Author: Press Room

KiwiSaver helps thousands of buyers through the doors of their first homes each month. But data shows that, although the process goes smoothly for most, hundreds are having to give their money back. Inland Revenue data shows that in September, 108 people returned $4.4 million in funds they had withdrawn from KiwiSaver for a first home purchase. In the same month, 3430 people withdrew money. The month before, 131 people returned money. Key Mortgages mortgage adviser Jeremy Andrews said it was becoming more common. “The main time we’d see this is when timeframes on purchase agreements are tight.” He said…

Labour has called for the Government to “pause” and review funding for mental health programme Gumboot Friday after comments by its leading ambassador Mike King about alcohol and mental health. King first made the comments about alcohol and mental wellbeing on Newstalk ZB yesterday. “Alcohol is not a problem for people with mental health issues. It’s actually the solution to our problem,” he said.King later said: “I would suggest to you that alcohol has prevented more young people from taking their own lives than it actually takes their own lives.”I’m a drug addict, an alcoholic; my whole life, I’ve used…

The Auditor-General is launching an inquiry into how ministers handled conflicts of interest when it came to fast-tracked projects.Earlier this month, the coalition published a list of the 149 projects being considered through the Fast-track Approvals bill.It also highlighted the projects in which relevant ministers declared a potential conflict: eight for Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and one for Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop.In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, Auditor-General John Ryan said he would investigate whether “appropriate systems and processes” were in place to ensure ministers promptly identified all conflicts and took sufficient steps to manage them.He said that…

By Jo Moir of RNZ  In a major breakthrough, New Zealand has finally struck a trade deal with the six Gulf nations, ending an almost two decade-long effort by multiple governments. The deal, concluded in Doha overnight, will deliver duty free access for 99% of New Zealand’s exports over 10 years. It comes after New Zealand in September this year concluded a free-trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates – the fastest the country has ever struck, taking just four months. Together with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) deal, 51% of New Zealand’s exports to the Middle East region will now…

Nearly 100 years of speedway racing at Western Springs is coming to an end after Auckland Council voted to move all racing to Onehunga.However, the process to get there has been called a shambles, with a derailed council meeting, claims of misrepresentation and a split council vote.Things got messy last week when a report to Auckland Council’s governing body meeting suggested Speedway New Zealand supported moving to Waikaraka Park, Onehunga.During the meeting, councillor John Watson tabled a letter from Speedway New Zealand stating it had been misrepresented.President of Speedway New Zealand Lani Thompson told Morning Report on Thursday she had…

Ahmet Özer, the mayor of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district and a member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), was detained on Wednesday by anti-terrorist police over his alleged connection to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK. ADVERTISEMENTHundreds of people have gathered in Istanbul to protest against the arrest and removal from office of a mayor from Türkiye’s main opposition party for alleged links to a banned Kurdish militant group.Ahmet Özer, the mayor of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district and a member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), was detained on Wednesday by anti-terrorist police over his alleged connection to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party…

By Alexa Cook of RNZ Members from two Timaru families have worked more than 300 years combined at the Smithfield plant, they’re now among hundreds of people trying to figure what to do next after losing their jobs. The Alliance processing plant axed 600 jobs last month, closing its doors on 139 years of operation. Many families have had generations working there and it wasn’t uncommon for people to spend their entire working life at the site. Two families with a very long and proud history working for Smithfield are the Mobberleys and Holdens, who’ve worked more than 300 years between them.…

Police armed offender squads have been allowed to train on an abandoned state housing development, 1News can reveal, as the fate of the vacated West Auckland homes rests on the outcome of a Government review.One New Lynn site has been used 12 times since July for armed offenders training as public housing agency Kāinga Ora continues a wide-ranging review of its developments. Nearly $30,000 has been spent on security patrols at the unoccupied site, which was vacated by residents in March and meant to be re-developed into new homes.Kāinga Ora said it was not unusual for vacant buildings to be…

The director of an asbestos removal and labour hire company has been jailed for what a judge called the “worst of its kind” tax offending. Melanie Jill Tatana, also known as Melanie Jill Smith, was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court on October 30 and jailed for three years for what the judge described as a case involving the wilful diversion of funds rather than business insolvency. Tatana ran the Wigram-based company, Asia Pacific Group Limited (APG), which employed about 60 people and was required to deduct PAYE from workers’ wages and pay it to Inland Revenue. On 63 occasions…

NZ First MP Jamie Arbuckle has officially stepped back from his council role, recalling highlights but also the darkest day of his career during his valedictory speech.The councillor-turned-MP leaves behind a career at the Marlborough District Council that started in 2010, when he opened his mouth in his first meeting and made himself “unpopular from the beginning”.“I remember saying we should all be paid the same,” he said, at a full council meeting on Thursday, his last day at the table.“You could imagine on the day, first council meeting, talking about the remuneration and [having] no respect for chairs and…