Latest news with #Civis
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Machinations, med schools and road cones
Although Civis desperately wants to believe in politicians, they keep letting Civis down. A big blow to faith in them came this week with the Waikato Medical School decision. Later in the week, reports emerged about the tobacco industry targeting New Zealand First and Winston Peters. This isn't the place to go into the details behind the Waikato decision. The ODT and others have outlined the machinations. Former University of Otago politics lecturer Bryce Edwards, now director of the new Integrity Institute, summed it up: ''The government's decision ... is not, at its core, a decision about health policy. It is a decision about political power, influence, and the erosion of good process. This project serves as a textbook case study of policy capture, where the interests of a well-connected institution, amplified by high-powered lobbyists, have overridden expert advice, fiscal prudence, and superior alternatives.'' Cynicism is further compounded because the government had still not released a business case that almost everyone doubts by late on Friday afternoon. This is a well-rehearsed delay tactic. The politicians wait until much of the heat has dissipated from the issue. The boat has sailed on the details of dodgy figures, assumptions and premises. The cited $233million price tag for the new medical school is ludicrously low. When costs inevitably rise, taxpayers will be left to foot the bill. Waikato University will struggle to meet even its supposed $150m contribution — let alone more. So much of what goes on across the political spectrum destroys hope and trust. This behaviour opens the door wide for a vile, dangerous beast like Donald Trump or the foolish shoot-both-your-own-feet Brexit referendum result. No wonder Civis plaintively cries, ''A plague on all your houses''. ★★★ Dear oh dear. Dear oh dear — dare we revisit the vexed world of road cones? Dunedinite Geoff Simons dobbed in dubious cones and nonsensical speed limits in an email a few weeks back. Geoff agrees we don't want to endanger workers. But for several weeks, near the Highgate end of busy Kenmure Rd, this string of cones was in place. The speed limit for about 500m was 30kmh. Geoff — like everyone else — soon ignored the 30kmh limit. Who wouldn't, when the cones didn't even extend as far as a parked car, and there was no activity for weeks? By the time workers return to such sites, motorists have ingrained the habit of ignoring those earlier, unnecessary speed signs. ★★★ Hardly a cone was in sight when Geoff visited France for two months during the Rugby World Cup in 2023. The few he spotted were on motorways and spread a lot further apart than here. Surprising, really, given France's reputation for bureaucracy. For example, French law traditionally requires those in organised sports events to provide a medical certificate confirming they're fit to participate. Athletics has further recent requirements. The Parkrun organisation abandoned hopes for French events, concluding the obligations and risks were impossible for a volunteer group. Geoff also captured the above scene, sans cones — one which would not be replicated in New Zealand. civis@
Otago Daily Times
18-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Credit card fee changes highlight unfair costs
New Zealanders continue to be ripped off by credit and debit card surcharges. The issue was noted in passing when Civis complained a fortnight ago about misleading price advertising. It's time this week for Civis to get to grips with the gripe about surcharges. Civis' indignation was spurred after being charged the equivalent of 3.94% for an online credit card fee. While the actual extra amount for the shuttle bus was only a little more than $2, unjustified charges can soon add up to hundreds of dollars a year. Reacting becomes a matter of principle. Businesses are making money not on goods or services provided, but via bonus income from their charging methods. That's not right. Many businesses ignored commission "guidance" after high bank "interchange" fees were capped in 2022. Businesses were being charged up to 2.25% on credit cards and up to 1.5% on online debit card transactions. These were slashed to 0.8% and 0.6% respectively. The fee for contactless debit cards remains capped at 0.2%. On Thursday, the commission cut the fees again on the dominant Visa and Mastercard credit card networks, from 0.8% to 0.3% for in-person transactions, and to 0.7% for online. Debit card fees didn't change. The interchange fee makes up about 60% of what businesses pay as merchant fees. Although the earlier caps should have saved consumers about $140million, the commission estimates businesses failed to pass on $45m to $60m in savings. The cuts announced this week should reduce business costs by another $90m. It's reasonable that sellers then pass on fees to customers if they choose. Although individual costs are small, they can quickly accumulate for businesses as well. Because eftpos doesn't attract direct costs, customers using that method need not, in effect, subsidise those paying with credit cards, contactless debit cards or Apple or Google Pay. Many businesses, including supermarkets, absorb the costs. It's often cost-effective and more convenient to accept electronic payments than cash. Customers must be informed of any surcharge before payment and be made aware of cheaper ways to pay, where available. This requirement is sometimes breached. "We expect sellers to offer at least one payment method that does not incur a surcharge," the commission's website also says. The shuttle bus company had an alternative, though less convenient, way of paying directly. Even that option carried a small fee. "We would expect any surcharges to be no more than 0.7% for contactless debit card payments or 1.5%-2% for credit card payments," the commission says. "Many merchants only have one rate, so we consider any surcharge above 2% is hard to justify." Thanks to Thursday's decision, one would expect that 1.5% to 2% to come down further. The commission said operating costs like staff, electricity and point-of-sale were general expenses and shouldn't be included in a surcharge. They were required regardless of the payment type. Because the commission's "expect" and "should not" guidance is so often ignored, it's time for compulsion. On Thursday, the commission itself said regulation might be needed and that it would be monitoring the situation. The banks and credit card companies were brought into line on interchange fees. Retailers must be, too. The commission received 571 inquiries about surcharging in the past 18 months. It said concerns were managed case by case. High interchange fees were an easy way for banks and credit card companies to make money, and they competed for customers through reward schemes. Many have been reviewed because excess profits were cut. Expect more to be ditched. ASB advises merchants how to calculate a fair surcharge. It also notes: "Some payment methods do not incur costs, such as eftpos or debit cards that are accepted via insert or swipe, and so payment with these methods should not have a surcharge applied." Amen to that. civis@
Otago Daily Times
11-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Whatever you call it, it's warm and woolly
Civis won't pull the wool over your eyes with this winter query: are those knitted upper-body garments called jerseys, pullovers, jumpers or sweaters? Maybe even guernseys? It's the kind of question to prompt knitted brows, and the answers are just a bit woolly. Civis fears the creeping invasion of the United States and Canadian sweater, although internet searching suggested jersey is holding its own in New Zealand. For Civis, jersey remains the go-to. Sweater is also a broader term, pulling in cardigans (open at the front), pullovers and sweater vests (sleeveless). According to one blog, sweaters can be casual or dressy, and span sporty styles to luxury contexts. Pullover is said to be a globally recognised term, especially common in European fashion. Jumper sounds more British, and it's a term Civis thought was losing its bounce in New Zealand, until The Warehouse site was checked. There, 14 different men's "jumpers" were displayed — and not a single jersey in sight. There are also plenty of women's "jumpers", plus a handful of sweatshirts. It being July, let's not sweat over that last term, or over hoodies, for that matter. The blog identified jumper as the standard word in the United Kingdom and Ireland, evoking cosy knitwear for cooler seasons. Disconcertingly, jumper was also listed as the primary word for Australia and New Zealand. Adding to the confusion: in American English, a "jumper" is a sleeveless dress worn over a blouse. Civis had no idea. Jersey is thought to originate from Jersey in the Channel Islands. Jersey was renowned for high-quality knitted wool garments, and the name became associated first with the fabric, then with the garments themselves. In the 19th century, woollen jerseys were a natural choice for sport. The word "jersey" soon shifted to describe the entire garment. Regulations at the 1908 London Olympics even required competitors to wear a "sleeved jersey". Thus, jersey embedded itself in the sporting lexicon. Today, the leader of the Tour de France wears the yellow jersey. The All Blacks "play for the jersey", even if it's made from some fancy synthetic material. The garment called a guernsey emerged from another Channel Island, Guernsey. It was a tightly knitted, rugged top worn by fishermen, later adopted by the British Navy. Guernsey is now often considered a particular style of woollen jersey. In the 1870s, Australian rules footballers began wearing guernseys — robust, navy woollen tops. These evolved into today's sleeveless AFL guernseys. The Collins Dictionary notes that jersey, as a knitted upper-body garment, is "old-fashioned". How dare it! ★★★ Language acquisition and the integration of grammar rules into mother tongues are fascinating. Pre-schoolers, through repetition, begin to understand that "-ed" turns verbs into the past tense. That works fine for climb/climbed and kick/kicked. But English is riddled with irregular verbs, so you'll often hear little ones say eated, sleeped or fighted. Or perhaps even "I runned so fast my shoes flyed off". However, what really caught Civis' ear was a girl of nearly 3 using both forms together: she not just "seed" something — she "sawed" it. And what about this gem from a pre-teen? She's just learned that the small pieces in chess are called pawns and not prawns. civis@
Otago Daily Times
04-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Up tos, kid prices and the % of griping
It's been months since Civis' curmudgeon corner, a place to vent about some gripe or other. Today's main serving is about misleading advertising, noting the prominence of children's pricing. It's minor (pun intended) in the scheme of things, yet irritating. The side dish is on "junk fees". In the months leading up to today's test between the All Blacks and France, tickets were being advertised online "from $30". Perhaps, it's obvious that the price is for the cheapest children's seats. However, this cheap trick doesn't feel right. Adults are the ones buying tickets. Flagging adult prices would be fairer and more relevant. The child's $30 is for limited areas in the worst spots on the ground, although most viewing at Forsyth Barr Stadium is excellent. There's $6.95 per transaction, and another 2.2% "applies to all tickets other than purchases made through Ticketek agents, at outlets when using cash, or when redeeming a Ticketek Gift Voucher. This fee covers the cost of facilitating electronic transactions." The $30 is also initially displayed on the Ticketek site during ticket selection. The adult price appears as you click through. There's also no mention of credit or debit card fees before the last payment stage. Consumer New Zealand campaigned on credit card surcharges in 2023, following a law change. It applied pressure to Ticketek, which lowered its fee from 3.5% for some sports events to a standard 3% — still too high. The other extras, known as "junk fees" in the United States, soon add up. Across a full stadium, the extras generate a tidy return for Ticketek. Is Civis picky and petty? We've no choice but to pay if we want tickets. We shrug at the misleading advertising, while the extra fees become normalised. Civis wonders what happened to the principle that the price you see is the price you pay. Despite these niggles, Civis believes the prices for tonight's match are reasonable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Civis saw a major travel company advertising headline deals that were child prices. Although that was soon apparent, Civis resents being drawn in falsely, even if briefly. Civis is also bemused by airline sales to Australia. Because of taxes, flying from New Zealand is cheaper, so the lower outbound fare is almost always the advertised headline price. Most passengers are likely to want to come back, and most booking apps and sites default to "return" rather than "one way" as the booking process begins. The airlines will, of course, want to capture both fares. To be fair, sometimes the figure for the full return flight is prominently displayed. However, never expect the fare for transtasman flights from Australian cities to be the selling point. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Everyone knows the disingenuous "up to 50% off" sales. It's easy to become cynical when exposed repeatedly to these attempted enticements. Another example of deception, at least superficially, was a sign in a Dunedin shop for 40% off everything. Look a little closer, and it was 40% off only the shop's brand. Just because such tactics are commonplace does not make them right. Advertising must be truthful, accurate and not misleading, according to the Fair Trading Act. Misleading to whom? Are we so used to businesses pushing boundaries that these examples no longer qualify as misleading? We're conditioned to accept disingenuous "up tos," child fares, and one-way prices as standard marketing. Sadly, that might be both accurate and true. civis@
Otago Daily Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Speeding towards a sign of the travel times
Are you on the left or right-hand side of the road on the contentious speed limit changes of 2022? The Tackling Unsafe Speeds Programme gradually introduced reductions, lowering many single-carriage roads from 100kmh to 80kmh as part of the Road to Zero goal. However, the present government reversed lots of these. For many, the slower speeds were long overdue — a practical measure to save lives. Reduced speeds decrease both the frequency and severity of crashes while also lowering emissions. Additional travel time lost would be minimal. Critics argued blanket speed reductions unfairly penalised responsible drivers for the actions of a few, reflecting nanny-state overreach. They contended lower speeds unnecessarily restricted personal freedom and driving enjoyment, particularly in rural areas where traffic was sparse. Longer travel times would disproportionately affect freight companies and rural commuters, while safety gains remain minimal. Support for reductions tends to be strongest among the educated, influential, and elite left and centre-left. Thirty-eight sections of state highways are being reinstated to the 100kmh limit, though none of these are in Otago and Southland. The deadline for implementation is the end of this month. Forty-nine other highway sections underwent public consultation in February and March, so "local communities could have their say". Ultimately, only six sections will retain their lower speed limits owing to strong public support (more than 50% in favour), including from the Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound. These changes are also set to take effect by the end of the month. Just as with the overuse of cones, Civis remains in the middle of the road on this issue. It's easy to become over-zealous about speed limits. After all, it's sometimes said that if we were truly determined to eliminate safety hazards, all private driving would be banned. Some highway segments, such as SH1 south of Oamaru, have had an 80kmh limit for years. Given the bends, undulations and proximity to houses and businesses near the road, this feels right. Civis also supports 80kmh for crossing the Waitaki Bridge, a matter of controversy. Traversing the bridge by bike must be daunting, as highlighted in a recent ODT letter to the editor. Waitaki Bridge residents argued the change in 2020 to 80kmh along the 2.6km strip from Glenavy to Waitaki Village should be retained. During formal consultation, of the 1200 responses, 646 strongly opposed the lower limit, while 56 slightly opposed it. Meanwhile, 480 strongly supported the 80kmh limit, with another 28 slightly supporting it. A further 26 were neutral. Tension often arises between the preferences of local residents and those from further afield. In the Waitaki consultation, of the 102 responses from the local community, 83 strongly supported the lower figure. Speed limits will, as they should, continue to be debated in the news. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ In contrast, the phasing out of Limited Speed Zones (LSZ) in the early 2000s stirred little controversy. They quietly disappeared from roadsides, becoming a matter of curiosity rather than debate. Current regulations sensibly require speed signs to display specific numerical limits, rendering older open road signs – the white disc with a black diagonal stripe — also obsolete. LSZ signs allowed too much leeway. Drivers were expected to slow down in adverse conditions but could legally travel up to 100kmh when conditions permitted. A surviving LSZ sign was recently spotted in west Wanaka — the area beyond Glendhu Bay and across the Matukituki River. You're unlikely to want to drive 100kmh on that dusty road. civis@
