Predator Free Wellington faces funding shortfall
money conservation 17 minutes ago
Predator Free Wellington is facing a shortfall of 1.75 million dollars a year, due to a drop in government funding. Environment reporter Kate Green took a tour of its workshop.
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Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
Need seen to build builders' wellbeing
Marti Amos is the New Zealand-based head of The Professional Builder. PHOTO: SUPPLIED It was the stuff of Boy's Own lore. Growing up on Stewart Island, business owner and entrepreneur Marti Amos enjoyed a childhood which was "just one big adventure, one after the other". Fishing, hunting, learning to fire a rifle, bush walks and heading across Foveaux Strait to play schoolboy rugby at Bluff or Waikiwi. One of his earliest memories was sitting in the rear of a sea-plane as it taxied off the beach and was half-submerged under water. He looked out the window and saw fish. Following his parents' separation, he moved with his mother to the hustle of Nelson and says it was "jarring" being taken away from everything he ever knew. From 10, he worked multiple jobs to help his mother out — from a fish factory to a service station, cardboard factory to mowing lawns — and he both inherited and developed a strong work ethic. All those experiences in his early years helped give him an affinity with the working man — "just the best kind of people to be around". Mr Amos (Ngāpuhi) spent a decade at the University of Otago, from 1989 to 1999, which he described as some of the best times of his life. He studied commerce and pursued PhD research on branding. He lectured in marketing and MBA programmes, examined MCom theses and worked as a Māori students tutor and thesis officer in the commerce division. He then moved to Auckland, where he was marketing director for Honda Motorcycles NZ and country manager for Pirelli Tyres NZ, and where he has lived for 25 years. Becoming tired of working for someone else, he bought a business-coaching franchise and noted the number of builders among his clients. He discovered many were great at building but needed help to build a great business, so he decided to concentrate on the construction industry — helping "some of the hardest working, down-to-earth people I know". Since 2004, Mr Amos has focused on helping residential construction companies to systemise and scale their businesses, take control of their finances, increase revenue and buy back days of their personal time each week. He and his team at The Professional Builder — which has grown from three to 65 — have coached more than 3000 building company owners in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The business is projected to reach 100 employees within the next 18 months, while revenue is projected to double to $30 million within the same timeframe. Members have included Deloitte Fast 50 winners, builders featured in television shows The Block and Grand Designs and many Master Builders award winners. Mr Amos said more needed to be done to address high rates of suicide in the construction industry. Recent research showed New Zealand's construction sector was facing a mental health crisis; suicide rates were 25% higher than other sectors and Māori, Pasifika, women, migrant workers, apprentices and labourers were among those at higher risk. He attributed that to various factors including financial instability, low pay and poor mental health, saying those issues were amplified by the industry's boom-and-bust cycle, cost-of-living crisis and a training model that prioritised trade skills over business acumen. "Kiwi tradespeople are trained to excel on site. They are underprepared to manage the multimillion-dollar business aspects of their work, with dire consequences for their mental wellbeing. "Our construction workers account for about 7% of working-age male suicides — with nearly one worker losing his life to suicide each week and the avoidable burden and impact of suicide in the New Zealand construction industry has been estimated at $1.1 billion per annum," he said. A radical overhaul of the country's traditional construction model was needed, with greater emphasis on financial literacy being a priority, he said. "The New Zealand building industry is seeing its lowest levels of annual growth over a decade with a rate of just 0.6% in the second quarter of 2024 — a factor that is likely to exacerbate mental health concerns for many in the trade. "Kiwi builders have been taught how to create outstanding projects. They're brilliant with the tools — but no-one has taught them how to build a great business. Without a proper understanding of financial management, many building company owners were left grappling with severe cash-flow challenges, working long hours and sacrificing their personal lives. In many cases, that led to overwhelming stress and deteriorating mental health. "When you're constantly worrying about how to pay your subcontractors or secure payroll for the next week, it isn't just your business that suffers — it's your whole life," he said. A business like The Professional Builder could help but it also needed to be part of a wider mandate. A government focus on big projects such as KiwiBuild had not had the desired outcome, he said. A focus on the likes of reducing red tape in the industry would help significantly at a macro level but not at a micro level, where business owners were "struggling to understand their numbers". Groups like Mates in Construction NZ and Mike King's Gumboot Friday did some "phenomenal work" and he believed the government could be doing a lot more at grassroots level and also industry body and commercial level. Last month, Mr Amos launched a book The Profitable Builder's Playbook to help business owners improve their financial management. The company has launched an expansion programme to grow the market in the US, and there are plans to increase its physical presence there and establish partnerships with hardware wholesalers, similar to its relationships with Carters, ITM and Mitre 10 in New Zealand. The Professional Builder will be exhibiting at a roadshow in Texas in several weeks, to be followed by six seminars in the state. Need help? Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust 027 240-0114 Need to talk? 1737, free 24/7 phone and text number Healthline: 0800 611-116 Lifeline Aotearoa: 0800 543-354 Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828-865 (0508 TAUTOKO) Samaritans: 0800 726-666 Alcohol Drug Helpline: 0800 787-797 General mental health inquiries: 0800 443-366 The Depression Helpline: 0800 111-757
RNZ News
12 hours ago
- RNZ News
The House: Parliamentary week achieves two out of three goals
Still, two out of three isn't bad. Photo: 123RF While Parliament's week was dominated by its final event - Thursday's debate on the report from the Privileges Committee into a haka performed in the chamber - the rest of the week focussed on other business that, while more mundane, was still worthy of note. The Government appeared to have three objectives for this week in the house. Crucial to the administration's continuance, the first goal was to successfully complete the initial debate on the budget. The long initial budget debate could no longer dribble on over weeks, so the house spent six hours of the week completing the second reading debate, which is the first debate a budget gets. The reading was accomplished and so the Government continues. This may sound silly, but a Government cannot survive, if the house votes against its budget. Agreeing to vote for budget and taxation bills are the 'supply' portion of the 'confidence and supply' agreement that is the foundation of any coalition agreement. The budget focus now turns to select committees and what is called 'Scrutiny Week', when ministers appear before various subject committees to defend their budget plans. Scrutiny Week begins on 16 June. A second objective was possibly not in earlier plans for this week - to finally polish off the bills originally slated for completion two weeks ago during budget week urgency. Then, the Leader of the House had asked the house to accord urgency for 12 bills the Government hoped to progress through 30 stages of parliamentary debate. The plan was ambitious and it did not succeed. Despite day-long sittings until midnight Saturday (when urgency must end), only two bills were completed, others were untouched, and 13 stages were unfinished or unstarted. This week's plan for the house had MPs returning to the well for more of the same. Just like last time, progress was at a snail's pace. After quite a few hours, the Government had slugged its way through just a few more stages. The plan was slowed to a crawl by bills' committee stages (formally known as the Committee of the Whole House). Committee stages are a crucial way for MPs to publicly interrogate the minister in charge of a bill. With patience, they can tease out a lot about both a government's development of legislation and its intended real-world impacts. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi moved the vote on his own punishment. Photo: RNZ/Mark Papalii Because the committee stage has no set duration, it is also a way for the opposition to make the Government really work for progress. The Government did achieve progress on the bills left incomplete from budget week, but again, it was probably not what was hoped for. They will need to come back yet again in three weeks to have a third crack. The Opposition is showing itself to be quite effective at the filibuster. The Government's third objective was to have the debate on the recent Privileges Committee Report on three Te Pāti Māori MPs done by the week's end. As Leader of the House Chris Bishop said in re-initiating the debate: "My encouragement would be for everybody to finish this debate today. "Have a robust debate, but let's end this issue once and for all, and deal with the issue and get back to the major issues facing this country." That wish was fulfilled with apparent agreement from across the house. As 6pm neared, the MP who eventually moved that a vote be taken was Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi. The frankly fascinating debate on the report will be reported separately. - RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk. Enjoy our articles or podcast at RNZ. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
13 hours ago
- RNZ News
NZ's first water cremation service available in Christchurch
life and society 20 minutes ago While on holiday in Bali seven years ago, at accommodation next door to a crematorium, Christchurch woman Debbie Richards started thinking about what happens when we die. She said when she came across the idea of water cremation she decided she would take the leap to get it introduced to New Zealand. Now, the first water cremation service is available in Christchurch at Bell, Lamb and Trotter funeral directors, and Debbie Richards hopes that soon the service will be available all over the country. Rachel Graham has more.
