The Bull Ring

𝕊𝕔𝕙𝕠𝕠𝕝 𝕝𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕤 𝕗𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕝𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖-𝕝𝕚𝕞𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝕤𝕔𝕙𝕠𝕠𝕝 𝕝𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕤 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕞𝕞𝕖 𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕤 𝕤𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖-𝕝𝕚𝕞𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕗𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥. I t's an approach to funding that the Government spent months criticising Labour over.  On Monday, NZ CEO Luxon told RNZ that all Budget programmes would be fully-funded over four years. "What we're focused on is delivering a Budget at the end of May where we are very transparent and very upfront about our investment, so there is certainty about those programmes that we are supporting that they're fully funded," Luxon said. . . But, by Tuesday morning, he had walked back that statement, telling Morning Report: "There will be the odd incident where we're actually putting more money into a programme where we're testing or wanting to see the results before we foll...

𝕊𝕝𝕚𝕞 𝕞𝕒𝕛𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕒𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔 𝕤𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣 𝕛𝕠𝕓 𝕔𝕦𝕥𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝟙ℕ𝕖𝕨𝕤 𝕍𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕒𝕟 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕝 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕒 𝕤𝕝𝕚𝕞 𝕞𝕒𝕛𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕒𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥'𝕤 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔 𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕧𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕛𝕠𝕓 𝕔𝕦𝕥𝕤. T hirty-four per cent of those polled said the Government has got its cuts right, with another 18% wanting the coalition to go further and cut more public servants.  Thirty-five per cent said the Government is cutting too much from departments and 13% said they didn't know, or didn't answer. To date around 3500 people have lost their jobs, with the total expected to reach around 7500. The Government said the cuts are about getting rid of "backroom bureaucracy" and are part of a savings drive. . . Speaking to Breakfast this morning, 1News business correspondent Katie Bradford said she thinks people expected the poll to be slightly higher in opposition to the G...

ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕦𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕠𝕪𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝟜.𝟛 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕙 𝕢𝕦𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕗 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜 𝕚𝕟 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝟜.𝟛 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕙 𝕢𝕦𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕖𝕣, 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕤 ℕℤ 𝕗𝕚𝕘𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕨. S tats NZ said the number of people unemployed grew by 10,000 to 134,000. The figure was in line with most analysts' expectations. "While the employment rate has declined from recent highs over the past year-and-a-half, it still remains high within the full Household Labour Force Survey timeseries, which began in 1986," Stats NZ labour market manager Deb Brunning said. There were 355,000 people being underutilised in the March quarter, 16,000 more than the three months prior. . . "Underutilisation not only includes people who are unemployed but also part-timers who want and are available for more work, as well as people who want jobs but were either...

  Members of Parliament and Prime Minister to get pay rise Anneke Smith , Political reporter @AnnekeJSmith anneke.smith@rnz.co.nz Although the Remuneration Authority sets the pay, Parliament can pass legislation to overrule it (file image). Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Politicians are in for a pay rise after the Remuneration Authority determined MPs salaries should go up by 2.8 percent. The independent body, responsible for setting pay for key public office holders, has reported back on its review into MP's remuneration on Tuesday afternoon. It has set an ordinary MPs' salary at $168,600 a year, up from $163,961. The prime minister's salary will rise to $484,200 and the deputy prime minister's salary to $344,100. However, Christopher Luxon has indicated he does not want or need the increase - and will be donating his to charity. Ministers inside Cabinet will earn $304,300 and Ministers outside Cabinet $25...

  'Quite a big creature': Kiwi bird surprises sawmill workers near Whangārei Peter de Graaf A Department of Conservation ranger with the Rosvall Sawmill’s unexpected kiwi bird visitor. Photo: Supplied / Department of Conservation Workers at a sawmill near Whangārei had a surprise visitor to their workshop - a fully grown kiwi. Lucas James, a sparkie at Rosvall Sawmill, in Whareora, said the kiwi wandered into the mill on Monday morning and spent a few hours exploring before seeking out a dark spot under a workbench. "I was still bleary-eyed, early in the morning, and was using the drill press in the workshop when I heard a scuttle behind me," he said. "I turned around and there was a big kiwi running around the middle of the workshop. So I called all the guys, we had a look, and sort of panicked. We didn't know what to do." Lucas James was first alerted to the visitor when he heard its claws on th...