
Māori trust loses bid for lapse of Carrington Estate consents in Far North
Carrington Resort on Karikari Peninsula was originally developed in the early 2000s by American businessman Paul Kelly.
A Māori trust has failed to persuade a court that resource consents granted 20 years ago for a luxury resort in the Far North should be declared lapsed.
If the Environment Court had granted Haititaimarangai Marae Kaitiaki Trust's (HMKT) application for the declaration, Carrington Estate would need new consents to
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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


Scoop
14 hours ago
- Scoop
The Inevitable Souring: Elon Musk Falls Out With Donald Trump
Trumps response to Musks latest gobbet of accusation proved almost melancholic. I dont mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. He went on to praise one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. Sandpit politics is rarely edifying and grown toddlers taking their fists to each other is unlikely to interest. But when they feature US President Donald Trump and the world's wealthiest man, the picture alters. Disputes are bound to be on scale, rippling in their consequences. No crystal ball was required regarding the eventual sundering of the relationship between Trump and Elon Musk. Here were noisy, brash egos who had formed a rancid union in American politics, with Musk lending his resources and public machinery to The Donald knowing he could also have sway in the Trump administration as a 'special government employee'. That sway took the form of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), a crude attempt to right the wrongs of misspending in government while politicising the public service. Awaking from a narcotised daze, Musk decided to focus on his floundering companies, notably Tesla, and step back from the inferno. In doing so, he expected 'to remain a friend and adviser, and if there's anything the president wants me to do, I'm at this service.' Gazing at the raging inferno that is Trumpian policy, that convivial attitude has all but evaporated. For one thing, Trump's proposed tax breaks and increases in defence spending, espoused in his One Big Beautiful Bill Act, seemed to undermine the very premise of DOGE and its zealous mission of reducing government spending. The legislation promises to slash $1.5 trillion in government spending but increase the debt limit by $4 trillion. 'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly,' Musk said in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning last month. Such a plan merely inflated, not reduced, the budget deficit. 'I think a bill can be big or beautiful. I don't know if it can be both.' This month, Musk got even tetchier. His temper had frayed. 'I'm sorry, I just can't stand it anymore,' he barked on his X platform on June 3. 'This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.' He continued to heap shame on members of Congress 'who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.' On June 5, Trump expressed his disappointment 'because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill', leaving open the possibility that the billionaire might be suffering from 'Trump derangement syndrome.' Musk had 'only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the [electric vehicle] mandate.' A blow was in the offing, coming in the form of a post on Truth Social: 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised Biden didn't do it!' Musk's embittered retort: 'Such an obvious lie. So sad.' He also proposed, in light of the President's announcement, the decommissioning of Space X's Dragon spacecraft, vehicles used by NASA to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The ripples were finally getting violent. Musk then decided to do what he called dropping 'the really big bomb'. Trump, he revealed, 'is in the Epstein files. This is the real reason they have not been made public.' Given Musk's estranged relationship with reality and its facets, this can only be taken at face value. It's a matter of record that Trump, along with a fat who's who of power, knew the late Jeffrey Epstein, financier and convicted sex offender, for many years. The trove of government documents known as The Epstein Files has offered the easily titillated some manna but, thus far, few bombs. On February 27, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi released what were described as the 'first phase' of files relating to the financier and 'his exploitation of over 250 underage girls at his homes in New York and Florida, among other locations.' In an interview with Fox News on February 21, Bondi revealed that Epstein's client list lay 'on my desk right now.' Trump's response to Musk's latest gobbet of accusation proved almost melancholic. 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago.' He went on to praise 'one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress.' In characteristically bratty fashion, Musk went on to share a post agreeing with the proposition that Trump be impeached and replaced by the Vice President, J.D. Vance, advocate 'a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle' (a touching billionaire's wish), and predict 'a recession in the second half of this year' caused by Trump's global tariff regime. In the scheme of things, Trump has survived impeachments, prosecutions, litigation, crowned by a divided US electorate that gave him a majority in both the Electoral College and the popular vote. Like a Teflon coated mafia don, he has made compromising people a minor art. Musk, compromised in his support and having second thoughts, can only go noisily into the confused night.


Scoop
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CAMA Calls For Fair And Future-Proof Radio Spectrum Access
Press Release – Community Access Media Alliance While MBIEs review largely focuses on commercial licence holders, CAMA warns that indirect consequences, such as pricing changes or lost access to reserved spectrum, could jeopardise the viability of its member organisations, particularly amid rising … The Community Access Media Alliance (CAMA) is urging the Government to safeguard non-commercial broadcasters in the upcoming reassignment of AM/FM radio spectrum, as all existing licences expire in 2031. In a submission to the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE), CAMA has called for long-term, affordable, and equitable spectrum access for Aotearoa's 12 Community Access Media organisations. These stations serve as a public-interest vehicle for content made by, for, and about underrepresented groups. 'These are not just frequencies, they are lifelines for Māori, Pacific, migrant, disabled, rural, and multilingual communities who are too often overlooked by mainstream media,' says CAMA Chair Phil Grey. The submission supports differentiated policy settings for non-commercial broadcasters, including: 20-year or longer licence durations to enable long-term investment and planning; Exemptions from commercial pricing models, recognising the unique role of public-interest media; Retention, expansion and access to reserved spectrum in-kind, for public-serving non-commercial broadcasters; and A 'public interest broadcaster' category for public-mandated, non-commercial media organisations. While MBIE's review largely focuses on commercial licence holders, CAMA warns that indirect consequences, such as pricing changes or lost access to reserved spectrum, could jeopardise the viability of its member organisations, particularly amid rising operational costs and limited funding. 'Our stations are already providing essential services, from emergency broadcasts to multilingual programming and programming by groups with no access to media services – and on shoestring budgets,' says Grey. 'They should not be penalised by commercial models that fail to reflect their social value. This is an issue of historical, cultural, and democratic importance'. CAMA's submission draws on international examples, including UNESCO guidance, that recognise the importance of sustainable financing and spectrum access for community broadcasters as vital pillars of democratic infrastructure. Grey says the review also offers an opportunity: 'If we get this right, we can future-proof the sector for the next generation, ensure Aotearoa honours its Tiriti obligations, and protect access to information for all communities – not just those with commercial clout.' CAMA is calling on MBIE to work alongside the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, NZ On Air, Te Māngai Pāho, and Te Puni Kōkiri to deliver a joined-up approach to policy, pricing, and spectrum planning that reflects the real-world needs of non-commercial broadcasters.