It is just over a 100 years since Harvard invented the MBA but there is a risk that they are two-a-penny nowadays – essential for many jobs but only because all the applicants have one. There are 270000 students doing …
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Search and rescue teams are examining for a missing two-year-old girl in Auckland with police holding concerns for her safety.
Ashling disappeared from her Longburn Rd home in Henderson at around 5.40pm last night, Police northern communications shift commander Lance Burdett said. Mr Burdett said police had established a search command centre as concerns grew about Ashling’s welfare due to the poor weather, dark and her young age. Search teams, officers, local residents and helicopters are all involved in the search. Ashling has light brown hair and is wearing a green parka/ski jacket, jeans with embroidered flowers on them and white tennis shoes. He said there was also a swollen creek nearby the family’s home. Residents in the area are asked to thoroughly check their homes, inside and out.
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The number of unemployed has jumped by 10,000 in the last quarter – but the rate of growth has slowed dramatically meaning good news for the economy and the Government.
“I believe what we’re seeing is a result of employers’ confidence rising, seasonal work kicking in and this Government’s unrelenting focus on supporting jobseekers,” said Social Welfare Minister Paula Bennett.
She released the benefit numbers for the September quarter, which show 60,660 people receiving the Unemployment Benefit around the country. .
That is up from the 50,855 on the dole in the last official quarterly results, and is an increase of 19 percent. Back in March dole queues lengthened by 22 percent and then 37 percent in July.
Compare that 19 percent quarterly increase with those earlier in the year when the recession was in full grip on the economy.
And if you look at the monthly figures, the growth rate between August and September has dropped back considerably – up just three percent. We will continue to work on growing the economy and creating jobs,” said Ms Bennett.
“It’s always pleasing to see fewer people needing a benefit – but this doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet.
The Minister has today also launched the Ministry of Social Development’s 2009/10 Auckland Regional Plan, which focuses on employment.
“I’m cautiously optimistic about today’s benefit statistics,” she said. They set out each region’s specific needs and how the Ministry will respond to them.
The plan is one of 11 to be rolled out across New Zealand over the next month.
“This has been a tough year for so many families, particularly in Auckland.
“This has been a tough year for so many families, particularly in Auckland.
“Since Job Ops was set up nine weeks ago, 307 work opportunities have been listed by Auckland employers. The Ministry will continue to work with employers and industries to understand their changing needs,” she said. I’d encourage more Auckland employers to step up – I want to see more of them offering employment opportunities for our under 24s,” Bennett said. Right now there are 131 positions available.
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The other major areas being highlighted in the Auckland Regional Plan include helping young people thrive, keeping children safe and achieving this through value for money
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Pamela Anderson narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction, and called a hongi “erotic,” at her first New Zealand press conference. .
But things close toly came unstuck when the 42-year-old was showing how her scarf could be made into a dress with a few well-placed knots.
Anderson – the biggest international star to attend this year’s Fashion Week – held the press conference with her co-designer Richie Rich to promote her Fashion Week runway show, scheduled to be held tomorrow evening.
The New Zealand press attending the conference struggled to answer a question put to them by Rich when he asked what set Kiwi fashion apart from the rest of the world.
She lifted up her arms and said “see,” but was quickly forced to lower them again – narrowly avoiding a Janet Jackson-style wardrobe malfunction.
Also during the conference, a reporter asked if she could give Anderson a traditional Maori welcome with a hongi.
After a long pause, one reporter said: “Maori”.
Anderson said the most important thing about her show was to have a good time.
Anderson obliged, but said afterward that she found it “erotic”.
She seemed enamoured with New Zealand.
“We want to bring the sun back into fashion,” she said.”
Anderson confirmed she wouldn’t be on the runway for tomorrow’s A*muse catwalk show – one of fashion week’s last events.
“It’s kind of like Canada, where I grew up.
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Prime Minister John Key leaves today for a politically high-octane week in New York meeting US President Barack Obama, world leaders, the head of the United Nations and appearing on a TV show watched by more than three million people.
Mr Key will be front and centre on the international stage, with a one-on-one meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and a speech to the General Assembly, but most interest will focus on an opportunity to meet United States President Barack Obama.
The pair have talked by phone but the chance to chat and shake hands at a function the President is hosting will be the first meeting.
“That I think it is improving and that’s a positive sign I think for both countries.
“I will reaffirm to him to him that we are very pleased with the way the relationship is going,” Mr Key told .
Mr Key’s week kicks off with a UN event on climate change hosted by Mr Ban as he tries to galvanise political will to make serious commitments so a meeting in Copenhagen in December can progress.”
If he has the chance he will remind Mr Obama of the importance of a trade agreement and the outlook in Afghanistan, where New Zealand has troops.
He has also been invited to attend a Clinton Global Initiative event which Mr Obama and former president Bill Clinton will attend followed by a meeting..
“It’s an economic focus. ..
“But it will be interesting to see what ideas are presented.
“I think we get a sense that around the world confidence is emerging albeit that it’s on a very fragile base. In particular what the attitude is towards trade, and potentially resolution towards (the Doha trade round). In particular what the attitude is towards trade, and potentially resolution towards (the Doha trade round).
“It’s been quite useful because he’s tended to give an Australasian perspective, and also a debrief after the meeting so he’s been a good friend in that regard.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is attending that meeting, and will have a quick talk with Mr Key beforehand.
In his address to the General Assembly at the end of the week Mr Key would focus on New Zealand’s continued commitment to the UN, multi-lateral diplomacy, and climate change.”
New Zealand would urge progress on the Doha round of trade talks and progress on climate change.
“I think this is a great area where New Zealand can punch above its weight.
Mr Key will also attend a UN Security Council meeting on disarmament and non-proliferation, chaired by President Obama.”
. We’ve been a leader in being a non-nuclear country and it’s an area President Obama raised with me
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Prince Harry has received a 9 million pound (NZ$21.49 million) birthday present from his late mother, Princess Diana.
The party-loving prince, who is third in line to the throne, inherited the money from his mother’s estate as he turned 25 on Tuesday.The Princess of Wales left an estate worth £21 million (NZ$49m)when she died in a Paris car crash in 1997.While the prince will not be able to access the full amount until he turns 30, he will start receiving an estimated £300,000 ($703,000) worth of annual interest payments from the lump sum.5 million (NZ$15m) was set aside for for each of her two sons, but the amount grew over the years as it earned substantial interest.About £6.
The quarter-century mark marks a coming of age for the flame-haired prince, whopossesses both his mother’s sense of adventure and her common touch.
British media ran a flood of pictures, showing Harry’s steady progression from a toddler in short pants to an earnest soldier in combat gear.
The younger son of Diana and Prince Charles spent his birthday continuing his pilot training in the Royal Air Force, but he was hardly out of the spotlight.
Other sympathetic images included the 12-year-old boy who walked behind his mother’s coffin to Westminster Abbey and the confident 24-year-old who spoke movingly at a memorial service in 2007 about “the best mother in the world. At each step – with his easy smile and approachable ways – he reminded many of Diana. She was our guardian, friend and protector.”
“When she was alive, we completely took for granted her unrivaled love of life, laughter, fun and folly. She never once allowed her unfaltering love for us to go unspoken or undemonstrated,” he said. She never once allowed her unfaltering love for us to go unspoken or undemonstrated,” he said.
Patrick Jephson, who was involved with Diana’s finances when he worked as her private secretary, said the princess’ money was “very prudently” invested and that Harry will also have access to some of the considerable wealth generated by the Duchy of Cornwall, which is under Prince Charles’ control.Diana’s estate was comprised mostly of her divorce settlement from Charles.
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A prospective house buyer who had a heart attack is recovering in hospital today after a cardiologist who was a fellow bidder at an auction saved his life.
When bidding resumed after the drama at Barfoot and Thompson’s auction room in central Auckland on Wednesday, the doctor finished up with the Epsom property.
He said the heart patient had stopped bidding by the time he had the attack, while the cardiologist was one of two parties still active in the auction.
Managing director Peter Thompson said today that the incident repaid the company’s decision to buy a defibrillator for the auction room in Kitchener St two years ago.
“The patient had stopped breathing and the company defibrillator brought him back to life.
“Our auction team quickly got into action and straight away the cardiologist in his role came and took over,” he said.
“The auction recommenced and the cardiologist, who was the underbidder, ended up getting the property.”
An ambulance was called and Mr Thompson said the whole incident took about 20 minutes.
Mr Thompson said the company made the decision to buy a defibrillator because the auction room was a public domain with large crowds. .
“We never expected to use it,” he said.
It also had the same device in its training room. But when you look at it now, it has certainly paid for itself many times over.
“At the time we looked at the cost and thought, `Ooh’.”
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The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) faces a public backlash of calamitous proportions if it goes ahead with announced changes to next year’s provincial competition format.
Momentum is gathering in the provinces among some unions, supporters and the rugby media for the NZRU to scrap those changes or face the consequences.
The Air New Zealand Cup (ANZC) is enjoying unprecedented popularity this season and is proving to be one of the most competitive and evenly fought since the old NPC was established in 1976. On a Sky Reunion programme poll conducted this week, more than 70 percent voted for the ANZC competition to remain unchanged.
Crowd numbers are generally well up, and television viewing audiences were up more than 86 percent after four rounds.
New teams Tasman, Counties Manukau, Hawke’s Bay and Manawatu have taken time to get up to speed onfield, but now, four years down the track, they are more than matching it with the big boys. The quality of rugby has been excellent, the All Blacks are keen to play whenever they get an opportunity and several exciting new players have been uclose tothed. On their day, any team can beat the other, as has been proven so far in 2009.
Tasman, Northland and Counties Manukau, who struggled financially in the initial stages of the ANZC, have now cut their cloth to fit and are keeping their heads above water. The Heartland competition kicked off in similar exciting fashion last week. Four will drop out of the current 14 team competition to form a first division, effectively a second division, which will also include two promoted Heartland teams, making a six-team division. . Also, if Tasman or Manawatu were demoted, most of their best now almost entirely home-grown players would leave for premier unions.
The problem is that the Heartland teams have little chance of being competitive.
Under a list of criteria to remain in the premier division, onfield performance is only a 20 percent factor and that, like the other criteria, is judged over the past four years.
Under a list of criteria to remain in the premier division, onfield performance is only a 20 percent factor and that, like the other criteria, is judged over the past four years. Promotion relegation of up to two teams is an option being considered.
The Heartland competition will comprise 10 teams.
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The changes were adopted after a series of workshops involving New Zealand’s 26 provincial unions, Super 14 franchises and the New Zealand Rugby Players Association
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Police have named a three-year-old girl who died after being found injured at a Palmerston North house on Wednesday.
She was Kash McKinnon.
Police hope autopsy results today will give them a better idea how she sustained her injuries.
Police found the girl with critical injuries at a Hulme St house after a visitor called an ambulance.
She died in Palmerston North Hospital at midday yesterday with her mother by her side.
It was too early to say whether the death was suspicious, he added. .
“The autopsy will hopefully give us a much better understanding of how the young girl died.”
A 21-year-old man, who was not the girl’s father, had been examining after her and three other children aged two, four and six, some of whom were her siblings, Mr Sheridan said.
“Even then, we will need to consult with medical professionals and interview the occupants of the house in detail before we can draw any real conclusions.
The family was co-operating fully with police, he said.
Police were interviewing the man, and the children with the aid of Child Youth and Family staff.
Another neighbour said the adults at the house were flatmates, and had about five children between them.
HAPPY ‘ALL THE TIME’
A neighbour says the three-year-old, along with several children who “seemed pretty happy all of the time”, had lived at the house for about six months.
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Paying by credit card could soon become more expensive with retailers being given the green light to pass on transaction costs to customers by the Commerce Commission.
The commission has reached an out of court settlement against credit card giant Visa for its part in a price-fixing agreement also involving MasterCard, the main banks and the Warehouse Financial Services.6 million towards the commission’s costs of bringing the action.
Visa will pay $2.
Merchants paid up to 1.
The commission alleged the parties agreed to fix the fee paid by merchants on transactions, known as the interchange fee.
Credit card company rules prevent merchants from passing on the transaction cost.8 per cent of the value of a purchase in interchange fee.
Under the agreement the banks, as the credit card issuers, will be able to individually set the fee charged to merchants, subject to a maximum rate determined by Visa. Instead the cost is spread across all customers regardless of how they pay for goods or services.
Merchants will be able to add the transaction fee to the cost of a purchase when the agreement takes effect by April 17 next year. The fees will be publicly disclosed.
Retail and Wholesale Merchants Association chief executive John Albertson said the agreement was “a step in the right direction”, but retailers would not be able to start passing on credit card fees till after the remaining proceedings had been dealt with.
Commission chairman Mark Berry said the changes “will, over time, improve competition between companies that provide credit card services to retailers”. .
However, the rule is already widely ignored by some merchants, including taxi operators, airlines and florists.
The Reserve Bank of Australia regulated the level of interchange fees in 2003 to reduce them from 0.
Similar action has been taken by regulators around the world including Britain and the United States.50 per cent.95 per cent of a transaction’s value to 0.