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RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Trade Minister travelling to United States after to discuss 15 percent tariff
Todd McClay. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Agriculture, Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will be travelling to the United States to meet with his counterparts after President Donald Trump's 15 percent tariff on New Zealand exports was announced. The United States, New Zealand's second largest export market, imposed the higher-than-expected tariff after initially signalling a 10 percent rate. "Following the United States' 1 August decision to apply a 15 percent, or more, tariff to ever country with a trade surplus, this visit will be an opportunity to discuss the impact of that decision and better understand the factors that may influence future US tariffs," McClay said. "New Zealand and the United States have a long-standing, well-balanced trading relationship, with periods where the US has enjoyed a surplus and times, like now, when New Zealand has a modest one. Overall, our trade is complementary and reflects the strength of a long-standing partnership. "I will be seeking to understand the effect of any change in trade flows for example, if New Zealand's current surplus shifted to a deficit, and what that might mean for our exporters. "The US currently faces an average tariff of just 0.3 percent when exporting to New Zealand, far lower than what we face into their market. "It's important that we raise these concerns constructively, while reaffirming our commitment to the strong, cooperative relationship we have with the United States." McClay will stop in Saudi Arabia first, to advance bilateral trade and investment opportunities, and to discuss how best to leverage the New Zealand-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement, for which negotiations concluded last year. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 hours 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
4 hours 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.
