Harawira scores Budget
Mana Party leader Hone Harawira was not impressed with Finance Minister Stephen Joyce's first Budget this week. "Fifteen per cent of the population, 1 per cent of the Budget - that won't change a thing for Maori," he said. "That's less than the 3 per cent in the
dollar iwi get in a Treaty settlement, and that was a rip-off. Mind you, it's what we got from Labour, so nothing's changed in the last 20 years." National "adding a few bucks" to the accommodation supplement benefit wouldn't do anything to fix the housing crisis, because that money went directly to landlords or motel owners. The accommodation supplement went directly to National Party voters, he said.
On the run
Two Northlanders who removed electronic monitoring bracelets remain on the run. Northland police have issued warrants to arrest Christopher Ngarino who had to wear the bracelet as part of his release conditions after a jail sentence; and 32-year-old Isha Waetford who was on home detention. This month, within about a week of each other, they cut off the bracelets. Ngarino, 34, removed his bracelet and disappeared from Ngunguru. Northland police posted his mugshot on their Facebook page, but warned the photo was from 2006 so his looks may have changed. Police posted Waetford's photo on Facebook on May 19 and said she had links to Hikurangi and Raumanga but may have headed for Auckland.
Back to school
At least one Whangarei candidate in September's general election will step into the shoes of school support staff. Green Party nominee Ashley Holwell has answered teachers' union NZEI Te Riu Roa's call for candidates to "walk in the shoes" of support staff to gain an understanding of their work. Mr Holwell will be at Whangarei Primary School next Friday. Support staff are often called the invisible army due to the vital work they do in working directly with students, the union said. The Government's freeze of the operations grant means many schools have cut those hours or jobs, Taitokerau administrator for NZEI Te Riu Roa, Dianna Bradshaw said.
Council's AA credit rating
The Whangarei District Council has been give an AA credit rating - the highest credit rating possible in New Zealand - by the international credit rating agency Standard and Poor's (S&P). "In short, we have hit the credit-rating ceiling for New Zealand, ours can't go any higher than the central government's. If New Zealand's credit rating was higher, ours would be too," said WDC finance committee chairwoman councillor Shelley Deeming. The council's credit rating has moved from AA- to AA in the two years since the current financial strategy was adopted in the 2015 - 2025 Long Term Plan.
Traffic lights installed
New traffic signals will be up and running soon at the intersection of State Highway 14 and Hospital Rd in Whangarei as part of improvements to safety and traffic movements. The NZ Transport Agency has been working with the Northland District Health Board and Whangarei District Council to install traffic signals at the intersection and a painted flush median along the state highway (Maunu Rd) from Silverstream Rd toward the city. The upgrade will also improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists by extending the existing cycle lanes a further 700m along the state highway to just past Hospital Rd. This will improve cycle connections between Maunu and the city. The traffic signals have now been installed and are scheduled to be partially operating by the end of May.