The official cash rate has been held steady in the Reserve Bank’s final review before the election.
The OCR will remain at 5.5 per cent, the third time it’s been held steady after RBNZ halted 18 months of rate hikes back in July.
But despite no increase, it warned Kiwis that cuts to the OCR are still a long way off.
The retail sector has suffered just under $2.6 billion in losses from crime in the year to June.
The latest Retail NZ crime report shows 92 per cent of retailers experienced retail crime in the past year.
Chief Executive Carolyn Young says crime’s changed in recent years.
Chris Hipkins says he’s improving, but is still testing positive for Covid, and will stay in isolation until Friday.
The Labour leader fronted a Zoom press conference from his Auckland hotel room today
He says he hopes to resume public campaigning at the end of the week.
Rugby star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s lawyer says his client’s taking a drunk driving conviction on the chin.
Tuivasa-Sheck has been ordered to pay $600 and has been disqualified from driving for 6 months.
His lawyer John Munro maintains his client’s fronting up, and says Tuivasa-Sheck hasn’t sought a discharge or name suppression.
At least 21 people have died, including two children, in a bus crash near Venice.
The tourist bus crashed off an overpass, falling close to railway lines and catching on fire.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says there’s no indication yet if New Zealanders were caught up in the accident.
The researchers aim to create early detection tests, improving survival rates.