An extension to fuel excise duty reductions and half-price public transport is intended to ease cost-of-living pressures, Chris Hipkins has announced in his first policy move as PM. Cutting fuel excise and keeping half-price public transport gives some extra relief as Auckland goes through a difficult period. At the time, Transport Minister Michael Wood said a decision not to extend half-price fares on public transport was based around making "sustainable" decisions. He said the money spent on the fuel tax cut would be better spent on making public transport more reliable - alongside permanent half-price fares. A 1News Kantar Public Poll in December showed an overwhelming majority of voters support permanent half-price public transport.

Incoming Health Minister Ayesha Verrall says the future of the new Dunedin Hospital project will be a major focus for her. She entered Parliament on Labour’s list in 2020 and was immediately elevated to Cabinet rank, where she has recently been associate health minister and minister for Covid-19 response. Dr Clark, who will serve as Dunedin MP until the October 14 election, said he would advance local issues, including the new Dunedin Hospital. Willie Jackson: Broadcasting and Media, Maori Development, associate ACC, associate Social Development and Employment (Maori Employment). Peeni Henare: ACC, Tourism, associate Environment, associate Health (Maori Health).

Ultimately 3 Waters is all about drains! How the Christ did drains become an existential race war? Chippy needs to refocus 3 Waters on drains and promote more work to be done by small drain layer companies by ensuring 15% of drain supplies go to independent/small Drain companies. Currently the large players choke off the small companies and the work doesn’t get done! Allow the politicians to squabble over who owns it, but let’s get the work done now on the drains!

The Auckland mayor, no denialist, defers the climate change issue because of civil emergency requirements. When queried on climate change, Chatwin’s reply included the following gem:Look, I think everybody’s um looking towards the bigger picture. Sara Chatwin is no denialist either, climate change is seen to be a macro problem. Culpability for carbon emissions, climate change and ecological collapse rests upon major corporations and wealthy elites. As global networks of fossil fuel extraction, refining, industrial use and related financial investment produce carbon emissions, wealthy elites dominate carbon consumption.

The Cabinet reshuffle yesterday was all the confirmation we needed, as I said yesterday, that this is the same old government doing the same old stuff. So Police Minister Stuart Nash is back for another round, the very likeable but politically inexperienced Ayesha Verrall is now Health minister, I feel for her. I don’t know, I just know Health is fraught, and I’m not sure she’s up for the political jousting that comes with being Health Minister. On what planet did Chris Hipkins look at the what Michael Wood’s been doing and go.. you know what? As Transport Minister he’s done absolutely nothing about the woeful state of the roads, the potholes, the public transport, all of it’s a shambles.

A WOMAN has sparked debate online after sharing a video of herself sitting in a plane seat after her flight had touched down. The passenger, Batsheva Haart, who starred in reality series My Unorthodox Life, bragged about how patient she was after her plane had landed. She is seen sitting in her seat while other people around her start to get up and gather their belongings. The video has been seen more than 2million times, with some people not that impressed with her willingness to remain seated. Gaynor explained that those people stand up because they feel like they need to get off the plane sooner.

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 5:30 pm, January 31st, 2023 - 8 commentsCategories: Daily review - Tags:Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …Share this: TwitterFacebook

Photo: LDR / Stuff - Stephen ForbesLast summer it was drought. Now floods have ravaged crops in Pukekohe, and growers warn vegetable price hikes are the likely result. Photo: LDR / Stuff - Stephen ForbesHe said after last year's drought it was hard to take. Photo: LDR / Stuff - Stephen ForbesSouth Auckland's horticulture industry is centred on the Pukekohe Hub, 4359 hectares of some of New Zealand's most fertile and productive land. However, he said an increase in vegetable prices after last week's rain and flooding was a very real possibility.

Red heavy rain warnings issued for Northland, Auckland, Coromandel. Video / Auckland Emergency ManagementAn atmospheric river bearing down on the upper North Island is likely to hit Auckland hardest between midnight and dawn, a forecaster says, with the added potential of severe gales in some places. Potential thunderstorms also carried the risk of wind shear - or a sudden change in wind direction or velocity - which may create severe wind speeds in some areas. 🔴 Severe Weather UpdateFurther heavy rain for northern New Zealand along with possible severe gale northeasterlies. Please keep up to date with the latest information at https://t.co/qHyE5zzql5 pic.twitter.com/Csac2qM1qj — MetService (@MetService) January 30, 2023Elsewhere, Coromandel - also under a Red warning - could receive 100 to 150 mm about the ranges, with lesser amounts about the coast, between 10pm tonight and 3pm tomorrow.

Dr Ayesha Verrall will become Minister of Health, taking over from Andrew Little. Photo: The New Zealand HeraldLittle, who has lost the health portfolio, will take over Defence from Peeni Henare. “Ginny will become the Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Seniors, Associate Minister of Immigration and Associate Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. “Barbara Edmonds will become the Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister for Pacific Peoples, Associate Health Minister for Pacific Peoples and Associate Minister of Housing. Hipkins said Little had made it clear he would support whatever decision was made when asked if he was happy to lose Health.

After 10 years with Vision Christian Radio based in Brisbane, Craig ‘Elmo’ Johnstone is returning home to New Zealand. He leaves his role as Vision’s Radio Content Manager to take on a new position with the news organisation Stuff Ltd (stuff.co.nz) as the Head of Audio Operations. Stuff has launched a new division to grow in the area of digital audio and has already started to make its mark, winning Podcast of the Year for The Commune (see pic below) at the New Zealand Podcast Awards. Apart from Elmo’s duty as Vision’s Radio Content Manager he was also heard filling in on regular air shifts as well as presenting news.

At a headline level, the $5.121 billion advanced in total for December 2022 was the lowest in the 2022 year apart from the always slow month of January. And beyond that, if you exclude January months and the April and May 2020 lockdown-affected figures, it's the lowest monthly tally since February 2019. However, back on those first home buyers (FHBs), a notable feature as the overall mortgage figures have kept on dropping over the past year is that the FHB grouping has stayed pretty strong in the market. Separately, the RBNZ provided arguably some of the very good reasons why new mortgage monies are declining so much with the release of the quarterly mortgage loan reconciliation figures. But of course many people have not yet rolled over to the new higher mortgage rates now prevailing.

A leaked message published by the NZ Herald shows the under-fire Auckland Mayor complaining about missing out on playing tennis during the flooding emergency last week. The Herald posted a WhatsApp chat from Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown to a tennis group, where he made comments on Saturday about not being able to play because "I've got to deal with media drongos over the flooding tomorrow". Newshub has contacted Brown's office for a response to the message. When questioned about the text by the NZ Herald, Brown asked the outlet to "please don't" publish a story about it.

4 of 11 Attribution: Supplied/StuffMany have come forward to tell stories of lucky escapes. Musicians Dick Johnson and Anna Coddington were rescued from the second-storey window of their Auckland home in a kayak. "It was surreal," said Johnson. The neighbour, a local doctor, kayaked over a fence and through large trees to get to Johnson, Coddington and their two sons, aged 9 and 6. Stuck on the second floor of the house, with water rising up the stairs, Johnson had attempted to reach his own kayak, but said:"The torrent of water was so powerful, I couldn't get five metres out of my front door."

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced the much-anticipated shake-up of his Cabinet this afternoon. Photo: The New Zealand HeraldLittle, who has lost the health portfolio, will take over Defence from Peeni Henare. “Ginny will become the Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Seniors, Associate Minister of Immigration and Associate Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations. “Barbara Edmonds will become the Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister for Pacific Peoples, Associate Health Minister for Pacific Peoples and Associate Minister of Housing. Hipkins said Little had made it clear he would support whatever decision was made when asked if he was happy to lose Health.