well the travel bubble will not be annunced before April 6th and personally i won't hold my breath. Not because a worker at a hotel cought the virus – i am impressed they don't more often catch it, but because of something like this blunder yesterday where returnees from various plague hotels all were bussed to an exersice area, where they then exersize in outdoor pens akin to sheep mustering (as per the article) and do yoga or sit in the grass, all mixed, and one of them got tested positive, so now all 23 people on that bus need to get retested etc.
At the end of the day, anyone needs to be prepared to just be told to go home, stay home, and shut up.
The case, who tested positive on day 12, was among guests at the Grand Mercure in central Auckland who were bussed across town for exercise in Mt Albert.”
Well, if it's official advice, I've missed it. But it's probably good advice.
Talking generally involves being in close proximity and expelling air that is passing through a constriction that is vigorously vibrating in a part of the body likely to be shedding virus. Ideal conditions for creating aerosols. H, T, P, S sounds in particular seem to need more expelled air. Not to mention those that turn into spitters when they talk (I'm occasionally one of those, and it's deeply embarrassing).
The case, who tested positive on day 12, was among guests at the Grand Mercure in central Auckland who were bussed across town for exercise in Mt Albert.”
i find it amusing that you are ok with this type of bullshit and the risk to us.
But then i guess that you are a groupie first, and a citizens and neighborgh last.
Guess again Sabine.
Glad I could provide some amusement. Wishing you well in navigating any restrictions intended to keep us all safe during the pandemic; didn't we do well!
And, if it all seems a bit much, just remember (in the words of my maternal grandmother), "Could be wuss."
How is it a fuck up? The only way of avoiding that situation is to ship them there in individually-ventilated coffins. Or lock them in their rooms for two weeks, no exercise or anything.
It's a known risk that results from repurposing the least inappropriate facilities into isolation facilities. A fuck up would have been if they didn't know which people shared the bus.
it was several people from different hotels with different testing dates. Now we have had several times where a person showed infection late.
now how about each hotel has their own shuttle to bring people to and from their exercise pens. So that at least they don't have to mingle, and at the very least you reduce the number from some mid twenties to a few per bus.
Yes, that was a fuck up. And i expect that procedure to change.
And yes, ideally they should stay in their rooms for two weeks. Sorry, but you know….the global pandemic that is so bad that we can't open the borders, can't travel, have to go into lockdowns every now and then…..but these guys can get shipped about to have a walk in a park near a neighborhood.
Are they vaccinating people as they get off the planes? Isn't there some antibodies after three days or so – maybe to stop people actually spreading it around in quarantine . Is this feasible from a testing point of view?
There is something amiss on house supply, in a year when immigration is negligent and the returning Kiwis numbers are a lot less than the normal inbound migrants, and who knows how long they are going to stick around for, housing should be either in balance or in spare capacity. It doesn’t make sense that prices are going up so fast although this is not unprecedented, I’ve lived through 3 or 4 of these seemingly ridiculous spurts.
Aside from FOMO and low interest rates ( although not historically so ) there must be something else going on. Has there really been hidden built up demand?
and no one could have forseen this ……that record low interest rates would be used by the wealthy, or those with equity to buy more houses to rent for max dollar to the few that still believe a house is a right in this country.
Adrian from what I've heard, people with Chinese sounding names are buying up large in Auckland again. I suspect they are taking advantage of the Covid created boom in house sales.
I live in a fairly leafy part of the North Shore and properties are being snapped up almost as soon as they hit the market. I have relatives in Mt Eden who were recently offered an exorbitant price for their home by a Chinese buyer and it wasn't even on the market.
Looks like Phil Twyford was right all along – not that I'm expecting anyone to admit it.
And no… it is not racist to speak the facts of a particular situation regardless of the ethnicity of the people it concerns.
Are the buyers who are 'Chinese' actually Chinese, or are they Kiwis (NZ Citizens or Permanent Residents) who are ethnically Chinese?
Perhaps you would prefer an apartheid system, where 'Chinese' Kiwis can not buy houses? Perhaps you would like to extend your ban to ethnic Philipino Kiwis, or black
Kiwi people?
The rules about foreign ownership are pretty clear. I suggest you take a read of them.
Come on Jimmy, advocating apartheid house ownership policies based on how a person looks is pretty extreme.
Especially as someone of Anne's age was no doubt very vocal (and rightly so) condemning South African apartheid system, yet sees nothing wrong in dividing Kiwis into who can or cannot buy houses based on their ethnicity.
Yeah I knw P chch, its hard to admit you're up the boohai. So best to double down and denounce the person with some absurd allegation bordering on defamation.
I don’t give a damn whether a portion of the people from a specific country – who are significantly adding to the housing crisis – are permanent residents or not. What is far more important is: they are impeding the government's efforts to open up the market to first home buyers in particular – some of whom will no doubt hail from the same specific country.
I have met plenty of people who originated from China. They are good people who have assimilated well into NZ society. Their good name is being besmirched by a group of former compatriots who are screwing NZ for their own ends – or the ends bestowed on them by the Chinese government by way of an endless trail of cash.
"I have met plenty of people who originated from China."
Of course you have Anne. They are called Maori. The genetic record apparently shows that Maori, and most other Polynesian groups, are descended from Taiwanese roots. I imagine you accept the argument that Taiwan is part of China?
Well I guess with racist apartheid views that she clearly holds and even repeated, maybe Anne also opposes Maori buying houses (especially now she knows they originated from China).
If they are Permanent Residents or NZ Citizens, they are Kiwis, pure and simple. Advocating different rules for them based upon your clear colonialist viewpoints is advocating apartheid.
Please read up what that means (along with the rules on foreign ownership and investment).
Guess that's your bedtime reading for this week Anne.
With I understand 40% of Auckland being foreign born so when does immigration become colonisation and do we have policies that transfer wealth to the incomers- which surely we can discuss?
I also have at least some reservations about some of our assymetrical trade deals which allow ownership here where no similar right is conferred on us there.
But Sabine, the fact that an investor has bought a house does not remove it from the rentable pool, it is not being bought and burnt down although some may be shuttered and not rented very few landlords have the ability to service loans without rent.
The best thing out of this package is the Government underwriting for the want of a better word, the infrastructure to make housing development possible. Previously councils have wanted to get all such costs recovered in the year of supply instead of over 50 years as a part of rates as they used to do, thus making section prices highly expensive.
I'm afraid that obviously there are many owners who can afford to leave a house empty.
"A total of 196,506 homes were left unoccupied across the country at the 2018 census, according to Stats NZ. The figure includes homes with no current occupants, unoccupied properties being renovated, baches, and holiday homes. Empty new-builds and homes that aren't up to government rental standards will also make up some of the total."
How many of 200,000 houses, in 2018, were 'shuttered and not rented"?
yes, it does remove it from the public housing market if the Investor is not in the renting business but the land banking business. But i guess you know that.
We have ghost houses, borded up houses, houses that are falling apart while still being tenanted (so as long as no one complains its all good, right) up and down the country, while we have people that can't rent a kennel.
And you can increase availablity as much as you like, its a bit like the government spending money on providing access to say mental health care or Winz. They fund a phoneline, hire two fulltimers and a part timer, and voila you have created access. No on is getting the help they need, but they can dial a number – if their phone has credit.
I haven't gone into the finer details and was listening peripherally, but the Housing announcement post mortem on Natrad earlier featured the Property Investors Federation spokesperson literally choking on her words.
But the policy will only help high income (above average wage) earners surely?
Yes, it will help with finding that initial deposit, and that's great, but a bank mortgage is still contingent on being able to pay the bank mortgage and covering the government 'guaranteed' deposit.
For families with only one wage earner at, say, average wage, its all just smoke and mirrors. Very disappointing and well wide of whats needed.
however this is a fine read about a country that can not do what it must, has not done what it must, and is now in a postion that nothing much can be done.
It is trickle down in its best form. Everyone who does not have a high income, or two incomes is still shit outta luck and should buy a bus to live in.
I know this new housing policy comes from a place of good intentions. But the removal of interest claims against tax, simply isn't sensible. In business all costs get passed onto the consumer, who in this case are people who rent their homes. Interest payments are likely the number one cost for most landlords. The interest claim removal, will certainly lead to increases in rents. If interest rates begin to rise, that situation will become worse. Ultimately, we may greater homelessness. Creating a larger problem than the one it sought to address.
I know this new housing policy comes from a place of good intentions. But the removal of interest claims against tax, simply isn't sensible. In business all costs get passed onto the consumer, who in this case are people who rent their homes.
This is actually not true. The mortgage payments, which incorporate the interest, are the landlord's responsibility, not the tenant's. The "consumer" of the interest expense is actually the landlord himself. The mortgage payments are for the house itself, of which the landlord is the owner, and have nothing to do with the operation of the tenancy.
The tenant’s only responsibility is to pay the rent, which is usually determined either by market forces or by regulation.
I think the biggest change is the non deductibility of interest payments on rental properties. Unfortunately, this may mean landlords will increase their rent more (in their once a year increase) to partly cover.
I would hope tenants would resist rent increases brought about by interest non deductibility, and walk away leaving the landlords tenantless, and with expenses to meet.
Where have you been Mikesh? Mars? If the tenant decides to walk away, landlord will rent to the next people waiting and probably put through a rent increase anyway. There is a shortage of rental properties (which you don't seem to have noticed which is why rents increasing so much) so I do not think there will be many people taking your advice and walking away once they finally get in to a rental property.
<blockquote>
BNZ is providing interest and fee-free funding for a payroll scheme cash-strapped workers can use to get paid early.
The bank’s chief executive Angela Mentis hoped it would provide an alternative to loan sharks for financially vulnerable workers.
The PayNow scheme has been developed by NZX sharemarket-listed fintech Paysauce, and will be available to around 20,000 employees whose payrolls are managed by Paysauce.
But Paysauce co-founder Asantha Wijeyeratne said the number of employees covered would rise as Paysauce expanded, and the company was willing to let rival payroll companies use PayNow to spread the social benefits.
</blockquote>
And just to add to the general fun, where we are in Brisbane at present is surrounded by flood water, with only one way out. Not worried as the sea is close enough to ensure it will drain, but kind of cool all the same.
One shooting news report is adequate to keep us stressed I think. I feel that the US can keep their shootings for themselves and we should do the same with ours.
It is an unhealthy trait in RNZ (RadioNZ) to be so obsessed with 1, the US, and 2, outbreaks of violence there whether they involve police or not.
Cherokee sheriff’s Capt. Jay Baker was removed as spokesman for the case after telling reporters the day after the shootings that Long had “a really bad day” and “this is what he did.” A Facebook page appearing to belong to Baker promoted a T-shirt with racist language about China and the coronavirus last year.
That is mind-boggling horrific racism from police there.
Then there is another Seattle Times report of a shooting.
Also one in Tennessee. one in Kansas.
4 dead and 8 injured in Umlazi South Africa.
Perhaps both RadioNZ and GoogleNews have bias against reporting the rest of the world's tragedies.
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The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
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The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Oh no this is not good. And just before Easter and a possible travel bubble being announced.
Covid 19 coronavirus: Auckland Grand Millennium Hotel MIQ worker tests positive – NZ Herald
well the travel bubble will not be annunced before April 6th and personally i won't hold my breath. Not because a worker at a hotel cought the virus – i am impressed they don't more often catch it, but because of something like this blunder yesterday where returnees from various plague hotels all were bussed to an exersice area, where they then exersize in outdoor pens akin to sheep mustering (as per the article) and do yoga or sit in the grass, all mixed, and one of them got tested positive, so now all 23 people on that bus need to get retested etc.
At the end of the day, anyone needs to be prepared to just be told to go home, stay home, and shut up.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300259068/covid19-miq-guests-stays-extended-after-sharing-exercise-bus-with-day-12-case
“Returnees at an Auckland isolation hotel who shared a bus to an exercise area with a positive Covid-19 case have had their stays extended.
The case, who tested positive on day 12, was among guests at the Grand Mercure in central Auckland who were bussed across town for exercise in Mt Albert.”
Missed that last bit – is it official advice? I don't understand how shutting up might slow the spread of Te Virus.
Well, if it's official advice, I've missed it. But it's probably good advice.
Talking generally involves being in close proximity and expelling air that is passing through a constriction that is vigorously vibrating in a part of the body likely to be shedding virus. Ideal conditions for creating aerosols. H, T, P, S sounds in particular seem to need more expelled air. Not to mention those that turn into spitters when they talk (I'm occasionally one of those, and it's deeply embarrassing).
Thanks Andre, makes sense.
i find it amusing that you are ok with this type of bullshit and the risk to us.
But then i guess that you are a groupie first, and a citizens and neighborgh last.
And yeah, neither you nor i have the right to do anything other then go home when the phone rings and our alert levels are changed. Remember that.
So i post it again for you, so that you realise just what risks the largest town is being put through ever day, and the rest of the country.
Guess again Sabine.
Glad I could provide some amusement. Wishing you well in navigating any restrictions intended to keep us all safe during the pandemic; didn't we do well!
And, if it all seems a bit much, just remember (in the words of my maternal grandmother), "Could be wuss."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36efW6sKrRI
Who pays for the extended stay? They shouldn't have to surely?
Chances are you and I get to pay for that fuck up, as we paid for all the other fuck ups courtesy of us paying taxes.
How is it a fuck up? The only way of avoiding that situation is to ship them there in individually-ventilated coffins. Or lock them in their rooms for two weeks, no exercise or anything.
It's a known risk that results from repurposing the least inappropriate facilities into isolation facilities. A fuck up would have been if they didn't know which people shared the bus.
it was several people from different hotels with different testing dates. Now we have had several times where a person showed infection late.
now how about each hotel has their own shuttle to bring people to and from their exercise pens. So that at least they don't have to mingle, and at the very least you reduce the number from some mid twenties to a few per bus.
Yes, that was a fuck up. And i expect that procedure to change.
And yes, ideally they should stay in their rooms for two weeks. Sorry, but you know….the global pandemic that is so bad that we can't open the borders, can't travel, have to go into lockdowns every now and then…..but these guys can get shipped about to have a walk in a park near a neighborhood.
Are they vaccinating people as they get off the planes? Isn't there some antibodies after three days or so – maybe to stop people actually spreading it around in quarantine . Is this feasible from a testing point of view?
No they are not. They are vaccinating border and plague hotel staff. (And pretty much have done most at least one shot, if not both).
The new variants are a bit trickier and one can test several times negative and then boom, positive.
A Government-guaranteed interest-free loan to FHBs, much like student loans?
My good man, surely you jest?
There is something amiss on house supply, in a year when immigration is negligent and the returning Kiwis numbers are a lot less than the normal inbound migrants, and who knows how long they are going to stick around for, housing should be either in balance or in spare capacity. It doesn’t make sense that prices are going up so fast although this is not unprecedented, I’ve lived through 3 or 4 of these seemingly ridiculous spurts.
Aside from FOMO and low interest rates ( although not historically so ) there must be something else going on. Has there really been hidden built up demand?
Adrian, I heard the PM say at her post cabinet briefing that investors comprise the largest single group of house buyers.
The extension of the bright line test out to ten years might help curb profit taking.
There might also be the question of ghost houses connected to this- empty houses owned by investors looking for capital gains.
In other words, many people suffer for the benefit of the wealthy few.
It's the stuff of social movements.
and no one could have forseen this ……that record low interest rates would be used by the wealthy, or those with equity to buy more houses to rent for max dollar to the few that still believe a house is a right in this country.
Adrian from what I've heard, people with Chinese sounding names are buying up large in Auckland again. I suspect they are taking advantage of the Covid created boom in house sales.
I live in a fairly leafy part of the North Shore and properties are being snapped up almost as soon as they hit the market. I have relatives in Mt Eden who were recently offered an exorbitant price for their home by a Chinese buyer and it wasn't even on the market.
Looks like Phil Twyford was right all along – not that I'm expecting anyone to admit it.
And no… it is not racist to speak the facts of a particular situation regardless of the ethnicity of the people it concerns.
Ah yeah, that IS a very racist post.
Are the buyers who are 'Chinese' actually Chinese, or are they Kiwis (NZ Citizens or Permanent Residents) who are ethnically Chinese?
Perhaps you would prefer an apartheid system, where 'Chinese' Kiwis can not buy houses? Perhaps you would like to extend your ban to ethnic Philipino Kiwis, or black
Kiwi people?
The rules about foreign ownership are pretty clear. I suggest you take a read of them.
Unbelievable.
Everything is racist these days, even Police 10/7.
Come on Jimmy, advocating apartheid house ownership policies based on how a person looks is pretty extreme.
Especially as someone of Anne's age was no doubt very vocal (and rightly so) condemning South African apartheid system, yet sees nothing wrong in dividing Kiwis into who can or cannot buy houses based on their ethnicity.
As I said, unbelievable in 2021.
Yeah I knw P chch, its hard to admit you're up the boohai. So best to double down and denounce the person with some absurd allegation bordering on defamation.
I don’t give a damn whether a portion of the people from a specific country – who are significantly adding to the housing crisis – are permanent residents or not. What is far more important is: they are impeding the government's efforts to open up the market to first home buyers in particular – some of whom will no doubt hail from the same specific country.
I have met plenty of people who originated from China. They are good people who have assimilated well into NZ society. Their good name is being besmirched by a group of former compatriots who are screwing NZ for their own ends – or the ends bestowed on them by the Chinese government by way of an endless trail of cash.
"I have met plenty of people who originated from China."
Of course you have Anne. They are called Maori. The genetic record apparently shows that Maori, and most other Polynesian groups, are descended from Taiwanese roots. I imagine you accept the argument that Taiwan is part of China?
Well I guess with racist apartheid views that she clearly holds and even repeated, maybe Anne also opposes Maori buying houses (especially now she knows they originated from China).
If they are Permanent Residents or NZ Citizens, they are Kiwis, pure and simple. Advocating different rules for them based upon your clear colonialist viewpoints is advocating apartheid.
Please read up what that means (along with the rules on foreign ownership and investment).
Guess that's your bedtime reading for this week Anne.
With I understand 40% of Auckland being foreign born so when does immigration become colonisation and do we have policies that transfer wealth to the incomers- which surely we can discuss?
I also have at least some reservations about some of our assymetrical trade deals which allow ownership here where no similar right is conferred on us there.
And that programme Border Patrol.
Lee, could be Chinese, could be Korean. Could be from Singapore
Complaining about a li buying your house?
definitely racist.
But Sabine, the fact that an investor has bought a house does not remove it from the rentable pool, it is not being bought and burnt down although some may be shuttered and not rented very few landlords have the ability to service loans without rent.
The best thing out of this package is the Government underwriting for the want of a better word, the infrastructure to make housing development possible. Previously councils have wanted to get all such costs recovered in the year of supply instead of over 50 years as a part of rates as they used to do, thus making section prices highly expensive.
I'm afraid that obviously there are many owners who can afford to leave a house empty.
"A total of 196,506 homes were left unoccupied across the country at the 2018 census, according to Stats NZ. The figure includes homes with no current occupants, unoccupied properties being renovated, baches, and holiday homes. Empty new-builds and homes that aren't up to government rental standards will also make up some of the total."
How many of 200,000 houses, in 2018, were 'shuttered and not rented"?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/119636091/200k-empty-ghost-houses-why-and-what-would-get-them-into-the-market
The article asks what would get these houses into the market?
I know of two radical solutions. First, Spain.
"Barcelona’s Latest Affordable Housing Tool: Seize Empty Apartments
Fill vacant rental units with tenants or we will take over your properties, the city is warning landlords." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-16/to-fill-vacant-units-barcelona-seizes-apartments
The second is to allow in law the right to squat as happens in other jurisdictions.
yes, it does remove it from the public housing market if the Investor is not in the renting business but the land banking business. But i guess you know that.
We have ghost houses, borded up houses, houses that are falling apart while still being tenanted (so as long as no one complains its all good, right) up and down the country, while we have people that can't rent a kennel.
And you can increase availablity as much as you like, its a bit like the government spending money on providing access to say mental health care or Winz. They fund a phoneline, hire two fulltimers and a part timer, and voila you have created access. No on is getting the help they need, but they can dial a number – if their phone has credit.
And this is the same.
I haven't gone into the finer details and was listening peripherally, but the Housing announcement post mortem on Natrad earlier featured the Property Investors Federation spokesperson literally choking on her words.
Things might be looking up?
But the policy will only help high income (above average wage) earners surely?
Yes, it will help with finding that initial deposit, and that's great, but a bank mortgage is still contingent on being able to pay the bank mortgage and covering the government 'guaranteed' deposit.
For families with only one wage earner at, say, average wage, its all just smoke and mirrors. Very disappointing and well wide of whats needed.
nope.
sorry. nope.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/housing-crisis-38b-housing-package-unveiled-speculators-to-be-stung-by-bright-line-test-extension/7VPSYR42A6UZO7B2UTGKYC3GVM/
however this is a fine read about a country that can not do what it must, has not done what it must, and is now in a postion that nothing much can be done.
It is trickle down in its best form. Everyone who does not have a high income, or two incomes is still shit outta luck and should buy a bus to live in.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/renting/300244904/why-im-moving-into-a-bus-with-an-11yearold-a-dog-and-a-cat
Compare to the UK first home buyers suite:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/help-to-buy-homebuy-and-other-housing-schemes/amp
This Labour government talks the talk but sure fails on walking the walk.
I can't see all of this change much from what is going on i n the housing market.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/housing-crisis-38b-housing-package-unveiled-speculators-to-be-stung-by-bright-line-test-extension/7VPSYR42A6UZO7B2UTGKYC3GVM/
But it made for an interesting read.
Labour's 'housing for investors' announcement post up now
https://thestandard.org.nz/government-announces-plan-to-help-first-home-buyers-maintain-the-housing-crisis/
I know this new housing policy comes from a place of good intentions. But the removal of interest claims against tax, simply isn't sensible. In business all costs get passed onto the consumer, who in this case are people who rent their homes. Interest payments are likely the number one cost for most landlords. The interest claim removal, will certainly lead to increases in rents. If interest rates begin to rise, that situation will become worse. Ultimately, we may greater homelessness. Creating a larger problem than the one it sought to address.
I know this new housing policy comes from a place of good intentions. But the removal of interest claims against tax, simply isn't sensible. In business all costs get passed onto the consumer, who in this case are people who rent their homes.
This is actually not true. The mortgage payments, which incorporate the interest, are the landlord's responsibility, not the tenant's. The "consumer" of the interest expense is actually the landlord himself. The mortgage payments are for the house itself, of which the landlord is the owner, and have nothing to do with the operation of the tenancy.
The tenant’s only responsibility is to pay the rent, which is usually determined either by market forces or by regulation.
I think the biggest change is the non deductibility of interest payments on rental properties. Unfortunately, this may mean landlords will increase their rent more (in their once a year increase) to partly cover.
Very strange announcement to “solve” the housing crisis:
on the demand side rents go up to cover the CGT
on the demand side Kiwibuild 2.0.
The slow burn fallout of this is going to be entertaining to watch over the coming months.
I would hope tenants would resist rent increases brought about by interest non deductibility, and walk away leaving the landlords tenantless, and with expenses to meet.
Where have you been Mikesh? Mars? If the tenant decides to walk away, landlord will rent to the next people waiting and probably put through a rent increase anyway. There is a shortage of rental properties (which you don't seem to have noticed which is why rents increasing so much) so I do not think there will be many people taking your advice and walking away once they finally get in to a rental property.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018786747/skyrocketing-provincial-rental-housing-demand-outstrips-supply
oh boy….why not.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/124618122/bnz-bankrolls-scheme-to-give-workers-an-alternative-to-payday-lenders
<blockquote>
BNZ is providing interest and fee-free funding for a payroll scheme cash-strapped workers can use to get paid early.
The bank’s chief executive Angela Mentis hoped it would provide an alternative to loan sharks for financially vulnerable workers.
The PayNow scheme has been developed by NZX sharemarket-listed fintech Paysauce, and will be available to around 20,000 employees whose payrolls are managed by Paysauce.
But Paysauce co-founder Asantha Wijeyeratne said the number of employees covered would rise as Paysauce expanded, and the company was willing to let rival payroll companies use PayNow to spread the social benefits.
</blockquote>
what could go wrong.
And just to add to the general fun, where we are in Brisbane at present is surrounded by flood water, with only one way out. Not worried as the sea is close enough to ensure it will drain, but kind of cool all the same.
Crazy contrast to how it usually is.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/438968/supermarket-shooting-in-colorado-us-10-people-killed
Radionz carefully tells us about US shooting.
However there is already a report about a NZ shooting looked into by the ICPA control. It seems justified, for a multiple murderer shooting at the police in a town area – so perhaps 49 rounds makes sure. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/438954/police-justified-in-fatally-shooting-man-during-tauranga-pursuit-ipca
One shooting news report is adequate to keep us stressed I think. I feel that the US can keep their shootings for themselves and we should do the same with ours.
It is an unhealthy trait in RNZ (RadioNZ) to be so obsessed with 1, the US, and 2, outbreaks of violence there whether they involve police or not.
I don't know whether RNZ has put up this US story about the husband of a shooting victim being held in handcuffs for four hours, still after pics of the suspected perps were shown, and he was actually arrested. The question is why – was it because he is a Mexican? https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/shooting-victims-husband-says-police-detained-him-for-hours/
Cherokee sheriff’s Capt. Jay Baker was removed as spokesman for the case after telling reporters the day after the shootings that Long had “a really bad day” and “this is what he did.” A Facebook page appearing to belong to Baker promoted a T-shirt with racist language about China and the coronavirus last year.
That is mind-boggling horrific racism from police there.
Then there is another Seattle Times report of a shooting.
Also one in Tennessee. one in Kansas.
4 dead and 8 injured in Umlazi South Africa.
Perhaps both RadioNZ and GoogleNews have bias against reporting the rest of the world's tragedies.