restricted fire season at midnight.

This means anyone wanting to light an outdoor fire will have to apply for a permit authorised by Fire and Emergency.

Fire and Emergency district commander Dave Stackhouse said forecast warm and windy weather would increase the fire danger in the region.

He said there had already been a disappointing number of callouts with people ignoring basic fire safety.

“Reignition of previous burns or burnoffs getting out of control should not occur if people follow the advice on checkitsalright.nz,” he said.

“Having a restricted fire season allows us to limit the number of these kinds of fires.

“It gives us greater control of who can burn and when, and we can provide direct fire safety advice to those completing burns.”

Stackhouse said people who had already conducted a burn needed to keep an eye on the fire site.

“Even if you believe the fire is extinguished, it can still be active underground,” he said.

“You should continue to monitor the fire site as a fire you lit remains your responsibility.”

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Firefighters battle large South Taranaki vegetation fire at Waiinu Beach

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Residents in a South Taranaki settlement are being prepared to be evacuated due to a large vegetation fire.

Firefighters are battling the large vegetation fire at Waiinu Beach in South Taranaki.

The fire was reported shortly after 2pm.

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson says police are preparing to evacuate residents from the Waiinu Beach settlement.

Ten urban and rural fire crews are at the scene with fire trucks and a tanker, along with a Command Unit and Incident Support Vehicle.

The spokesperson said Fire and Emergency is reminding everyone considering lighting an outdoor fire to go to the checkitsalright website, and make sure there are no restrictions in place – and conditions are suitable.

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WorkSafe takes enforcement action against daycare at centre of chemical burns incident

Source: Radio New Zealand

St John is treating multiple patients at a daycare centre in the suburb of Woolston. Nathan McKinnon / RNZ

WorkSafe has taken enforcement action against a Christchurch childcare centre where at least five children suffered chemical burns earlier this month.

Five children and two adults were taken to hospital after a steriliser chemical was mistaken for detergent and used on a children’s slip and slide at Kindercare in Woolston.

WorkSafe southern regional manager Adrian van Dyk said it had issued an improvement notice to the centre.

“We found the centre was not sufficiently managing risks to health and safety associated with hazardous substances, in particular the use and storage of detergent sanitizer,” van Dyk said.

“We are recommending the centre review the risks and hazards for the use of harmful sanitizers in the workplace and implement a process that meets the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016.”

Kindercare has until 18 December to comply with the notice.

WorkSafe said its investigation was ongoing.

A Kindercare spokesperson said it had received the notice from WorkSafe and was working through the recommended review.

It will not make further public comment until its investigation is complete.

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Services sector slump gives economic reality check

Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

  • Services sector PSI slips to 46.9, worst reading since May
  • Sales, employment, deliveries fall, new orders move sideways
  • Proportion of negative comments falls for fourth consecutive month
  • Retail only bright spot

Services sector activity slowed further in November to its worst level in six months, putting a dampener on prospects for a solid new year recovery.

BNZ – BusinessNZ Performance of Services Index (PSI) for November fell by 1.5 points to 46.9.

A reading below 50 indicates the sector, which accounts for nearly three-quarters of the economy, has been going backwards. It has not been in expansion since February 2024.

BusinessNZ chief executive Katherine Rich said the latest reading dashed immediate hopes for an improvement to wards expansion.

“Negative comments received show the services sector overwhelmingly citing the weak economic environment, including low consumer confidence, high living costs, inflation, interest rates, and reduced spending, as the main factors affecting recent activity.”

All five sub-indicators lost ground with the biggest contraction in activity/sales, followed by deliveries, and employment, while new orders/business hovered just below the no change mark.

BNZ senior economist Doug Steel said the PSI reading was a wake-up call.

“Combined with the Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI), the composite activity indicator poses downside risk to even modest growth expectations for early next year”.

The one bright spot was the retail sector, which rose to its strongest November monthly figure since 2017.

“Some of this might reflect changing spending patterns associated with seasonal sales (Black Friday). In any case, growth is coming off a low base.”

“We will have to wait until the new year to assess December spending and see whether it can add more support to the PSI,” he added.

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Forest fire near Whanganui spreads to more than 100 hectares

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Lismore Forest fire in fire spread under tall trees by 2am on Monday 15 December 2025. Fire crews were working to stop it moving up into the trees. Fire and Emergency NZ

A forestry fire burning near Whanganui still is not contained, as firefighting efforts continue into Monday afternoon.

The blaze has scorched through more than 100 hectares at Lismore Forest, after being first reported at 5.15pm on Sunday.

Five ground crews are working to prevent the fire from spreading further, and are being supported by seven helicopters along with heavy machinery.

FENZ incident controller Renee Potae said they would need to be vigilant over the next few hours, as temperatures would be high.

“The fire is still active on many parts of the incident ground and crews are working to extinguish fires while also removing fuel to prevent the fire spreading further.”

The blaze had burnt through cutover forest across several gullies and had reached standing trees and was burning in several locations by 10pm Sunday.

Crews had to scale back their response when it got dark because of the steep terrain.

A small crew remained to patrol through the night and put out spot fires on the access road.

On Monday, the response was back in full swing.

“The fire has meandered into the ground fuels underneath the tall trees so this morning we’ve had helicopters and we will follow with ground crews,” Potae earlier told RNZ.

“Working in the area of the tall trees just to ensure it stays along the ground, we don’t want it to move up the trunks into the tall trees, which it hasn’t yet, so we’re working really hard to contain the fire into a manageable state,” she said.

An aerial view of the Lismore Forest fire at 8am Monday 15 December 2025. Fire and Emergency NZ

“The temperature is starting to heat up already, but we’ve got light winds,” Potae said.

“After lunch however we’re expecting a north-westerly to be stronger, perhaps 20-25km an hour and maybe gusting stronger, and low humidity after lunch which makes quite a big difference, so we’ve got the aircraft and the ground crews working really hard while we’ve got this period of relatively low fire behaviour.”

The fire fight was a strategic one, Potae said.

“There are areas in the cutover where there is active fire but we can sort of let that burn for a little while we concentrate on our more pressing tasks, and then move to those secondary tasks once we’re on top of what we think are the priorities, it just requires a lot of strategy and prioritisation with different types of fuel in the same fire ground,” she said.

It was not yet known what caused the fire, Potae said.

FENZ said firefighters would continue to work closely with the forestry company that managed the forest.

Planning was also underway for operations overnight and into tomorrow.

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Bodies of two climbers recovered from National Park, two others overdue on Aoraki Mt Cook

Source: Radio New Zealand

The bodies of two climbers were recovered from the north buttress of Sabre Peak in Fiordland National Park. Supplied / Police

The bodies of two climbers that went missing in Fiordland National Park during the weekend have been recovered.

Two other climbers are currently overdue on Aoraki Mt Cook.

The search for the first set of climbers began on Saturday night when the pair did not return from their intended route.

Police said one body was found that night, but access was difficult due to deteriorating weather.

The second body was found on Sunday.

“Both bodies were extracted in what was a difficult and technical rescue,” police said.

“The north buttress of Sabre Peak, where the bodies were located, is a 500-metre-long route and is on the bucket list of many climbers.

“One of the deceased was an Australian citizen, the second person was a dual citizen of New Zealand and Canada, residing in Australia.”

Sergeant Alun Griffiths thanked Wakatipu Alpine Cliff Rescue, the Rescue Coordination Centre, Heliworks and Southern Lakes Helicopters for their roles in a complex and challenging recovery.

“This is a result nobody wanted, and our thoughts are with their families,” he said.

“Police are in contact with the families and are offering the necessary support.”

Formal identification was underway, and the deaths were referred to the coroner.

Two climbers overdue

Two climbers are overdue on Aoraki Mt Cook.

Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker says there are strong winds and rain in the area.

“Police Search and Rescue, and Department of Conservation Search and Rescue, are working together and will search on the mountain as weather conditions allow,” she said.

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Privatised meat inspections could increase costs, reduce flexibility – report

Source: Radio New Zealand

A protest against the plan for meat inspection privatisation took place outside Parliament. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

A proposal to partially privatise meat inspections will actually increase costs, reduce flexibility and create capability and equity challenges within the sector, according to a leaked report funded by the government’s meat inspection service.

The Ministry for Primary Industries is currently seeking feedback on letting processing companies do more meat inspection work themselves, with reduced oversight from AsureQuality.

Completed by BDO for AsureQuality, the report said annual costs for a single chain would increase by more than 20 percent – $861,000 to $1.07 million per plant, with an extra $343,000 in set-up costs.

Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the report was “explosive”, with meat inspectors gathering at Parliament on Monday to express their concerns about the proposed changes.

“This analysis by the government’s own meat inspection service is a damning indictment of a proposal that puts at risk our $10 billion a year red meat export industry,” she said.

“When even AsureQuality – the state-owned company providing the service – says this will ‘increase costs, reduce flexibility, and create capability challenges,’ you know the government’s proposal is fundamentally flawed.”

RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Fitzsimons said it would increase costs through new roles and training being required, adding to concerns about independence of inspectors and the expertise developed by AsureQuality over years.

She said the current model was not broken it was “safe, compliant and accepted by trading partners”, adding there was “no evidence the changes are required to meet market access requirements”.

AsureQuality’s chief executive Kim Ballinger said with consultation underway she would not comment or leaked or partial documents or speculate on potential outcomes.

She said she was “incredibly proud” though of its employees, who had provided meat inspection services for 125 years.

“We’re continuing to prioritise collaboration with our people and unions, customers, MPI, industry bodies and our other partners, to support New Zealand’s red meat sector in providing the high quality, safe meat products that it’s renowned for globally.”

RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle also would not comment as consultation is ongoing but would review AsureQuality’s submission.

He said the changes would align New Zealand’s requirements for inspecting and verifying exported meat more closely with international guidelines and domestic regulatory rules.

“The consultation tests possible changes to align New Zealand’s requirements for inspecting and verifying exported meat more closely with international guidelines and our own domestic regulatory rules. The programme of work to investigate these changes was developed wit the support of industry and input from AsureQuality.”

Meat Industry Association science and innovation manager Richard McColl said it had yet to see the AsureQuality report and modelling that underpinned it.

“However, it’s disappointing to see the amount of misinformation and scare-mongering circulating about the proposal. It’s important that any discussion is grounded in facts and evidence.”

He said New Zealand’s reputation as a producer of high quality and safe food was paramount and “no processor would risk compromising the safety or reputation of New Zealand red meat, or jeopardising market access by failing to manage these risks”.

McColl said the current meat inspection model was “resource intensive” and had “not evolved along with other parts of the sector”.

“This programme is about giving meat processors and exporters responsibility and ownership of their own risks. Most importantly, final inspections will continue to be undertaken by a government employee to meet market access requirements.”

He said it was an opportunity to explore and consider other meat inspection options to achieve the crucial food safety and market access requirements, as well as build a “more resilient and higher-skilled workforce”.

“Meat processors and exporters are among the largest employers in communities up and down the country and take great pride in the culture and the people who make the industry what it is today.”

Consultation is open until 23 January.

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Watch: PM Christopher Luxon’s post-cabinet media conference

Source: Radio New Zealand

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is holding his post-Cabinet press conference, as Australia reels from the terrorist attack on Sydney.

Earlier on Monday, Luxon said he had contacted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to offer support and condolences after 16 people died – including a shooter – when a father and son opened fire at a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach

“These were shocking and appalling images we saw last night; I was sickened as I watched it. Our thoughts go straight to the people who have lost their lives or their loved ones, or been injured. But also our thoughts go to the Jewish community in Australia, but also here and around the world.

“There is no indication of any New Zealanders caught up in the attack. Obviously, many of us know that area very well and there’s a lot of Kiwis in that area.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is not aware of any New Zealanders involved in the fatal shooting.

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