This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 6 media release snippets and 5 links for the day of Monday 13th July.
Top stories in the current news cycle include Labour being branded as racist for using figures from an un-named real estate company to claim that foreign speculators are ramping up Auckland house prices, the number of homes sold for more than $1 million has doubled in the last 12 months and Climate Action Tracker (an international group of scientists based in Europe) says New Zealand is not doing its fair share to combat climate change.
NEWSROOM_PLUS ‘EXTRAs’: Know more about New Zealand’s Flag changing process even “Down To The Flagpole” at: http://newsroomplus.com/2015/07/13/flag-2-2/
SNIPPETS OF THE DAY
* Politics
Ethnicity Not The Problem: “Rampant property investment, not ethnicity, is driving up demand for Auckland houses. Non-resident foreign buyers should be prevented from investing in the New Zealand housing market, but if parties are serious about dampening the demand for Auckland property, they need to deal to tax incentives that are encouraging locals to invest in property too.” says Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei
NZ’s Climate Targets Gets Slammed: New Zealand’s climate change targets have been greeted with decision by an international group of scientists, proving the government has tarnished our clean green image, says Labour’s Climate Spokesperson Megan Woods. “Climate Action Tracker, a group of international climate scientists, has slammed New Zealand for ‘not doing its fair share’ on climate change, after the Government announced weak climate targets.
New Moves To tighten Swamp Kauri Management: Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed a range of new operational changes announced today to improve the transparency, clarity and enforcement of rules around swamp kauri. These changes include: Operators notifying 100% of all finished products for export approval and MPI will inspect this product to ensure it is legal.
* Business
NZVIF Extends Support Investment: Government is extending its underwrite of the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund (NZVIF) through to 2022. “The $100 million underwrite facility from the Crown will be extended until 2018, and will then continue at a reduced figure of $60 million until 2022, as returns to NZVIF from earlier investments become available for reinvestment.” says Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce. “It has been instrumental in building up New Zealand’s angel and venture capital investor markets from small beginnings to the point where private and public venture capital investment since 2003 has reached $1.1 billion”.
Kiwi Jewellery Company Expands: A Kiwi jewellery exporter whose designs have been featured in Vogue magazine and London Fashion Week is the latest local business to raise export expansion capital through crowdfunding. 1791 Diamonds which has already exported millions of dollars worth of its designer engagement rings to Europe, USA and Asia, has opted to crowdfund its next export drive into the Northern Hemisphere.
* Primary Industries
Small farmers Play Major Role In Climate change : Helping farmers adapt to the impacts of climate change can also significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, finds a new study released last week by one of the agricultural agencies of the United Nations system.“What this report shows is that smallholder farmers are a key part of the solution to the climate change challenge,” said Michel Mordasini, Vice President of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). “With the right investments, smallholders can feed a growing planet while at the same time restoring degraded ecosystems and reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint.”
LINKS OF THE DAY
NZ CLIMATE TARGET CONSIDERED “INADEQUATE”: New Zealand is far from doing its “fair share” of climate action, with its climate plans, submitted this week to the UN, and rated as “inadequate” by an independent international analysis: the Climate Action Tracker. Click here for more:http://climateactiontracker.org/countries/newzealand.html
FOOD PRICES DOWN FOR JUNE: In the year to June 2015, food prices decreased 0.1 percent, Statistics New Zealand said today. This drop follows eight consecutive food price increases since the year to October 2014. For more information about these statistics , click here:http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/economic_indicators/prices_indexes/FoodPriceIndex_HOTPJun15.aspx
REINZ REPORT ON HOUSE SALES: Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) , the most up to date source of real estate data in New Zealand, announced today that there were 7,426 dwelling (a house, apartment, or other place of residence) sales in June 2015, up 29.2% on June 2014 but down 7.0% compared to May. Download the = REINZ report here: https://www.reinz.co.nz/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=3ECD742A-D030-4D4D-B1CF-467C3DBFAF9A&siteName=reinz
ASIA- PACIFIC COUNTRIES TO WORK TOGETHER: Speaking at an Asia-Pacific gathering in Auckland, Justice Minister Amy Adams says Asia-Pacific countries have to work together to crack down on the financing of terrorism and criminal groups. The Minister says disrupting the cashflow in and out territories held by Islamic State and detecting fundraising is critically important. Read more about the Asia-Pacific fight on Money Laundering here:http://www.apgml.org/
TWO WEEKS LEFT FOR FLU VACCINATIONS: Whanganui District Health Board (WDHB) reminds those not vaccinated against the flu that they have until July 30 to do so, and given that it takes two weeks to develop immunity, the sooner the better.Whanganui DHB infection prevention and control nurse specialist Jacqueline Pennefather says
uptake at Whanganui Hospital has been encouraging with 83 percent of doctors (the best result to date)and 62 percent of nurses now fully vaccinated. Go here for more information: For further information go to:http://www.fightflu.co.nz
And that’s our sampling of the day that was on Monday 13th July 2015.
Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>
