Planned GST hike, tax cuts and property changes divide opinion
The Government's economic blueprint for the future, revealed by Prime Minister John Key this afternoon, has divided opinion in business and political circles.In his statement to Parliament, Mr Key strongly signalled a rise in...
|
Dame Kiri to receive Lifetime Achievement award
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa will be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Classical Brits. The 65 year-old soprano, who has been entertaining audiences for more than 40 years, told the Daily Telegraph she was "honoured...
|
Police release photo of fatal crash witness
Police are still looking for a woman who may have seen a fatal crash near Pahiatua in northern Wairarapa just before Christmas.A 67-year-old Wellington woman was killed when the car she was travelling in rolled on State Highway...
|
Painkillers to be removed from NZ market
Two lines of painkillers are to be removed from the New Zealand market.Paradex and Capadex contain the drug dextropropoxyphene.Medsafe says it is pulling the medicines after a review into their safety and efficiency found...
|
Bernard Hickey: Leave the country now Gen X & Y
John Key has just sent Generations X and Y a clear message: Leave the country now. He may as well have directed those younger taxpayers who are stupid/poor/unlucky enough not to own property to the websites for AirNZ, PacificBlue...
|
Brian Fallow: Little force in Key's speech
Tax, the prime minister proclaims, is a powerful lever for the Government to boost the economy's performance.It's a pity then that instead of grasping that lever he is proposing to just crook his little finger around it.He...
|
John Armstrong: Key's quick march little more than a crawl
John Key's promised quick march towards economic nirvana still looks like progressing at little more than a crawl.Those expecting something special in the Government's new economic plan which will prompt the "step change" in the...
|
Key speech - the main points
TAX REFORM Possible reductions to the top personal tax rate.No proposals for a land tax, comprehensive capital gains tax, or new tax on residential investment properties.There will however, be changes to the way property...
|
'No bold plan at all' - Goff slams PM's statement
3.12pm: "I want to finish with the question of the vulnerable," Mr Goff says.Mr Goff says members of his electorate have told him they feel they have been let down by Mr Key.There has been no indication in today's speech...
|
Latest updates: PM's speech
2.51pm: Liquor licensing will be reformed as part of the Government's plans for law and order, Mr Key says.Mr Key wraps up his speech by thanking political partners in Parliament.He says 2009 was not an easy year for many...
|
Banks wants to see Eden Park business plan
Auckland City Council (ACC) will not respond to requests for funding to underwrite some of the cost of the Eden Park revamp until it has seen a business case, Mayor John Banks says.The stadium is being redeveloped for the 2011...
|
Appeal to Asian community over taxi driver suspect
Police hunting the killer of Auckland taxi driver Hiren Mohini have appealed to the Asian community to track down a man considered a prime suspect.Mr Mohini died minutes after he was stabbed numerous times in his taxi at Mt Eden...
|
Joke about bomb at NZ airport turns sour
An Australian man's joke about a bomb in his luggage turned sour at Hamilton International Airport this morning.The traveller from Sydney sparked a security alert at the airport and faces charges of breaching the Aviation Act.Acting...
|
Serial prison escapee has jail term extended
A serial prison escapee who spent 50 days on the run has had a further nine months added to his sentence.Kevin Polwart, 49, had earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of escaping from custody.Polwart had his jail term extended...
|
Lost hunter survived on raw eel
A hunter who became lost in Waikato bush on Saturday lived on raw eel before being rescued late yesterday afternoon.Jared Costello, 40, of Auckland, was hunting with a friend in Pureora Forest Park, west of Tokoroa, when they...
|
$1000 fine for 'cruising' boy racers
A planned new Christchurch City Council bylaw could see boy racers fined up to $1000 if they are caught repeatedly "cruising" the city's main streets.The New Zealand-first bylaw could be in force within months.The council...
|
Corrections staff protest against privatisation
Corrections Department employees will protest outside Parliament today over a proposal to privatise two Auckland prisons.A bill allowing the privatisation of prisons was passed under urgency in November despite opposition from...
|
Man admits liquor store hold-up
A Christchurch man has admitted shoving a sawn-off shotgun in the face of a liquor shop worker in a robbery that was part of a $66,600 crime spree.Joshua Peter Brennan, 26, unemployed, pleaded guilty in Christchurch District Court...
|
Clergyman accused of sex assault remanded
A clergyman accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy was further remanded after appearing in Christchurch District Court today.Methodist minister Kenneth Smith is charged with indecently assaulting the 17-year-old in a motel...
|
Man, 60, starts Cook Strait swim
Bay of Plenty swimmer Mike Bodger set out this morning to become the oldest person to swim the Cook Strait.The 60-year-old Whakatane man entered the water 5km north of Perano Point, at the top of the South Island, about 7.30am.Support...
|