July 1 changes
An array of Government initiatives come into effect on Wednesday, providing savings to Kiwis in some areas but increasing costs in others.
Here are a selection of the changes affecting New Zealanders:
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Paid parental leave extension
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It's been extended from 22 weeks to 26 weeks, with the maximum weekly payment also increasing by $20 per week. This will be available to parents with children due on or after July 1. Legislating incremental extensions was one of the Jacinda Ardern's Government's first moves when it came to power in 2017.
Petrol price hike and road user charges
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Kiwis will be paying more at the petrol pump. The Government's petrol excise duty increase will see motorists pay an additional 3.5 cents per litre, taking excise tax to 70 cents. Road user charges are also set to increase by about 5 percent. The cost of a road user charges distance licence for a light vehicle, including a car, van or ute, will be $76 up from $72, per 1000 km including GST. These increases are in line with those in 2018 and 2019, with all tax going to the National Land Transport Fund.
Apprenticeships
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To support industries key to New Zealand's COVID-19 recovery, apprentices in any industry or people wanting to train in targeted areas will have between $2500 and $6500 in costs per year paid for them. At Budget 2020, the Government set aside $1.6 billion for a trades and apprenticeship programme, which included $320 million for free trades training in critical industries.
Early childhood teacher pay boost
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Also in May's Budget, the Government announced a $151.1 million funding boost over four years to improve pay for early childhood teachers. The minimum salary is set to increase from about $45,491 or $46,832 (depending on qualifications) to $49,862. That brings their pay in line with that of kindergarten teachers.
Farm debt mediation
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The Farm Debt Mediation Act, which became law in December 2019, now requires creditors to offer mediation to farmers who default on payments before they take enforcement action. Total farm debt in New Zealand sits at $62.8 billion, which is up 270 percent on 20 years ago.
Building Levy
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Kiwis undertaking consented building work will be better off, with the Building Levy being reduced from $2.01 to $1.75 per $1000 of the total build cost if the consented work is over the $20,444 threshold. That's a saving of about $80 based on the average residential new build in Auckland or $5200 for a $20 million commercial project.
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In a statement on Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Ardern said the Government is "making progress on both the long-term challenges we were tackling before COVID-19 hit and our economic response to the global pandemic".
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Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
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