Author: Press Room

The phones are running hot as farmers dial in insurance claims climbing to over $10 million already for weather damage, in which southern farms were hit hard. Last week’s wild winds peaking on Thursday left a path of destruction on farming properties. Power, water and communications were knocked out, trees, machinery and centre pivot irrigators bowled over and in some cases farm buildings were toppled. Major rural insurer FMG has received an initial tally of more than 900 weather-related claims, over 450 of which were for the Otago and Southland regions. The insurer is expecting further claims as power is…

Labour leader Chris Hipkins is set to front media this morning following the party’s announcement of a capital gains tax policy aimed at funding free GP visits.Hipkins will be joined by the party’s finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall at 10.30am, where they’re expected to take questions and expand on the details of the proposal.If they win next year’s election, Labour has committed to introducing a set 28% capital gains tax on property, excluding key assets such as the family home, farms, KiwiSaver, shares, business assets, inheritances, and personal items.Labour said nine out of ten New Zealanders…

The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including Labour’s new tax policy, heavy snow closes roads, and the King gets heckled. Labour’s pitched a targeted capital gains tax as part of its plan ahead of next year’s election. Heavy snow has closed roads and passes across the South Island. Te Pāti Māori has moved to suspend Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. King Charles has been heckled about the ongoing saga surrounding his brother Prince Andrew.ADVERTISEMENTLiam Lawson’s F1 future will stay up in the air until December.

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Beneficiaries and people on NZ Super are experiencing faster increases in the cost of living, while the biggest spenders are getting some relief, new data shows. Stats NZ has released data for the September quarter, which shows the average New Zealand household experienced a cost-of-living increase of 2.4% over the previous 12 months. That is less than the 3% rate of inflation, because it includes a 15.4% drop in mortgage interest payments. Mortgage interest payments were the main contributor to highest-spending households recording the lowest annual inflation, Stats NZ said. Their annual inflation rate was…

Changes which mean homeowners will be able to build small structures like garden sheds, sleepouts and garages closer to their property boundaries without requiring building consent have come into effect.Cabinet agreed in August to remove the minimum distance required between single-storey buildings under 10sqm and a property boundary or other residential building, and reduce it to one metre for buildings between 10 and 30sqm.Previously, these structures needed to be set back from boundaries or residential buildings by at least their own height. Anything closer than that often required building consent.The changes, made by amending Schedule 1 of the Building Act…

Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale scores his leadership lower than most of his team members score him.Councils around the country are regrouping after the October 11 election, but the Tauranga councillors are a year into their special four-year term and were spared the polls.Tauranga’s elected “team of 10” replaced the Government-appointed commission that ran the city from 2021.Local Democracy Reporting asked the mayor and councillors to rate their performance out of 10 in seven key areas after 14 months on the job.Drysdale rated himself a seven for leadership, as did his deputy Jen Scoular, but four colleagues gave him an eight.His…

A heavy dumping of snow has prompted some road closures and seen vehicles trapped in parts of the South Island this morning. MetService has lifted most of its watches and warnings issued over Labour Day into early this morning, with just one heavy rain warning remaining in place for the eastern ranges of Bay of Plenty until this afternoon, and some snow watches and warnings. It reported that Mount Cook received about 20cm of snow last night, with more to come.A 1News reporter in Dunedin said half-a-dozen cars had been stuck at Pine Hill overnight. New Zealand Transport Agency Waka…

The Government has committed a $6 million investment towards a wider initiative it describes as “the biggest step in a generation” to restore the health of the Hauraki Gulf.The funding was part of a wider $26 million package combining public and private investment aimed at rejuvenating the marine environment, creating jobs, and strengthening connections between people and place.Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said the Hauraki Gulf was one of New Zealand’s great taonga and for too long had been under pressure from pollution, sediment, and overuse.”We’re taking practical steps to rejuvenate it, for our children, our kaimoana, and our communities. It…

Labour has agreed to campaign on a capital gains tax (CGT) covering just property — excluding the family home and farms — to help fund a new scheme offering a limited number of free GP visits.The plan was approved by the Labour caucus in a near-unanimous vote, and the party’s council and policy council have also signed off on the plan.The policy was announced on Monday morning after RNZ was earlier leaked details.It ends months of internal debate over whether to pursue a wealth tax or a CGT.The caucus and party council have settled on the latter, signing off on…

Management at a new wild deer processing plant in Dunedin are calling for hunting access to southern farms with an overabundance of the animals. Southern Wild Game Co project lead Jim Goodall, of Central Otago, said they would start processing wild deer at their newly fitted-out facility in Kaikorai Valley Rd in Dunedin on Monday. The business employs 15 fulltime staff including butchers and boners. Wild deer would be sourced across the South Island, with a strong focus of working with hunters in the Otago and Southland area. Farmers who had any issue with wild deer could contact Southern Wild…