Latest news with #mojo
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Bill For Transparent Principled Lawmaking To Be Read In The House
Minister for Regulation Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Regulatory Standards Bill will be read in the House. 'New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation. To raise productivity, we must allow people to spend more time on productive activities and less time on compliance,' says Mr Seymour. 'To lift productivity and wages, the ACT-National Coalition Agreement includes a commitment to pass a Regulatory Standards Act. Today is another significant step towards that as Cabinet has given approval to introduce the Bill to the house, with the target being enactment by the start of next year. The Regulatory Standards Bill: • provides a benchmark for good legislation through a set of principles of responsible regulation • enables transparent assessment of the consistency of proposed and existing legislation with the principles • establishes a Regulatory Standards Board to independently consider the consistency of proposed and existing legislation, and • strengthens regulatory quality by supporting the Ministry for Regulation in its regulatory oversight role. 'In a nutshell: If red tape is holding us back, because politicians find regulating politically rewarding, then we need to make regulating less rewarding for politicians with more sunlight on their activities. That is how the Regulatory Standards Bill will help New Zealand get its mojo back. It will finally ensure regulatory decisions are based on principles of good law-making and economic efficiency,' Mr Seymour says. 'Ultimately, this Bill will help the Government achieve its goal of improving New Zealand's productivity by ensuring that regulated parties are regulated by a system which is transparent, has a mechanism for recourse, and holds regulators accountable to the people. 'The law doesn't stop politicians or their officials making bad laws, but it makes it transparent that they're doing it. It makes it easier for voters to identify those responsible for making bad rules. Over time, it will improve the quality of rules we all have to live under by changing how politicians behave. 'In a high-cost economy, regulation isn't neutral - it's a tax on growth. This Government is committed to clearing the path of needless regulations by improving how laws are made.' Particular acknowledgements go to Dr Bryce Wilkinson, whose book "Constraining Government Regulation" laid important groundwork for this Bill. Special thanks also go to Dr Graham Scott, Jack Hodder KC, and other members of the Regulatory Responsibility Taskforce, who refined the Bill in 2009.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Emma Raducanu battles past Maya Joint to reach Italian Open second round
Emma Raducanu overcame a brief wobble to book her spot in the second round of the Italian Open with a three-set win over Maya Joint. Raducanu will now meet world number 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova after seeing off the 19-year-old Australian 7-5 6-7 (1) 6-3 in Rome. The former US Open winner came within two points of finishing things off in straight sets but was steamrollered 7-1 in the second-set tie-break to set up a decider. .@EmmaRaducanu wins a Rome ROLLERCOASTER!! 👊 Emma defeats Maya Joint 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 in a CRAZY battle to reach the Second Round 🎢#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | @InteBNLdItalia — LTA (@the_LTA) May 7, 2025 It looked like being a nervy finish at the SuperTennis Arena but the Briton found her mojo again, going 5-0 ahead in the third before wrapping things up in two hours, 44 minutes. Watched on by mentor Jane O'Donoghue, with recently installed coach Mark Petchey unavailable due to broadcast commitments, Raducanu was a worthy winner overall but will need to recreate her best moments more often to get past Alexandrova. Raducanu looked to impose herself from the outset, seeking out powerful winners and taking her first service game without conceding. She somehow failed to convert four break points at the next attempt and, after a couple of self-imposed errors on her own serve, found her opponent in less forgiving mood. A break down at 4-2, Raducanu showed resolve to break back immediately and sealed a second break with a backhand winner before holding for the set. The Briton made it four games in a row as she started the second set in control, breaking at first ask then holding to love. A starlit victory ⭐️ After 2 hours and 44 minutes, @EmmaRaducanu secures her spot in the second round defeating Joint 7-5, 6-7, 6-3.#IBI25 — wta (@WTA) May 7, 2025 Joint briefly got back on level terms but was finding Raducanu's return too hot to handle, buckling as the second of three break points came good. Two double faults in the eighth game gave Joint another chance to scrub the deficit but four successive points got Raducanu out of trouble. That ruthless streak deserted her as she allowed Joint to escape another break from 0-30 then came within two points of serving for the match only to slip back to stalemate. Joint was electric in the tie-break, winning the first five points to flip the momentum. Raducanu took a break and emerged with a new lease of life, taking five consecutive games to move herself back to the brink of victory. She was made to wait by a spirited fightback but finished with a punchy service game, smiling widely as her opponent cleared the baseline with the final shot of the match. Earlier, Cameron Norrie made the most of his second chance after beating Christopher O'Connell. Norrie was beaten in the final round of qualifying by Dusan Lajovic on Tuesday but made it into the main draw after being picked as the lucky loser. And he took advantage of his reprieve as he beat Australian O'Connell 6-3 6-2 to set up a second-round tie with former world number one Daniil Medvedev. 'I lost a match yesterday where I really didn't play well… after the match I was completely devastated,' Norrie told Sky Sports. Katie Boulter loses out 6-3, 6-3 to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Rome#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 — LTA (@the_LTA) May 7, 2025 'It was nice to have another chance. It's not often you get the chance to get some revenge the next day.' Katie Boulter's status as British number one is under threat after a first-round defeat to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Clay is Boulter's least favourite surface and it showed as she went down 6-3 6-3 to the 33-year-old Russian. The 28-year-old could be displaced by Raducanu or Sonay Kartal as the highest ranked Briton if either go deep in the Italian capital.
Scoop
06-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Regulatory Standards Bill Promotes Transparent Principled Lawmaking
Minister for Regulation Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government's plan to improve the quality of regulation, as the detailed proposal to pass a Regulatory Standards Bill has progressed through Cabinet. 'New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation. To raise productivity, we must allow people to spend more time on productive activities and less time on compliance,' says Mr Seymour. 'To lift productivity and wages, the ACT-National Coalition Agreement includes a commitment to pass a Regulatory Standards Act. I will be taking the proposed Bill to Cabinet on the 19th of May for approval to introduce it. 'In a nutshell: If red tape is holding us back, because politicians find regulating politically rewarding, then we need to make regulating less rewarding for politicians with more sunlight on their activities. That is how the Regulatory Standards Bill will help New Zealand get its mojo back. It will finally ensure regulatory decisions are based on principles of good law-making and economic efficiency. 'The Bill will codify principles of good regulatory practice for existing and future regulations. It seeks to bring the same level of discipline to regulation that the Public Finance Act brings to public spending, with the Ministry for Regulation playing a role akin to that of the Treasury. 'It requires politicians and officials to ask and answer certain questions before they place restrictions on citizens' freedoms. What problem are we trying to solve? What are the costs and benefits? Who pays the costs and gets the benefits? What restrictions are being placed on the use and exchange of private property? 'Where inconsistencies are found, the responsible Minister must respond to justify deviation from principles. 'People affected by bad laws will be able to appeal to a Regulatory Standards Board, made up of people who understand regulatory economics. That board will be able to make non-binding recommendations on whether the law was made well, turning up the heat on bad lawmaking. The findings, reasons for any inconsistency, and relevant documents will be made publicly available to ensure transparency. 'If we raise the political cost of making bad laws by allowing New Zealanders to hold regulators accountable, the outcome will be better law-making, higher productivity, and higher wages. 'Under the proposed Bill, government agencies will also have duties to review their regulatory systems. 'Ultimately, this Bill will help the Government achieve its goal of improving New Zealand's productivity by ensuring that regulated parties are regulated by a system which is transparent, has a mechanism for recourse, and holds regulators accountable to the people. 'The law doesn't stop politicians or their officials making bad laws, but it makes it transparent that they're doing it. It makes it easier for voters to identify those responsible for making bad rules. Over time, it will improve the quality of rules we all have to live under by changing how politicians behave. 'In a high-cost economy, regulation isn't neutral - it's a tax on growth. This Government is committed to clearing the path of needless regulations by improving how laws are made.' Notes: Particular acknowledgements go to Dr Bryce Wilkinson, whose book "Constraining Government Regulation" laid important groundwork for this Bill. Special thanks also go to Dr Graham Scott, Jack Hodder KC, and other members of the Regulatory Responsibility Taskforce, who refined the Bill in 2009.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Masters leaderboard: McIlroy vs. DeChambeau in a heavyweight fight for the green jacket is golf perfection
AUGUSTA, Ga. — How does Augusta National do it? How do the green jackets work their mojo to give us perfect Masters moments, perfect matchups, perfect stage-setting, year after year? Whatever the reason — behind-the-scenes machinations, benevolence from the golf gods, or plain old-fashioned good luck — this year's Masters has given us exactly the matchup we wanted for an April Sunday: Rory McIlroy (-12) vs. Bryson DeChambeau (-10) for the greatest prize in golf. Frame it however you want: the two most popular players in the game going head to head; the paragons of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf battling for the honor of their respective houses; the sequel to one of the great U.S. Opens in golf history. This is the rare showdown that needs no buildup, yet deserves every bit of the hype, drama and historic weight we can whip up for it. The two took sharply different paths to Sunday's final pairing. McIlroy started strong Thursday, then careened off the track with two back-nine double bogeys. He then righted the ship Friday, putting himself right back in contention with a six-under round that wiped away all the stain of Friday. DeChambeau, on the other hand, started strong and stayed there, finishing Thursday three strokes off Justin Rose's lead and closing that gap to one on Friday. Saturday very quickly ensured this weekend will either be the greatest or the worst of McIlroy's career. McIlroy carded six straight 3s to start his round, leaping from six-under to 11-under within five holes. He passed the rest of the field like he was behind the wheel of a Lamborghini and they were pedaling uphill, and he wouldn't surrender even a share of the lead the rest of the afternoon. 'From finishing yesterday afternoon to teeing off today, it's quite a long time,' McIlroy said after his round. 'There's a lot of anticipation and sort of anxious energy that builds up. You just want to get out there and play. So, you know, with all of that, to go out and start the way I did was amazing.' With McIlroy streaking out to a sudden lead and passing him by the third hole, DeChambeau had no time to rest or relax. He followed two quick birdies with a bogey, and then settled back to even par on the day with another bogey at the 7th. But he closed hot, with three birdies in the final four holes, and made certain Sunday would be a grinding battle. Two moments stand out from Saturday, two moments that might well define how Sunday unfolds. First, McIlroy's approach at 15, the hole that undid him Thursday, was sheer perfection that set up an eagle — and he knew it from the moment it left his club. His strut as he walked downhill toward the pin was as confident as he's looked at Augusta in more than a decade. Eagle on No. 15 launches Rory McIlroy into a four-shot lead. #themasters — The Masters (@TheMasters) April 12, 2025 One hole later, on the 16th, DeChambeau rolled in a birdie putt to close the gap on McIlroy, and DeChambeau followed that with a staredown of the entire massive gallery around the hole. Back-to-back birdies and Bryson is in solo second. 🐦🐦 — Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 12, 2025 'Rory was kind of moving forward. He was at 12-under, and I was kind of chasing a bit,' DeChambeau said. 'When I made that, I looked up and I said, kind of as a statement, like, 'You know what? I'm still here. I'm going to keep going. I'm not going to back down.'' DeChambeau closed with a spectacular 47-foot putt on 18 that closed the gap to two. But as soon as he exulted in the joy of the chip, he had to remind himself of a very important fact: 'Now, it's Saturday, right,' he said. 'So I have to tell myself, 'OK, calm down. This is not the end.' So one more day to go.' The two planned to take sharply different — and utterly in-character — approaches to the night before the most crucial round of their respective lives. McIlroy intended to watch "Bridgerton" and stay away from his phone until Sunday evening; DeChambeau planned to watch a Pierce Brosnan-era James Bond film and work his phone late into the night. Come 2:30 p.m. Sunday, they'll both arrive at the same point — the first tee in front of the Augusta National clubhouse. And four or so hours later, give or take a celebration or two, one of them might just be reveling in a career-changing victory. 'Tomorrow in that final group,' McIlroy said, 'it's going to be a little rowdy and a little loud. I'm just going to have to settle in and really try to keep myself in my own little bubble and keep my head down.' 'It will be the grandest stage that we've had in a long time,' DeChambeau said, 'and I'm excited for it.'
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Masters leaderboard: McIlroy vs. DeChambeau in a heavyweight fight for the green jacket is golf perfection
AUGUSTA, Ga. — How does Augusta National do it? How do the green jackets work their mojo to give us perfect Masters moments, perfect matchups, perfect stage-setting, year after year? Whatever the reason — behind-the-scenes machinations, benevolence from the golf gods, or plain old-fashioned good luck — this year's Masters has given us exactly the matchup we wanted for an April Sunday: Rory McIlroy (-12) vs. Bryson DeChambeau (-10) for the greatest prize in golf. Frame it however you want: the two most popular players in the game going head to head; the paragons of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf battling for the honor of their respective houses; the sequel to one of the great U.S. Opens in golf history. This is the rare showdown that needs no buildup, yet deserves every bit of the hype, drama and historic weight we can whip up for it. The two took sharply different paths to Sunday's final pairing. McIlroy started strong Thursday, then careened off the track with two back-nine double bogeys. He then righted the ship Friday, putting himself right back in contention with a six-under round that wiped away all the stain of Friday. DeChambeau, on the other hand, started strong and stayed there, finishing Thursday three strokes off Justin Rose's lead and closing that gap to one on Friday. Saturday very quickly ensured this weekend will either be the greatest or the worst of McIlroy's career. McIlroy carded six straight 3s to start his round, leaping from six-under to 11-under within five holes. He passed the rest of the field like he was behind the wheel of a Lamborghini and they were pedaling uphill, and he wouldn't surrender even a share of the lead the rest of the afternoon. 'From finishing yesterday afternoon to teeing off today, it's quite a long time,' McIlroy said after his round. 'There's a lot of anticipation and sort of anxious energy that builds up. You just want to get out there and play. So, you know, with all of that, to go out and start the way I did was amazing.' With McIlroy streaking out to a sudden lead and passing him by the third hole, DeChambeau had no time to rest or relax. He followed two quick birdies with a bogey, and then settled back to even par on the day with another bogey at the 7th. But he closed hot, with three birdies in the final four holes, and made certain Sunday would be a grinding battle. Two moments stand out from Saturday, two moments that might well define how Sunday unfolds. First, McIlroy's approach at 15, the hole that undid him Thursday, was sheer perfection that set up an eagle — and he knew it from the moment it left his club. His strut as he walked downhill toward the pin was as confident as he's looked at Augusta in more than a decade. Eagle on No. 15 launches Rory McIlroy into a four-shot lead. #themasters — The Masters (@TheMasters) April 12, 2025 One hole later, on the 16th, DeChambeau rolled in a birdie putt to close the gap on McIlroy, and DeChambeau followed that with a staredown of the entire massive gallery around the hole. Back-to-back birdies and Bryson is in solo second. 🐦🐦 — Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 12, 2025 'Rory was kind of moving forward. He was at 12-under, and I was kind of chasing a bit,' DeChambeau said. 'When I made that, I looked up and I said, kind of as a statement, like, 'You know what? I'm still here. I'm going to keep going. I'm not going to back down.'' DeChambeau closed with a spectacular 47-foot putt on 18 that closed the gap to two. But as soon as he exulted in the joy of the chip, he had to remind himself of a very important fact: 'Now, it's Saturday, right,' he said. 'So I have to tell myself, 'OK, calm down. This is not the end.' So one more day to go.' The two planned to take sharply different — and utterly in-character — approaches to the night before the most crucial round of their respective lives. McIlroy intended to watch "Bridgerton" and stay away from his phone until Sunday evening; DeChambeau planned to watch a Pierce Brosnan-era James Bond film and work his phone late into the night. Come 2:30 p.m. Sunday, they'll both arrive at the same point — the first tee in front of the Augusta National clubhouse. And four or so hours later, give or take a celebration or two, one of them might just be reveling in a career-changing victory. 'Tomorrow in that final group,' McIlroy said, 'it's going to be a little rowdy and a little loud. I'm just going to have to settle in and really try to keep myself in my own little bubble and keep my head down.' 'It will be the grandest stage that we've had in a long time,' DeChambeau said, 'and I'm excited for it.'
