Just 43% of New Zealand salespeople hit their targets and achieved bonuses last year. Marketing budgets, professional development and new technology investment were all down in 2025. Only 51% said their firms had increased investment in sales technology in 2025. Average investment in sales development plummeted by 50%, with the average spend per salesperson now $1500 in 2025, compared with $2979 in 2024. Fifty-nine per cent received some training, leaving a sizeable 41% without development, Stokes said.

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A draft design for a mural set to adorn a building on the corner of Prince Albert Rd and Bellona St celebrating the building and area’s past. Photo: suppliedA new piece of "democratic art" will mark South Dunedin as the coolest, most colourful part of town, an organiser hopes. Facing Bellona St, the mural will feature a surfer with a scene of the street in the 1960s. The mural is one of eight featured in Ebb and Flow — a street art festival organised by the trust opening next month, featuring large-scale, live mural painting and street art workshops. "But street art is free for everyone to do and get a little buzz out of — it gives back."

Langley Twigg Law in Napier was hit by a cyber attack affecting internal and client documents. Photo / 123rfLangley Twigg Law in Napier was hit by a cyber attack affecting internal and client documents. Photo / 123rfBy Ellen O’Dwyer of RNZA Napier-based law firm says it’s been hit by a cyber attack affecting internal information about the firm as well as client documents. Langley Twigg Law said it’s working with digital forensics and cyber specialists over the January 11 attack. The law firm said the “third-party extracted a portion of the data from our file server, which contained both internal information relating to Langley Twigg’s operations and some client documents”.

Photo: Google MapsA woman who restrained an Invercargill man while he was stabbed to death says she should never be forgiven. Georgia Rose Dickey, 24, appeared before the Parole Board yesterday but spoke sparingly when questioned by panel members. Dickey wrote that she held the "strong belief" she should never be forgiven for her role in the vigilante murder. The court at sentencing heard she said "enough is enough", but Mr McAllister was stabbed 14 times, later dying in hospital. Counsel Sarah Saunderson-Warner told the Parole Board yesterday her client accepted early release was currently unrealistic.

New Zealand has 147 living native gecko and skink species (lizards) and new species are still being discovered. Of the 147 lizard species, 59 (40%) are classed as threatened; 68 (46%) are at risk; 16 (11%) are too poorly known to assess; and just four species (3%) are not threatened. Mr Reardon said 17 lizard species had improved in status since the last report in 2021, mostly due to better knowledge about them and management efforts. "In recent years, through focused research, we’ve tested new tools such as fenced enclosures, which are improving outcomes for some of our most threatened lizard species. "Sadly, we’ve seen a decline in Sinbad skinks, which are found in a single alpine gully in Fiordland.

Transforming seaweed into an ocean-friendly packaging alternative to plastic is a business project being developed by University of Canterbury biochemistry student Olivia Cooper. The University of Canterbury second-year biochemistry student has developed a flexible seaweed film to replace petroleum-based packaging and already had two bakeries showing interest in a prototype. Her PacSea — formerly called GreenShift Packaging — business project was a last-minute entry in a venture accelerator programme at the university. Miss Cooper said the seaweed packaging project was still in its infancy, but had already got a good reception. Through trial and error, she has come up with a pliable packaging film that works.

Eligible students graduating from a New Zealand institution can receive a Post-Study Work Visa, for a limited timeframe. He was wrong then, he’s wrong on this one too.”McClay echoed Luxon with his comments about Peters’ comments. That appears in material from the Indian side which says the agreement contains “unprecedented student mobility and post-study opportunities”. “For the first time with any country, New Zealand has created a dedicated pathway on Student Mobility and Post-Study Work Visas with India,” the Indian document says. Trade Minister Todd McClay also disputed Winston Peters' claim.

A property badly damaged in last October's storm. New Zealand's largest rural insurer has already paid out $20 million, but expects that figure to rise to about $50 million. An FMG spokesperson told RNZ nearly 5000 claims had been lodged with about half of those now closed. Some of the trees that were toppled in Invercargill in October's storm. IAG - which operates the AMI, NZI and State insurance brands - said it had received 5000 claims relating to October's storm.

PHOTO: MILFORD ROAD ALLIANCEWork affecting major highways in Southland and Central Otago is under way and travellers are advised to prepare for delays. The Milford Road (State Highway 94) is being resealed over the next few days at three sites. PHOTO: NZTAIn Central Otago, resurfacing work is planned at the intersection of SH8 and 8B, alongside the Clutha River/ Mata-Au, near Dead Mans Point next month. "During these times it will mean a single lane closure and road users being asked to stop on demand." Road users can stay up-to-date by using NZTA's Journey Planner site.

Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Thompson said that since the shooting, police had scoured CCTV footage and conducted “extensive inquiries” to find the person of interest. Police chased the vehicle until it was abandoned on Alexandra St, and the driver fled on foot. “The work of our frontline and specialist groups to take this man into custody without incident is a credit to their skill and professionalism. “It was clear from yesterday’s events that this man was very motivated to remain at large and that he was not going to stop until he was arrested. “However, police staff’s persistence and patience paid off, and we are now able to hold him to account.”

Flood damage in Punaruku, Te Araroa on the East Coast. Te Araroa has been described as a 'war zone' and was one of the worst hit during last week's torrential rainfall. Communities remain separated from each other, and work to clear slips on State Highway 35 is continuing. In a post on Wednesday, Tairāwhiti Civil Defence urged the public to be kind after receiving reports of people bullying roadworkers. On Tuesday, red stickers had been given to eight buildings in Punaruku, Te Araroa, and three in Onepoto.

Santana Minerals non-executive chairman Peter Cook. New Zealand does not tolerate mineral exploration by accident; it actively encourages it through statute. Ironically, broader chemical use across other primary industries passes largely without comment, while already tightly regulated mining activities become the focus of disproportionate alarm. To suddenly feign alarm, only when a project appears near pinot noir, is not environmental stewardship. • Peter Cook is the non-executive chairman of Santana Minerals Ltd.

Walsh said the deed itself was quite clear about urban change over rural, with NZ Post taking the definition of rural from Stats NZ – of any area outside of delineated urban settlements, usually with a population less than 1000. He confirmed that NZ Post had completed an expansive series of site visits late last year to identify who uses what site and why, and what choices the company would have under a new configuration. The change of pace has ramped up for NZ Post, with Walsh saying that its parcel service now makes up roughly 65% to 70% of its revenue. The decision to close stores will also make NZ Post’s network more manageable, and help it back on the path to profitability. Minister for Media and Communications Paul Goldsmith said it was “blindingly obvious” that the way people communicate has changed dramatically.

Trump officials quickly painted the two recently shot dead - Renee Good and Alex Pretti - as aggressors, saying the shootings were justified. The Reuters review included these two incidents and four others in recent months that, collectively, show a pattern in which officials rushed to defend immigration officers without waiting for key facts to emerge - in what former immigration officials called a clear break with past practice for federal agencies in such situations. Here is a look at six incidents in Minneapolis, Chicago and Texas:Federal officers and ICE agents surround Alex Pretti on January 24. Videos of the shooting taken from several vantage points – including cell phone video recorded by the officer who shot Good – conflicted with those claims. Wolpert said the affidavit established that the ICE officer shot Sosa-Celis from 3 metres away as he was fleeing, which showed the officer "was not in immediate danger."