Appendix 2Policy or legislation changes planned by the Government and their potential consequences for the safety of drinking water – more detail. This is likely to mean a return to a previous iteration of the NPS-FM, where drinking water was not given priority over commercial uses of water (eg, for irrigation). Prioritising property rights is likely to result in the further deprioritisation of the protection of the safety and quality of communities’ drinking water. This means projects could go ahead even if they are a risk to drinking water sources, either through pollution or otherwise degrading the waterbody (eg, taking too much water from the catchment in a way that impacts communities’ access to water). Projects under the Bill could include large-scale irrigation dams, which can have profound effects on the quality of drinking water sources as they promote the intensification of land use and lead to more pollution of waterways.24 Under the Bill, such projects would not be required to prove they would not impact communities’ drinking water sources.

A specific new spending target and an independent fiscal institution could be set up to help deal with both of these weaknesses. The OECD said these rules had not prevented “spending slippage”. The following year, a $1.4 billion increase to the operating allowance was not explained at all. An independent fiscal institution (IFI), also known as a policy costing unit, could reduce the risk of fiscal sustainability being thrown off track by large errors. Willis said she was actively considering creating some sort of independent fiscal institution.

Samantha Hayes And Key Staff Announced For Stuff’s New 6pm BulletinThe first tranche of key talent, journalists and operational staff hired from Newshub has been announced by Stuff Group today, with New Zealand’s leading newsreader and journalist Samantha Hayes confirmed to present in a new, solo role. Six other well-known Newshub journalists are also joining Stuff to work on the bulletin and across Stuff’s ecosystem of news products. “We’re very much excited to see the new Stuff bulletin come together,” she says. “This is a brand-new 6pm bulletin with some continuity from familiar faces from the Newshub team.”“As we said on the day we announced this bulletin, this is the future of news. As the most-read news organisation in the country, Stuff is uniquely capable of delivering a new 6pm bulletin for Three and ThreeNow.

Sarah Tickner, the wife of Black Caps fast bowler Blair Tickner, has been diagnosed with Leukaemia. Blair Tickner announced on social media that Sarah Tickner is undergoing cancer treatment in England where the 34-cap New Zealand international cricketer is playing for county club Derbyshire. READ MORE: Every royal family member has enjoyed a popularity boost - except oneCricketer Blair Tickner has revealed his wife, Sarah Tickner, has been diagnosed with Leukemia. Blair Tickner made an emotional test debut for the Black Caps last year. FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel.

By Chris Trotter*Had Zheng He's fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. The cramped and fratricidal states of the European peninsula would have remained minor players in a Chinese world. The naval and air bases located on the territory of Beijing’s new “friends” will have extended its strategic reach alarmingly. Completing this American nightmare would be the transformation of New Zealand into China’s unsinkable aircraft carrier and nuclear submarine base. Washington will insist that blood is thicker than milk, and Beijing will remind us that milk is New Zealand’s life-blood.

The programmed increase was previously 9.5% but the ending of Three Waters meant that this was not going to happen. The Three Waters reform also proposed balance sheet separation although in Three Waters’ case the entities would have been larger and four of them would have covered the whole country. It should be noted that under S&P’s evaluation of the effects of the Three Waters Reform on Auckland Council’s credit rating would have increased from AA to AA+. National’s alternative approach means a lower credit rating for Auckland Council and a lower credit rating for Watercare. And Watercare’s latest Statement of Intent states this:Watercare is an active member of the Māori Outcomes Steering Group.

issues underpinning the tribunal’s urgent inquiry into the Government’s intention to remove Section 7AA from the Oranga TamarikiNewsroom writer Aaron Smale, in an article triggered by the High Court’s ruling on whether a sitting MP must respond to a summons to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal, reports on...

This week's watch: Scream Queens. Scream Queens is a satirical, high-camp slasher series where the most traumatic elements of the horror genre are made the butt of the joke. Scream Queens' strength lies in its punchy humour and killer dialogue. If you're in the mood for something dark, camp, and funny as hell, Scream Queens could be the one for you. Scream Queens is streaming now on Disney +.

London, July 17 (ANI): English Premier League club Manchester United has been named as the world's most valuable sports team followed by Spanish champions Real Madrid, according to an annual top 50 list released by Forbes. The 19-times Premier League winners, who are preparing for a listing on the New York Stock Exchange, were valued at 2.23 billion dollars, up from 1.86 billion dollars last year and 19 percent above No. 2 Real Madrid valued at 1.88 billion dollars. Real Madrid (football) - $1.88 billion 3. New England Patriots (NFL) - $1.40 billion 8.

A new Treasury paper published on Friday suggests productivity growth will likely be slow in the coming years and could lead to downgrades in long-term fiscal and economic forecasts. A lot has happened since then, but improved productivity growth hasn’t been one of them. Productivity growth in advanced economies has been slowing since the turn of the century and New Zealand has been among the worst affected. What can be doneThe Coalition Government has policies intended to tackle some of the productivity problems, such as education, directly. Treasury said international trade and investment can support productivity through knowledge and technology sharing, economies of scale, and increased competition.

Reiko Ioane to miss top table clash this weekReiko Ioane to miss top table clash this weekPhoto: Stuff.coBlues star Rieko Ioane has been ruled out of next weekend’s top-of-the-table Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific clash with the Hurricanes. The All Blacks centre faces a mandatory 12-day stand-down period following a sickening collision during their 38-11 win against the Melbourne Rebels on Friday. The head knock took the gloss off the Blues’ bonus point win. Ioane appeared to be in a bad way after attempting to tackle Josh Kemeny and copping a hip to the head in the final minute of the first half. Ioane was splayed out on the ground before being attended to by medical staff.

Half of the young offenders remanded to Auckland community homes have escaped custody in recent years, an Oranga Tamariki memo reveals. The homes are mostly run by contracted social services providers, with a few run directly by Oranga Tamariki. In the first three months of this year, the community homes filed 67 missing person reports to police, Oranga Tamariki said. Oranga Tamariki staff realised the error when contacted for comment and later supplied a redacted version, with an official asking for the earlier document to be deleted. Oranga Tamariki internal statistics show 49 per cent of young offenders remanded to community homes in Auckland escaped custody.

His conclusion is that this could be a one term Government. But he has a caveat, that Labour needs to present an alternative. Labour needs to supply that leadership, which it isn’t doing right now. The usual logic for a party that’s just been turfed out of government is to lick its wounds and focus on stability, keeping its powder dry, rather than hoping to win again after one term. Because for the first time in this Country’s history this could be a one term National led Government.

A man sent threatening messages to his partner before leaving her with a serious brain injury, saying she had fallen in the shower. As a result of the assault by her partner, she has been left with a serious brain injury and will need care for the remainder of her life. In a recently released judgment, the court quashed the minimum term of imprisonment replacing it with a minimum term of eight years and eight months. The woman has suffered a serious brain injury and will remain in care for the rest of her life being unable to feed herself. “It was common ground that the MPI (minimum term of imprisonment) imposed exceeded the maximum.

Photo: PhotosportAfter a slight stutter in Canberra last weekend, the Hurricane's train is back on track after an emphatic 41-12 win over the Waratahs in Wellington tonight. It was an explosive start for the Hurricane's, who scored three tries in the opening twenty minutes, before a late brace by Salesi Rayasi sealed the victory. The Cane's faltered somewhat early in the second, before Rayasi and his fellow replacements closed the show in style. Hurricane's captain Billy Proctor said it was the perfect response to last week's loss to the Brumbies. Another try went begging shortly after, as Ben Grant charged down Jack Grant's box kick and scored, only for replays to show a slight knock on in the deflection.