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10 Jan 2025

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Briscoe Group's 2024 sales down on the previous year
The company said full year profit was expected to miss forecast.

Australia violated refugees' rights in offshore detention centre, says UN
The facilities have previously drawn scrutiny from rights groups.

Police name man killed in Coromandel coast crash
The crash, involving a vehicle towing a watercraft, happened on SH25 between Thames and Coromandel on December 27.

Haus.me shows off a tiny smart home you can plop anywhere
What could be cooler than a smart home? A move-in ready, energy-efficient, tiny smart home that can be delivered and set up at your home site in just a few hours, without requiring extensive site preparation or even a foundation or concrete pad. I had an opportunity to tour the luxurious microhaus Pro model, from Haus.me, at CES in Las Vegas this week and imagined using it as a mountain vacation home that could generate a second income as a luxury Airbnb. The dinette with a fold-up queen-size Murphy bed in the microhaus Pro.Michael Brown/Foundry The 120-square-foot model on display costs $89,990 and comes fully assembled and furnished, including voice- and motion-controlled LED smart lighting inside and out (the interior LEDs are dimmable). Smart home features come via a wall-mounted Apple HomePod mini and Apple HomeKit. Yeah, Android users will feel left out. Massive, tinted picture windows on each side of the home flood the interior with sunlight, and there are optional motorized awnings on each side of the house (an interior wall-mounted touchscreen operates the awnings). Luxe furnishings and finishes abound, including genuine hardwood cabinetry throughout. The microhaus Pro’s smart home functions are powered by Apple HomeKit, with a HomePod mini mounted next to a flat-screen TV.Michael Brown/Foundry Resembling a luxury trailer in the manner its interior is laid out, the microhaus Pro has a kitchenette with a sink, microwave, and mini-fridge at the entrance end; a convertible dinette with a fold-down queen-size Murphy bed in the middle; and a bathroom with a toilet and rain-style shower at the far end. The microhaus Pro is of course heated and air conditioned, with an energy-efficient heat pump handling those tasks. With a cold-weather package that includes a more powerful HVAC system, you get radiant heating beneath the ceramic tile floors. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors come standard, as does an air filtration system with a HEPA filter. If you need something bigger than the studio-like microhaus Pro, there are 2-bedroom, 2-bath models with up to 800 square feet of interior space.Hause.me Haus.me says its building don’t require building permits in most jurisdictions, but I wouldn’t order one without checking with local authorities, first. It’s highly likely that you would need permits to connect to the local sewer and electric grid. This isn’t the only model in Haus.me’s inventory. They also have less luxe versions of the Pro model (the same interior square footage, but with fewer features) and larger units (up to 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms). Prices range from $35,000 to $399,000 for the largest model with 800-square feet of interior space. Visit Haus.me for more information.

‘Monster’ nest of over 200,000 wasps destroyed
"It sounded a bit like they had a Formula One car in the backyard."

Lotto $7m win ‘shocked the heck out of us’
The Wellington winners of the first big Lotto prize of the year still went to work after getting the good news.

Bagpipes from around the world descend on Wellington
Pipers and drummers have descended on the capital this week for the Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands' Association annual summer school.