HO, HO, HO
And now, a little applause for Heart of the City, which has taken a beating in the past over its "Big Little City" ad campaign for central Auckland businesses, and for the sorry state of Xmas decorations in Queen St. Now the organisation is advertising for its own Christmas Fairy - or "Queen Street Christmas Decorator" - to make amends. In a masterpiece of understatement, Heart of the City's advertisement notes that "the current theming is at the end of its lifespan and improvements are needed" and seeks a street decorator with creativity, time and budget management skills.
IT OVERTAXED
Ministers will soon have to ponder some eye-watering numbers as they consider how to deal with Inland Revenue's computer woes. There has been some concern that the budgets and timeframes being floated - such as the oft-quoted $1 billion and up to ten years - are rather vague. What is known is that the IRD will have to spend more than $50 million this year keeping its mainframe up and running, and another $50 million to try to get other parts of the system to work with new policy. Reports to ministers are said to be flying in their direction.
A SALE IN THE AIR
Decisions are due on what to do with the spectrum from 694 to 806 megahertz, freed up as a result of the switchover from analogue to digital television. Ministers have already made up their minds to go ahead with auctioning the 700 megahertz spectrum late this year or very early next year, though there are different levels of expectation about how much money the Government will make from the sale.
GET YOUR BETS DOWN ...
Dr Alan Jackson is the latest to take up the baton and try to sort out the struggling racing industry. Jackson is taking over from Michael Stiassny as chairman of the Racing Board. The warring factions in the industry are said now to be able to spend time in the same room, though their ability to work together is somewhat limited by their inability to agree on what the problems are, let alone the solutions. Racing Minister Nathan Guy has been criticised by some for having little influence on the sector, but he would not be the first minister to be criticised for that.
GOTCHA!
Having failed to cover themselves in glory before the global financial crisis, the international ratings agencies now appear determined to leave no stone unturned. This week Fitch Ratings downgraded its rating on the mighty republic of San Marino - population 30,000 - from "A" to "BBB+", with a warning that worse could lie ahead. San Marino, surrounded by Italy, has been hard-hit by the international crackdown on tax havens, one of its major money-spinners.
