Midday Report Essentials for Monday 28th July 2025
In today's episode, a school bus driver and a child are in hospital after the bus hit black ice and skidded into a line of trees in Hawke's Bay on Monday morning; A constitutional lawyer says the electoral law changes planned by the government are a serious breach of New Zealanders rights; The first version of a document listing all international building products now available in New Zealand has been released as the first step in the government's plans to turbo charge the construction sector; For the fashion industry of Aotearoa simply making a garment is getting harder.
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RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Train and car collide, leaving one person seriously injured in Tokoroa
One ambulance and a rapid response unit were sent to the serious crash. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin One person has been hospitalised after being seriously injured when a train and car collided in Tokoroa. Emergency services were called to Bridge St in Tokoroa shortly after 4am on Thursday. A police spokesperson said they were investigating the crash. The road was blocked while emergency services were at the scene, the spokesperson said. A St John spokesperson said they were notified of the crash at 4.06am and an ambulance and one rapid response unit went to the scene. They took one person, who was seriously injured, to Waikato Hospital. KiwiRail's acting chief operations officer Soren Low, confirmed a freight train had been involved in the crash at a level crossing. "The level crossing has flashing lights and bells. "KiwiRail received clearance to reopen the line at approximately 8.50am following track inspections." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
1News
4 hours ago
- 1News
Road user charge plan a 'good idea', but privacy a concern
An expert says he has concerns about privacy and data collection as the Government plans to expand the use of road user charges. Yesterday, the Government signed off on the first steps towards scrapping petrol tax and shifting all vehicles onto electronic road user charges (RUC). Currently New Zealanders help pay for the roads via their vehicle licence (or 'rego') fee, road user charges (RUC) and the petrol excise duty (PED). Minister of Transport Chris Bishop said the transition would ensure all vehicles pay based on actual road use (including weight) regardless of fuel type, and said eventually paying RUC would be similar to paying a monthly electricity bill. Speaking to Breakfast, AA principal policy adviser Terry Collins said generally the move was "a good idea, but has some challenges", particularly around privacy and data collection. ADVERTISEMENT "If they're going to electronically monitor every vehicle, it's the privacy issues around it," he said. AA principal policy advisor Terry Collins. (Source: Breakfast) "Who wants to know where you are and when? And that unlocks that whole issue around everything to do with phones, and the data. Who has it, and what do they want to do with it?" He said there were some "really good" aspects to the proposed legislative changes, including distance-based Warrant of Fitness. However, Collins also raised concerns about the cost of putting a transponder in each car and the practicalities of monitoring each car. "I think generally they don't want to have day-to-day monitoring (which) would be very expensive and it will be invasive. So it's how you download that information about your travel on a semi-regular basis, maybe monthly, where they can record it and send you the report." The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including privacy concerns over road user charges, possible changes to Wellington's waterfront, and one of the biggest sports memorabilia heists ever. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT He said there were some "real challenges ahead" to understand how to collect the data safely. "Fuel excise duty was the cheapest to collect and hardest to evade, this one's going to be hardest to collect and the easiest to evade, so there's some real challenges ahead." Transport Minister responds Chris Bishop told Breakfast that the Government would engage with the Privacy Commissioner to ensure data was collected safely. Chris Bishop said paying for RUC would be similar to paying an electricity bill at the end of each month. (Source: Breakfast) 'Ultimately, the standards will be set by the Government, and there will be potentially a range of competing providers. And I get the concerns around privacy,' he said. He said other places, such as Sydney, already used transponder technology in their cars to monitor where they were going and what they were doing. ADVERTISEMENT 'When you go through a toll gantry it gives a little beep, and it charges you to your credit card and you pay at the end of the month, or week, or whatever.' 'In other countries jurisdictions they've had those for over a decade, so we're actually miles behind the rest of the world. 'And some of these concerns around privacy, and tracking, things like that, we are really conscious about that and we are going to work our way through that to protect against all of that kind of stuff.' Labour's Peeni Henare said there were still questions Kiwis would want answered before the rollout of the new system, expected in 2027.
NZ Autocar
6 hours ago
- NZ Autocar
Government to replace petrol tax with electronic RUCs
Cabinet is working to transition New Zealand's 3.5 million light vehicles to paying for our roading network through electronic road user charges. This will replace the petrol tax, says Transport Minister Chris Bishop. 'The abolition of petrol tax, and the move towards all vehicles (whether they be petrol, diesel, electric or hybrid) paying for roads based on distance and weight, is the biggest change to how we fund our roading network in 50 years,' Mr Bishop says. 'Right now, New Zealanders pay Fuel Excise Duty (FED, or petrol tax) of about 70c per litre of petrol every time they fill up at the pump with a petrol car. Diesel, electric, and heavy vehicles pay Road User Charges (RUC) based on distance travelled. 'This revenue is funnelled into the National Land Transport Fund which funds the building of new roads and maintaining our existing ones. 'For decades, petrol tax has acted as a rough proxy for road use, but the relationship between petrol consumption and road usage is fast breaking down. For example, petrol vehicles with better fuel economy contribute less FED per kilometre towards road maintenance, operations, and improvements. 'We are also seeing a fast uptake of fuel-efficient petrol hybrid vehicles. In 2015, there were 12,000 on our roads, while today there are over 350,000. 'As our vehicle fleet changes, so too must the way we fund our roads. It isn't fair to have Kiwis who drive less and who can't afford a fuel-efficient car paying more than people who can afford one and drive more often.' 'This is a change that simply has to happen. The government has recognised reality and is getting on with the transition. 'The Government's plan will eventually see all vehicles pay based on actual road use (including weight) regardless of fuel type. 'The transition will happen in stages, beginning with legislative and regulatory reform to modernise the current RUC system and enable private sector innovation. 'The current RUC system is outdated. It's largely paper based, means people have to constantly monitor their odometers, and requires people to buy RUC in 1000km chunks. 'We're not going to shift millions of drivers from a simple system at the pump to queues at retailers. So instead of expanding a clunky government system, we will reform the rules to allow the market to deliver innovative, user-friendly services for drivers. 'A handful of E-RUC companies already do this for about half of our heavy vehicle fleet and there are several companies, both domestic and international, with innovative technology that could make complying with RUC cheaper and easier.' Key legislative changes the Government is progressing include: 'The changes will support a more user-friendly, technology-enabled RUC system, with multiple retail options available for motorists,' Mr Bishop says. 'Eventually, paying for RUC should be like paying a power bill online, or a Netflix subscription. Simple and easy. 'I expect to pass legislation in 2026, followed by an updated Code of Practice for RUC providers. We will also engage with the market in 2026 to assess technological solutions and delivery timelines. In parallel, NZTA and Police will upgrade their systems to support enforcement in a digital environment. 'By 2027, the RUC system will be 'open for business', with third-party providers able to offer innovative payment services and a consistent approval process in place. 'At this stage, no date has been set for the full transition of the light vehicle fleet. That's a deliberate choice, as we're focused on getting the system right rather than rushing its rollout. 'This is a once-in-a-generation change. It's the right thing to do, it's the fair thing to do, and it will future proof how we fund our roads for decades to come.'
