Monday 22nd August, 2016

Ultra Fast Broadband looks set to be available in 10 new centres nationwide.

Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull says it's a natural evolution of the fibre rollout and he's pleased to see other centres able to access the gigabit technology.

Meanwhile, since November 2014 Chorus has enabled high speed internet access to 67% of Dunedin city.


Monday 22nd August, 2016

Legendary 1980s rock band Guns and Roses have announced two dates in New Zealand for early next year.

The re-formed hair metal rockers are scheduled to play in Wellington and Auckland in February.

It's unknown whether Dunedin Venues Management Limited approached the New Zealand tour agent, asking to host G and R at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

Inquiries by 39 Dunedin News to DVML were not responded to by the time of broadcast.


Thursday 18th August, 2016

Tourism Industry Aotearoa is encouraging communities to apply for a slice of new funding.

Applications for the Regional Mid-sized Tourism Facilities Grant Fund have opened, with $3m available this year.

TIA Chief Executive Chris Roberts says the Government fund can enable the most urgent and deserving investments to be made quickly.

He says it will help regions and communities to properly cater for their visitors and enjoy the benefits of tourism.


Monday 15th August, 2016

New Zealand Cricket and the New Zealand Cricket Players Association have agreed that women's cricketers will be paid more.

A new three-year Memorandum of Understanding will see 15 of the country's best women cricketers offered annual retainers ranging in value from $20,000 to $34,000.

Previously, only the top 10 players received contracts worth more than $10,000.

The New Zealand Cricket Association says paying our best women's players more fits in well with the organisation's commitment towards inclusivity and diversity.


Monday 08th August, 2016

Consumers polled in the Most Trusted Brand Survey have voted Silver Fern Farms as the most trusted meat brand.

The company held off stiff competition from other big names, such as Tegel, Hellers and Ingham.

The survey has been conducted for the last 17 years with the aim of uncovering Kiwi's attitudes to professions, people and brands.


Friday 05th August, 2016

New Zealand wool prices were mixed at the latest South Island auction, with buyers focused on specific wool types.

Prices for mid-micron wool increased an average of 1% compared with last week's South Island auction, with 27 micron wool rising to 20c a kilogram.

75% of the almost 5000 bales on offer were sold at auction.

However that’s down from 85% last week, which was the highest clearance rate since the end of May.


Wednesday 03rd August, 2016

Vehicle sales in New Zealand are on the up, following a series of monthly gains.

Registrations of new vehicles rose 12% to just over 11,000 units in July.

The New Zealand Motor Industry Association is signalling a new annual record may be set this year due to an economy buoyed by low interest rates and record migration.

Chief executive David Crawford says the association expects annual sales to soften in line with slower growth in the domestic economy.


Friday 29th July, 2016

Annual building consents nationally are at their highest in over a decade.

Statistics New Zealand figures reveal that in the year to June, over 29,000 new dwellings gained consent.

June saw a large increase, with over 2,700 consents granted, up 35% for the same month last year.

Much of the growth came from Auckland.


Thursday 28th July, 2016

The latest monthly Regional Tourism Estimates show a strong start to the winter season with increased expenditure in every region.

Otago led the way with $3.2b in spending by both domestic and international visitors.

That's an 11% increase on June last year.

In total six regions saw expenditure of over $1b, something Associate Tourism Minister Paula Bennett attributes to hard work at both national and local levels.

She says the government remains focused on the dispersal of visitors across New Zealand to make sure all regions benefit from tourism spend.


Wednesday 27th July, 2016

The confidence of the country's farmers is slightly up on last year but remains weak.

The latest Farm Confidence Survey shows that around 70% of respondents expect their profitability to stay the same or improve over the next year.

However, Federated Farmers president William Rolleston says many farmers have concerns about the global market post Brexit, and its impact locally.

He says it's unsurprising almost 40% of respondents identified farm-gate prices as their biggest single concern.