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Applications sought for Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s Canterbury Local Advisory Committee

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency New Zealand is seeking applications for members of its Canterbury Local Advisory Committee.
The Canterbury Local Advisory Committee will cover both the Canterbury and Mid-South Canterbury Fire Districts, covering the area from just south of the Clarence River down to the Waitaki River.
It is a wide area with a diverse mix of people and land use.
Fire and Emergency’s Te Ihu Region Manager Brad Mosby says it is important to get a wide range of voices at the table of a local advisory committee.
“Canterbury and Mid-South Canterbury are known for their diverse demographic mix, expansive plains, Southern Alps, and rugged coastline,” he says.
“The area faces risks from earthquakes, particularly due to its location near the Alpine Fault. It is also prone to flooding, wildfires and extreme weather events.
“We want people who understand the risks, challenges and opportunities to work with us.”
Key responsibilities of local advisory committee members:
– Assisting in identifying local risks, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
– Actively developing and maintaining community relationships to share the needs and risks of those communities.
– Input into planning and reporting, providing a voice to advise how Fire and Emergency can make a difference.
– Considering and promoting the interests of local Fire and Emergency volunteers.
We’re looking for people who:
– Have diverse backgrounds, experience, and perspectives who can engage with a range of interest groups.
– Are leaders in their communities, businesses and industries who understand the unique needs and opportunities of their communities.
– Have a keen interest in supporting public safety and working collaboratively to make a positive impact.
– Have governance experience who can think strategically and pragmatically.
– Understand volunteerism given the large number of Fire and Emergency volunteers in the area.
More information about local advisory committees, what the role involves, and how to apply is on our website: www.fireandemergency.nz/LACs.
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Fire and Emergency New Zealand seeks local advisory committee members in Wellington

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency New Zealand is calling for expressions of interest from people in the greater Wellington area to join its local advisory committee.
The Wellington Local Advisory Committee provides independent advice to the Fire and Emergency board about what their communities value, their needs, and the risks they face.
Fire and Emergency’s local advisory committees help work with communities, businesses and industries to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies when they happen.
The Wellington District covers Wairarapa and the Kapiti Coast.
Fire and Emergency is looking for members who have a passion for making our communities safe both now and into the future.
Key responsibilities of local advisory committee members:
– Assisting in identifying local risks, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
– Actively develop and maintain various community relationships to share the needs and risks of those communities.
– Input into planning and reporting, providing a voice how Fire and Emergency New Zealand can make a difference.
Who we’re looking for:
– People with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives who can engage with a broad range of interest groups.
– Leaders in their communities, businesses and industries and understand its unique needs and opportunities.
– A keen interest in supporting public safety and working collaboratively to make a positive impact.
– People with governance experience who can think strategically and pragmatically.
– People with awareness of long-term sustainability challenges and climate resilience strategies relevant to the Wellington District.
– People who attend regular meetings, participate in working groups, and contribute time to community initiatives.
“The Wellington region is a large area with a diverse population,” Fire and Emergency Wellington District Manager Brett Lockyer says.
“The needs of central Wellington will vary greatly from the needs of coastal Wairarapa, so it is vital to the success of our local advisory committee that we have people who understand the risks, challenges and opportunities to work with us”.
More information about local advisory committees, what the role involves, and how to apply is on our website: www.fireandemergency.nz/LACs.
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ConsumerNZ reveals the best and worst insurance providers

Source: ConsumerNZ

Consumer NZ finds two insurers have topped the list for customer satisfaction across the insurance trifecta – car, house and contents.

Results from Consumer’s annual insurance satisfaction survey found MAS and FMG were rated highly by their customers, both earning Consumer’s People’s Choice award.

“This is the eighth consecutive year FMG has received the accolade, and customers have voted MAS for People’s Choice for nine consecutive years,” says Jon Duffy, Consumer NZ chief executive.

“Winning People’s Choice is no small feat. The fact these two providers have won People’s Choice across multiple insurance categories reflects their continued focus on customer satisfaction.”

The best  

MAS and FMG are the top-rated insurers for house, car and contents insurance. Customers praise their value for money, easy-to-understand policy documents and products tailored to customers’ needs.

MAS had the highest overall satisfaction rating for house insurance at 76%, while FMG ranked highest for contents insurance at 78%. For car insurance, MAS and FMG also took out the top spots, with 81% and 79% respectively.  

Duffy emphasises the importance of choosing an insurer that puts customers first.  

“New Zealanders should expect their insurer to get the basics right – good communication and customer support – especially now, with insurers needing to update policies to comply with upcoming law changes.”

Consumer’s Insurance Satisfaction Survey found that while most banks scored below average for house and contents insurance, they generally perform better in travel insurance.

“Some banks scored higher for travel insurance, likely due to it being offered free through some credit cards.

“In today’s economy, value for money is a key factor in customer satisfaction.”

The worst

Big brands State and AMI (both owned by IAG New Zealand Ltd) scored below average for house and contents insurance, with significantly lower-than-average ratings for value for money, communication, customer support and tailored advice.

“It’s disappointing to see major insurers fall short of the industry average. We’d like to see these big names use their market share to improve customer satisfaction.”

Banks also underperformed when it came to car insurance.

“Four banks – ANZ, BNZ, Westpac and ASB – received below average ratings, with ASB at the very bottom of the pile.”

How to save on insurance

Consumer’s research1 shows that concerns about insurance costs have risen more than any other household expense over the past 2 years, as premiums continue to outstrip inflation. Duffy encourages consumers to regularly review their insurance policies to ensure they’re getting the best value.  

“If you’re parking your car in a garage instead of the street – update your policy. We’ve found that switching providers could save you as much as $670 per year in our car insurance survey (ref. https://consumernz.cmail19.com/t/i-l-fiihdx-ijjdkdttjk-j/ ).

“Adjusting your sum insured or excess are simple ways to lower those premiums,” he adds.

Consumer members can compare quotes for health, life, travel, house, contents and car insurance, as well as access Consumer’s independent insurance buying guide at consumer.org.nz.

Notes

1 Consumer NZ’s Insurance Satisfaction Survey was conducted online in October 2024, with 6,415 respondents, including Consumer NZ members, supporters and a nationally representative sample of over 1,500 New Zealanders.

Satisfaction is based on the proportion of respondents who rated their experience 8 to 10 out of 10, indicating they were “very satisfied”.

Learn more about Consumer’s People’s Choice award: https://consumernz.cmail19.com/t/i-l-fiihdx-ijjdkdttjk-i/

1 Insurance cost concerns have increased the most over the past 2 years, increasing from 13% to 27% of people listing it as a top-three concern.

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Health and Politics – GenPro focuses BIM on helping new Health Minister improve access to primary healthcare

Source: General Practice Owners Association (GenPro)

General practice owners, pleased the new Health Minister identifies access to primary healthcare as a top priority, have put forward their views on how Minister Brown could reduce waiting times to see a doctor.

In a Briefing to the Incoming Minister, the General Practice Owners Association focuses on three key actions critical to reducing waiting times.

GenPro Chair Dr Angus Chambers says doctors are on the same page as the Minister as every day they see the frustration of patients not able to make appointments in a timely way or register with their local GP.

Dr Chambers said improving access was more than just about funding, though that’s an important part of the solution in the short term.

“The new Health Minister needs to recognise the importance of primary healthcare and respond to its urgent need for financial support so it can deliver the essential services Kiwis need,” Dr Chambers says.  

“Being enrolled with a GP means people are less likely to attend an emergency department, and it also reduces per-patient costs on our health system.

“Investment in hands-on general practice will directly support the government’s aim of reducing waiting times at emergency departments. No other investment has any evidence of supporting the achievement of this target,” Dr Chambers says.

Greater support right now for primary healthcare is critical. General practice has been degraded over two decades. Funding hasn’t kept pace with increasing costs, health needs are more complex, and the ability of general practices to raise revenue is restricted by fees controls. For all these reasons, general practice is in a precarious financial position, the BIM says.  

GenPro’s three key areas to reducing waiting times are:

Better funding for primary health care services
Fair pay for family doctor teams
Increasing the family doctor workforce

 
While all are important, funding is a critical issue because it’s created or exacerbated other problems, such as staff shortages, crowded emergency departments, and reduced services as general practices restrict enrolments or exit after-hours care.

“Minister Brown has a lot to read to prepare for his new role, but GenPro’s briefing must be near the top of the pile. General practice is in a parlous state and his influence on funding is desperately needed so we can arrest the decline in primary healthcare, reduce waiting lists, and give communities the healthcare they need and deserve,” Dr Chambers says.

GenPro members are owners and providers of general practices and urgent care centres throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. For more information visit  www.genpro.org.nz
 
GenPro-Briefing-to-Minister (ref. https://genpro.org.nz/assets/Uploads/PDFs/250123-GenPro-Briefing-to-Minister.pdf )

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Fire Safety – Fire restrictions eased for Wairarapa’s southern coast

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency New Zealand has revoked the restrictions on lighting outdoor fires in Wairarapa’s southern coastal area until further notice.
From 8am Monday 3 February, all of Wairarapa will be in an open fire season, which means people can light outdoor fires without a permit approved by Fire and Emergency.
Wellington District Manager Brett Lockyer says that wetter, less windy conditions have slowed the rapid drying of vegetation such as pasture grasses, coastal dune grasses, gorse, scrub, and pine forests.
“The fire risk has come back down because any fires that get started or escape controlled burns will be slower-moving and easier to control,” he says.
“While you don’t need fire permits in an open season, we do still ask people to take sensible precautions when lighting fires.
“There’s excellent fire safety advice at checkitsalright.nz, which will also tell you if it’s safe to have an outdoor fire at your location.
“We’re really pleased to report that there haven’t been any large fires in Wairarapa so far this summer, and this is down to people being fire smart and doing the right thing.”
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Federated Farmers calls for doubling of QEII Trust funding

Source: Federated Farmers

Federated Farmers is calling on the Government to double its funding for the QEII National Trust to ensure it can continue to meet demand from farmers.
“The QEII Trust has a stellar track record of working with landowners to permanently protect special areas of bush, wetland and biodiversity,” Federated Farmers vice president Colin Hurst says.
“It’s an utter disgrace that QEII’s base government funding has remained unchanged at $4.3 million for a decade, despite rising demand for its help.
“In real terms, that’s a huge cut in funding.”
The QEII National Trust was established in 1977, with Federated Farmers dairy chair (the late) Gordon Stephenson a key instigator.
Its core function is to encourage protection of natural and cultural features on private land. The trust partners with landowners who voluntarily protect their land without selling or donating it.
Covenants ensure threatened species and special areas of bush and wetland are protected for future generations, in perpetuity. Subsequent landowners can’t alter this protection.
Covenants now cover 187,774 hectares – the vast majority on farms. That is an area of land over double the size of Tongariro National Park.
The QEII Trust celebrated its 4000 th covenant in 2014/15. Now, nearly 10 years later, it has 5,200 covenants to be managed and monitored – a 28% increase in demand, with no change in government base funding.
For comparison, the Department of Conservation’s funding went from $470m to $718m over that same 10-year period.
“With that big hike in the amount of covenanted land, there is clearly huge buy-in from farmers,” Hurst says.
“Voluntary initiatives like the QEII Trust have huge support in rural communities and are a far better approach than heavy-handed and impractical SNA rules.”
The trust leverages outside funding and bequests, and works with district and regional councils. In 2021 it also secured $8m of Jobs for Nature funding, spread over four years.
But that runs out in June this year and the trust is warning it will have to scale back the number of new covenants it can support.
A 2017 study by Waikato University’s Institute for Business Research found that covenanting landowners together spend an estimated $25 million of their own money every year to protect native species and special areas in their QEII covenants
Loss of potential income from other alternative uses of land under covenant was estimated to be between $443-$638 million between 1977 and 2017.
Farmers and other landowners pitch in with environmentalists, volunteers and council staff to carry out planting, pest control, fencing and other work on covenanted sites.
“It represents farmer commitment, and great bang for buck, on conservation.
“The Government needs to step up its contribution to keep up the pace,” Hurst says.
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SEYMOUR’S SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAMME A FAILURE DAY ONE – Sir Ray Avery GNZM

Source: The Kaizen Group – Sir Ray Avery GNZM

OPINION PIECE – Sir Ray says “It was actually day two when David Seymour’s lunches arrived at schools one hour after lunchtime and principals described it as looking like dog food and they could not even give it away to food banks and it was dumped.”
The company who David Seymour awarded the $85 million School lunch programme contract to is the British-based multinational Compass Group, who lost one-third of their school contracts in the original school lunch programme due to poor quality in food and service.
Compass has been severely criticised for its catering supply in NZ hospitals.
Dr Kelly Garton, spokesperson for The Health Coalition Aotearoa (HCA), has significant concerns about the quality, nutritional standards and quality controls for the new school lunches programme.
“Cabinet has given a $85 million contract to a group led by a company that just months ago was forced to do a performance management plan due to poor quality and service,” said Dr Kelly Garton.
“Why should New Zealanders have confidence this model will deliver the nutrition and quality growing bodies and minds need?” Garton said.
Sir Ray Avery says he has faced a lot of critics on social media because he stated: “The Government doesn’t have any meaningful Governmental Nutritional Standards for School Lunches and this seemed to polarise New Zealanders some who endorsed the New School Lunch initiative and others though that this was the parents’ responsibility.
“Both sides of the political system seem to be focused on the process rather than outcomes,” said Sir Ray. “The real issue is what is the desired outcome? It’s trying to close the gap on equality by providing a nutritious meal (that gets eaten) by children who through no fault of their own don’t have the ‘luxury’ of packing one from home so they can focus at school and achieve better educational results and better long-term physical and mental health outcomes.
“Not $3 meals produced by a dodgy company with a terrible track record.”
David Seymour gave a $85-million-dollar contract to a company that day two “due to problems with their ovens were one hour late for lunchtime” and principals described it as $3 dog food and Seymour said “This is just program teething problems”.
Sir Ray is calling out Seymour for awarding the school lunch programme to a company that is well known for awful, sub-standard food in the hospital setting and with many many complaints from schools in the previous School lunch programme.
Sir Ray said “I can only presume his decision was based on price so Seymour could claim to have saved millions of dollars with respect to the previous School lunch programme costing $8 per serve but Seymour has wasted $85 million dollars because you can’t fix Compass quality and service problems and our kids will still go hungry because Seymour did not provide them something edible to eat.”
Sir Ray says, “Because our Tamariki are such a valuable asset for the future of New Zealand I think Seymour should resign because he has been negligent in appointing a company known for its poor performance with respect to the quality of the food it provides and any competent Minister would have done the necessary due diligence to ensure our Tamariki have the best possible start in life.”
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Palestine Forum of New Zealand Urges Government to Join the Hague Group in Support of Palestine

Source: Palestine Forum of New Zealand

The Palestine Forum of New Zealand calls on the New Zealand government to join the newly formed Hague Group, a coalition of nine nations committed to defending Palestinian rights and holding Israel accountable for its violations of international law.

The Hague Group—comprising South Africa, Malaysia, Namibia, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Senegal, Honduras, and Belize—has pledged to support the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) in prosecuting Israeli officials and enforcing legal measures against ongoing crimes in Palestine.

“New Zealand must take a stand for justice and align with nations committed to real action against Israeli war crimes,” said [Spokesperson’s Name]. The Forum urges Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters to demonstrate New Zealand’s commitment to human rights by joining this initiative.

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Property Market – Sellers hit 2025 hard, with new listings at levels not seen in a decade

Source: RealEstate.co.nz

  • New listings back at levels not seen during January since 2015
  • National stock levels up 18.9% year-on-year, close to 2015 levels 
  • Auckland stock levels reach 13-year January high 

Coined ‘the perfect market’ by realestate.co.nz in November, the rare stability of high stock levels and stable prices has carried over to 2025. But with confidence on the rise and interest rates declining, the question everyone’s asking is, when will the market change?

The latest data from realestate.co.nz shows that after a record low new listings for any December, sellers jumped into the market in January, with new listings reaching levels not seen during January since 2015. Stock levels were also high last month—closer to levels last seen in January 2015—while average asking prices remained relatively stable year-on-year.

Sarah Wood, CEO of realestate.co.nz, said the market continues to offer strong opportunities for those wanting to buy and sell:

“Lots of choice, combined with relative price stability, offers certainty for both buyers and sellers. And as interest rates decline, the market may become more appealing for those on the sidelines.”

“When things will change is anyone’s guess. And right now, we still have high stock levels to cycle through, so it is unlikely that we will see a frantic rebound. But the market is cyclical, and eventually, we will see a shift.”

New listings return to levels not seen during January since 2015

Nearly 9,000 new listings came onto the market during January, a significant increase from December’s record-low new listing figures. Up 21.2% year-on-year, the data suggests sellers dove headfirst into 2025.

Wood said that although it is typical to see more properties come to market in January, this year’s numbers are particularly noteworthy:

“The country seems to take a collective holiday during January, and over the past few years, sellers have appeared to do the same. This is the first time new listings have been around 9,000 in the month of January since 2015.”

Year-on-year, the largest increases in new listings were in West Coast (up 100.0% to 70 listings), Otago (up 52.4% to 352 new listings), and Gisborne (up 45.7% to 51 new listings).

Auckland hits 13-year stock high

Stock levels remained high during January, up 18.9% nationally year-on-year to 32,412 properties. All 19 regions saw stock levels increase compared to January 2024. Most notably, 11,465 properties were available for sale in Auckland last month—the highest January level since 2012.

“We haven’t seen this level of housing stock in Auckland for more than a decade,” said Wood. “There could be a window of opportunity for those looking for property in the region.”

Average asking prices hold steady as 2025 begins

The national average asking price has hovered between $840,000 and $890,000 for two years, offering the stability buyers crave and the predictability sellers need. The start of 2025 saw this trend continue, with January’s national average asking price at $868,969, down a modest 1.3% year-on-year. The biggest increase was in West Coast, up 6.3% year-on-year to $505,151, while Coromandel saw the biggest decline, down 20.3% year-on-year to $1,004,312.

Four regions – Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, Nelson & Bays, and Southland – saw prices grow both month-on-month and year-on-year, while Coromandel, Waikato, Wairarapa, and Wellington recorded declines over the same periods.

“With interest rates easing and plenty of properties to choose from, the strong start to 2025 creates prime opportunity for those ready to make their move,” concluded Wood.

About realestate.co.nz

We’ve been helping people buy, sell, or rent property since 1996. Established before Google, realestate.co.nz is New Zealand’s longest-standing property website and the official website of the real estate industry.

Dedicated only to property, our mission is to empower people with a property search tool they can use to find the life they want to live. With residential, lifestyle, rural and commercial property listings, realestate.co.nz is the place to start for those looking to buy or sell property.  

Whatever life you’re searching for, it all starts here.

Want more property insights?

Market insights: Search by suburb to see median sale prices, popular property types and trends over time.
Sold properties: Switch your search to sold to see the last 12 months of sales and prices.
Valuations: Get a gauge on property prices by browsing sold residential properties, with the latest sale prices and an estimated value in the current market.

Glossary of terms:

Average asking price (AAP) is neither a valuation nor the sale price. It is an indication of current market sentiment. Statistically, asking prices tend to correlate closely with the sales prices recorded in future months when those properties are sold. As it looks at different data, average asking prices may differ from recorded sales data released simultaneously.

New listings are a record of all the new residential dwellings listed for sale on realestate.co.nz for the relevant calendar month. The site reflects 97% of all properties listed through licensed real estate agents and major developers in New Zealand. This description gives a representative view of the New Zealand property market.

Stock is the total number of residential dwellings that are for sale on realestate.co.nz on the penultimate day of the month.

Rate of sale is a measure of how long it would take, theoretically, to sell the current stock at current average rates of sale if no new properties were to be listed for sale. It provides a measure of the rate of turnover in the market.

Seasonal adjustment is a method realestate.co.nz uses to represent better the core underlying trend of the property market in New Zealand. This is done using methodology from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research.

Truncated mean is the method realestate.co.nz uses to supply statistically relevant asking prices. The top and bottom 10% of listings in each area are removed before the average is calculated to prevent exceptional listings from providing false impressions.      

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Activist News – PSNA tells Foreign Minister Winston Peters to ignore ‘Trump’s bully’ on Israeli soldiers holidaying here

Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

 

The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is telling Foreign Minister Winston Peters to ignore the bullying from pro-Israel Texas senator Ted Cruz and have the courage to stop welcoming Israel solders to New Zealand.

 

Winston Peters has claimed Israeli media stories that New Zealand has stopped Israeli military visiting New Zealand are false.  Ted Cruz had quoted Israeli daily Ha’aretz in a tweet which says “It’s difficult to treat New Zealand as a normal ally within the American alliance system, when they denigrate and punish Israeli citizens for defending themselves.”

 

PSNA chair John Minto says Peters should not buckle to a Trump-supporting senator who fully backs Israeli genocide.

 

“Ted Cruz believes Israel should continue defending land it has stolen from Palestinians. He supports every Israeli war crime. New Zealand must be different.

Last September New Zealand voted against the US at the United Nations where we sided with the majority of humanity to give Israel a year to fully get out of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

 

“So the New Zealand government has a completely different policy position to the US.  That should be reflected in the actions of the New Zealand government.  We must have an immigration ban on Israeli soldiers who have served in the Israeli military since October 2023 as well as a ban on any Israeli who lives in an illegal Israeli settlement on occupied Palestinian land.”

 

Minto says it is not clear what the current immigration rules are for different entry categories, but it does seem that some longer stay Israeli applicants are required to declare they have not committed human rights violations before they are allowed in.

 

“That’s what the Australians are doing.  It appears ineffective at preventing Israeli troops having ‘genocide holidays’ in Australia – but it’s a start.  We’d like to see a broader, effective, and watertight ban on Israeli troops coming here.”

 

“Instead of bowing to US pressure New Zealand should be joining the Hague group of countries, as proposed by the Palestine Forum of New Zealand, to take decisive action to prevent and punish Israeli war crimes.”

 

John Minto

National Chair

Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa