The number of new homes being completed in Auckland is at a record high
The number of new homes being completed in Auckland remains at record levels, in spite of the fact that the number of residential building consents being issued in the region has taken a dive. Auckland Council issued 1482 Code Compliance Certificates (CCCs) for new dwellings in March this year, which was the third highest number in any month since the Council began collating the figures in their current format in January 2013. CCCs are issued when a building is completed, so are the most accurate indicator of new housing supply, unlike building consents which are usually issued before construction commences. Although the number of new homes completed in Auckland in March has been exceeded twice before, in November 2020 and June 2021, the total number of new homes completed in Auckland in the 12 months to March (14,321) and the rolling 12 month average (1292 - see graph below) both matched the previous record high set in June 2021. In the meantime though, the supply of new homes in Auckland continues to roll out at pace.
Source:Stuff
May 15, 2023 03:22 UTC
Breakfast briefing: A return for liberal democracies?
We can also note that loan demand has weakened much more sharply than expected too, confirming the funk. In the long term it is probably a good thing that debt levels aren't rising as fast, but this recent shift is caused by stuttering activity levels. In Canada, their quarterly senior loan officer survey showed mortgage lending conditions tightened sharply in the March quarter. The price of gold will start today at US$2011/oz, unchanged from Saturday but down -US$20 from this time Friday. That means the TWI-5 is now at 70.1 and -80 bps lower than this time Friday although unchanged from this time Saturday.
Source:Stuff
May 15, 2023 01:24 UTC
Christchurch to finally get Rapid Transit?
Plans for light rail are way off the rails in Auckland and on the ropes in Wellington, could Christchurch get it right and deliver New Zealand’s first modern light rail line? Last week a committee of the Greater Christchurch Partnership, a voluntary coalition of local government, mana whenua and government agencies, were asked to endorse the Greater Christchurch Public Transport Futures Mass Rapid Transit Indicative Business Case. The full route is around 22km in length with 21 stations and would use either light rail or high-capacity articulated buses. The project is expected to cost $2.95 billion for the bus version or $4.05 billion for the light rail one. This will help make public transport a more attractive option and encourage people to consider public and active travel options.
Source:Stuff
May 14, 2023 23:33 UTC
Act releases Alternative Budget featuring tax cuts, prison boosts
nzherald.co.nz published this video item, entitled “Act releases Alternative Budget featuring tax cuts, prison boosts | nzherald.co.nz” – below is their description. Party leader David Seymour reveals his Budget, “A Time for Truth”, including tax cuts, prison boosts and increased defence spending. Full story: https://bit.ly/42BgfaP Subscribe and be notified of breaking news: https://goo.gl/LP45jX Check out our playlists: https://goo.gl/Swd249 Like NZ Herald on Facebook: https://goo.gl/tUC4oq Follow NZ Herald on Instagram: https://goo.gl/oLicXe Follow NZ Herald on Twitter: https://goo.gl/Wi6mbv nzherald.co.nz YouTube ChannelGot a comment? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. Please note comments are moderated before publication.
Source:New Zealand Herald
May 14, 2023 22:59 UTC
Markets with Madison: House prices could slide for 12 mths
nzherald.co.nz published this video item, entitled “Markets with Madison: House prices could slide for 12 mths | nzherald.co.nz” – below is their description. A Jarden analyst is predicting house prices could keep declining for another 12 months, with a peak-to-trough fall in prices of up to 26 per cent. Meanwhile stocks are stuck in a catch-22, with an economic slowdown yet to hit company earnings. Full story: https://bit.ly/44XR581 Subscribe and be notified of breaking news: https://goo.gl/LP45jX Check out our playlists: https://goo.gl/Swd249 Like NZ Herald on Facebook: https://goo.gl/tUC4oq Follow NZ Herald on Instagram: https://goo.gl/oLicXe Follow NZ Herald on Twitter: https://goo.gl/Wi6mbv nzherald.co.nz YouTube ChannelGot a comment? Please note comments are moderated before publication.
Source:New Zealand Herald
May 14, 2023 22:25 UTC
Chris Hipkins pre-Budget education announcement
nzherald.co.nz published this video item, entitled “Chris Hipkins pre-Budget education announcement | nzherald.co.nz” – below is their description. Chris Hipkins pre-Budget education announcement Check out our playlists: https://goo.gl/Swd249 Like NZ Herald on Facebook: https://goo.gl/tUC4oq Follow NZ Herald on Instagram: https://goo.gl/oLicXe Follow NZ Herald on Twitter: https://goo.gl/Wi6mbv nzherald.co.nz YouTube ChannelGot a comment? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. Please note comments are moderated before publication.
Source:New Zealand Herald
May 14, 2023 22:25 UTC
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King Charles’ coronation: Queen Camilla’s coronation dress to go on public display
The 75-year-old royal enlisted Bruce Oldfield to create the perfect dress. Photo / Hugo BernandQueen Camilla’s coronation dress is going on display to the public. The 75-year-old royal enlisted Bruce Oldfield to create the perfect dress for her and her husband King Charles’ coronation at Westminster Abbey last weekend. Britain's Queen Camilla poses for a photo in the Green Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace. Bruce recently revealed he had incorporated a “secret pocket” into the dress.
Source:New Zealand Herald
May 14, 2023 21:00 UTC
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Budget 2023: Cyclone recovery package signals Grant Robertson won’t be splashing the cash on Budget Day
The $1 billion cyclone recovery Budget announcement today highlighted that one of Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s challenges this year will be convincing people that $1b is a lot of money. Photo / Warren BucklandRobertson was clearly aware of that when he spoke about the cyclone announcement earlier today. Robertson noted that the cyclone had changed the Budget - that been drafted and needed to re-done after the cyclone. The cyclone package was critical in trying to prove to people that progress was happening - and more would be coming eventually. Hipkins will now be hoping the sun also shines on his Thursday Budget announcement.
Source:New Zealand Herald
May 14, 2023 20:09 UTC
'We're innately frugal': The couple travelling the world indefinitely on less than $40 a day
Frugal Travellers/Supplied Mandy and Lee in Namche Bazaar, Nepal in 1996. Frugal Travellers/Supplied Mandy says their ‘work hard, play hard’ philosophy has made it easier for them to keep travelling. Frugal Travellers/Supplied The couple share their adventures on their YouTube channel Frugal Travellers, and its companion website. It ended up being the same price as a one-way ticket.”“A little bit cheaper I think,” Lee says. Lee, meanwhile, says he loves the way travel reveals the truth about places often misrepresented in Western media.
Source:Stuff
May 14, 2023 12:03 UTC
Countering Conspiracy – the Green Party is not in a Civil War
Dr Bryce Edwards recently wrote a piece (https://democracyproject.nz/2023/05/10/bryce-edwards-the-civil-war-in-the-greens/) that paints a negative and distorted picture of the Green Party and its policies. Edwards also portrays the Green Party as divided into two factions: the environmental faction led by James Shaw and the social justice faction led by Elizabeth Kerekere and others. Of course, the Green Party is not perfect, and they have faced some difficulties and disagreements within their caucus and membership. The Green Party has always had a mix of ideological threads, including environmentalism and social justice, which are interrelated and complementary issues. The article could influence political opinion by discouraging potential voters or supporters from choosing the Green Party, or by creating a perception that the Green Party is weak, divided, and irrelevant.
Source:Stuff
May 14, 2023 08:47 UTC
Kiwi supermodel welcomes first grandchild
The 28-year-old captioned his latest Instagram post with: “Welcome lad, you American, British, Croatian, Kiwi. Her ex-husband Sir Rod Stewart’s current wife, Penny Lancaster, also commented, “Congratulations ❤️ that’s the look of love. The baby was dressed in grandfather Sir Rod Stewart's beloved Celtic Football Club colours. Photo (right) / Martin SykesHunter was married to Sir Rod - a man 24 years her senior - from 1990-2006. Sir Rod has eight children with five women, including sons Alastair and Aidan with his current wife Penny Lancaster.
Source:New Zealand Herald
May 14, 2023 08:04 UTC
New Zealand pledges more than $1b for cyclone and flood recovery
Wellington: The New Zealand government says it will allocate $NZ1.1 billion ($1.03 billion) to help communities recover from a cyclone and floods that lashed the country this year. The funds from the 2023 budget are to cover “basics” of rebuilding roads, rail and schools, as well as flood protection, it said in a statement. People stand on a rooftop of a home waiting to be winched to safety by helicopter in the Esk Valley, near Napier, New Zealand, in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. Credit: APCyclone Gabrielle devastated parts of the North Island in February, killing 11, after flash floods prompted by record-breaking rainfall hit the country’s biggest city, Auckland, in January. Treasury estimated the damage from the two extreme weather events could hit $NZ14.5 billion, second behind only the 2011 earthquakes that severely damaged the city of Christchurch.
Source:Stuff
May 14, 2023 05:48 UTC
Radio legend Murray 'Muzza' Inglis dies after cancer battle
By Todd Niall ofPhoto: StuffOne of the country's best-known radio personalities, Murray "Muzza" Inglis, has died aged 80, after a battle with cancer. His heyday in New Zealand was in the era of the big independently owned commercial radio stations, such as Radio Avon in Christchurch, Radio Hauraki and Radio I, the FM pioneers 89FM and 91FM in Auckland and Radio Windy in Wellington. As long as the list of radio stations he worked on was the list of music industry stars he met and spent time with during his radio career. In 2016 Inglis was recognised at the New Zealand Radio Awards for Services to Broadcasting. Inglis lived out his teenage dream of being a radio announcer well beyond his career in mainstream commercial radio.
Source:Stuff
May 14, 2023 03:49 UTC
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Greg Bruce: Keeping kids happy in the car has never been easier
Family road trips: lots of fun from the outside. Photo / Getty ImagesBecause my wife long ago proved unable to prevent herself from shrieking with fear every time I sat in the driver’s seat, I am now a permanent passenger on family road trips. Two weekends ago, we took our longest-ever family road trip, from Auckland to Palmerston North. It became clear, not long after setting off at 5.15am, that no one was going back to sleep. Mostly, though, you carry on because you’re a parent, and that’s what parents do, because their kids force them.
Source:Stuff
May 14, 2023 00:29 UTC