STUFF A law change will allow landowners in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch to build up to three storeys without resource consent. Suburbs all over New Zealand could look very different in a couple of years thanks to a sweeping new housing policy introduced by both Labour and National on Tuesday. Henry Cooke explains how this new war on NIMBYs will work. Building a house in New Zealand is hard. Building a townhouse is far harder. Labour and National are looking to change that. The parties have a struck bipartisan deal looking to allow far more housing to be built in urban areas, particularly medium-density housing like townhouses or apartments, in suburbs where only standard houses are allowed now. The deal hopes to do this by radically altering the core presumption of planning rules, so that the default option for councils is to allow new housing to be built, rather than to disallow it. READ MORE: Labour, National announce sweeping housing …
National
What the National Guard can and can’t do in Minneapolis
Images of armed Minnesota National Guardsmen on the streets of Minneapolis and President Donald Trump 's controversial tweet suggesting a further military role have raised questions about what guardsmen can do to control the violence in Minneapolis and whether the active duty military has any role at all. On Thursday, Gov. Tim Walz activated 500 Minnesota National Guardsmen to provide support to local law enforcement in Minneapolis. While the guardsmen are armed and equipped in camouflage uniforms, they are only in a support role to local law enforcement. At a Friday news conference, Walz repeatedly emphasized that the National Guard "is not a police force." Maj. Gen. Jon Jensen, the adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard, said at the same news conference that his guardsmen were armed because of intelligence from the FBI that indicated "a credible threat" to his force. Jensen said Walz authorized his recommendation that the guardsmen be armed as they deployed …
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Labour, National announce sweeping housing density law, three-storey homes without consent
STUFF A law change will allow landowners in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch to build up to three storeys without resource consent. The Government and National have unveiled a new bill to force councils to allow more dense housing by de-fanging planning laws. New intensification rules will allow buildings of up to three storeys on most sites in cities without any need for resource consent from August 2022. The bill is paired with a speed-up of the Government’s National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD), which stops councils hindering development by banning height limits of less than six storeys and car parking requirements in urban areas. READ MORE: What will they build over your back fence? Housing affordability an ongoing challenge for Hamilton, Waipā and Waikato districts Housing: Government looking to fast-track moves to force councils to allow more housing Six-storey apartments could be coming to a bus stop or train station near …
Covid-19: Events sector welcomes National proposal for pandemic insurance
Event organisers have welcomed a proposal by the National Party to establish a Government insurance scheme to cover major events against losses from pandemic cancellations. The proposal, which was part of National’s Covid-19 economic plan unveiled on Wednesday , was designed to “allow major events to be planned with confidence that lockdowns won’t result in significant financial losses for organisers, customers or suppliers”. National’s spokesperson for tourism and small business, Todd McClay, said the events industry had suffered badly from cancellations due to sudden lockdowns and a lack of certainty over alert-level changes. “This has meant that events businesses have been left holding the can, incurring significant losses, and are now close to failure,” he said. READ MORE: Covid-19: Delta-related losses for Aotearoa's cultural sectors total $466m The summer of no fun: Is the country's summer festival season over before it starts? Arts, events sectors call for …
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Canadian Pacific challenges Canadian National with $27 bln Kansas City Southern bid
Aug 10 (Reuters) - Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd (CP.TO) presented a new $27 billion offer for U.S. peer Kansas City Southern (KSU.N) on Tuesday, lower than a $29 billion rival bid from Canadian National Railway Co (CNR.TO) , hoping antitrust concerns over the latter will give it an edge. Canadian Pacific Chief Executive Keith Creel had refused to raise his previous $25 billion bid for Kansas City Southern after losing to Canadian National in May, arguing that the transaction that Kansas City Southern had chosen to pursue was "not a real deal" because the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the U.S. rail regulator, would shoot it down. read more But with less than 10 days to go until Kansas City Southern shareholders are asked to vote on the deal with Canadian National on Aug. 19, the STB has yet to rule on the proposed "voting trust" structure of that transaction. A voting trust insulates the acquisition target from the acquirer's control until the STB clears the deal on a …
Introducing Dame Mary Berry: National treasure and Bake Off icon finally receives Damehood – and celebrates with a sandwich
Great British Bake Off icon Mary Berry has finally received her official Damehood, so we suppose it’s now Dame Mary Berry to you. The national treasure, 86, was named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in October last year, for services to broadcasting, the culinary arts and charity, and today she was made a Dame Commander by Prince Charles at Windsor Castle. Beaming during the investiture ceremony in a grand reception room, it was a long time coming after ceremonies were delayed due to the pandemic. When asked about her plans to celebrate her damehood, she replied: ‘We’re going home for a sandwich and the children are coming tonight.’ Speaking about being awarded the honour, Dame Mary, who many came to love during her turn on Bake Off, said after the ceremony: ‘I’m extremely proud and honoured, I just wish my parents were here – they’re looking down and my children are quite excited. ‘My aim is to pass on the skill that I love so much, because everybody has to …
National treasures Sir David Attenborough, Mary Berry and David Suchet named in Queen’s Birthday Honours
Sir David Attenborough, baking queen Mary Berry and Poirot star David Suchet have been named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, only cementing the trio’s status as national icons even more so. Yes, we know, how many legends can you fit into a headline, eh? Reacting to the news Mary, who many came to love during her turn on Great British Bake Off , has said she is ‘overwhelmed to receive the very great honour’ of being made a Dame in the celebration. She said, via PA: ‘I am absolutely overwhelmed to receive this very great honour. For most of my life I have been lucky enough to follow my passion to teach cookery through books and the media. ‘I just wish my parents and brothers were here to share my joy, as my only achievement at school was just one O-level in cookery of course! ‘However, I am sure they are looking down and smiling. I will celebrate with my husband and family very soon.’ The food writer and broadcaster enchanted a new generation of viewers after …
In the words of Shakespeare: Brian Tamaki ‘thou doth protest too much, methinks’
Lawrence Smith/Stuff Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki addressed thousands of anti-lockdown protesters at a protest at the Auckland Domain on October 2. He attended a second event on Saturday, but said he did not organise it. OPINION: These are trying times. Like every other Aucklander I am impacted by lockdown . In my introspective moments I am literally seething over Brian Tamaki’s lockdown protests in the Auckland Domain . The madding crowd of hundreds came to Tamaki’s protest. They came in droves. They came in gangs. They waved their “pro-choice” signs and flaunted wearing masks and social distancing. The elderly came and so did children. Uncharacteristically, I could not find the words to express my frustration at the risk from Covid spread that Tamaki placed all Aucklanders in. So I went down the road well travelled. I called on William Shakespeare. I imagined that if Shakespeare was alive today, he would have a thing or two to say to Apostle Brian Tamaki. …
Ondo PDP factionalised over National Publicity Secretary position
. — Consultations are ongoing, nobody endorsed yet – Ondo PDP Dayo Johnson Akure The zoning of the position of the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party to Ondo state ahead of its convention has further factionalized the party. Recall that the party had remained divided after the last governorship election till now. The party’s governorship candidate in the last election, Eyitayo Jegede who had assumed the position of the leader of the party in the state has been accused of not carrying other stakeholders along in the affairs of the party. Jegede has reportedly hijacked the organs party in the state hence the executive members do his bidding as regards the affairs of the party and sharing of party positions. But, a member of the party’s executive told vanguard in confidence that those that endorsed Ologunagba are on their own describing them as jokers. He denied allegations that the party organs have been hijacked by Jegede. The zoning of …
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Scotland select 12 uncapped players in Autumn Nations Series squad
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has named a 42-man squad for the Autumn Nations Series Tests against Tonga Australia, South Africa and Japan. Scotland’s full British and Irish Lions contingent involved in this summer’s South Africa tour feature, including captain Stuart Hogg wing Duhan Van Der Merwe and half-backs Finn Russell and Ali Price. Townsend has also selected 12 uncapped players, with that group featuring the likes of Ewan Ashman, Josh Bayliss, Dylan Richardson and Pierre Schoeman. Scotland open their autumn campaign against Tonga on 30 October and end it against Japan three weeks later. Other newcomers include Rory Darge, Luke Crosbie and a quartet of uncapped Glasgow Warriors backs in Rufus McLean, Jamie Dobie, Ross Thompson and Sione Tuipulotu. “There have been some notable performances from both our home-based players and those at clubs outside of Scotland, which has enabled us as coaches to select a group which are playing well and will be …
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