Covid construction chaos: Why NZ s building industry is struggling to cope
8 minutes to read
Jane Phare is a senior business reporter for the New Zealand Heraldjane.phare@nzme.co.nz
A post-Covid rush on home renovations and new builds has caused prices to skyrocket, frustrating delays and products to run out. Industry sources tell Jane Phare how to beat the building blues. Fletcher Building s CEO Ross Taylor doesn t rate himself particularly highly when it comes to predictions. For example he, like most others in the building industry, predicted tight times after lockdown. Prepare for the worst, keep stocks under control, hunker down, that was the idea.
Treasure trove: Authors Mansfield and Baxter among rare books for sale
7 May, 2021 05:27 AM
3 minutes to read
A first edition of Moses Harris The Aurelian, 1776, from the library of Lawrence Baigent and Robert Erwin, is among the books being sold through an online auction by Webb s. Photo / Supplied
A first edition of Moses Harris The Aurelian, 1776, from the library of Lawrence Baigent and Robert Erwin, is among the books being sold through an online auction by Webb s. Photo / Supplied
Jane Phare is a senior business reporter for the New Zealand Heraldjane.phare@nzme.co.nz
A visit to a South Island home to assess two paintings led to a discovery of a collection of rare books. Now they re for sale by auction. Jane Phare reports.
Safe secrets: How to safeguard Kiwi inventions nzherald.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nzherald.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Hotel review: Invercargill s Ascot Park Hotel - Burt Munro fans approve
21 Apr, 2021 02:11 AM
4 minutes to read
The Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill. Photo/supplied
Jane Phare stays at the Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill
Location: A five-minute drive from the CBD and 10 minutes from the airport, it s only a short walk to Ascot Park Raceway.
Style: An 80s exterior with a refurbished, modern interior.
Perfect for: A weekend club event, convention, family getaway or a business trip
Advertisement
Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill. Photo/supplied
First impressions: The sprawling gardens were a good start - the 80s pitched roofs, brown brick and matching aluminium joinery, not so much. But if you can get past that, the interior is comfortable and stylish, with an abundance of cheerfully friendly staff.
The time travellers: Kiwis living here, working anywhere
11 minutes to read
Jane Phare is a senior business reporter for the New Zealand Heraldjane.phare@nzme.co.nz
As thousands of expats return home to escape the grimness of Covid-19 restrictions, many still work at night for their overseas companies. Jane Phare talks to Kiwis who ve kept their old jobs and consults sleep experts about the dangers of tampering with the human body clock.
Aucklander Lisa Winsor goes to bed at 4.30pm these days, an hour earlier than normal thanks to the end of daylight saving this month.
Her late afternoon bedtime is a routine she s kept up since returning to New Zealand from the US late last year, spending two weeks at an MIQ hotel and emerging with relief into a life free from physical distancing, closed restaurants and constant mask- wearing.