Independent Analysis and Reportage
Evening ReportSource: Radio New Zealand Wairau Bar Rd, just outside Blenheim. Google Maps Police have closed a rural road just outside Blenheim overnight after a sudden death, but say there is no risk to the public. The road is closed between Ferry Road and Dicks Road. Marlborough Area Commander Inspector Simon Feltham said police were investigating…
Source: Radio New Zealand The Jarden building at the bottom of Queen Street, Auckland Google Maps Brokerage and financial services firm Jarden is in for a significant restructuring, with the wealth and asset management operations to be split off and the investment banking business to be retained in an employee-owned structure, sources have told RNZ.…
Source: Radio New Zealand Spain’s tax authority has been ordered to repay Colombian superstar Shakira more than 55 million euros (NZD$109 million) after a court in Madrid ruled that it had mistakenly pursued her for unpaid taxes. Tax officials imposed massive fines on the singer in 2021 after concluding that she had spent more than…
Source: Radio New Zealand Wellington’s spending dropped 2.8 percent over the year, compared to a fall of 1 percent for the country. File photo. RNZ / REECE BAKER Wellington’s struggling economy is expected to be hit with another blow, with the government planning to cut 8700 jobs from the public sector by mid-2029. There are…
Source: Radio New Zealand Part processed skins at a Tasman Tanning facility. Supplied A European Commission proposal to exclude leather products from new anti-deforestation import regulations is being labelled as a “bit of a relief” by a readied leather producer, but “nonsense” by campaigners. The European Union was working to reduce global deforestation in the…
Source: Radio New Zealand Green Party Education spokesperson Lawrence Xu-nan. VNP / Phil Smith A primary teachers union says a last-minute amendment from Education Minister places the Teaching Council under total ministerial control. The Green Party says it bad lawmaking and an ideologically driven undermining of the Council’s independence. Erica Stanford unveiled the changes to…
Source: Radio New Zealand The government has announced plans to slash public service jobs by about 14 percent over the next three years in a shake-up it says will deliver $2.4 billion of savings. The changes announced in a pre-Budget speech delivered by Finance Minister Nicola Willis on Tuesday would result in about 8700 job…
Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Quin Tauetau Rents have risen at a national level for the first time since November – but places such as Wellington are still recording drops. Trade Me said the national median weekly rent advertised on its site dropped month-on-month in April by $5, to $625. Rents rose 6.7 percent…
Source: Radio New Zealand Disability advocate Jane Carrigan. RNZ / Ana Tovey A disability advocate says a bill to clarify the purpose of Disability Support Services is the worst piece of legislation she’s ever seen. The government introduced the Disability Support Services Bill on Monday, aimed at “providing clarity and stability” to the system supporting…
Source: Radio New Zealand The Prime Minister says the public service isn’t a “make-work” scheme as he signals there will be job losses as a result of proposed government changes. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will set out three proposals in her Auckland pre-Budget speech on Tuesday afternoon in an effort to create efficiencies in the…
Source: Radio New Zealand Wires on a Meridian high capacity EV chargers pulled off was reported to police. Michael Taylor A public electric vehicle charger in Wellington has been left without charging cables, prompting a police report for copper theft. Hutt Valley resident Michael Taylor was in his friend’s vehicle on Friday, when they pulled…
Source: Radio New Zealand Aucklanders can listen to tunes while waiting for their washing courtesy of art installation Fresh Laundry. Fresh Laundry put out an open call in February asking artists for songs “dying on their hard drives”, artist and musician Jefferson Chen, AKA Goodspace told RNZ’s Culture 101. Over 70 responded and that compilation…