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7 Jun 2025

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Why an almost $17m central city property has been vacant for two decades
The government owned site was formerly Christchurch Women’s Hospital. But that closed down in 2005, so why is it still empty?

Foreign student income down on pre-Covid earnings
But the fees were about $100 million less than the pre-pandemic years of 2018 and 2019.

Take $400 off a Surface Laptop 15 with Snapdragon
There are new Surface Laptop models to choose from. They’re…not great. They’re not bad, but for their diminished size and capacity, they really should be cheaper. Today you can get a better deal on a bigger, roomier 15-inch Surface Laptop from 2024, with a long-lasting Snapdragon processor. Amazon has it for $899.99, a cool $400 off the retail price. This Surface Laptop has 16GB of memory, which is good — that’s as low as I’d go for any modern device running Windows 11. It also has 256GB of storage, which is…not as good. It’s bad, in fact, for a $900 laptop regardless of discount. Fortunately you can replace it with a more roomy SSD with just a little elbow grease. That is to say, you can use elbow grease to change out the storage, you cannot use elbow grease as storage. My editor says I need to be specific. The more impressive parts of this deal are the very nice Surface fit-and-finish, the big, beautiful touchscreen, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor. That Arm-based setup means this laptop isn’t very good for gaming, but it handles everything else really well, especially battery life. With that ultra-efficient chip, this Windows laptop can finally compete (and sometimes even best) Apple’s Arm-based Macbooks. The 15-inch Surface Laptop doesn’t see a lot of discounts on the base model, they’re usually reserved for the much more expensive configurations. So if you’ve been waiting for a deal, here it is — you can use those savings to get a replacement SSD, like this one. If this deal doesn’t tickle your fancy, try PCWorld’s picks for the best laptops around. Get a 15-inch Surface Laptop for $900View Deal

Why McLaren doesn’t play the NZ national anthem in Formula 1
When Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris stand on the podium in first place, it is God Save the King that plays, rather than God Defend New Zealand. With the founder being a New Zealander, why is this the case?

‘Loud bang’: Air NZ flight to Queenstown struck by lightning
Air New Zealand said NZ625 from Auckland to Queenstown was turned back for engineering checks as a precaution after lightning hit the plane shortly after departure.

Upgrade to this 360Hz 1440p OLED gaming monitor for just $575
Do you feel the need? The need for speed? Or, if you’re young enough not to get that reference, do you feel the need for vivid colors and perfect black levels on your gaming PC? Then upgrade to an OLED monitor already! Today, you can get a 27-inch ASRock model with a super-fast 360Hz panel from Newegg for just $575 even. That 360Hz panel is definitely the standout feature here, as most of the OLED monitors in this price range settle for 240Hz. That makes this 27-inch 2560×1440 panel ideal for fast-paced online shooters. Otherwise, the design is pretty basic. It does come with a USB-C port that supports video, but it’s best for desktop PCs—with just 15 watts of charging, you’ll still have to plug your gaming laptop into something else with more juice. Monitor deals have been thin for the last few weeks, so I doubt you’ll find a better one for this particular size and speed anytime soon. That said, Father’s Day is around the corner, so you might hold out if you want a discount on a larger ultrawide or 4K OLED. You might also want to check out PCWorld’s picks for the best gaming monitors. Get a 360Hz 1440p OLED gaming monitor for $575Buy now from Newegg

Why the Chiefs don’t have to win, and the Blues can’t afford to lose
The luxury the Chiefs have earned for the playoffs is something the Blues don’t need to calculate when last year’s finalists meet in Hamilton.

Hurricanes adopt must-win mindset ahead of playoff they may not have to win
All you need to know as the Hurricanes take on a familiar foe in the last of three Super Rugby qualifying finals.

‘Going with my gut’: Kosta Barbarouses on Phoenix exit, World Cup dream
Kosta Barbarouses missed out on the All Whites’ World Cup squad in 2010. As he eyes a place in next year’s one, he’s on the move at the club level.