Two a penny

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Interest-free loans for first-home buyers are among a second wave of job-creation measures being worked on by the Government as its job summit gets mixed reviews close toly two months on.

Documents made public under the Official Information Act show interest-free first-home-buyer loans of up to $10,000 were among proposals put up and worked on by private-sector chairs and senior Government officials in the lead-up to the jobs summit.

Many did not make it into the jobs summit “top 20″ thrashed out after a brainstorming session on February 27 involving public service and private sector bosses and Government ministers.

Others included a housing upgrade plan to fix leaky buildings, interest-free loans for home owners to improve heating and water efficiency; incentives for early retirement and paying employers a subsidy to hold on to apprentices.

Registered Master Builders chief executive Warwick Quinn said the proposals to steer more first-home buyers into building their own home were among those sent off for more work.

But many continue to be worked on by ministers, including loans to people to build their first home or renovate their existing one.

“We know there is an appetite within the [Government] to look at leaky homes .

Work was also being done on a proposal to cut delays around leaky building disputes so builders could “just get on and fix the problem”…. and we know they are examining also at trying to encourage people into their first homes . so yes, I think they’re serious about it,” Mr Quinn said..

Cabinet ministers are due to get an update on job-summit progress today but as job losses accelerate, the Government faces criticism that it is not doing enough.

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson has confirmed the Government is examining at “an alternative approach” to leaky buildings, with more emphasis on “getting homes fixed”.

The extra work arising out of the summit bringing forward $216 million in school building projects and $124 million refurbishing state houses would make a difference “particularly to the `smaller builder, with the dog, the ute and apprentice’.

But Mr Quinn was positive about the outcome of the summit.”

In recent weeks there had been more inquiries to builders about work, though those inquiries were slow to convert into jobs. But whether it makes enough of a difference we have to wait and see. .

Unemployment hit 4.

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“Not a big tick there.

Council of Trade Unions economist Peter Conway said the summit’s success so far in creating jobs had been “pretty modest to say the least, when you consider all the pressures they’re putting on the public service and laying people off.

In the private sector, the flagship policy to come out of the summit the nine-day fortnight has had limited take-up.

In the private sector, the flagship policy to come out of the summit the nine-day fortnight has had limited take-up. Just two companies have signed up, saving 160 jobs. Mr Conway said he was aware of a third, while about 50 companies have begun the process.

That earned the Government “a small tick”. But there had also been talk at the summit about more support for redundant workers “we’re still waiting to see some of those initiatives roll out”.

Overall, the Government did not appear to be acting with enough urgency.

“We’re still positive about the initiatives [the Government] has looked at but we’d have to say it’s not tracking close toly as strongly as we think is required given the forecasts for rapidly rising unemployment Treasury is working on.”

But NZ Exchange chief executive Mark Weldon, handpicked by Prime Minister John Key to chair the summit, said there was intense work behind the scenes.

“It’s pretty extraordinary. Everyone wants everything done and announced yesterday. We’ve got to trust [the Government] a bit on this one.”

– ,

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For now, Ashton Kutcher is the king of Twitter. But there is a new challenger – Oprah.

Kutcher triumphed over CNN in their much ballyhooed race to be the first to reach a million followers on the microblogging website.

Speaking in a live webcast, Kutcher took the tone of a revolutionary.

Kutcher surpassed that benchmark in earlier today, narrowly edging out the breaking news feed from the Time Warner-owned network.tv shortly after passing the million mark.

“We have shown the world that the new wave is here,” Kutcher said on ustream.

“It is present and it is ready to explode.”

Kutcher had long trailed CNN, but he staged a rally in recent days that captured the attention of the web. You guys are all of it because I can’t follow me.

In recent months, the site has increased exponentially in visitors. The million mark race was taken by many as a symbol of huge upswing of Twitter’s popularity.

The site allows users to type “tweets” of 140 characters or less on their computers or cell phones, which others “follow” on Twitter like a stock ticker.

The search engine Yahoo said that searches for Twitter over the past four months increased more than 5559 percent over the same time last year.

Kutcher, who’s an avid user of the site along with wife Demi Moore, said Twitter is democratising media and removing filters between celebrities and fans, big media companies and their customers.

Kutcher, who’s an avid user of the site along with wife Demi Moore, said Twitter is democratising media and removing filters between celebrities and fans, big media companies and their customers.

CNN’s Larry King posted a video earlier in the week, playfully threatening Kutcher: “CNN will bury you!” Kutcher was to appear on King’s program Friday evening.

Sean “Diddy” Combs was among the celebrity “Twitteratti” who supported his run. Among the many new users to join was Oprah Winfrey, whose entry caused ripples across Twitter.

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King was far from the only person sucked into Twitter by the million-mark showdown.

Kutcher, CNN and Winfrey pledged to mark the occasion by purchasing mosquito bed nets to combat malaria.

She gained more than 130,000 followers in less than a day, suggesting Winfrey – so successful in television, magazines, books and other media – would thrive on yet another platform.17) to the Malaria No More Fund, the charity said. Kutcher donated US$100,000 (NZ$177,746. She also sent her first tweet. .

“OK, here goes,” she said, pressing a key.

“OK, here goes,” she said, pressing a key.

It didn’t go, actually. Winfrey’s representatives said she hit the wrong key. Her next attempt, also all in capital letters, went through: “HI TWITTERS. THANK YOU FOR A WARM WELCOME. FEELING REALLY 21st CENTURY.”

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Teen holds up dairy for Toffee Pops

By CLIO FRANCIS – Tuesday, 03 March 2009

A knife-wielding boy held up a South Auckland dairy and stole Toffee Pops, milk and nappies, police say.
Counties Manukau police are investigating the aggravated robbery which occurred at Dissmeyer Supperette in Otara yesterday afternoon.Detective Sergeant Chris Barry said the shopkeeper was threatened with a knife by the 13-year-old boy, while another youth kept a lookout outside, and a third person acted as a getaway driver. The knife-wielding teen is currently in police custody and going through the Youth Aid process, he said. "The offenders stole a packet of nappies, a bottle of milk and two packets of Toffee Pops," Mr Barry said.The robbery came three days after another trio of youths robbed an Auckland city dairy at gunpoint. "There are still two more offenders to be located," he said.Edendale Dairy in Sandringham Rd was attacked early on Saturday morning by three males, who demanded cash, cigarettes, ice-cream and chocolate. Anyone with information on the Otara robbery is asked to contact Crime Squad on (09) 261 1300. Auckland police arrested a 14-year-old and another teenager in relation to the robbery last night.

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Severe weather warning for North

– Friday, 27 February 2009

Northern New Zealand has been told to brace for a belting after a severe weather warning was issued for much of the North Island.
The MetService said a deep low currently over the Tasman Sea would cause a broad band of rain and easterly gales to head south from Northland over the next two days.
Northland would feel the effects tonight, followed by Auckland and Coromandel tomorrow morning, and Bay of Plenty and Waikato tomorrow afternoon.
This could cause surface flooding, and streams and rivers are likely to rise quickly.
The rainfall could be between up to 30mm per hour at times in the Waikato and western Bay of Plenty, where it was expected to be the heaviest. Coromandel would be hardest hit, with up to 250mm of rain predicted.
The MetService said up to 150mm of rain was expected in parts of Northland and Auckland.
Waikato Police acting Inspector Freda Grace urged people to consider staying at home where possible with a particular warning aimed at those considering a fishing trip or bush walk.
Police are also warning high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists to be particularly cautious in the central North Island tomorrow afternoon as severe easterly gales are forecast.
"There's not too much pleasure to be taken tramping in atrocious weather conditions and we'd rather not risk the lives of police staff and civilian volunteer Search and Rescue teams if we could avoid it," she said.
"Winds of this strength could damage trees, powerlines and insecure roofs, and make driving hazardous for high sided vehicles and motorcyclists," said Ms Grace. .
The Auckland Region Emergency Management Office has advised people to take precautions to prevent weather-related problems.
Auckland Civil Defence is on stand-by and the MetService has warned of localised flooding and rising rivers.
Tips include clearing drains and spouting of any blockages, keeping pets inside, securing loose objects that could fly around in strong winds, and staying off the roads if possible.
Tips include clearing drains and spouting of any blockages, keeping pets inside, securing loose objects that could fly around in strong winds, and staying off the roads if possible

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Human jawbone riddle

Saturday, 14 February 2009

A human jawbone at Castlepoint Beach has created mystery and intrigue for the Upper Hutt family who stumbled across it. . First we thought it must be from a dog or some sort of animal but then we realised it was from a human skeleton," Mrs Ward said.
"They saw this jaw lying there in the sand. `Was it a murder? What was the story behind it?"'
The jawbone was carefully wrapped in tissue paper and placed in the bach's letter box for safe keeping during the night. "We were totally shocked and then all these thoughts went through our head."
The Wards then took it to Masterton police. "There is no way I could have that in the house. A police spokesman said the jawbone was very old. It has been confirmed as human and is being tested by pathologists.

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Missing Te Papa pieces down to nine

Wednesday, 28 January 2009

/The
BACK ON DISPLAY: Visitors to Te Papa can again view Jeffrey Harris’s ‘My Lai’, after the painting was found in a warehouse in Petone. But nine other artworks are still missing.
Te Papa curators have whittled down the museum's original list of 39 missing artworks to nine pieces, documents released under the Official Information Act show.

Nine artworks remain missing from Te Papa's collection, including four by Georgian-era artists, one of whom has had paintings sell for more than $1 million overseas.3 million. The nine remaining missing works include three by British painter George Dawe (1781-1829), whose works have sold at auction for between $7500 and $1.
The artworks are not believed to have been stolen.
A portrait by Scottish-born artist Andrew Geddes (1783- 1844), whose work has reached $50,000, is also unaccounted for.
Te Papa art and collection services director Jonathan Mane-Wheoki said staff had accounted for 20 "missing" works since 2005, some of which had been incorrectly listed on its database. Their absence is probably due to cataloguing errors or because they were loaned before adequate records were kept."
Valuations of the missing works were not available, but Mr Mane-Wheoki believed the Dawes and Geddes paintings could be "quite valuable".
"The collection managers have done brilliantly by connecting the dots and being able to account for the whereabouts of the painting, or have found the document which says we never had it in the first place.
Seven artworks have been found since 2005, including two works by New Zealand artists. The other artists were less well known and therefore worth considerably less. . Jeffrey Harris's My Lai and Michael Smither's Gifts were found in a Petone warehouse 13 years after they disappeared.
"We have found other things that we didn't know were missing," Mr Mane-Wheoki said, including two sculptures by Christchurch's Russell Clark. They have a combined value of at least $250,000. Staff would try to trace the others at least one is believed to be incorrectly attributed but Te Papa did not have the resources to "turn the place upside down" for them.
Mr Mane-Wheoki said that, when the National Art Gallery was absorbed into Te Papa 15 years ago, Te Papa inherited the missing-artwork list.

WHERE ART THOU?
Thenine unaccounted for artworks are:
* The Eagle's Nest, George Dawe (oil painting)
* Bust of the Poet Coleridge, George Dawe (ink, paper)
* Meditation, George Dawe (oil painting)
* Portrait of Alexander Colquhoun, Archibald D Colquhoun (oil painting)
* Portrait of Mother and Child, Andrew Geddes (oil painting)
* The Battleship `New Zealand', F Wylie (oil painting)
* The Strayed Princess, George F Wetherbee (oil painting)
* Mt Aspiring from Matukituki River, Charles H Howorth (oil painting)
* Fields, Julius Isaacs (oil painting) Source: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

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Wellington art collector Jim Barr, who criticised Te Papa for its handling of the missing Smither and Harris paintings, said the remaining list was an acceptable size, considering the size of the national collection

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Shark warning after surfers chased

– Friday, 16 January 2009

South Island police have released a warning after a "very large shark" chased two surfers out of the water near Dunedin.
The surfers were in the water at Karitane Beach, 30 kilometres north of Dunedin, when they spotted the shark.
They left the water and reported the incident at the local store.
"So for him to bail out of the water it means that he's frightened enough obviously to get out so it's fairly serious.
Constable John Paul Tremain said it was a very large shark and one of the surfers chased out of the water was a veteran surfer in the area.
"I don't know if it's a white shark or a mako or a tiger – its lurking in the surf and in the inlet."
At this stage it was unknown what type of shark it was."
Mr Tremain said he did not think the shark could be seen from the beach..
"It's not like . Jaws where it's cruising with its dorsal out.."
Local man Allan Anderson, who owns a kayaking business in the area, said shark sightings were common and he often saw up to two a day but they were generally small and harmless. It's in the surf there and the guys have seen it in the surf and it's chased them on their boards.
It was probably just a small blue shark, grey shark or a seven-gill shark, he said.
It was probably just a small blue shark, grey shark or a seven-gill shark, he said.
"We do get a lot of them in shallows, especially when the water is dirty like this.
Mr Anderson said a seven-gill shark had attacked a young boy there a few years back, leaving him with eight stitches. .
Mr Anderson said he did not want the shark scaring people away from the beach and said there was nothing to worry about.
Mr Tremain said that it was probably not wise for people to be swimming in the area.
He would be taking his clients to another area, he said.
Hastings man Greg Sims, 49, was swimming near the Tukituki River mouth earlier this month when he was bitten on the back of his leg by what was believed to be a broadnose seven-gill shark.
The warning follows a spate of shark attacks in Australia, with three last weekend alone.

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While in December, fisherman Ken Lindberg spent five days in hospital after being bitten by a shark, believed to be a bronze whaler, while fishing with a friend off Maraetai near Auckland

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Shark warning after surfers chased

– Friday, 16 January 2009

South Island police have released a warning after a "very large shark" chased two surfers out of the water near Dunedin.
The surfers were in the water at Karitane Beach, 30 kilometres north of Dunedin, when they spotted the shark.
They left the water and reported the incident at the local store.
"So for him to bail out of the water it means that he's frightened enough obviously to get out so it's fairly serious.
Constable John Paul Tremain said it was a very large shark and one of the surfers chased out of the water was a veteran surfer in the area.
"I don't know if it's a white shark or a mako or a tiger – its lurking in the surf and in the inlet."
At this stage it was unknown what type of shark it was."
Mr Tremain said he did not think the shark could be seen from the beach..
"It's not like . Jaws where it's cruising with its dorsal out.."
Local man Allan Anderson, who owns a kayaking business in the area, said shark sightings were common and he often saw up to two a day but they were generally small and harmless. It's in the surf there and the guys have seen it in the surf and it's chased them on their boards.
It was probably just a small blue shark, grey shark or a seven-gill shark, he said.
It was probably just a small blue shark, grey shark or a seven-gill shark, he said.
"We do get a lot of them in shallows, especially when the water is dirty like this.
Mr Anderson said a seven-gill shark had attacked a young boy there a few years back, leaving him with eight stitches. .
Mr Anderson said he did not want the shark scaring people away from the beach and said there was nothing to worry about.
Mr Tremain said that it was probably not wise for people to be swimming in the area.
He would be taking his clients to another area, he said.
Hastings man Greg Sims, 49, was swimming near the Tukituki River mouth earlier this month when he was bitten on the back of his leg by what was believed to be a broadnose seven-gill shark.
The warning follows a spate of shark attacks in Australia, with three last weekend alone.

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While in December, fisherman Ken Lindberg spent five days in hospital after being bitten by a shark, believed to be a bronze whaler, while fishing with a friend off Maraetai near Auckland

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Private school goes bust as crunch bites

By ESTHER HARWARD – Sunday, 28 December 2008

An Auckland private school has gone bust and others look set to follow as an increasing number of families find school fees unaffordable in tough economic times.
Hilltop Primary School in Blockhouse Bay – which charges fees of $10,000 a year – made its nine teachers redundant last week after enrolments fell from 50 to 16 for the start next year. The school still owes $2 million on its mortgage.
Out of 50 schools the union worked with, half a dozen were struggling and two others, outside Auckland, were at risk of closing next year, she said.
Mairi Ferguson, employment officer at private schools' union the Independent Schools Education Association, said there was an decline in fee-paying students nationwide. .
"I wouldn't say that any private school is comfortably off, even the big ones . ."
Roy Kelley, headmaster of Auckland private school King's College, said 30 students had left this year – double the usual number. It's really only the Auckland schools that have been comfortable and I'm not even sure that is the case now. "We're fortunate at the moment that we have a reasonable waiting list and we're able to replace them. He said most parents had given "financial circumstances" as the reason for pulling their children out.
Donations paid by parents of children in state-funded schools vary but are usually around several hundred dollars a year."
The King's College roll is around 950, and it charges about $4700 in tuition fees each term.
Teachers at Hilltop Primary – which opened in 1915 – were told three days before Christmas that they had received their last pay and to clear out their belongings by New Year.
Teachers at Hilltop Primary – which opened in 1915 – were told three days before Christmas that they had received their last pay and to clear out their belongings by New Year.
Ferguson said it was possible for schools to maintain their "special character" while taking state funding, as Catholic schools had done under integration.
Ferguson urged all struggling schools to ask the Ministry of Education to integrate them into the state system, which meant the government paid teachers' salaries and maintained buildings.
Private schools have been under increasing financial pressure since they were forced to pay teachers more to meet state school salaries which were raised in 1998. .
Hilltop Primary's board of trustees chairwoman Rhonda Evans said the school could open again if someone bought the $4.
Further pressure was placed on independent schools with the previous government's contribution cap of $40m, Ferguson said. She had asked the ministry but had not heard back, she said.2m school buildings or if the government agreed to integrate it.
Evans said the board had tried everything to keep the school going, including switching to the International Baccalaureate primary curriculum and amalgamating classrooms. Another option was for the school to move to smaller premises. "I'm really upset. "I'm really upset. To actually have got to that point is really quite devastating . . . We're calling for any old pupils at the school, for any assistance that we can get, any donations, to enable us to keep on going."
Supporters could contact her at board@hilltop.school.nz
GOING PRIVATE
* There are 110 private schools, also known as independent schools, in New Zealand. Other schools are state- funded or integrated (they receive state funding and charge fees).
* Private schools have about 29,000 pupils. There are about 640,000 students in state schools and 84,490 in integrated schools.
* Private school rolls vary from 10 to more than 2000 pupils and annual fees range from about $4000 to more than $18,000 for New Zealand residents.
* Most private schools are owned by a charitable trust or private company and controlled by a board of governors.

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City house prices drop and still have further to fall

By EMMA PAGE – Sunday, 28 December 2008

If itwas needed: further evidence of just how far house prices are dropping as the property market continues its correction.
The Sunday Star-Times has been tracking four houses in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch, asking Quotable Value to provide "before and after" estimates of how much the properties were worth over six months. All of the houses dropped in value by around $25,000.
The valuations are an indication of what the houses could sell for if put on the market tomorrow. The worst-affected, a Hamilton three-bedroom, brick veneer home, lost $30,000 in value from the end of June to early December.
This is the second time the Star-Times has revisited the houses to gauge their value, and both times the figures have dropped 2-7 percentover a three-month period.
Quotable Value spokesman Mark Dow isn't surprised by the drops, saying they are consistent with current economic conditions and emphasised the importance of buyers and sellers getting up-to-date market information.
And the bleak outlook for homeowners wanting to sell looks set to continue with predictions of further price falls.co.
Financial commentator Bernard Hickey, from interest. He says properties that are difficult to sell or need to be sold in a hurry are already going for 15-20 percentless than their on-paper value.nz, says prices will fall 30 percentby the end of 2009. I think 2009 will be a horrible year for house prices because credit is drying up and the economy is going into an extended and deep depression.
"The worst is yet to come."
Latest national figures from QV show a 6."
Latest national figures from QV show a 6.4 percent. Two years ago house prices were climbing by 9.
Starting in April this year, a QV valuer visited each of the houses, assessing their value based on recent sales in the area and other relevant features such as age, size, location and condition.
Our four case studies illustrate this changing property market. All four dropped in value:
Auckland: From $365,000 in June to $340,000 in December a $25,000 or 6. The valuer revisited the houses in August and again in December, revaluing them in keeping with current market conditions.7 percent drop over six months
Wellington: From $465,000 in April to $440,000 in December a $25,000 or 5.8 percentdrop over six months
Hamilton: From $310,000 in late June to $280,000 in December a $30,000 or 9.3 percent drop over seven months
The West Auckland brick-veneer small house had steadily lost value since the original valuation in June, dropping $5000-$10,000 when revalued in August and a further $15,000 in December, reflecting diminishing demand in the area.4 percentdrop over eight months
Christchurch: From $300,000 in May to $275,000-$280,000 in December a $25,000 or 8.
In Hamilton, the value of the Chedworth property decreased $22,000 between June and August, dropping a further $8000 by December to bring the value to $280,000, which is what the homeowners paid for it in June. .
Lower Hutt homeowner Darren Walton says he isn't surprised that his weatherboard home has fallen a further $14,000 since the August valuation and says he isn't worried yet.
He bought the house for $215,000 in 2001 and the current council valuation is $430,000.
"I'm not doing badly if it's above the CV on the current market."
Properties in the area were selling for 5-10 percentbelow end-of-2007 values.
In August, the Christchurch roughcast cottage had held its value best of all the properties, dropping just $5000 in three months.
But it took a bigger hit in the three months to December, decreasing in value by a further $15,000-$20,000.