Funding drying up for two Auckland charities as demand increases
An Auckland based charity has lost a fifth of its annual budget and might have to lay off staff and another keeps getting turned down no matter how many grants it applies for. Charity workers say while the funding dries up, the need for their services is increasing. Louise Ternouth reports.
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Foreign exchange fined amid transactions deemed 'objectively suspicious'
An Auckland-based foreign exchange and money remittance company has been convicted and fined $1.125 million for failing to report suspicious activities and to submit prescribed transaction reports. An investigation by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) found that Qian DuoDuo Limited, which traded under the name Lidong Foreign Exchange, found it failed to report 197 international transactions to China between June 2018 and September 2019. The transactions, which totalled over $19.14 million, included 26 "objectively suspicious" activities with a value of $4.72 million and 171 involved prescribed transactions with a value of $14.42 million. The value of the nearly 200 transactions represented around one fifth of the gross value transactions undertaken by Qian DuoDuo Limited for the 2018/2019 financial year. Two individuals who completed the transactions, Xiaoyu Lu and Musubayoufa Fuati, were convicted of criminal offending. ADVERTISEMENT Fuati was convicted of structuring transactions to avoid anti-money laundering laws, while Lu was convicted of providing unregistered financial services, as well as multiple counts of money laundering. Both pleaded guilty to their charges. In sentencing, the Auckland District Court found the company failed to carry out adequate customer due diligence on the source of Fuati and Lu's funds and relied on questionable verification documents despite recognising a high risk that its operations could be used to launder money. Anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism director Serge Sablyak said Internal Affairs took offences under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 "very seriously". "Suspicious transactions have the potential to be linked to money laundering or terrorist financing activities. Prescribed transaction reports are vital in alerting law enforcement to suspected offenders and make money laundering and terrorist financing difficult to hide." Sablyak said Qian DuoDuo Limited had a "history of non-compliance". "In 2017, the Department took civil action against the company following non-compliance with its obligations, and the High Court confirmed multiple breaches of the company's legal obligations. "When financial institutions, including money remitters, continue to fail to meet their obligations under the Act, the Department can and will take action." ADVERTISEMENT Qian DuoDuo Limited appealed the District Court's decision to the High Court.
RNZ News
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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
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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.
