Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

We all know that ultra-processed foods are bad for us, but what ingredients should we particularly try to avoid? And what are they doing to our bodies? · Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) might taste good and provide an easy hunger fix, but their long-term health consequences are starting to scare nutrition experts. By Holly McHugh · These foods are often high in added sugars, salt and saturated fats, while being low in protein, fibre and essential…

Looking at the latest interim fuel distribution charts for May 2026, the system still appears to be operating relatively normally on the surface. But the numbers also continue highlighting just how tight New Zealand’s imported fuel network has become since the closure of Marsden Point refinery. Interim Fuel Charts May 2026 · !Fuel Distribution May 2026 · Fuel Distribution May 2026 – Current distribution as of 13/05/2026 · !Fuel Distribution…

!Rams fighting · Source: Kiwibank Economics · Kiwibank economists are warning that New Zealand is being squeezed between two dangerous economic forces at once: · rising fuel and energy costs, and a weakening domestic economy. · The result, they argue, is a growing risk of stagflation — the difficult combination of weak growth, rising prices and deteriorating economic conditions. · According to the report, Brent Crude oil prices have…

The OECD says New Zealand has “no future in gas.” · That may sound visionary inside policy circles and international climate forums. · But there is a major problem. · Modern New Zealand still runs on carbon fuels. · Not hypothetically. Not ideologically. Physically. · Every single day New Zealand consumes approximately 23 million litres of liquid fuels across transport, freight, aviation, shipping, agriculture, heavy machinery, construction…

The Marlborough Sounds, where the pair were last seen. New Year’s Eve, 1997. Hundreds gathered in the Marlborough Sounds for celebrations on the water. Among them were two young New Zealanders: Ben Smart and Olivia Hope. By morning, both were gone. · The final journey · Witnesses reported that the pair had boarded a water taxi in the early hours. From there, accounts suggest they transferred to a yacht belonging to an unknown man. ·…

Radio New Zealand recently published a piece expressing concern over coalition politicians increasingly criticising mainstream media institutions. The framing was predictable. · Politicians attacking the media, readers were told, risk undermining “independent journalism” and democratic accountability. · But buried inside that argument lies the contradiction now driving one of the biggest collapses in public trust across the Western world: ·…

A growing group of engineers, physicists, and energy specialists are warning that New Zealand’s Net Zero 2050 agenda may not only be economically damaging, but technically impossible to achieve. Report By elocal · In a newly published paper titled “Why New Zealand Must Drop Net Zero 2050,” Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering John Raine, Cambridge technology professor Michael Kelly, and power systems engineer Bryan Leyland argue that…

New Zealand’s business sector is showing increasingly visible signs of strain, with new data revealing a sharp rise in company liquidations across multiple industries, led overwhelmingly by the construction sector. By elocal Report · According to new commentary from Kiwibank economist Alexandra Turcu, annual company liquidations across New Zealand are now running 15% higher year-on-year, with construction firms accounting for by far the…

Unelected European Union officials are moving forward with a controversial new vehicle monitoring mandate that will require newly registered vehicles across the EU to include inward-facing “driver-monitoring camera” systems beginning in July. New EU rules will require inward-facing monitoring systems in newly registered vehicles from July · By Frank Bergman · The systems, known as Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW) technology, are…

New Zealand’s fuel distribution network is continuing to show signs of increasing operational strain as tanker movements become more concentrated around key ports while several regional terminals remain without confirmed incoming shipments. Exclusive report for elocal by Dave Trotter · The latest NZ Fuel Watch interim shipping charts, updated Friday May 8, reveal only five new fuel vessels currently entering the national distribution cycle this…