Photo: suppliedWhile Air New Zealand does not see the lack of airline competition in New Zealand as a problem, Dunedin Airport and many other regional airports around the country do. Air NZ holds more than 80% of domestic capacity and a monopoly on 80% of domestic air routes — making it one of the most concentrated domestic aviation markets in the world. However, New Zealand Airports Association chief executive Billie Moore believed it was a problem, particularly for regional travellers and businesses across the country, because without aviation competition, regional air routes were more expensive. "Like many New Zealand airports, we have seen schedules change over time as airlines respond to demand, fleet availability and network priorities." She said on routes with Jetstar competition, Air NZ dropped fares by 4% and increased capacity by 0.6%.

Photo: ODT filesA Dunedin nurse was permitted to continue working at the hospital after groping a colleague as she tended to an unconscious patient. Kevin Gonzales, 34, appeared before the Dunedin District Court this week where he was discharged without conviction after admitting a charge of indecent assault. He had been stationed in a different department to the victim and there had been no further incidents, she said. The court heard the victim had sought counselling as a result of the ordeal and experienced ongoing anxiety in the aftermath. The Nursing Council said it had no comment to make on Gonzales’ work status as it was "an employment decision".

The former Prince Andrew. File photo: ReutersThe arrest of disgraced former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has highlighted one of the major risks of having a non-elected head of state, a constitutional law expert says. If New Zealand wanted to ditch the British Royal Family and become a republic, it would be a rather simple process, he said. Whether New Zealand wanted to become a republic in the wake of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest was not clear, Prof Geddis said. It was pretty obvious members of the Royal Family probably knew he was "getting up to trouble", but they likely did not ever know the true extent, he said.

The water intake at Falls Dam sits high and dry in this 2024 file photo. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERYA $2 million funding boost from the government has been described as significant, as the plan to enlarge and fix Falls Dam gathers steam. Manuherekia Catchment Group chairman Andrew Paterson said the $2 million announcement was a significant step in the future of the dam. Mr Paterson, who is also a director Manuherikia River Ltd, said the enlarged dam would not cover much extra land. He said the added bonus the dam would help feed town water supplies along the river’s path to Alexandra.

Facilitating a "penguin experience" for a pair of English rock stars landed one Dunedin collector an unforgettable memento. Mr Mahalski said Cocker was interested in finding vinyl records of Dunedin music for his son and seeing local wildlife. "Thanks to [Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance] — [they] let us have a penguin experience," Mr Mahalski said. "If any other rock stars are reading this and they want to donate their underpants, that would be cool," Mr Mahalski said. "It’s not just men; any underpants from rock stars would be a good addition to the collection."

Cr Ong said he was escorted out of the meeting by Crs John Chambers, Doug Hall, Mickey Treadwell and Andrew Simms. Cr Ong accepted the letter, placed it back on the table, took a photo, and was then asked to leave. "Cr Ong is now a serious impediment to the council — both reputationally and operationally. Cr Ong disputed this and he posted on social media a video of himself with duct tape over his mouth. Cr Ong earlier in the term complained about the conduct of Cr Chambers, but this was dismissed as being without substance.

Reserve Bank governor Anna Breman shared her vision for the Reserve Bank at a lunch yesterday hosted by Business Canterbury. PHOTO: SUPPLIEDCautious householder spending and big global shocks are the main pressures Reserve Bank governor Anna Breman sees tripping up the economic recovery. The new governor gave a confident first formal talk to business owners at a lunch hosted by Business Canterbury at Christchurch’s Air Force Museum yesterday. Dr Breman said the projection for the NZ economy was looking pretty good after three years of almost no growth. The other risk to Reserve Bank projections for economic growth in the year ahead was further afield.

Photo: SUPPLIED / GWRCIt will be more expensive to travel on Wellington's public transport later this year. That means for a passenger commuting between suburbs such as Karori, Khandallah, Lyall Bay and the city centre, rush-hour fares are going up from $4.53 to $4.67, but off-peak fares rise from $3.17 to $3.74. Ros Connelly, the chairperson of the regional council's public transport committee, said the 3.1 percent increase was the limit between prudent economic management and what the public could afford. "While my personal preference in an ideal world would be to have free public transport across our whole region. Last year, Metlink increased its fares by 2.2 percent and dropped the off-peak discount from 50 percent to 30 percent.

Mountbatten-Windsor maintained his friendship with Epstein long after the financier’s 2008 guilty plea on a charge of soliciting sex from a minor. The implications for the royal family may be just as serious. “I think we have to separate the notion of a family from the institution of the monarchy,” royal commentator Jonathan Dimbleby told the BBC. William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales – who have reportedly been among the family members most critical of Andrew – remain highly popular. They did not issue a separate statement yesterday, but a palace official said they supported the king’s statement.

Consultant Jim Reardon believed banks’ one-year and 18-month mortgages were a little overpriced, given where wholesale interest rates have landed. He couldn’t see mortgage rates rising in the next few months. Reardon believed banks’ margins were roughly back where they were before participants in financial markets over-reacted to the Reserve Bank’s commentary at the end of 2025, and wholesale interest rates shot up. Wholesale interest rates jumped, financial market conditions tightened, banks’ margins narrowed, and banks lifted their longer-term fixed mortgage and term deposit rates by about 30 basis points. Reardon believed banks would welcome wholesale rates dropping off a bit.

Half a million dollars, seized by police on Operation Solana. These items were seized as a part of the undercover drug sting Operation Solana. Three firearms were seized, including one that had been 3D printed. 11 arrests were made following the nine-month undercover drug sting Operation Solana. Police seized a 3D printed firearm in a search as part of Operation Solana.

A gastric sleeve operation performed privately in New Zealand could cost $40,000, which was out of her financial reach and why Watson looked overseas. With medical tourism growing, Auckland surgeon Dr Richard Babor said it had reached the point where there was almost always someone in Middlemore Hospital with post-operation problems from overseas surgery. We’d just be providing a follow-up service.”Babor said no official numbers were kept about people affected by overseas surgery going wrong, but it was something bariatric surgeons talked about and would consider. “Any surgery is going to potentially have complications – whether it’s New Zealand, Mexico, anywhere, there’s potential for complications. I do feel very sorry for people who have had bad experiences overseas.”Warren said having weight-loss surgery overseas was viewed differently to other operations, such as dental ones.

Benedict OngDunedin's mayor has warned controversial city councillor Benedict Ong about his conduct, saying she is ‘‘extremely concerned’’. ‘‘I consider your actions in regard to the chief executive and staff relations to be extremely serious,’’ Ms Barker said. ‘‘I am extremely concerned about your behaviour,’’ Ms Barker said. An independent investigator has started looking into Cr Ong’s conduct after an email he sent this month about a staff member. In her email, Ms Barker highlighted various clauses of the code of conduct.

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They often shared “a coffee and a chat”, as Holland did with many people in the Tauranga community, including others living rough. Dax Holland was a long-time member of Tauranga’s homeless community and a regular at community meals. Photo / FacebookShadbolt described Holland as a “really nice guy” who was thoughtful and knowledgeable, enjoyed deep conversations and often spoke about philosophy and spirituality. Holland loved music and being around whatever was going on, whether it was singing, dancing or pickleball. “He loved community and he loved people,” Shadbolt said.