Retiring Green MP Gareth Hughes says the pace of change in the current Government is not fast enough for his liking but that is not the reason he is quitting politics; and a failure by the Government to adequately fund the growing number of elderly being admitted to rest homes to die has been labelled ‘‘ageism’’.
* The New Zealand Herald
In the New Zealand Herald, a Good Samaritan who stopped to help after a woman was fatally stabbed in West Auckland, preventing her alleged killer from fleeing, has been recognised by police with a bravery award.And Massey man Peter Simpson has revealed how he has marked the memory of the woman, after helplessly watching her die.
In other news, retiring Green MP Gareth Hughes says the pace of change in the current Government is not fast enough for his liking but that is not the reason he is quitting politics.”It is not transformational on the scale of some of the big turning points in our country’s history from the 1930s to the 1980s.”There have been pockets of transformation but for me it has been a frustration that the pace of change hasn’t been as fast as I’d like to see or in fact the Green Party would like to see.”
In business news, house sales in South Wairarapa last month produced a record median price of $592,000 – not far off the national median which crept over the $600,000 mark for the first time.And strong demand coupled with a limited supply of new properties means the Wairarapa housing market looks set for future growth.
* The Dominion Post
In the Dominion Post,the tenants group says new rental laws could help empower renters in Wellington’s overheated market – the landlords group is worried it could hand power to the likes of the Mongrel Mob.The Government will double the threshold for damages claims at the Tenancy Tribunal, let renters do more to change properties and introduce anonymised tribunal rulings as part of a longawaited overhaul of tenancy laws.
In other news, Canadian author Margaret Atwood announced on her 80th birthday, that she will tour New Zealand next year.The renowned writer, who created the The Handmaid’s Tale and won the Booker prize this year for its sequel, The Testaments, announced three New Zealand speaking dates.
In business news, New Zealand can rebuild its clothing manufacturing industry but it’s going to require investment, says one of the men behind Kathmandu’s certified NZ Made merino tees.Cactus Outdoor and Kathmandu have teamed up to produce a merino T-shirt that has been designed, developed, cut, sewn and packaged in New Zealand, using merino wool farmed on high country stations in the South Island.
*The Press
In The Press, a failure by the Government to adequately fund the growing number of elderly being admitted to rest homes to die has been labelled ‘‘ageism’’.New Zealand Aged Care Association chief executive Simon Wallace said the lack of investment in palliative care was symptomatic of ageist policymaking and a ‘‘real issue’’ in New Zealand.
In other news, Kiwi travel writer Brook Sabin may have likened a tram ride in Christchurch to ‘‘an amusement ride through a disaster zone’’ but the Garden City is the only New Zealand destination to make a travel guide list of the top 52 places to visit in 2020.Christchurch’s inclusion on Fodor’s Go List 2020 seems to stem in large part from its response to the tragedies it has suffered over the past decade.
In business news, a proposed “digital services tax” on internet giants remains on hold, almost four months after public consultations closed.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern floated the idea of a 2 or 3 per cent tax on the local revenues of internet advertising and “gig economy” companies such as Facebook, Google, Uber and Airbnb in February.
