Pouring oil on troubled waters
A worst-case scenario has been modelled with, to use Ms Willis’ words, ‘‘heavy caveats’’. Oil tankers anchored in Muscat, near the Strait of Hormuz. Ms Willis stressed yesterday that supplies for Air New Zealand, for both travel and cargo, were nationally critical and non-negotiable. One possible source could be Russia — a country subject to extensive embargos, including of its oil exports, due to its illegal invasion of Ukraine. Storm in a teacup though this might be, the fact that so many were prepared to give it credence is worrying for Mr Luxon.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 16, 2026 16:33 UTC
Business doing well but no buyers
Jolanda and Richard Foale are closing their business Coffee and Burger Afloat on the waters of Lake Dunstan. For one, the food and coffee is sited on Lake Dunstan in the Cromwell Gorge. Owners Richard and Jolanda Foale said they had put their lives on hold for three years while the business was on the market but no buyer could be found. Mrs Foale was born in Switzerland and brought up in Kenya, where Mr Foale was born. They’re all on holiday, they’re all positive, they’re all loving what they’re doing.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 16, 2026 16:33 UTC
Killer twice ruled insane named
A man who has twice been ruled insane after committing two separate killings can now be named. The revelations of a second killing prompted the Chief Victims Advisor to call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into forensic mental health facilities. Photo: SuppliedIt can now be reported that Parr killed his partner Maulolo in April 1997. TIMELINEAugust 1995: Parr admitted to hospital under the mental health act after twice cutting his wrists and attempting to hang himself. He is detained in a hospital as a special patient under the Mental Health Act.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 16, 2026 15:32 UTC
Dubai airport resumes flights after drone attack
Smoke rises from an area near the Dubai International Airport after a drone attack hit a fuel tank, according to authorities. Photo: Reuters/StringerDubai's international airport was gradually resuming flights on Monday, authorities said, after a fire caused by a drone attack forced a temporary suspension, further disrupting traffic in one of the world's busiest air travel hubs. Some flights were diverted to the Al Maktoum International Airport. The United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations with Iran's arch-foe Israel in 2020, has faced the brunt of the attacks. On March 11, two drones fell near the international airport, which suffered damage on the first day of the conflict during an Iranian attack across Gulf states.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 16, 2026 13:23 UTC
US allies 'not planning' to sent ships to Hormuz
PHOTO: REUTERSUS President Donald Trump's demands for a coalition to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz appeared to fall on deaf ears on Monday as allies Japan and Australia said they were not planning to send navy vessels to the Middle East to escort ships through the vital waterway. Markets in Asia reacted cautiously, with Brent crude rising more than 1% above $US104.50 and regional share markets mostly weaker amid concerns about the risk to Middle East oil facilities and after Trump's request for allies to get more involved. In a weekend social media post he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others would participate. “I think China should help too because China gets 90% of its oil from the Straits,” Trump said. DRONES CAUSE FIRE, DISRUPT TRAFFIC AT DUBAI AIRPORTThe disruption to energy markets caused by the Iran war is an "abject lesson" in the risks of relying on fossil fuels, according to the UN climate secretary.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 16, 2026 13:09 UTC
Business already hit by flight cuts, regional leader says
Billie MooreBusinesses are already feeling the pinch from Air New Zealand’s latest cuts to flights, and the ongoing impact to regional connectivity is becoming ‘‘significant’’, a Dunedin business leader says. That represented about a 5% reduction of its total domestic and international schedule, and would impact an estimated 44,000 passengers. Business South chief executive Mike Collins said the changes by Air New Zealand risked undermining business connectivity and regional growth across Otago and Southland — particularly at a time when the regions were experiencing strong economic growth and contributing significantly to New Zealand’s recovery. When flights were reduced and prices rose, people travelled less — meaning fewer visitors, fewer business trips and fewer opportunities for investment and collaboration, he said. ‘‘I do think that Air New Zealand has been taking care with how they're doing it.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 16, 2026 12:29 UTC
New Zealand, Samoa bolster drug crackdown after experts warn of ‘Pacific tsunami’ of criminals targeting vulnerable communities
Photo / Julia GabelNew Zealand’s Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Minister for Pacific Peoples Shane Reti also attended the meeting. “Whether it’s in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, we are now a superhighway for drugs, particularly out of South America,” he said. Leaders from Samoa and New Zealand during a Cabinet meeting addressing a joint response to drug crime in the Pacific. Organised crime in the Pacific was discussed in a Cabinet report prepared for Customs Minister Casey Costello. The experts who briefed the minister described a “Pacific tsunami” of crime into small Pacific populations that would create problems.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 16, 2026 11:28 UTC
Mama Hooch rapists' appeals thrown out
Danny (left) and Roberto Jaz were convicted in August 2023. Danny and Roberto Jaz were convicted in 2023 of 69 charges, including sexual assault, rape, stupefaction, disabling, sexual violation and indecent assault. Many of their 23 victims were staff or patrons of the Mama Hooch bar in Colombo St or nearby restaurant Venuti. "You helped yourself to young women with callous disregard for their rights and their dignity, their youth," Judge Mabey said. All appeals, except for three charges against Roberto Jaz for making an intimate visual recording, failed.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 16, 2026 09:10 UTC
Oscars 2026: Kiwis clean up with major awards, One Battle After Another reigns supreme
Both Kiwi costume designer Kate Hawley and the team from Wellington’s Wētā FX have won in their respective categories – Costuming and Visual Effects. Hawley has snagged one of the early wins at the 98th Academy Awards for her work on monster movie Frankenstein. Hawley previously won the Bafta weeks earlier, and this was her first nomination and win for an Academy Award. Wētā FX’s Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett have also accepted the award on behalf of the Wētā FX team. This brings the total number of Awards won by Wētā FX to eight, with the group long considered to be at the forefront of visual effects in the industry.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 16, 2026 08:32 UTC
Fish processor fined $20,000
The company received 27 shipments of the live green-lipped mussels. Photo: NIWA/Rebekah Parsons-KingA Christchurch-based fish processor has been fined $20,000 for illegally handling live mussels from a restricted biosecurity zone. Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigators found the company received 27 shipments - more than 239 tonnes - of live green-lipped mussels from the Upper South Contained Zone near Nelson and Marlborough. A biosecurity inspector discovered the green-lipped mussels were being moved illegally in October 2024, MPI said. "These green-lipped mussel shellfish were for export, and the unlawful movement of this shellfish had potential to cause serious reputational harm to the New Zealand shellfish industry.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 16, 2026 07:41 UTC
Luxon moves on from 'miscommunication' over matai title
Photo: RNZNew Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is putting the question of whether or not he asked for a matai title behind him, saying it was a miscommunication, and both he and his Samoan counterpart have moved on. Luxon thanked those present for the title, Tuisinavemaulumoto'otua, saying it was a great honour. Afterwards, Luxon said the Pacific had become a "super-highway for drugs," and both leaders were committed to more information sharing. Asked about what went wrong with the matai title mixup, Luxon said he was "done and finished" with the matter. A question was put to La'aulialemalietoa about the matai title, which he did not answer, but earlier said it was a "token of respect."
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 16, 2026 06:21 UTC
Resignation amid bullying, harrassment investigation
Photo: RNZ / Teresa CowieThe Deputy Chief Executive of the Social Investment Agency has resigned while under investigation in relation to allegations of bullying and harassment. Her departure comes after former SIA chief executive Andrew Coster quit in December following a scathing Independent Police Conduct Authority report. Within days of Coster's resignation, RNZ was contacted with allegations that Reiri was under investigation in relation to complaints of bullying and harassment. "Employment matters within government agencies are for agency chief executives and, if warranted, the Public Service Commission to manage." "Her career has been dedicated to improving outcomes for New Zealanders through data-driven decision making and social investment approaches."
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 16, 2026 03:43 UTC
ACC spied on man with traumatic brain injury
“I’ve no retention of short-term memory.”Nine years after a car crash left him with a traumatic brain injury, his speech still slurs. Clinicians treating him described his condition as a moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury, yet ACC documents recorded his injury as a “brain injury - other” or “mild traumatic brain injury”. A mild traumatic brain injury is generally expected to resolve within weeks or months. The letter arrived just as his GP referred him to a specialist traumatic brain injury rehabilitation centre in Auckland. “When I go to treatment providers, they see ‘brain injury - other’ so they say they can’t help me for my moderate brain injury,” he says.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 16, 2026 02:45 UTC
Housing market flat in February
The housing market was basically flat in February, with overall sales volumes and selling prices almost unchanged from a year ago and properties taking a little longer to sell. The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand reported 6523 residential sales in February, up by just 0.3% compared to February last year. Prices were similarly stuck in the mud, with the REINZ's House Price Index (HPI) unchanged from February last year. In Auckland, the country's largest real estate market market by far, the HPI was down 1.1% compared to February last year. "Three key forces shaped market activity during February - weather, interest rates and the approaching election," REINZ Chief Executive Lizzy Ryley said.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 16, 2026 02:03 UTC
Food prices could be impacted by fuel crisis
Food prices are likely to be impacted if the war in the Middle East keeps pressure on oil prices. Photo: Getty ImagesFood prices are likely to rise if war in the Middle East keeps pressure on oil prices - but some types of food may be more affected than others. "The issue is how transportation costs start going through - I guess anything that's having to come from overseas is going to have a higher transportation component." Eckhold said it could be a couple of months before food price rises started to be seen on New Zealand shelves. Infometrics' supplier cost index showed costs to Foodstuffs supermarkets up 2.3% year-on-year in February, before the oil price rise began to be felt.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 16, 2026 00:50 UTC