This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 5 media release snippets and 7 links for the day of Thursday 16th July.
Top stories in the current news cycle includes the Auckland real estate company Barfoot & Thompson firing a staff member who leaked property sales data, a report from the New Zealand Initiative that challenges the economics of a WorkSafe campaign to prevent falls on residential construction sites, and a much bigger than expected fall in Global Dairy Prices by more than 10% (the largest fall in the past year).
SNIPPETS OF THE DAY
* Politics
Economy And Jobs Under Threat: Milk prices hitting an all-time low in the latest dairy auction is more evidence of the disastrous impact of the complacency of the National Government on the economy and New Zealand jobs and incomes, Labour’s Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson says.“Prices have fallen more than 40 per cent since March and are 62 per cent lower than last year’s peak”.
Tasers Supported : New Zealand First is repeating its call made three months ago for all frontline police officers to be issued with tasers. “It is so easy for liberals who have never faced a violent criminal high on P to bemoan tasers, but the fact is this, tasers save lives and prevent injuries to police officers,” says Ron Mark, New Zealand First’s Police Spokesperson.
* Business
Otago Flooding Cost: The June storm that caused extensive flooding in Dunedin cost insurers over $28 million, the Insurance Council of New Zealand reported today. Most damage was the result of the record deluge that swamped Dunedin and the Otago region between 2 and 4 June, closing roads and highways and cutting power to many residents.
Business Review at Fonterra: Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited has provided a further update on its business review. Chief Executive Theo Spierings said the Co-operative’s leadership was developing initiatives to deliver value right across the organisation.
* Primary Industries
Dairy Farmers Importing Less Feed : New Zealand dairy farmers are “going back to basics” as the downward trend in global dairy prices continues. The overnight Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction showed a greater than expected drop across the range of dairy products, which will affect both farming and the rural communities. “Feeding cows grass on their farm is cheaper than buying in feed and so many farmers are going back to basics. This change is evident in the reduced imports of feed such as PKE,” Federated Farmers Dairy Chair Andrew Hoggard said
LINKS OF THE DAY
WORKPLACE SAFETY COMPLIANCE COSTING KIWIS: As the lack of affordable housing hits crisis levels in Auckland and Christchurch, increased workplace safety compliance is costing Kiwi homeowners more than $100 million a year, according to a new report released today from research institute The New Zealand Initiative. Download the report here: http://nzinitiative.org.nz/site/nzinitiative/files/A%20Matter%20of%20Balance_final.pdf
CPI Up 0.4%: The consumers price index (CPI) rose 0.4 percent in the June 2015 quarter, following falls of 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent in the March 2015 and December 2014 quarters, Statistics New Zealand said today. For more information about Consumers Price Index statistics, click here:http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/economic_indicators/CPI_inflation/ConsumersPriceIndex_HOTPJun15qtr.aspx
PMI FOR JUNE 2015 : New Zealand’s manufacturing sector experienced an increase in expansion during June, according to the latest BNZ – BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI). See statistics here:http://www.businessnz.org.nz/news-and-media/media-releases/2015/expansion-reigns-pmi
DERMATOLOGY: Lack of resources and specialist positions could jeopardise public dermatology services by 2020 according to Health Workforce New Zealand’s latest service forecast. To review the report, go to:www.health.govt.nz/our-work/health-workforce/workforce-service-forecasts/dermatology-workforce-service-forecast
ICT GRADUATE SCHOOLS ANNOUNCED IN AUCKLAND AND CHRISTCHURCH: Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today announced the successful hosts of the first two new Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Graduate Schools to be established in Auckland and Christchurch. More information about the graduate schools can be found here: http://www.tec.govt.nz/Funding/Fund-finder/ICT-Graduate-School-programme/
HAS OVERTIME EXTENDED YOUR WORKING DAY?: Only 6 per cent of New Zealand employers managed to decrease overtime and extra hours in their organisation in the last 12 months, with 29 per cent instead increasing overtime, according to findings in the recently released 2015 Hays Salary Guide. Get your copy of the 2015 Hays Salary Guide by visiting www.hays.net.nz/salary-guide
MARKET STEADY AS WINTER ARRIVES: Data released today by the Real Estate Institute of NZ (“REINZ”) shows there were 62 fewer farm sales (-11.5%) for the three months ended June 2015 than for the three months ended June 2014. Overall, there were 479 farm sales in the three months to end of June 2015, compared to 502 farm sales for the three months ended May 2015 (-4.6%) and 541 farm sales for the three months to the end of June 2014. 1,737 farms were sold in the year to June 2015, 9% fewer than were sold in the year to June 2014. Click here for more:https://www.reinz.co.nz/reinz/index.cfm?1CC3D519-18FE-7E88-4249-4CE523B4D44B&obj_uuid=32A1F5D0-FD4F-4353-9211-52FE7F26675B
And that’s our sampling of the day that was on Thursday 16th July 2015.
Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>
