How is 'quiet cracking' affecting NZ's workforce?
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RNZ News
23 minutes ago
- RNZ News
'Frustrated locals' lash out: Tauranga parking meters vandalised
One of four Tauranga City Council parking machines that has been vandalised, shortly before the expansion of paid parking in the city, which applies from 18 August. Photo: Supplied/ LDR - Alisha Evans A map showing the new paid parking and time limited zones in Tauranga, Photo: Supplied/ Tauranga City Council "Frustrated locals" have vandalised parking machines in Tauranga in an attempt to stall the expansion of paid parking, a business owner believes. Four Tauranga City Council parking terminals have been damaged in the past 10 days and will each cost about $2000 to fix. Rutherford Signs director Matt Batchelor believed the two machines on Glasgow Street and Third Avenue were damaged with hammers. "Frustrated locals have now resorted to vandalising the new, very expensive-looking paid parking terminals with hammers in an effort to delay progress [of paid parking]." Paid parking is scheduled to begin for areas on the fringe of the city centre on Monday 18 August. It was meant to start on 4 August but was delayed a fortnight to allow time for residents' permits to be implemented. One of four Tauranga City Council parking machines that was vandalised recently. Photo: Supplied/ LDR - Alisha Evans On-street parking between the eastern end of Fourth Avenue and Park Street, north of the city's centre, will cost $1 an hour for the first two hours and $2 for every subsequent hour until 5pm, to a maximum of $10 on weekdays. New two-hour parking limits also apply to some streets on the fringe of the city centre, as far south as Eighth Avenue. Batchelor said his Glasgow Street business did not have enough parking for his staff, and they were looking to him to cover the cost. If he were to cover their parking, it would cost $14,400 a year, when things were "already tough", he said. Unlike the city centre, the area of Glasgow Street and First, Second and Third avenues west was primarily industrial, not retail. "The only people being financially penalised here are the business owners and their staff." Council city centre infrastructure lead Shawn Geard said the estimated cost to repair each machine was $2000 because the machine head would need replacing. A machine on Dive Crescent and one on Devonport Road had also been damaged, he said. The cost of a new machine was $11,500 for a cash machine and $9200 for a contactless card-only machine. Damaged machines would not delay the new paid parking zones, he said. The council appreciated that decisions around paid parking could often result in frustration, but people needed to know vandalising machines did not have an impact on parking enforcement. "Rather, it adds an additional cost to council, and makes it more difficult for residents, workers, customers and visitors to conveniently pay for parking. "For any person who chooses to express their frustration in this manner, we have CCTV cameras operating throughout the city centre. "Any instances of wilful/intentional damage will be investigated and, where applicable, reported to the police." A report was filed with police about the vandalism of the Devonport Road machine, and reports would be filed for the three other machines, Geard said. He hoped the replacement parts would arrive so the machines would be working by Monday. People could pay for parking through the PayMyPark app if the machines were not working. Anyone who had an issue with the app should contact the council, Geard said. The council could not guarantee parking meters would work at all times because of situations such as vandalism. "If someone parks within a paid parking area, they will still need to ensure they make payment, which may mean needing to find the nearest undamaged meter." A variety of people, including workers, customers and visitors, used Glasgow Street and First, Second and Third avenues, Geard said. The extension of paid parking into those areas was to ensure regular turnover of the on-street parks to improve access for everyone. The council aimed to achieve 85 percent occupancy across all its parking, Geard said. This supported high use but allowed people to find parks when they wanted one. City centre workers were encouraged to use parking buildings, off-street options, or consider public transport and active travel modes such as cycling and walking. Police said anyone who saw property being damaged or vandalised should call 111 if it was happening now, or 105 if it was after the fact. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Can my father's partner take his house?
RNZ's money correspondent Susan Edmunds answers your questions. Photo: RNZ Got questions? RNZ is launching a new podcast, No Stupid Questions with Susan Edmunds, next month. We'd love to hear more of your questions about money and the economy. You can send through written questions, like these ones, but - even better - you can drop us a voice memo to our email questions@ What happens if my father owns a house, but now has a partner for several years who moved in to the house and has put the power in her name to prove she's lived there for a certain time. If my father dies before her with no will, will she get the house or us kids? Justine Wood is a specialist trustee at Public Trust and helped me answer your question. Basically, when someone dies without a will, it's referred to as "dying intestate". That means specific legislation comes into play that determines who will get which bits of the person's estate. That means the partner may well be entitled to a share of the house. "Based on the family circumstances you've outlined, the partner may be entitled to receive the personal chattels, such as vehicles, furniture and jewellery, the first $155,000 of the estate and a third share of the remainder of the estate," she said. "This will depend on the couple meeting the legal criteria of having a de facto relationship at the time. The remaining two thirds of anything left would be distributed equally between his children. "Administering an estate when there is no will can be costly and take longer to sort out. Having a will helps your family understand what you'd like done with your estate after your gone - and it makes the process of managing your passing less stressful on loved ones." The Administration Act defines de facto relationship in line with the Property (Relationships) Act. This said a de facto relationship is a couple who are at least 18, living together as a couple and not married or in a civil union. Things that might be taken into account are the duration of the relationship, the nature and extent of common residence, whether there is a sexual relationship, the degree of financial interdependence and dependence, ownership of property, the degree of mutual commitment to a shared life, the care and support of children, performance of household duties and the reputation and public aspects of the relationship. It would make sense for your father to draw up a will. Even with a will, his partner may have rights under the Property (Relationships) Act - they may need to sign a contracting out agreement if he wants to ensure that the property is left to you. Are there any disadvantages in keeping KiwiSaver funds there in KiwiSaver after retirement age? Is it best to fill the forms now and take some, if not all? There really is no disadvantage to leaving your money in KiwiSaver once you're retired, if that's what makes the most sense for you at the moment. It would be a good idea to get some advice on the funds your money is invested in, though. Depending on how much you've got in your KiwiSaver, it might make sense to divide it up and invest it in a few different funds. You might have some in a conservative or even cash fund that you can tap into if you need it in the near term, for unexpected bills or things like that, some in a balanced fund for the medium term and then some money in a growth fund for the longer term. The growth fund will probably bump around a bit but should deliver better returns overall, which might help make your money last longer through your retirement. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Who pays when a supermarket price tag is wrong?
A Whanganui SuperValue displayed some dodgy maths recently, with the price per 100g not adding up to the main price shown. Photo: Supplied When a Whanganui SuperValue displayed some dodgy maths recently, shopper David Bradbury argued he should have been able to choose to pay the lower of the prices on offer. He spotted bacon that was advertised as selling for a different price per 100g than the main display price. Shoulder bacon was 200g for $4.69 but then 94c per 100g, and middle bacon was 200g for $5.79 but $1.16 per 100g. "I pointed out to the closest person in a shop uniform the poor arithmetic ... He said the big number was the right one. I said I should be able to choose. He said no." A SuperValue spokesperson said the unit price was incorrect . "On our pricing tickets customers will find the price of the item and a unit price which enables them to make an informed decision of value based on the unit of measure. "In this instance, the unit price was incorrect on the 200gm Grandpas Shoulder Bacon and Middle Bacon products. The price was however the correct price the customer would have paid at the apologise for the error and any confusion caused. "We know how important it is that all of our tickets are accurate and we have now corrected the pricing tickets to reflect the correct unit price." Vanessa Horne, Commerce Commission general manager, competition, fair trading and credit said she encouraged him to report the concern so the commission could assess whether the shop was complying with the laws it enforced. "The trader could be prosecuted where there is serious non-compliance with the Unit Pricing Regulations. "The Unit Pricing Regulations are there to help consumers easily compare products based on the price-per-unit and make informed choices about which product offers them the best value." She said the Commerce Commission had ongoing investigations into supermarket operators . "We have recently filed criminal charges against Woolworths NZ, Pak'nSave Silverdale, and Pak'nSave Mill Street for what the Commission alleges was inaccurate pricing and misleading specials that may have breached the Fair Trading Act. "Supermarkets have long been on notice about the importance of accurate and clear pricing and specials, and we're not satisfied with the continuing issues we're seeing across the industry. "The major supermarkets are large, well-resourced businesses that should invest the time and effort to get pricing and promotions right." Consumer NZ spokesperson Sahar Lone said a supermarket that displayed incorrect unit pricing could be breaching the Fair Trading Act. "If you notice an incorrect unit price, point this out to a supervisor in store. The store has the right to correct its pricing mistakes. If it doesn't sort the issue, or it's widespread, you can lodge a complaint with the Commerce Commission." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
