New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has accused some of those defending his High Court action of “covering their butts” and others of suffering a “memory lapse”; and Phil Twyford corrected the Parliamentary record after it was discovered he made an incorrect statement to Parliament last month.
* The New Zealand Herald
In the New Zealand Herald,departing All Black Sonny Bill Williams has reportedly signed a $10 million deal to join the Toronto Wolfpack — making him the most expensive league player on Earth. Just hours after the 34-year-old returned to Auckland from Japan with his bronze medal-winning Rugby World Cup teammates yesterday, his two-year deal with the Canadian club was revealed.
In other news, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has accused some of those defending his High Court action of “covering their butts” and others of suffering a “memory lapse”.Peters argues his privacy was breached in 2017 when officials notified then-National ministers that the MP had been overpaid his superannuation. Upon being notified of the error, Peters repaid nearly $18,000.
In business news, Dairy prices jumped at this morning’s Global Dairy Trade auction, the GDT price index rising by 3.7 per cent since the last auction a fortnight ago.Whole milk powder (WMP) prices, which have the greatest bearing on Fonterra’s farmgate milk price forecast, rose by 3.6 per cent to US$3254 a tonne.
* The Dominion Post
In the Dominion Post, about 1000 deaths, thousands of injuries and extensive destruction along the east coast of the North Island – this will be the result of a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in the Hikurangi subduction zone under a scenario presented by GNS Science.The scenario, in a report prepared for the purpose of developing a response plan, is considered serious and credible, but comes with the obvious caveat that there is no way of telling what any earthquake or tsunami would look like.
In other news, Phil Twyford corrected the Parliamentary record after it was discovered he made an incorrect statement to Parliament last month.The Transport Minister was asked in October whether he stood by his statement that none of the previous NZTA board had wanted to “stay on” when their terms expired. He responded by saying he stood by this statement, which was incorrect.
In business news, new standards introduced for mānuka honey are fast changing the way honey is sourced and marketed.The new standards were introduced by the Ministry for Primary Industries early in 2018. Honey that doesn’t meet the mono-floral definition has since fallen in price by 45 to 65 per cent, My Farm economist Con Williams said.
*The Press
In The Press, a young boy has died and his father is critically injured in hospital after a fiery crash in North Canterbury.Emergency services were called to the crash at Lehmans Rd near Fernside, close to Rangiora, about 4.17pm yesterday.
In other news, the most threatened gull on Earth has set up a colony in a derelict Christchurch city centre site.About 300 black-billed gulls, tara¯puka, have established a colony with about 130 nests in the half-demolished and flooded foundations of a former office block on Armagh St.
In business news, a property market recovery in October could be the start of another price surge, Quotable Value (QV) says. It has released its latest market data.General manager David Nagel said listing numbers were low, but there were more buyers in the market because of cheap interest rates, so there was competition for available stock.
