‘Trusted' builders to certify their own work
Trusted builders and tradespeople will be able to sign off their own work, in the latest initiative from the Government to speed up house building.
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said the move would result in around 3000 homes being built each year without delays from approvals or inspections.
The Government is also setting a mandatory target to tackle building inspection wait times, requiring building consent authorities (BCAs) to complete 80% of inspections within three working days.
'Making it easier and more affordable to build would open the door to home ownership for more Kiwis and support growth and job creation in the construction sector,' Penk said.
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Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
To infinity and beyond with a possum and sweet chilli sauce
One of the things MPs like most about the Budget debate — the freewheeling discussion of the Finance Minister's hard work — is that it enables them to speak about almost anything so long as it can (sometimes very loosely) be linked back to the Budget. Hence this week our southern MPs have been talking about possums, utes, outer space, Barker's sweet chilli sauce ... and every so often about something of vital importance. On Tuesday Taieri Labour MP Ingrid Leary fell into the latter camp with an impassioned speech about the state of the nation's mental health system. "The Budget would have been the perfect opportunity to [workforce gaps], including the 1594 full-time equivalents that the NCAT — which is the National Committee for Addiction Treatment—has identified as missing from the NGO frontline," Ms Leary said. "But no, they did not. Instead, they threw a paltry bit of money to help the transition at emergency departments for the withdrawal of police. That was far too little, far too late." It was Ms Leary's Labour Dunedin colleague Rachel Brooking who brought possums and utes to the debate soon after — which was fairly funny, albeit with a serious purpose. The Budget had been good for possums, Ms Brooking said, because of cuts to pest management initiatives. And it had been good for utes because of subsidies being afforded to companies. But most of all, Ms Brooking said scornfully, the Budget had been bad for women. "Anyone listening closely to the House when the Budget dropped will have heard me give an audible gasp when I read ... that $12 billion was looking to be saved from pay equity. "Yet the Prime Minister had the gall to say to us just the week before, 'No, no, no. This has nothing to do with pay equity'. It is astounding." And she did not mean that in a good way. Up soon after, Taieri Green list MP Scott Willis warmed up on the topic of people feeling the cold as winter bit hard — although he might have sparked debate on his own side by talking about getting nice and cosy in front of a fire rather than being warmed up by an electric fire powered by solar or wind energy. "What really would have helped people and helped landlords, even, would have been support for warm, dry, energy-efficient homes," Mr Willis said. "But this government, over the last two Budgets, has cut over $230m from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority ... crippling the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority. Why has this government decided that ordinary Kiwis should be left out in the cold?" The next day the South's government MPs got to give an alternative, all together more enthusiastic appraisal of the Budget. Rather than wreaking havoc on all and sundry, Southland National MP Joseph Mooney extolled it for "balancing the New Zealand taxpayers' funds in a very considered and careful way in a challenging domestic and geopolitical environment." Funding such as new daytime urgent care services in places like Invercargill, Gore, and Alexandra found favour with Mr Mooney, as did the potential expansion of the service to Balclutha, Lumsden, Roxburgh and all places in between in the future. It was Mr Mooney who donned his space suit, noting Southlander Sir Peter Beck had made New Zealand the third-largest launcher of satellites into infinity and beyond. "He had a wild dream and made it happen in a country that did not have a space sector. I think that's an opportunity for all of us to lift our sights high, aim for the stars, and we can make it happen," he said, leaving unspoken but fairly obvious the assertion that the government was helping such firms to focus on the target. Leaving Waitaki MP Miles Anderson — no doubt well aware that many residents in Geraldine would like their town to instead be in the Rangitata electorate — to praise the fine products of Barker's of Geraldine. "I spoke this morning to the team at Barker's of Geraldine — and those of you who have had the opportunity to try some of their goods, I highly recommend them." "Great little place. Sweet chilli sauce," Otaki MP Tim Costley chimed in, a sentiment echoed from across the House. "They supply jams, preserves, and pickles to supermarkets across the country," Mr Anderson added, in his best infomercial manner. There was actually a point to all this spruiking: Mr Anderson wanted to use his time to boast about Investment Boost, the Budget's central policy for business growth. Enabling firms to immediately write off some of the cost of new equipment was a boon for an expanding business like Barker's, he said ... and that was not all for the great electorate of Waitaki. "Other local businesses are also having an increase in asset investment," Mr Anderson said. "Te Pari Industries tell me that they have seen an increase in interest for their products, and that farmers are making decisions much more quickly with both sheep and dairy systems. Drummond & Etheridge in Oamaru, local farm machinery retailers, saw an immediate increase in sales and a significant increase in buyer inquiry." And with a shout out to Five Forks School — pupils from which had visited the House the previous day and been acknowledged from the chamber — that was it for the Budget debate for another year. Half time, change sides Act New Zealand Southland list MP Todd Stephenson is poised to become the most recognisable backbencher in the country following the grand rearrangement of the House this week. With the coalition swapping deputy prime ministers, New Zealand First's MPs have moved to where Act once sat, and vice versa. As Act's whip, Mr Stephenson is now sitting in the second row alongside National chief whip Stuart Smith. That means that during Question Time — the only bit of Parliament that most New Zealanders catch a glimpse of — that Mr Stephenson is sitting right behind Christopher Luxon and David Seymour when the cameras roll.
NZ Herald
14 hours ago
- NZ Herald
SMEG returns to New World
New World is serving up kitchen style with its latest promotion. This article was prepared by New World and is being published by the New Zealand Herald as advertorial. New World is once again serving up a big dollop of kitchen style with its latest promotion. For the past six years, these eagerly awaited campaigns have been elevating kitchens across the country. This year, New World has once again, partnered with premium brand SMEG to offer a kitchenware collection that combines luxury with everyday functionality. The promotion launches June 9 and runs until August 31, or while stocks last. New World's retail marketing manager Sarah Austin says the SMEG kitchenware range was chosen for its premium quality and useability. As with previous promotions, the range is expected to be hugely popular. 'Our promotions are all about giving customers the chance to add a little bit of wonderful to their weekly shop,' she says. 'We know New Zealanders are familiar with and love the SMEG brand, but treating themselves to quality kitchenware isn't often a priority. This promotion gives New World shoppers the chance to elevate their kitchen space with a touch of luxury and can collect stickers just by doing their usual shop.' The SMEG range is finished in high gloss while the brasier is cast iron, making it ideal for low-and-slow cooking and safe for both the stovetop and oven. The range has been chosen so customers can choose the items they like, without needing to collect the whole set, with one sticker collected for every $20 spent in store and online**. Items can be collected by redeeming between 20 stickers for the utensil rest to 55 stickers for the larger baker. Shoppers can also use a combination of stickers and cash to collect items. The cast iron braiser is a Clubcard exclusive and only available with 45 stickers and a cash top-up. Value is top of mind this year and New World's fresh and improved Clubcard programme offers a truly rewarding shopping experience with our own New World Dollars – a currency that turns everyday shopping into real value. With no minimum spend, customers earn every time they shop and can redeem New World Dollars like cash in-store or online. Combined with exclusive Clubcard deals, prize opportunities, and exciting campaigns like SMEG, it's easier than ever for Kiwis to get more from their grocery shop – all backed by our enhanced app for a seamless, personalised experience and rewards for every dollar you spend. Throughout the SMEG promotion New World teams across Aotearoa will be helping customers to keep track of what stock is available and what's running out. 'We anticipate the promotion is going to be super popular, and it's important to remember it's only while stocks last,' says Sarah. 'Some items will be more sought after than others, so customers should redeem their stickers as soon as they have enough for their chosen pieces, or they may lose out.' You can keep an eye on your local New World's Facebook page for updates on stock availability and take note of the in-store signage about what's available and what might be running low. As we always say, if you really want a particular item, don't sit on your stickers, they are strictly while stocks last.
RNZ News
15 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.
