$9 million co-housing development in works for Auckland suburb
A co-housing development group has shelled out $9 million for two neighubouring sections in Auckland's Grey Lynn, where the plan is to build thirty or more homes with shared facilities, including a communal garden. The goal of Cohaus is to build affordable sustainable housing in consultation with potential home owners, while encouraging people to be less reliant on cars and share more resources. It will be Cohaus's second Auckland development. The first was finished in 2022. Architect and project manager of the new development Thom Gill spoke to Lisa Owen.
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RNZ News
8 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Stronger rules planned for use of biometric data
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RNZ News
8 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Canterbury company Wild Earth Yarns takes over closing Napier firm's gear
Wild Earth Yarns owners Graham (left) and Jacqui McLaughlin and son Blair who is the factory manager. Photo: supplied Canterbury's Wild Earth Yarns is taking over manufacturing equipment belonging to Napier company Design Spun, which is closing. The Christchurch-based and family-owned company is the manufacturer of high-quality hand-knitting yarn from super-fine merino wool, possum fibre and strong wool. "What that means for us is massive expansion," Wild Earth Yarns factory manager Blair McLaughlin said. Yarn from its factory in the Christchurch suburb of Bromley is used in textiles, knitting and merino socks. Canterbury's Wild Earth Yarns is committed to processing wool in New Zealand. Photo: supplied The newly purchased machinery can also manufacture mohair and alpaca fibre. And a woollen bouclé yarn can now be made for the weaving market. McLaughlin said if they had not bought the heavy machinery, it would have been scrapped. "We'll be the last worsted yarn manufacturer left in New Zealand." Most of the country's wool clip is sent overseas as greasy and clean fibre to be processed, but Wild Earth Yarns was committed to local manufacturing. Most of New Zealand's wool is sent to China, India and Italy to be processed. Photo: supplied Riley Kennedy "Obviously there's a rising demand for local traceable yarn," McLaughlin said. "We can see a worldwide trend of moving away from synthetic materials and wanting to use natural biodegradable fibres." It will add up to 15 more staff as it scaled up its operation. He said the company was thrilled to carry on Design Spun's legacy. Moving the machinery to the South Island would be a significant logistical operation. McLaughlin , alongside his father Graham, had been in Hawke's Bay planning the big move. Graham had the engineering skills to keep the machinery operational. "We'll start dismantling and preparing to ship to Christchurch at the start of next month," McLaughlin said. "There will be a lot of moving parts over the operation to get it up and running again." Canterbury's Wild Earth Yarns is moving wool processing machinery to the South Island Photo: supplied Meanwhile, the owners of Design Spun's dye plant and spinning mill in Napier were disappointed they could not find a local buyer to take over the operation, based at Onekawa. Managing director Brendan Jackson said it was bittersweet that no one in the region was lining up to take over the firm. Around 25 workers would lose their jobs when the production moves south. Around 60 percent of the business was in the hand-knitting sector, with the balance going into weaving and hosiery contracts. "Design Spun as a textile company has a long commitment and support for the natural fibre industry and our preference was to sell the business and keep production here on site here in Napier," Jackson said. "It's been an 18 month process for us. We've got retiring and exiting executive directors." Machinery from a Hawke's Bay manufacturer is moving south to a new home in the Christchurch suburb of Bromley. Photo: supplied "The dye house and spinning mill are all moving to Christchurch, they have bought all the equipment." But a silver lining was Wild Earth Yarns swooping in to use the machinery in the south. "We've got the next best thing, which is maintaining the capability of processing but on another site." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Techday NZ
38 minutes ago
- Techday NZ
Dosh partners with Visa & Pismo to build NZ digital banking
Dosh has announced a collaboration with Visa and Pismo aimed at developing its digital banking platform in New Zealand. The Auckland-based digital wallet provider, established in 2021, is progressing towards becoming a registered bank and says its partnership with Visa and Pismo will support this next phase of its business. The collaboration is set to allow Dosh to deliver digital banking services with greater speed, security, and scalability to customers throughout New Zealand. Partnership details Dosh will use Pismo's cloud-native core banking and payments platform, which Visa acquired in 2024, to underpin its expanding financial offerings. Currently, the digital wallet serves more than 40,000 accounts, all of which are expected to be migrated to the Pismo platform by May 2026. According to the company, the migration will be seamless with no service disruption for existing users. "Working with Visa and Pismo allows us to move faster and scale with confidence," said Shane Marsh, CEO of Dosh. "As we step into this exciting next chapter, our focus is on offering New Zealanders a modern banking experience that's smart, simple, and puts value back in their pockets. This collaboration is a key step in that journey." Pismo's platform will allow Dosh to consolidate spend, save, and borrow features within a single banking application, giving it the infrastructure required to broaden its digital services and scale its user base over the coming years. Strategic goals Dosh's stated ambition is to become New Zealand's first fully digital, locally owned registered bank, with an application currently underway at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. By leveraging this new partnership, Dosh aims to offer solutions that it says are aligned to the needs and preferences of modern New Zealanders. Anthony Watson, Visa Country Manager for New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, said: "We want Kiwi fintechs to thrive, so we're proud to support Dosh in their mission to bring more innovation and choice to New Zealanders. Their vision aligns closely with Visa's ongoing commitment to digital innovation and financial inclusion." This partnership marks the first client engagement for Pismo in New Zealand. Vishal Dalal, CEO at Pismo, commented: "Dosh is known for delivering a simple and intuitive customer experience. We're excited to help enable that with a modern, scalable platform powering it behind the scenes. We're also proud to welcome Dosh as our first client in New Zealand." Local focus with global technology Dosh highlighted the importance of a local customer focus while leveraging the expertise and technologies of international partners. The collaboration intends to merge global payments infrastructure with local requirements. Marsh said: "Collaborating directly with Visa, a global leader in payments innovation, reinforces our ambition to bring world-class digital banking technology to Kiwis. Together, with Pismo, we're building the foundation for the future of banking in New Zealand." Dosh is positioning its model to streamline costs, adopt new technologies including artificial intelligence, and offer a service described as tailored for New Zealand customers as it seeks regulatory approval to operate as a digital-only bank. Follow us on: Share on:
