Latest news with #Pals
NZ Herald
21-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Pals co-founders: How they went from surfing buddies to RTD moguls
In this case, the big stress is picking the new flavours and colours for the Pals RTD range, which has built its brand on a soft pastel palette of sophisticated fruit flavours. 'When it's finally released into the market. It's not like a celebration moment. It is for the team, but for Nick and I, it's just this huge sigh of relief.' It's no small thing for a drinks brand that has built its reputation on fresh flavour and a colourful non-gendered approach to look and feel. 'I think the portfolio has to adapt over time, which is quite hard because you get your loyalists who are like, not the pink one or the yellow,' says Croad partner and long-time pal Nick Marshall. 'How can you kill those flavours? But there's a mixture of data, there's some intuition, there's some trend-based stuff.' Being in a consumer business, you have to be adaptable, he says. 'For us it's making sure that we're not always chopping and changing, but we are trying new things and still taking has definitely been part of our business model from day dot.' For the record, Croad and Marshall aren't about to give away what the next flavour will be. The pair have been friends since they were 11. So the Pals name is pretty apt. They founded the drinks company in 2019 with another old friend, broadcaster Jay Reeve (and his wife Anna). But in a sense, it's a partnership that was forged at Ōtūmoetai College in Tauranga and in years of surfing at Mount Maunganui. But despite that early connection, the pair have had long and different career paths. Both studied commerce at university, although Croad went to Waikato and Marshall headed to Otago. Apart from catching up during summer holidays, that's where their paths diverged for many years. Marshall's career path is a diverse one. He started out in sales – selling HRV air conditioning systems door to door, before moving to real estate and then heading to Australia to work in mining. 'I always, from quite a young age, wanted to do my own thing. What that was gonna materialise into, I never really knew, but I tried a lot of things,' he says. Croad, on the other hand, took a more traditional corporate path. He started straight out of university in marketing roles in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. He ended up in senior marketing roles for NZ Wine Cellars and Woolworths. It was from there that the passion for building something in the liquor industry started. Croad and Marshall had stayed in touch. 'It was sort of like a once every few months [we'd] Skype and talk about different business ideas,' Croad says. There was always a plan to start a business of some sort, he says. 'It just got to a point, it was like, let's just start something. It may not be 100% the right option from day one, but it's gonna give us the learnings to evolve.' So the pair (with the Reeves) started a wine brand in 2016. Pals was born of necessity to some extent, says Marshall. 'We were looking at all sorts of things,' he says. 'We were quite innovative, doing the first five-litre bottles, we did a collaboration with Stolen Girlfriends Club, which was, an amazing brand partnership, we looked at wine-based slushies, wine-based ice blocks, you name it, we tried it.' Eventually, though, they realised it was selling wine itself that was the problem. Looking back at the almost immediate success of the Pals brand, it all seems quite obvious, Marshall says. 'But at the time, it was actually quite novel.' There were plenty of RTDs on the market, but people would bring a couple to a party and try and hide them, he says. 'No one really resonated with the brands, that's where we felt we had real connection with consumers.' Croad credits the success to a combination of small things they got right with the brand. When it comes to how they approach the financial side and generally deal with money, Croad says he has a highly analytical approach. 'Not through choice. It's just how I'm wired. For me to make any decision with a financial implication, I look at every possible scenario there is.' Marshall admits he started with a more relaxed attitude to money. 'Early on, it was whatever came in went out, and [his spending] was mostly experience driven,' he says. 'For me, money has always been more of a freedom thing than it has been about buying stuff. I've certainly stuck with that. But I've learned over time that, for a rainy day, it's good to have some in the back pocket. Mat's been really good for that.' 'We've grown up and we are a proper business now with official titles and proper responsibilities.' Listen to the full episode to hear more from Money Talks is a podcast run by the NZ Herald. It isn't about personal finance and isn't about economics - it's just well-known New Zealanders talking about money and sharing some stories about the impact it's had on their lives and how it has shaped them. The series is hosted by Liam Dann, business editor-at-large for the Herald. He is a senior writer and columnist, and also presents and produces videos and podcasts. He joined the Herald in 2003. Money Talks is available on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Sunday World
14-05-2025
- Sunday World
Revealed: Teacher who was caught on CCTV assaulting autistic kids in Dublin school
Pre-school teacher avoids jail after CCTV footage showed her assaulting children with autism Tanya Shortt at the door of her home with our reporter Alan Tanya Shortt at the door of her home with our reporter Alan This is the former teacher who has avoided jail after being convicted of assaulting autistic children 'unable to speak for themselves' while they were under her care. Tanya Shortt (36), from Esmondale, Kilcullen Road, Naas, Co Kildare, was given two two-month suspended sentences at Blanchardstown District Court last month after pleading guilty to assaulting two children at Play and Language Support (Pals) preschool for autistic children in Finglas, north Dublin in January 2023. Parents broke down in tears speaking about the incidents to the Sunday World this week, saying Shortt has destroyed their trust in people and that they 'want everyone to know what she did'. One parent said she was devastated when she was shown CCTV of Shortt assaulting her son, including grabbing him aggressively by the arm and dragging him through a door, pinching him and putting her hand over his nose and mouth. She tearfully explained how in the weeks before the incident her five-year-old autistic son, who she said was barely able to speak at that time, cried hysterically when she brought him to the preschool. 'I blame myself that I didn't see what was going on,' she said, and added that watching the CCTV broke her heart. 'To see that face, that little face and to see how scared he was when she pulled him, my God. I am going to blame myself for the rest of my life.' While the children cannot be named because of their ages, the court ruled that Shortt can be identified following her conviction. Tanya Shortt at the door of her home with our reporter Alan News in 90 Seconds - May 14th Shortt declined to comment when the Sunday World approached her this week, simply saying 'no' before closing the door. The preschool said in a statement that they were 'heartbroken that we were unable to prevent this from occurring'. The statement said an investigation into Shortt's actions was launched in January 2023, immediately after other staff raised concerns about her rough treatment of children, and she was suspended immediately. They then reviewed CCTV which showed Shortt assaulting children, and made complaints to gardai, Tusla and the Teaching Council of Ireland, and informed parents. Parents told the Sunday World they fear Shortt carried out more assaults but this could not be proven as the CCTV available only covered a short period of time in January 2023. The parents said she had been working there for over a year and said they became concerned that their children's behaviour had changed in the months prior to January 2023 under Shortt's care. Another mother who was shown footage of her daughter being roughly shoved down on a chair which didn't lead to any charges, said: 'The CCTV only covered a week or two in January and there are areas that weren't covered by cameras. We're tortured. What did she do where there was no cameras?' Management at the preschool contacted parents in early January 2023 after the other staff raised concerns. Video footage was reviewed but only covered a short period of time as older CCTV recordings are automatically overwritten. The preschool called in parents of six children, aged from three upwards, in Shortt's care and showed them CCTV footage of her with their children. She pleaded guilty to assaulting two of the children. Parents were told by the preschool that while she was caught on camera appearing to carry out another assault, that charge was dismissed as the timestamp on that footage was off by an hour as it hadn't been updated for daylight savings time. The mother of one young boy who Shortt admitted assaulting said she felt something was wrong with him in the months before the incident caught on CCTV. Tanya Shortt at the door of her home with our reporter Alan 'Those kids at the time were barely speaking. My son was very late with the speaking and at that time was barely able to say anything,' she said. She said towards the end of 2022 her son became upset every time he was due to go to school. 'He was actually crying. I went with him to the preschool and he lay down in front of the door. He was crying and begging without saying anything. 'I was just shocked it was happening and lay down with him in front of everyone. I was thinking he doesn't want to go to school. I blame myself that I didn't see what was going on.' The mother broke down as she told of her devastation when she was brought in to view CCTV footage in January 2023. 'On camera, what they showed me, three things in my son's case. 'One was… sorry, I can't handle this, I'm blaming myself for not seeing what was going on. 'One thing was showing she was pulling my son. He was playing hide and seek. She grabbed his hand and pulled him very aggressively behind the door. "I saw his face on the video. He was so scared, you could see he was going to start crying but I don't know what happened on the other side of the door because there was no camera. 'Another one she was pinching him. She was grabbing his hand and pinching him. I could tell from watching it that it was painful. 'Another thing they showed me was her putting her hand over his mouth and nose so he couldn't breathe. They didn't count that as assault, as far as I know.' She said the look on his face after Shortt pulled him through the door haunted her. 'To see that face, that little face and to see how scared he was when she pulled him, my God. I am going to blame myself for the rest of my life. It was very aggressive. So big a woman and such small kids.' She said Shortt shattered her trust in people. 'I will never get back trust in people. When he goes to school now my heart just stops. I know the school is lovely and the teacher is lovely but I never have 100 per cent trust in anybody anymore' Shortt wrote a letter to the parents of the assaulted children ahead of sentencing, saying she wanted to extend a 'sincere and formal apology for any actions, behaviours or decision during my time working with your children that caused concern, discomfort or a loss of trust'. She said she recognised the weight of responsibility that comes with working with young people and regrets 'any way in which I failed to uphold that responsibility'. 'I acknowledge that in certain respects my conduct did not align with the standards expected of someone entrusted with such a role,' she wrote. She went on to say she took responsibility for her 'shortcomings' and 'the consequences they may have had on your families'. Short further admitted her 'actions may have led to disappointment or concern'. 'Following a period of serious reflection I have made the decision to permanently step away from any current or future work involving children.' She added she saw this as the most 'respectful and responsible course of action'. In reality, there is no way Shortt would pass garda vetting to work with children ever again following her recent conviction. Parents blasted her apology, with one mother saying it sounded like something written by AI and did not address the fact she assaulted children. 'It wasn't really apologetic. It was 'sorry you're upset'. She didn't say I'm sorry for being so bad to the kids, it was more that was just my way of teaching them and sorry if that may have made you uncomfortable. 'I hope she feels ashamed and I hope she knows that what she did was wrong, I hope [but don't know]. The result [sentence] is never going to be enough for us. 'I don't know what it would have to be to make me feel satisfied, there's probably nothing that would.' Another mother said she was shown footage of her daughter, who was three at the time, being pushed down into a chair by Shortt but was told it wasn't enough for an assault charge. She said she also noticed a change in her daughter's behaviour after she was in the teacher's care and said she will always question if anything else happened to her daughter. 'This had such a devastating effect on every parent. If she ran over me with her car I would have healed faster. It has just been constant emotional pain for the past two years wondering did she hurt her that day and did anything else happen. I had a nervous breakdown over it and her apology is a joke,' she said. Pals preschool programme director Heidi Penrose said they were deeply committed to the welfare of the children and families. 'Two years ago, a group of dedicated staff brought the questionable actions of one employee to the attention of management. Following a thorough internal investigation, it was found that these actions were in direct opposition to our ethos and standards,' she said. Ms Penrose said Pals contacted gardai, Tusla and the Teaching Council and provided detailed documentation and CCTV. 'In the spirit of full transparency, every family who had a child attending the school at that time was informed of the allegations and our efforts to bring this individual to justice. We were and continue to be heartbroken that we were unable to prevent this from occurring. However, we continue to be committed to protecting all children, especially those who are unable to speak for themselves.'
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Palworld Announces Major Summer Update: 'Tides of Terraria' Crossover with Terraria Universe
Palworld x Terraria collaboration (Image via Pocketpair) Palworld fans have reason to celebrate as a massive summer update has been officially announced. Titled ' Tides of Terraria ,' the update is set to bring a fusion of two beloved gaming worlds— Palworld and Terraria —together in a landmark collaboration. According to a post shared by the official Palworld X account, this crossover promises to deliver a wave of new content, characters, and game mechanics. Palworld x Terraria collaboration announced by Pocketpair - Everything we know so far The teaser post, published on May 13, 2025, and edited at 6:35 am, includes an ominous line familiar to Terraria veterans: 'You feel an evil presence watching you…' —a clear nod to the Eye of Cthulhu boss from Terraria. The visual tease accompanying the tweet shows a glowing demonic eye at the center of the first image, confirming that classic Terraria bosses and aesthetics will play a role in this update. What to expect from the Tides of Terraria update in the Palworld x Terraria collaboration? Players can expect new Pals, islands, and enemies influenced by Terraria's distinctive 2D sandbox style. The visuals in the tweet reveal revamped environments, bioluminescent creatures, icy terrains, and even electrified penguin-like companions. One of the standout additions is a dark, jellyfish-like creature reminiscent of Terraria's corruption biome, pointing to a deeper integration of biome-specific gameplay elements. The tweet also promotes an ongoing Steam sale, giving players an opportunity to grab Palworld at a discounted price. With over 800 likes and dozens of reposts and quote tweets, the announcement has quickly gained traction among both Palworld and Terraria communities. Palworld, developed by Pocketpair, has built a unique niche by combining monster catching with survival mechanics and crafting. The addition of Terraria content not only enriches the gameplay but also introduces a nostalgia factor for players familiar with the pixelated universe of Terraria. It's a bold move that seeks to unite fanbases and refresh Palworld's content offerings ahead of what could be a busy summer gaming season. As anticipation builds, fans eagerly await further details on a release date, the full list of new Pals, and any potential boss raids that could emerge from this crossover. Whether you're taming new Pals or battling pixelated horrors, 'Tides of Terraria' is shaping up to be a game-changing update. Also read: BGMI News Roundup (May 4, 2025) - Neyo and GodLike reunion, S8ul boycott, Jonathan vs Saumraj banter, and more For those interested, the update trailer and full details can be accessed via Palworld's Steam page .
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Palworld forced to make major changes following Nintendo lawsuit; fans defend developers, say 'Don't blame the devs'
In the wake of Palworld's massive success last year, Nintendo, in no time, sued the developers, Pocket Pair, due to the game's Pokémon inspirations. However, the proceedings are still going on, and because of this, the company has had to make further adjustments to Palworld. The developers had to make the changes amid the increasing discussions around Palworld's character design and Pokémon. Nintendo chose to sue the studio PocketPair based on patents it owns for particular game mechanics instead. While the lawsuit is still in progress, PocketPair has announced upcoming changes to the game. In a statement issued by the company, which said, "On November 30, 2024, we released Patch v0.3.11 for Palworld. This update removed the feature that allowed players to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres, replacing it with a static summon next to the player. The patch also introduced several other gameplay adjustments." Major changes made by Palworld As mentioned in the statement, they released Patch v0.3.11 for Palworld, and this update removed the feature that allowed players to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres and replaced it with a static summon next to the player. Palworld Gets Ruined By Nintendo As Pocketpair Is Forced To Change Their Game Due To Lawsuits | Hypnocast Moreover, the patch also includes other game changes along with the other additions. They went on to mention that they regret to inform the players that with the implementation of Patch v0.5.5, we must make yet another compromise. "From this patch onward, gliding will be performed using a glider rather than with Pals. Pals in the player's team will still provide passive buffs to gliding, but players will now need to have a glider in their inventory in order to glide," the statement added. Netizens react to the changes made to Palworld Amid this, there could be an argument to make that the designs of the 'Pals' are inspired by Pokémon; Nintendo was far from the first company to use mounts if you want to fly in the game, and so many of these changes look simply unnecessary. Palworld confirms that changes to the game are being forced by Nintendo. Will no longer be able to glide with Pals. Details below. Fans react to the changes. One said, "Nintendo forcing Palworld to change mechanics in the game, such as gliding with pals and throwing a ball to summon a creature, etc., is so utterly ridiculous, they should be ashamed and shunned. Such things are too generic to be awarded "patents" Nintendo forcing Palworld to change mechanics in the game, such as gliding with pals and throwing a ball to summon a creature etc is so utterly ridiculous, they should me ashamed and things are too generic to be awarded "patents" "Hopefully, and if so, Palworld shouldn't have to change a thing" "Guys nintendo is directly responsible for this glider change. do not bash the devs. 💙" "Palworld Gets Ruined By Nintendo As Pocketpair Is Forced To Change Their Game Due To Lawsuits | Hypnocast"
The Verge
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Palworld had to remove game features because of Nintendo lawsuit
The ongoing lawsuit between Nintendo and Palworld developer Pocketpair has forced the studio to make some changes to its Pokémon -like game. In a new blog post, Pocketpair explained that a patch in November removed certain gameplay features, and that an upcoming update will cull even more. 'We have had to make certain compromises in order to avoid disruptions to the development and distribution of Palworld,' the studio says. This started with a patch on November 30th, which most notably removed the ability to summon creatures by throwing a 'Pal Sphere,' which is reminiscent of summoning pokémon with a Poké Ball. The studio adds that other changes were made, without specifying what they were. 'As many have speculated, these changes were indeed a result of the ongoing litigation.' 'As many have speculated, these changes were indeed a result of the ongoing litigation,' Pocketpair explains. 'Everyone here at Pocketpair was disappointed that this adjustment had to be made, and we fully understand that many players feel the same frustration. Unfortunately, as the alternative would have led to an even greater deterioration of the gameplay experience for players, it was determined that this change was necessary.' More changes are coming, as well. Pocketpair says that the upcoming patch v0.5.5 will change how gliding works, as 'gliding will be performed using a glider rather than with Pals.' Nintendo first filed its patent infringement lawsuit in September of last year, and Pocketpair initially said that 'we are unaware of the specific patents we are accused of infringing upon, and we have not been notified of such details.' However, soon after the exact patents at the heart of the lawsuit were revealed, and they covered elements like riding characters and throwing balls in a field.
