Author: Press Room

New Zealand needs to come to terms with the fact that rising house prices are not a good thing, a new report says.The research, conducted by Motu Research and Victoria University, shows that renters’ wellbeing has fallen as property prices have risen.Between 2005 and 2021, house prices rose 142%. They have since fallen, but are only about 15% from their peak.Motu Senior Fellow and Victoria University professor Arthur Grimes said the increase had deepened inequalities in New Zealanders’ wellbeing.”People who own their house outright, who don’t have a mortgage, to some extent they benefit a little bit from house prices…

Large swathes of the South Island and eastern parts of the lower North Island are expected to face heavy rain and severe gales to kick off the working week. MetService said a front preceded by a strong and humid northwest flow was forecast to move over New Zealand from Monday into Tuesday.Potential for ‘highly impactful event’ as ‘volatile’ fronts move in – watch on TVNZ+Heavy rain was forecast for regions including Fiordland, Otago, Westland, Canterbury, Buller, Tasman, and parts of Marlborough. Rainfall totals could be significant, especially around the main divide and alpine areas, with potential for rising rivers, surface…

A union for primary principals has been able to secure a pay rise, because — according to them — it has not threatened strike action.The Primary Principals Collective Bargaining Union has accepted a 2.5% pay rise this year, followed by a 2.1% rise next year, after four months of negotiation with the Ministry of Education.Offered by Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche last week, the deal was set for the next 26 months.Of their 515 members, 85% voted on the proposal, 95% of them voting in favour.President Mark Ellis said the union never reached a point where it felt a…

Falling interest rates are expected to be shortlived with rates forecast to rise from the end of 2026.Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan said annual economic growth was forecast to accelerate to 2.3% by early 2027, with annual per capita growth comfortably above the 1.4% average recorded during the 2010s.The outlook compared with the most recent Stats NZ data which showed GDP contracted by 0.9% in the second quarter ended in June, or by 1.1% on the year earlier.Kiernan said the official cash rate was likely to rise to 3% over the first half of 2027, though could edge up to…

The Government has gone on the offensive ahead of a planned mega-strike expected to involve around 100,000 workers this Thursday, with Public Service Minister Judith Collins publishing an open letter to New Zealanders.The multi-sector strike will see teachers, nurses, and other public sector workers walk off the job, demanding better pay, safer staffing levels, and improved working conditions.Collins, the Public Service Minister, issued a media release earlier this morning, setting the Government’s tone for the week ahead, decrying “unfair and unwarranted” action and saying the strikes appeared to be “politically motivated by the unions”.”To the patients, students and families affected…

Energy Minister Simon Watts cannot say how much cheaper energy prices will be under the Government’s electricity market reforms, despite claiming they will create a real “downward pressure” on prices.Multiple pulp and paper mills have closed since the coalition came to power, citing high energy costs, leading to loud calls for action on electricity prices.When asked on Q+A how much cheaper power would be next winter under the changes announced by the Government earlier this month, Watts said: “I don’t have a number.”He added: “The reality is this issue wasn’t created overnight. This has been a decade-long problem that has…

By Gyles Beckford of RNZ Inflation is expected to hit a 15-month high, as strong food prices, rates, power and transport costs continue to squeeze household budgets. Consumer prices for the three months ended September are expected to have risen about 1.0 percent, pushing the annual rate to 3.0 percent from 2.7 percent in June. ANZ senior economist Miles Workman has a top-of-the-range forecast of a 1.1 percent quarterly rise and 3.1 percent annual rate, which he said would reflect familiar drivers. “The housing and household utilities group is expected to contribute… with local council rates and electricity adding.. fruit…

It’s estimated more than 4000 18 and 19-year-olds will soon be ineligible for the Jobseeker benefit. This follows the government’s announcement that parents earning more than $65,529 are expected to support their children if they can’t find work. The move is intended to incentivise young people to get a job and avoid the welfare “trap”, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “With recent modelling suggesting that people under the age of 25 on Jobseeker Support will spend an average of 18 or more years on a benefit over their lifetimes,” she adds. But where does this leave young…

After a traumatic brain injury put him in a coma and blinded him in one eye, Byron Smith had managed to get his life back on track. But a cancer diagnosis eight weeks ago has now left him facing a major new obstacle.The 41-year-old has always lived life to its fullest. An avid runner and surfer, he has smashed through numerous obstacles, undergoing nine surgeries and bouncing back from a deep coma after a severe brain injury. Eight weeks ago, he was diagnosed with PMP cancer (Pseudomyxoma Peritonei), a rare and devastating disease that affects one in 1 million people…

A Tauranga waterfront neighbourhood resident plagued by burnouts and public drug use says new safety changes will have a positive impact.The issues were ruining Harbour Dr in Ōtūmoetai, local homeowner Matt McHardy said.McHardy said drug use and dealing happened in cars parked on the grass verge across from homes, at all times of day.Up to six cars would park up and pass what he believed were drugs between the vehicles, he said.He said there were also issues with cars speeding and doing skids and burnouts on the road and grass berm.”This is a pattern of behaviour that’s been happening up…