From Farah Hancock at RNZ:A NZ First donor wants Fast Track legislation to free up permanently protected land for quarrying. J Swap, a company involved in quarrying, wants land protected under QEII covenants to be available to quarry. It also gave $5000 to NZ First’s Shane Jones in August 2023 and $3000 to National’s David MacLeod in September 2023. It gave NZ First $11,000 in December last year. It lodges a submission saying that QEII land should be subject to the Fast Track Projects Bill.

Breakfast co-host Jenny-May Clarkson has issued an emotional plea to Kiwis to check their bowel health after revealing a surprise finding at her latest colonoscopy procedure. The 50-year-old TV presenter is no stranger to speaking candidly about the dangers of bowel cancer after she lost her older brother, Jeffrey Coffin, 56, to the disease in 2018. “My bro died of bowel cancer 6 years ago. I had a polyp removed today.”A bowel polyp is also known as a colonic or colorectal polyp and is a small growth on the lining of the bowel. While they are common and often not serious, they can sometimes develop into bowel cancer.

EDITORIALOn Friday morning, New Zealand time, former US president Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts in his hush money trial in New York. The jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records, in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor who said the pair had sex. Former US president Donald Trump (centre) at Manhattan criminal court awaits the jury's verdict during his criminal hush money trial in New York. Polling conducted on the impact of a guilty verdict, prior to the decision on Friday, showed only about 4 per cent of Trump voters would change their mind if he was found guilty. The jury may have given Trump a guilty verdict – but we have to wait until later this year to see whether that really matters.

Published on May 31st, 2024In sport, securing a home final is usually considered an advantage, but Team New Zealand thinks its decision to take the defense of the America’s Cup offshore will give it an edge. The entry period was from December 1, 2021 until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup could be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the reveal, finally confirming Barcelona on March 30, 2022. The 37th America’s Cup begins October 12, 2024. Additionally, 12 teams will compete in the 2024 Youth & Women’s America’s Cup.

Wallace appeared before the Parole Board for a progress hearing on Friday after being released from prison in late 2023. On Friday, Wallace was asked by board member Alistair Spierling if his position regarding the offending had changed. His lawyer, David Jones KC, advised the board there was an application being made to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). Another condition Wallace sought for the board to amend was to be allowed to stay overnight in Christchurch while the work continued in restoring McClean's Mansion. The parole board said that change to his conditions could be made.

The Government has revealed its final plans for tax cuts, with average-income households getting a cut of $102 per fortnight under the revised brackets. Finance Minister Nicola Willis unveiled the final confirmed changes as part of the Government's Budget 2024 earlier today. ADVERTISEMENTWillis said it meant New Zealanders would get their first tax cuts in 14 years, something she said was “well overdue” and would help hardworking people. Find out if you will receive a tax cut and by how much at this link: https://budget.govt.nz/taxcalculator/index.htmHow much a person receives from the tax changes will be different depending on their income and circumstances. (Source: 1News)She said most of the money used to help give people tax cuts came from "savings" or a reduction in spending on some government activities.

The Tiwai Point aluminium smelter in Southland will continue to operate until at least 2044 after striking a deal with Kiwi energy companies to supply renewable electricity until then. New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS), which is owned by multinational mining group Rio Tinto, has often talked of closing due to low commodity prices and high electricity costs. In 2019, Rio Tinto announced a strategic review of the smelter after a year of losses and eventually decided it would halt operations in 2021. On Friday, the firm announced it had struck a deal for electricity supply to the smelter for the next 20 years, ending the ‘will-they-won’t-they’ drama for a generation. This price was “consistent with long-term electricity supply agreements” for large South Island industrial users and materially higher than in the transitional agreement, it said.

Tax cuts were delivered almost exactly as promised during the election campaign. She added $3.2 billion of new spending in Budget 2024 but will only add $2.4 billion in each subsequent one. “We wouldn't have done tax cuts, because it just wasn't worth it in the current economic environment,” Edmonds said. Labour leader Chris Hipkins said any small benefit New Zealanders received from the income tax cuts would be consumed by other costs which would go up. It’s not the tax cuts per se but the fact that the fiscal impulse is larger,” he said in a note.

For all the shit National gave Labour for borrowing, National are borrowing MORE and they are borrowing for TAX CUTS!! At least Labour borrowed to save us from Covid, National are borrowing for fucking tax cuts you stupid sleepy Hobbits! We are robbing Hone to pay Peter and Paul and John! In-work tax credit rise, independent earner tax credit boost and tax cuts – explicitly excludes the poorest NZers: beneficiaries. This is a budget whose tax cuts give twice as much to the PM than to minimum wage workers, it has $2.9bn in tax cuts for landlords, and excludes many poor families from many initiatives!

Last year, in the lead up to the national election, Governor Orr said in May 2023 that he was “very confident” there would not be further interest rate hikes, stating the Reserve Bank had done enough in terms of rate rises. He was interviewed by

In a move to promote te reo Māori among tamariki, musician Codi Wehi-Ngatai has released a new te reo EP titled Tahi — released under the artist name Kia Whanake, which means to grow or develop — which aims to bridge a significant gap in educational waiata Māori. “This motivated me to share these waiata with others who wish to support their tamariki with their te reo Māori,” he said. “Growing up, my parents would always sing waiata to me, and I grew up in and around kapa haka. At present he’s deepening his knowledge of te reo Māori and te ao Māori as a student at Te Wānanga Takiura. The Tahi EP is now available on all major streaming platforms, and educational resources are accessible for whānau, schools, and kōhanga reo at www.kiawhanake.co.nz.

Photo: RNZ / Natalie AkoorieOne of the five who died in a horrific head-on collision on State Highway 3 on Tuesday is being farewelled at Te Awamutu College this afternoon. It is unclear if Otufangavalu is a current Te Awamutu College student and principal Tony Membery was unavailable for comment. Lefai has also been named by a Tongan newspaper as one of the five crash victims. The crash wreckage came to rest across two northbound lanes not far from the home of Margaret and Dane Alexander. "The car that had crashed was sideways on it's side, on the northbound lane and you couldn't see.

Peter Clark takes up his bow as part of the NZSQ for the first time on June 7 in Wellington. The pair have known each other since they were gifted kids in Aussie and Lapins hinted that Clark should apply. “I think she knew I’d be a good fit for the group,” Clark says. There was a period when Clark was flitting between Sydney, Melbourne, Wellington and New York, where he’s completing a doctorate. “You know,” Clark says finally, “it sounds corny, but they can change the world.”Quintessence: An NZSQ Celebration, 6.30pm, June 7, Hunter Building, Kelburn, Wellington.

Photo: 123RFFree prescriptions are gone for most people - but this year's health budget includes new money for training more doctors, increasing access to breast screening and putting security guards in emergency departments. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti said the government was increasing overall health funding by $16.68b over the three budgets. "We want the health sector to plan for the future with confidence, knowing our government will always prioritise increased investment for services it delivers. "That's why we are confirming today not just health funding increases from this Budget, but pre-commitments for additional funding from our next two Budgets as well." In response to questions about the "broken promise" to fund cancer drugs, Willis said the government remained "committed to increasing access to cancer treatments".

The Government has revealed a Budget with $14 billion of tax cuts ranging from $4 - $40 a fortnight for all workers on more than $14,000. Income-earning Kiwis will get a tax cut from a $14.7 billion tax package in this year’s Budget. The already-announced changes to property taxes, a Working for families tax-credit adjustment, and FamilyBoost tax credit make up the rest. Last year’s Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update forecast spending $27.7b in core health and disability services this Budget. “We regret that it hasn’t been possible in this Budget,” Willis said, saying the funding of specific pledges represented a challenge to Pharmac’s operating model.