Category: Business

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Pop Up Masks Exhibition in Auckland

Source: Press Release Service – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Pop Up Masks Exhibition in Auckland

RITUAL project, MASKS – Faces of Us – Pop Up Exhibition. RITUAL AE invites you to dive into the captivating world of MASKS. In addition to visual artworks from local and international artists with diverse cultural backgrounds, we’re showcasing an evening filled with live traditional and contemporary performances, theatre play, educational talks, contemporary and folkloric dances, live music, and interactive virtual installations. 5 workshops in October and November 2024. Final exhibition 16 November at TAPAC Center, 3:00pm to 10:00pm.

The post Pop Up Masks Exhibition in Auckland first appeared on PR.co.nz.

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Powering up the food system (PPF)

Source: Plant and Food New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Powering up the food system (PPF)

People | Planet | Food – Roger Robson-Williams speaks with Mike Casey, about producing cherries without using fossil fuels and running a charity called Rewiring Aotearoa.
They discuss what it takes to build a fully electrified orchard and the emerging opportunities for farmers and growers to help address growing demand for renewable power. Mike explains how Rewiring Aotearoa is helping kiwis save money on energy bills, reduce their carbon emissions, and have the resilience to keep their lights on and homes warm. This episode highlights the changing relationship between energy, food production, and the everyday decisions we all make about how to live our lives.
For further information on Rewiring Aotearoa see: www.rewiring.nz
To view our full catalogue of podcasts go to our Scigest page: www.plantandfood.com/scigest

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Accounts show Government choosing pain over a plan

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

“The Government accounts released today show that spending and debt continues to grow under the current Government, but there is no plan to deliver a better economy,” said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney.

“Net Core Crown Debt increased by $20bn last year, with revenue from taxation also rising by $8bn. The OBEGAL deficit increased $3.4bn last year alone, to $12.9bn.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis admitted, “The accounts show the corrosive impact of low growth and low productivity…and we are cutting back on the investments needed to lift both.” Yet there is no plan to solve this problem, Renney said.

“The Government accounts showed our overreliance on income tax and GST taxes to balance the books. Source deductions from wages increased 10.1% during the last year. The GST take increased by 4.1%. But other sources of taxation have not increased at the same rate, or have fallen in the form of corporate taxation (-5.9%). We need a better conversation about how taxes are being levied and why.” Renney said.

“Spending on welfare has increased by 8%, with Jobseeker Support expenses rising by 17%. Welfare payments would be higher if the one-off $600m cost-of-living support is removed. Unemployment is expected to rise significantly in the future, meaning that welfare expenses will be higher in the future.”

Renney said “The Government has provisioned $500m for the Cook Straight Ferry (iREX) Costs, which is only the cost of the works abandoned to date. This doesn’t include the cost of cancelling the ferry contract, nor the cost of purchasing the replacement ferries necessary. The Government is likely facing a $bn bill for that decision alone.”

“The Minister signalled new cuts in her speech at the event, while requiring new economic growth to deliver on their financial aspirations. Yet decisions like iREX show that the Government has no means of delivering sustainable growth. Health New Zealand is looking for $2bn in savings right now, yet the Government is looking for further savings in spending on top.”

“The Government’s fiscal strategy needs to change. Government debt is low by international standards, and there is no shortage of projects to invest in. These would improve employment and economic outcomes – both of which will benefit working people. Yet the Government is wedded to plan that will see unemployment rise, and investment fall. It’s time for a better plan.” Renney said.

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BNZ to provide Confirmation of Payee to customers in November

Source: BNZ statements

BNZ will be one of the first New Zealand banks to provide Confirmation of Payee when it rolls out the service at the end of November.

“At BNZ we’re continuously looking for new ways to help protect customers from scammers,” says BNZ CEO Dan Huggins.

“We’re pleased to be able to deliver Confirmation of Payee as quickly as possible after it becomes available in New Zealand, adding it to the suite of tools to help our customers be safer online.”

BNZ’s other recent anti-scam features include:
• An ‘online banking lock’ feature in the BNZ banking app which allows customers to disable all internet banking and BNZ mobile app activity and lock access to their accounts if they suspect a scammer has gained access to their online accounts.
• Additional two-factor authentication (2FA) within internet banking for high-risk actions such as changing personal contact details, creating a new payee, editing an existing payee, or making payments to unsaved payees. This is required regardless of whether a customer has already completed 2FA in their current session.

Confirmation of Payee will provide BNZ customers with an extra level of assurance when making payments from one bank account to another within New Zealand.

It will help customers be confident that they are paying who they think they are before the payment is made, which will help reduce payment errors and stop some instances of scams and fraud.

From next week, BNZ will start contacting customers to let them know Confirmation of Payee is coming, what it is and how it will work.

“BNZ invests tens of millions of dollars in scam, fraud and anti-money laundering protection each year. As always, we encourage our customers to get in touch with us straight away if they think they may be being scammed,” says Huggins.

 

The post BNZ to provide Confirmation of Payee to customers in November appeared first on BNZ Debrief.

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Blackhawk Deal with Far North District Council

Source: Press Release Service – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Blackhawk Deal with Far North District Council

Blackhawk, a leader in IoT and real-time digital transformation for remote and mobile assets, has signed a contract with Far North District Council (FNDC) to supply vehicle telematics systems, as well as a pool booking software solution, aiming to streamline FNDC’s fleet management across its range of vehicles.

The post Blackhawk Deal with Far North District Council first appeared on PR.co.nz.

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OCR decision a welcome relief for working people

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney said the decision by the Reserve Bank to cut the official cash rate by 50 basis points (0.5%) to 4.75% will be a welcome relief to workers facing higher unemployment and a struggling economy. “The Reserve Bank has been forced into a significant cut because the economy has failed to fire. Weak consumer spending, weak business investment, weak house prices, and a weakening labour market all put our economic recovery at risk.”

“The Government is expecting the Reserve Bank to do all the work and support economic growth. Rather than supporting the economy and working people through difficult times, this Government has chosen to cut spending and investment, and is happy to see unemployment rise to levels not seen for a long time. These are choices, and the Government could invest now to deliver the growth we need for the future. Simply cutting interest rates returns to the economy of the past – and all the problems it already had”.

“While many people will welcome lower interest rates, and some retailers will welcome the potential for additional spending, the rate cut is not a sign of strength in the economy but is a recognition of its weakness. We need to build a better economy,  one with good work and higher incomes. Nothing in the government’s plan for cuts delivers that.” Renney said.

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Te Whatu Ora report raises important questions for Ministers

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

Quarterly accounts released by Te Whatu Ora raise serious questions about the financial challenges the Government’s claims are facing the health sector, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney.

“The CTU highlighted at the Budget that the health sector desperately needs more funding. The report released yesterday shows the cuts to health services will go much deeper than previously advertised,” said Renney.

“The report states that $2bn of ‘savings’ are now targeted in health, just in this fiscal year (p.57). That’s a huge potential cut and is clearly not possible from just efficiencies.

“We spend $14.6bn annually on hospital services in New Zealand, and $9bn on primary health services like GP’s. The $2bn ‘savings’ are significantly more than the $130m a month the Government previously claimed. It’s also not clear if this gap is a one-off or ongoing, which would require savings year after year in health.

“It also appears that the Government has underspent on its capital programme (p.54) – spending just $1.6bn from a capital budget of $3.4bn.

“This begs questions about why Ministers are claiming that Dunedin Hospital is now unaffordable when the Government has underspent by $1.8bn in one year alone.

“Ministers clearly have questions to answer about the real nature of the savings now being required in the health sector and why.

“Ministers should be transparent with the public about why pay equity funding is not being provided, why capital investment is not taking place, and why $2bn in savings are now being targeted in health – when the claim at Budget was that health had sufficient funding,” said Renney.