On Monday, Matt was also quoted in this Business Desk story (full text available via Farmers’ Weekly) about National’s transport policy package; and this Spinoff story about LGWM. it was also largely hidden from public view behind car yards and houses reachable via long, unlit and unsafe accessways. After all, how many more car trips could have been replaced if everyone who wanted an e-bike voucher was given one? Closer to home, Tasmania will be launching an e-bike support scheme soon with the exact details still being worked out. Not including e-bike rebates as part of, or alongside, the government’s Clean Car Discount scheme has been a huge missed opportunity.

Sales were flat but selling prices took a tumble at Auckland's largest real estate agency in July. Barfoot & Thompson sold 727 residential properties in July, little changed form the 711 it sold in June and 723 in May. The big mover in July was price, with the median selling price shedding $45,000 to $950,000, after remaining unchanged at $995,000 for the previous three months. The average selling price declined by $30,826 to $1,067,070 in July, putting it at its lowest point since November 2020. The interactive charts below track the monthly movements in Barfoot & Thompson's sales, selling prices and new listings.

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Wealth taxBoth the Green Party and Te Pāti Māori want a wealth tax. They would pay tax on the $2.5m above the $4m threshold, at $62,500 a year. Robert Kitchin/Stuff Te Pāti Māori has proposed significant tax changes. Land value taxThe Opportunities Party (TOP) would apply a land value tax at 0.75% of the value of urban residential land, paid annually. If Marion had continued to hold the house directly, she would have been liable for a wealth tax of $12,500.

And she reckons in the midst of a cost of living crisis, we could all take a leaf from the Tupperware book. Don't be afraid to cook from scratchIt sounds basic, but Salisbury reckons people today are so focused on meal kits and cooking sets they're spending a lot of unnecessary money. She says you should either have clear containers, or put labels on them so you always know what's in them. It's easier to see what you have at a glance, and you're less likely to lose things things. While the Tupperware party is sadly no more, Salisbury reckons she knows what's taken its place: social media.

Robertson confirmed he had met with public service bosses on Wednesday to discuss fiscal sustainability but denied the $20 billion figure — which Peters was unable to back up. This unrealistic number was reached by calculating the difference between the Treasury's forecast tax revenue and the actual tax receipts received by the end of May. In the 11 months ended May, Core Crown tax revenue was 2.1% (or $2.2 billion) below Treasury’s forecast at $103.3 billion. These were to reprioritising money from existing services, increase tax revenue, or increase the operating allowance (in essence, use debt to fund services). Surplus stayedTreasury had forecast a very small operating surplus in 2026, but that seems unlikely with tax revenue so much lower than had been assumed.

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By the time she fell pregnant with her eldest daughter she’d already endured several rounds of in vitro fertilisation and had experienced a traumatic miscarriage at 22 weeks. As a result she was constantly worried as she carried little Liané to term and she battled to form a bond with her unborn baby – something that seemed to carry on long after the birth. Lauren Dickason’s pregnancy journey certainly wasn’t easy, a New Zealand court heard when forensic psychiatrist Dr Erik Monasterio provided his statements as an expert witness for the prosecution.

Defence Minister Andrew Little launches the Government's new defence policy on Friday morning. Welcome to Stuff’s daily election live blog, where we cover all the key political news ahead of voting day on October 14.

A sportsman, five years older than a 15-year-old girl, has been discharged without conviction and had his name suppressed on charges related to sexual connection with the teen and exposing her to indecent material. The sportsman, now 22, pleaded guilty to the charges in the Wellington District Court. In defense, the lawyer argued that a discharge did not equate to the sportsman getting off lightly. However, he also indicated that the sports community would still likely hold the sportsman accountable for his actions. – [Wellington District Court]https://www.justice.govt.nz/courts/district-court/– [New Zealand]https://www.newzealand.com/– [New Zealand Crown Law Office]https://www.crownlaw.govt.nz/– [New Zealand sporting events]https://www.sportnz.org.nz/– [New Zealand social media]https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/more-facebook-sins-committed-in-new-zealand-and-australia/J7Z5W3SZDSL6ILYAJ2XAH2PRMI/– [Victim support charity]https://www.victimsinfo.govt.nz/

An investigation into the disappearance of the missing Marokopa family has been ramped up, after the first reported sighting of the father in 18 months. Tom Phillips, 36, and his three children Jayda, 10, Maverick, 8, and seven-year-old Ember were reported missing from Marokopa in Waikato by family on January 18 last year. Tom Phillips and his three children Jayda, Maverick and Ember were reported missing from Marokopa by family on January 18 last year. Following that, the same ute we believe was driven by Tom Phillips was sighted in the Kawhia area at 8.45pm." "I urge those that are supporting Tom Phillips to come forward and speak to police now.

NBC News published this video item, entitled “U.S. women soccer stars deny any sense of panic after lackluster performances” – below is their description. USWNT players Lynn Williams and Lindsey Horan displayed confidence and commitment as they faced some awkward questions in Auckland, New Zealand. NBC News YouTube ChannelGot a comment? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below.

‘Era of global boiling has arrived,’ says UN chief as July set to be hottest month on recordA chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on theduring the past week: Sun, July 23, 2023 thru Sat, Jully 29, 2023. Story of the Week...

The mayor of Auckland, Wayne Brown, has come under scrutiny for his council’s spending on legal firms and consultants. In a council meeting on July 27, Brown criticized the council’s spending, stating that some expenses did not meet the “reasonableness” test. The mayor’s office has been criticized for cherry-picking journalists and for spending money that was allocated for independent research and city development. Attempts by Stuff, the publication that obtained the records, to interview the mayor regarding the legal expenses have been unsuccessful. The revelation of these high legal costs raises further concerns about the council’s spending habits and the need for greater oversight and accountability.

She conducted four more interviews with Dickason in the following weeks to try to determine whether insanity was a possible defense. Dickason said during the interviews with McLeavey that she had decided to “end the suffering” and that “there was no turning back”. “Her intention was to die … she said her husband returned earlier than expected,” McLeavey told the court today. “She was able to provide all the necessary details required … she described symptoms of depression and anxiety before, during and after the alleged offence,” McLeavey explained in court. Meanwhile, McLeavey told the court that it was clear that Dickason did not at any stage consider stopping after she started killing the children.