Expat Tales: Life in ‘one of the least-visited countries on the planet’
article topby Lorna ThornberOriginally from the UK, Jonty Crane (above) spent 14 years in New Zealand before moving to one of the least-visited countries on the planet. But with its world-class snorkelling, diving and hiking, he reckons Timor-Leste deserves to be on more travellers’ bucket lists. The couple live in the capital, Dili, with excellent snorkelling and hiking just 20 minutes away by public transport. There are incredible views of the city from the summit, and the surrounding area is excellent for hiking and snorkelling. Expat Tales is a Stuff Travel series featuring Kiwis who’ve made new lives for themselves overseas.
Source:Stuff
August 04, 2024 23:58 UTC
Car teeters over 3m drop after crash: 'A guy's parked in the roof'
A car was left teetering over a three-metre drop after colliding with a house on Auckland's North Shore last night. A man has been charged with driving with excess breath alcohol and dangerous driving over the crash. (Source: 1News)Ross Cranston said he was just having "a quiet Sunday evening at home" when the car came through his roof. "There was a massive bang and the house shook, and a guy's parked in the roof," he said. "This incident has caused massive damage to someone's family home which could have been avoided if someone had called a taxi.
Source:Stuff
August 04, 2024 21:19 UTC
Plunging audiences spell trouble for Stuff’s ThreeNews
The debut of Stuff’s ThreeNews was a local mass media event with a degree of difficulty we might never see again. ThreeNews arguably outdid Stuff’s own coverage of that report in the immediate aftermath. It’s unfortunate that the Olympics were timed to open within a few short weeks of ThreeNews’ debut. Mapping the performance of ThreeNews against 1News in the month since Stuff’s product debuted has been a wild ride. This implies that Stuff’s 6pm product has dropped over a quarter of its 25-54 viewership in a matter of weeks.
Source:Stuff
August 04, 2024 17:15 UTC
Riverton reels after three die on bar
A rahui has been placed on fishing and recreational activities at the site where three people died when a boat capsized on the Riverton bar on Saturday. A member of Riverton Coastguard said it was the most deadly drowning on the bar in the more than 60 years the organisation had operated. Riverton Coastguard on-scene controller Noel Anderson said the boat had been coming back into Riverton following a blue cod fishing trip in Foveaux Strait. "Since that time there has never been a triple drowning on the Riverton bar, and that happened [on Saturday]. Mr Anderson said there was "always a risk" crossing a river bar by boat, but he believed the Riverton bar was "one of the safest bars within New Zealand".
Source:Otago Daily Times
August 04, 2024 16:33 UTC
Glowing exit
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Source:Otago Daily Times
August 04, 2024 16:32 UTC
Hamilton's renowned themed gardens to begin charges for out-of-town visitors
Photo:Photo: Hamilton & Waikato TourismOut-of-town visitors have only weeks left for free visits to the themed area of Hamilton Gardens. From 18 September anyone not a resident of Hamilton City will be charged a $20 entry fee, though Hamiltonians will still have free access. Hamilton City Council said the charges would help take the financial pressure from running the gardens off ratepayers and make the gardens more self-sustainable. The decision to charge an entry fee for visitors was confirmed by Hamilton city councillors during the 2023/24 Annual Plan, following public consultation. Hamiltonians and Hamilton ratepayers will need to provide proof of address and photo ID for free entry, at least for the first visit.
Source:Stuff
August 04, 2024 10:02 UTC
Social investment with an ageing population
Social investment aims to make it easier for people to get what they need by better joining things up. To date much of the focus with social investment has been on improving outcomes for youth given the potential long-term payoffs. But at Te Ara Ahunga Ora / Retirement Commission we think social investment could also apply to needs associated with an ageing population. But, as the Retirement Commission has shown, this “golden assumption” has broken down. For 40% of people over 65 their only source of income is government transfers like NZ Super and the Winter Energy Payment.
Source:Stuff
August 04, 2024 09:13 UTC
The Promises of Lange, Moore, Bolger, and the WTO
In the future, power will lie with global markets. Freed of national interests and inhibiting regulations, global markets will gradually establish global economic balances. Through this new balance humanity and New Zealand in particular will outgrow the eternal problem of boom-bust cycles. Such markets will unleash surges of international trade, and then a broad tide of sustained economic growth. That tide will raise all ships including those of the poor, right across the world.
Source:Stuff
August 04, 2024 03:18 UTC
Nicola Willis wants to look at listing Kiwibank
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says she wants to look for external investors that could give Kiwibank enough capital to take on the big Australian banks. In a speech at the National Party conference on Saturday, the deputy party leader said she wanted the state-owned bank to grow into a disruptive competitor. Other options include selling a stake to Crown investment entities such as the NZ Super Fund or the Accident Compensation Corporation. Kiwibank’s parent company, Kiwi Group Holdings, was previously owned by the NZ Super Fund, ACC, and NZ Post. When the latter two wanted to sell their shares in 2022, the Super Fund offered to buy them.
Source:Stuff
August 04, 2024 00:34 UTC
About Karen Chhour’s future
She is someone who had a difficult childhood and some exposure to the workings of Oranga Tamariki many many years ago when it was called Child Youth and Family. Can I say this as delicately as possible but her long term campaign against section 7AA is completely, completely misguided. It requires Oranga Tamariki to engage properly with Iwi Authorities and to have a proper plan for dealing with Māori kids in trouble. This is the periodic review of the legislation and policy provided for in section 448B of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989. And she is part of a Government that has marginalized Te Reo and Te Ao Māori.
Source:Stuff
August 04, 2024 00:11 UTC
Olympics 2024: Tom Walsh’s Olympic medal hopes dashed by injury in Paris
Tom Walsh won't medal after an injury in the shot put final. Photo / Getty Images“[I felt it] just before release on that second throw. Crouser’s gold medal collection now includes victories from Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021), and now Paris 2024. Meanwhile, Rajindra Campbell made history by becoming the first Jamaican athlete to win a shot put medal at the Olympics. Hear it as it happens with live commentary of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on GOLD SPORT & iHeartRadio, plus comprehensive coverage on Newstalk ZB.
Source:Stuff
August 03, 2024 23:23 UTC
Dog ingests methamphetamine on walk through central Auckland
By Ben Tomsett ofPhoto: Supplied / NZ HeraldA dog owner is warning others about walking their pets through central Auckland after her pet fell sick due to ingesting what was likely methamphetamine. On Thursday afternoon, Victoria Spence was walking Fleur, a 3-year-old, 7kg Norwich terrier, on their usual route through Greys Ave. Fleur quickly deteriorated and Spence rang the vet, who advised her to bring the dog in straight away. Spence said she wanted to alert other dog owners who walk their pets in the area and to raise awareness of the rising use of methamphetamine in central Auckland. "The extreme weirdness of it is what has been really shocking, and the terrible, terrible effects on a loved family pet."
Source:New Zealand Herald
August 03, 2024 22:02 UTC
Will rising unemployment numbers prompt falling interest rates?
That's the key question ahead of the release of the unemployment figures on Wednesday, August 7. However, the RBNZ would not want the unemployment rate to rise too fast or far. It would also give us our highest rate of unemployment in over three years following a period of extremely low unemployment - as low as 3.2%. The RBNZ's picking a peak unemployment rate of 5.1% next year, but the bank economists reckon it's going to go a bit higher than that, with picks of 5.4% to 5.5% being bandied around. One of the other major points of interest the RBNZ will be focusing on in the forthcoming labour data is the wage figures.
Source:Stuff
August 03, 2024 21:44 UTC
Two dead, one missing after boat capsizes in Riverton
Photo: ODT filesTwo people have been found dead and one person is still missing after a boat capsized in Riverton this afternoon. Southland Area Commander Mike Bowman said emergency services were notified of the capsize at the Riverton Bar at 2.55pm. "The boat, a recreational craft, capsized approximately 100 metres off shore with five people on board." A third person was unable to be revived by emergency services staff after being recovered unresponsive and brought to shore. The fourth person was located dead in the water and the search for the fifth person is ongoing.
Source:Otago Daily Times
August 03, 2024 05:09 UTC
Security worker with links to Mongols loses licence after offering to be on PM’s guard detail
By Jeremy Wilkinson, Open Justice reporter ofPhoto: POOL / Stuff / Robert KitchinA security guard with links to the Mongols Motorcycle Club wrote to then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern offering to join her security team. Doherty even sent it directly to the police and to the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority, which administers the kinds of licence that Doherty did not possess. What he had was a certificate of approval, which qualifies a person to work in positions such as a security guard or parking warden. Despite the authority reminding Doherty that he needed a separate licence to run a security business, he continued to advertise on Facebook. Despite his insistence that it was not necessary to cancel his security licence, that was exactly what the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority opted to do.
Source:Stuff
August 03, 2024 04:21 UTC