Latest news with #VanessaWilliams
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
TV tonight: chapter two of the ultimate Jane Austen docu-series
9pm, BBC Two At this point in the documentary series, Austen has written Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility plus Northanger Abbey – but nobody outside her family has read them. This chapter shows her journey to getting them published. But just after she gets good news, her father becomes sick and she faces losing her biggest cheerleader. Hollie Richardson 8pm, Channel 4Not-so-smooth sailing: this new behind-the-scenes documentary series meets the people working at the non-stop transport hub that sees more than 10 million passengers and a significant percentage of the UK's European trade pass through every year. Episode one includes a cargo team preparing to receive a third of the country's weekly supply of bananas. Can they avoid any slip-ups? And what happens when a lorry driver claims he has a gun? Graeme Virtue 9pm, Channel 4More chaos on a night out with the police in Brighton – and it's not the fun kind. A welfare check has to be carried out after a phone call from an ex-partner, while a group of drunk partygoers need to be removed from a bar, and there's a suspected spiking when a woman collapses in a pub. HR 9pm, Sky WitnessVanessa Williams is great value in this unconventional crime comedy-drama as a vodka-swilling socialite who resorts to elegant but drastic measures when her plans to take revenge on a snooty jewellery store go wrong. Attorney and detective Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) has to tune in to posh vibes to solve a murder and stop a heist. Jack Seale 10pm, Sky ComedyThe second, aviation-themed series of Nathan Fielder's awkward documentary comedy takes a brief detour in this episode. Nathan helps a couple whose dog-cloning experiment has gone awry, by trying to replicate their original pet's 2011-era upbringing. He then applies the technique to himself, via a close reading of heroic pilot Sully Sullenberger's memoir. Ellen E Jones 10.50pm, U&DaveWould you be able to keep a straight face as your parent told a whole audience about their sex life? That's what one poor woman has to do in this comedy show that chips off prize money each time someone laughs. Next up, a kid takes to the stage with some outrageously adult jokes. HR
Otago Daily Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Rents up, fewer places available
Oamaru. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH The supply of rental properties in Oamaru has dropped and rents are up $65 a week, new data shows. Nationally, the number of rental properties available rose in April. However, the data tells a different story for Oamaru. Data supplied to the Oamaru Mail shows the average rent is $476 a week. That is up 15.7% year-on-year, while listings fell 6.7%, with just 14 new listings last month. As to be expected, there is always a region that bucks the trend. Central Otago and Lakes reported an all-time high with an average rental price of $870 per week in April, a 3.0% increase year-on-year. That places Oamaru in the same trend-bucking bracket as the Central Otago and Lakes region, which reported an all-time high with an average rental price of $870 per week in April, a 3% increase year-on year. Across the wider Otago region, rents were up just 1.2% to $528, while there was a 0.2% drop in Canterbury, where the average rent is $581. "I found it really fascinating about how much your new listings had dropped year-on-year," spokeswoman Vanessa Williams told the Oamaru Mail. "I think probably most interestingly was your year-on-year increase in terms of the average rental rate. . . . I wonder if that is because you are a lower price-bracket region." The reason for the rent increase in Oamaru was probably because regional New Zealand did not experience the same market saturation as major centres did during the Covid-19 pandemic. That market, particularly in Auckland became saturated and unsustainable, Ms Williams said.
Otago Daily Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Rents increase, fewer properties available
The supply of rental properties in New Zealand has reached the highest level for any April in almost a decade, but not in Oamaru, where stocks have dropped and rents are up $65 a week, new data shows. "The total number of new rental listings on the market last month was 5868, up 24.1% year-on-year from 4729. "But we need to look back as far as April 2016 (6836) to see numbers that can match the current level of supply," spokeswoman Vanessa Williams said. "Regions leading the charge with the greatest number of new listings are, to be expected, New Zealand's big three: Auckland (2375, up 8.6% year-on-year), Canterbury (704, up 39.4% year-on-year), and Wellington (691, up 196.6% year-on-year)," she said. However, the data tells a different story for Oamaru, showing the average rent there is $476 a week. That is up 15.7% year-on-year, while listings fell 6.7%, with just 14 new listings last month. As to be expected, there is a region that bucks the trend. Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes reported an all-time high with an average rental price of $870 per week in April, a 3.0% increase year-on-year. Across the wider Otago region, rents were up just 1.2% to $528, while there was a 0.2% drop in Canterbury, where the average rent is $581. "I found it really fascinating about how much your new listings had dropped year-on-year," Ms Williams said. "I think probably most interestingly was your [Oamaru's] year-on-year increase in terms of the average rental rate," she said. "I wonder if that is because you are a lower price-bracket region." The reason for the rent increase in Oamaru was probably because regional New Zealand did not experience the same market saturation as major centres did during the Covid-19 pandemic. That market, particularly in Auckland, became saturated and unsustainable, Ms Williams said.
Axios
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Check out downtown St. Pete's swanky new restaurant, Elliott Aster
Downtown St. Pete's Vinoy Resort & Golf Club unveiled its swanky new restaurant, Elliott Aster, which is set to open early next week. State of plate: Elliott Aster, named after Florida's native lavender wildflower, is a partnership between James Beard Award nominee Chef Lee Wolen and the Boka Restaurant Group. The restaurant will debut May 20 and offer guests a wide array of "refined" dishes like a 45-day dry-aged prime bone-in ribeye, a grilled rack of lamb, lacquered brick chicken and more. What we're hearing: "Elliott Aster will bring an exciting new dining experience to St. Petersburg," Vanessa Williams, general manager of The Vinoy, said in a press release. "Our dining room and menu are elegant yet approachable — sophisticated yet deeply rooted in hospitality," she added. If you go: Reservations are now available on OpenTable.
RNZ News
09-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
More good news for tenants
Photo: RNZ It's a good time to be a tenant, new data suggests. said the supply of rental properties across New Zealand was at the highest level of any April in almost a decade, last month. There were 5868 new listings on the site in the month, up 24.1 percent year-on-year. The last time the number listed was that high was in April 2016. Auckland had the largest number of new listings followed by Canterbury and Wellington. Wellington's average rental price was down 7.2 percent year-on-year to $647 and Auckland's down 3.3 percent to $702. The national average was down $14 a week. spokesperson Vanessa Wiliams said $14 extra in a tenant's pocket per week over a 52-week period could result in a saving upwards of $700. "That's a nice three-seater sofa for the flat or a weekend away. In today's current economic climate, $700 can go a long way." She said there were a few reasons for the increase in listings. Some were short-term rentals now being offered for longer terms. "Looking at tax data, the number of properties that were being taxed in the short term rental bracket had decreased and the number being taxed in the long-term bracket has increased. "New Zealanders weren't travelling as much, they didn't have as much disposable income, the Airbnbs of the world weren't being used as much so the income of those had declined." Another was that young people were staying at home longer with their parents because of the cost of living, or moving overseas. A slower sales market also meant that investors were holding on to their properties. "When a big in flood of properties happened was about May last year and the reason we put it down to was - the stories around the bright-line test changing and interest deductibility changing, that started happening in January and February last year. "What happened was a large portion of investors took their properties out of the rental supply to get them ready for sale and then quite quickly worked out that if they did the maths on it, if they had bought in the last couple of years they had not realised the capital gains they wanted. "You saw a bit of a flood coming back into the market as rental stock when it had come off for two to four months." She said two increases in supply and one decrease in demand meant rental property stock had been healthy for a year now. Central Otago and Lakes went against the trend with all-time high with an average rental price of $870 per week in April, a 3 percent increase year-on-year. Although the region's 148 new listings reported in April was a 22.1 percent drop from the 190 listings in March, the region's April numbers reflect a 35.8 percent year-on-year increase. "Central Otago and Lakes' rental activity corresponds with our sales property data, which confirms the region's reputation as one of the most highly valued markets in the country," Williams said, "It's not surprising to see this region continue to command top dollar with its beautiful homes, attractive lifestyle, and strong tourist market. "But any warm dry healthy home near good schools or bus stops and public transport is always going to be well demanded from tenants. Newer homes definitely, people with young families want to keep their little ones warm and dry. There will be markets right across New Zealand where there is rental stock challenges happening for a very long time that's where you see high demand." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
