WEBVTT - From healthy homes to golden visas: How July 1 changes could affect you 0:00:05.400 --> 0:00:05.760 Yoda. 0:00:05.800 --> 0:00:08.760 I'm Chelsea Daniels and This is the Front Page, a 0:00:08.840 --> 0:00:16.360 daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. On July 0:00:16.520 --> 0:00:19.239 fet a series of changes are due to be implemented 0:00:19.280 --> 0:00:21.640 by the government, and some of them will have a 0:00:21.720 --> 0:00:25.920 direct impact on your day to day. Notably, all rental 0:00:25.960 --> 0:00:29.160 properties in New Zealand must comply it with the Healthy 0:00:29.240 --> 0:00:33.880 Home Standards six years after that became law under the 0:00:33.960 --> 0:00:34.760 Labor Government. 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:36.080 One labor law. 0:00:36.000 --> 0:00:40.920 Change hasn't survived, though that government's blanket speed limit reductions 0:00:41.040 --> 0:00:45.200 must all be reversed by Tuesday. Paid parental leave rates 0:00:45.240 --> 0:00:48.840 will also go up, while job Seeker support clients must 0:00:48.960 --> 0:00:52.720 now reapply for their benefit every twenty six weeks rather 0:00:52.760 --> 0:00:56.960 than fifty two, and the invest New Zealand agency designed 0:00:56.960 --> 0:00:59.760 to attract foreign investment is due to be set up 0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:02.880 by July first as well. It'll also be easier for 0:01:02.960 --> 0:01:08.280 kiwis to access contraceptives like IUDs, nutrition replacements will be 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:12.000 fully funded for adults with Crohn's disease, and increase in 0:01:12.080 --> 0:01:15.720 some customs fees and goods levies crossing our border, and 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:19.480 a new legal requirement to keep records of the movement 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:23.280 of raw milk on and off farms. Later we'll dig 0:01:23.280 --> 0:01:25.959 into those more political changes and what they mean for 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:30.160 you with Newstalk ZB political reporter Azaria Howe. But first 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:33.200 on the front page ends at Herald property editor and 0:01:33.280 --> 0:01:37.200 Gibson is with us to explain what healthy home standards 0:01:37.400 --> 0:01:45.720 actually look like and can you took us through the 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:49.360 five standards that must be in place by July. 0:01:49.560 --> 0:01:54.480 First is this is heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture, ingress and 0:01:54.640 --> 0:01:57.720 drainage and draft stopping. So the idea here is to 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:00.880 make rental homes fit for purpose. So then moldy, they're 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:03.440 not damp, they're not freezing in the winter, they're not 0:02:03.600 --> 0:02:04.560 boiling in the summer. 0:02:04.720 --> 0:02:08.639 What punishments await those landlords who haven't perhaps set up 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:10.160 these standards in time. 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:15.560 There's a seven thousand, two hundred dollar fine for breaches 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:19.720 of the healthy home standards in the Residential Tendencies Act. Now, 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:23.040 I have had a look at some tendency tribunal cases, 0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:27.720 and the tribunal can award exemplary damages to a tenant 0:02:27.919 --> 0:02:30.920 if they prove that the landlord had breached the healthy 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:31.800 home standard. 0:02:31.960 --> 0:02:33.240 And how do you go about proving that? 0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:36.400 You have to make an application to the tribunal. I 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:39.360 would think that initially the right thing to do, and 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:41.320 I think this is prescribed to is you go to 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:43.079 your landlord and you say, look, I need to be 0:02:43.080 --> 0:02:46.080 able to extract air when I'm cooking in the kitchen. 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:48.120 We have showers, and we need to be able to 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:50.160 get the steam out of the bathroom so the walls 0:02:50.160 --> 0:02:53.600 don't go black. There's a big gap under a door 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:55.560 and the wooden blows in at night. You know, and 0:02:55.720 --> 0:02:59.280 talk to the landlord. Obviously, if the house is non compliant, 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:02.919 I think the tenant should read the standards the published 0:03:03.040 --> 0:03:07.480 in great detail on Tendency Services website, and then I 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:11.320 think if there is no resolution, make an application to 0:03:11.480 --> 0:03:14.960 the tribunal as a tenant and then go through all 0:03:15.000 --> 0:03:17.480 the aspects you'd have to list there how the house 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:21.320 doesn't comply and how it doesn't meet the healthy home standards. 0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:24.960 What sort of homes or properties are exempt from this? 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:29.760 There are exemptions, and these are cases where you couldn't 0:03:30.200 --> 0:03:33.160 make adjustments to make the property meet the standards. So, 0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:36.480 for example, if you're an apartment building and your kitchen 0:03:36.560 --> 0:03:38.800 is in the middle of a block and you couldn't 0:03:39.000 --> 0:03:43.320 ventilate from the kitchen, you might be exempt. So there 0:03:43.320 --> 0:03:46.360 are not that many exemptions. But let's have a look. 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:50.920 So if you intend to demolish or substantially rebuild the 0:03:50.920 --> 0:03:53.880 property as a landlord, you don't have to comply. If 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:57.280 you've already applied for a resource consent you don't have 0:03:57.360 --> 0:03:59.840 to comply. Or if it's part of a building that 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:03.280 tenant doesn't own, exemptions might apply. 0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:07.680 You spoke with one multi millionaire landlord, Peter Lewis, the 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:11.480 other week, and he didn't seem very impressed by those exemptions. 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:14.839 Right well, Peter Lewis is an interesting person. He's been 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:19.200 involved with the Auckland Property Investors and New Zealand Property 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:23.280 Investors Federation for many years. He owns twelve rental properties. 0:04:23.400 --> 0:04:26.400 These are in South Auckland and in pokikok And he 0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:29.800 questions the standards now, he says, why don't the two 0:04:29.880 --> 0:04:33.279 million homes in New Zealand that you know, we have 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:35.599 two million homes in New Zealand and most of those 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:39.359 are owner occupied, why don't they need to comply? And 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:41.440 he says he makes the study of going around New 0:04:41.520 --> 0:04:44.400 Zealand and looking at motels and he said they certainly 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:47.680 don't comply. And then he questions what's going on with 0:04:47.760 --> 0:04:51.400 the approximately sixty three thousand people who live in retirement 0:04:51.480 --> 0:04:54.760 villages in New Zealand and says, why don't retirement village 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:58.240 owners have to comply when in many cases residents are 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:01.440 paying a million dollars in water buying to those properties. 0:05:01.480 --> 0:05:03.600 So he's got some good points, But I think overall, 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:05.960 what the government was looking at here when this was 0:05:06.040 --> 0:05:09.200 when this came into law, was how could how could 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:12.360 the lives of tenants be improved? And we know from 0:05:12.400 --> 0:05:16.320 many studies done that tenants suffer from health issues and 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:18.599 a lot of those cases are to do with the 0:05:18.640 --> 0:05:23.080 type of properties that they're living in, so asthma, respiratory diseases, 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:27.279 rheumatic fever, all those aspects. And so what the government 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.560 was trying to do here was make rental properties fit 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:32.239 for purpose and healthy. 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:37.760 We have at the moment a current situation this his 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:41.840 LANDLDS have to in twere nineteen seventy eight standard. Now, 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:45.480 mister speaker, I remember growing up in the nineteen seventies. 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:48.960 I remember seeing my breath in my bedroom. I remember 0:05:49.040 --> 0:05:53.240 ice on the inside of my windows. I remember a 0:05:53.520 --> 0:05:57.719 cold house and mister speaker, I think we can do better. 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:03.039 So when the standards were first announced under the last 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:05.040 Labor government, I remember how much of it ka faf 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:08.400 for the idea seem to cause. Have landlords for the 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:10.360 most part just gotten on with it. 0:06:10.400 --> 0:06:12.919 And well, that is a very good question, and we 0:06:13.000 --> 0:06:17.920 will only know when July one comes and if there 0:06:18.040 --> 0:06:21.039 is a number of cases that go to the tribunal. Now, 0:06:21.240 --> 0:06:24.880 I can't honestly believe myself personally that the homes that 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:29.400 approximately twenty thousand Otago University students live in actually meet 0:06:29.440 --> 0:06:33.080 the standard, because I do spend a little bit of 0:06:33.120 --> 0:06:34.840 time and to need and every year, and I look 0:06:34.880 --> 0:06:35.919 at the homes there. 0:06:35.720 --> 0:06:37.120 And I've seen those videos. 0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:40.880 I wonder, and you know, our own Rachel Mail, one 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:44.200 of our journalists here, wrote about the hell that she 0:06:44.440 --> 0:06:48.440 endured renting homes, and I wonder about all those houses 0:06:48.480 --> 0:06:51.600 in the Utow Valley in Wellington. I've lived in Mortimer 0:06:51.720 --> 0:06:55.080 Terras in Wellington and it was very cold and damp, 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:57.279 and the properties that I lived in as a student 0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:01.280 were certainly would not comply with these standards. So it's 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:03.960 a really good question. How many homes have been upgraded, 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:06.680 how many meet the standard, but even more how many 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:07.920 don't meet the standard? 0:07:08.040 --> 0:07:09.680 And you mentioned something about a two dollar coin. 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:12.920 Yes, so if you get the edge of a two 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:15.400 dollar coin, you can shove it into the gap between 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:18.200 the window and the architrave, or the architrave and the 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:21.640 door underneath or beside or whatever. That gap has to 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:22.600 be sealed, so. 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:25.160 That doesn't meet the standards. If that tiny. 0:07:25.040 --> 0:07:27.400 Doesn't meet the standard, the edge of a two dollar coin, 0:07:27.440 --> 0:07:29.440 and I mean I can stand in my kitchen and 0:07:30.160 --> 0:07:32.560 work out which direction the breeze is coming from. You know, 0:07:32.960 --> 0:07:38.160 a nineteen twenty six bungalow and devonport which I've owned 0:07:38.160 --> 0:07:40.600 for the last thirty years or so with my husband. 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:42.880 I know it doesn't meet the healthy home standard, but 0:07:43.320 --> 0:07:45.360 we live there. We're not planning to rent it out. 0:07:45.440 --> 0:07:48.360 We seem to be relatively healthy. But I do acknowledge 0:07:48.400 --> 0:07:50.840 that there are many aspects of it that don't comply. 0:07:51.000 --> 0:07:53.280 And it's not just those sort of gaps. It's also 0:07:53.400 --> 0:07:57.080 trying to sell up the ceiling and the floor. So 0:07:57.160 --> 0:08:00.720 to get insulation into those places and to get fixed 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:03.840 forms of hating is so important. You know, advice that 0:08:03.880 --> 0:08:06.640 can bring the living area up to a certain temperature 0:08:06.720 --> 0:08:09.440 and keep it. It's a pretty basic thing to ask for, right, 0:08:09.520 --> 0:08:12.160 Thanks for joining us in welcome. 0:08:20.440 --> 0:08:23.679 Now we turn to the political changes coming into effect 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:30.360 with News Talk z be's Azaria Howe. So we've been 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:34.000 hearing a lot about foreign investments since the start of 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:37.480 the year. What role does invest in z have to 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:38.600 play in that goal? 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:42.280 Yeah, So Invest New Zealand, which is this new government department, 0:08:42.360 --> 0:08:45.320 opens its doors on the first of the month, so 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:48.000 it's also the start of the new financial year. 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:48.360 Now. 0:08:48.400 --> 0:08:52.960 Just recently, actually legislation passed to formally establish that agency, 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:55.360 Invest New Zealand, which is kind of trying to lure 0:08:55.360 --> 0:08:58.760 in international talent and bring some cash in to boost 0:08:58.800 --> 0:09:02.320 our economy, just a piece of what the government essentially 0:09:02.360 --> 0:09:05.680 calls its going for growth puzzle. Invest New Zealand has 0:09:06.160 --> 0:09:09.400 four main sort of goals, the first one being to 0:09:09.520 --> 0:09:13.360 drive investment into what they're calling high growth industries, the 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:17.559 second being to connect investors with local businesses and research, 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:20.840 the third being to support companies to grow their research 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:24.160 and development in New Zealand, and the last but not 0:09:24.320 --> 0:09:28.000 least goal of New Zealand helping to build those skills 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:31.360 for what they call a more innovative economy, so there's 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:34.680 quite a big focus in terms of tapping into those markets. 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:38.120 Trade and Investment Minister Todd McLay seems to be pretty 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:40.880 confident about what that new agency can do. 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:43.440 He is quoted as saying invest. 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:46.400 New Zealand will act as a bridge between global capital 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:49.360 and New Zealand's economic potential. He's also said it's about 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:52.400 making it easier to do business here, cutting red tapes, 0:09:52.440 --> 0:09:56.240 speeding up that decision making and targeting investment that delivers 0:09:56.440 --> 0:09:59.920 long term benefits for the country. So essentially trying to 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:04.120 hap into those markets a big piece of this, as 0:10:04.160 --> 0:10:07.040 well as that Golden Visa. It's worth noting there's been 0:10:07.200 --> 0:10:09.800 quite strong interest in that Golden visa. 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:11.120 We call it a Golden visa. 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:15.320 The actual name of it is the Active Investor Plus Visa, 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:17.520 but I feel like golden visa is it's got a 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:20.040 better ring to it. I suppose an Active Investor plus. 0:10:20.040 --> 0:10:23.640 But yes, within recent days the government confirmed more than 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:26.439 one billion dollars. I'll say that again. One of the 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:29.760 one billion dollars has been confirmed to be committed to 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:33.160 New Zealand as part of that investment scheme, and a 0:10:33.200 --> 0:10:35.880 big chunk of it, more than eight hundred million dollars 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:38.640 of that is from when the government changed those settings 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:41.240 and hopes to sort of get more people and get 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:44.640 more capital into New Zealand. Nikola Willis said it proved 0:10:44.640 --> 0:10:47.960 New Zealand's growth potential, essentially also giving a bit of 0:10:47.960 --> 0:10:50.640 a marker on how she would like to see the 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:55.520 scheme progress. She was pointing to treasuries expectation of creating 0:10:55.600 --> 0:10:58.760 two hundred and forty thousand new jobs over four years 0:10:59.200 --> 0:11:01.560 and also said if you'd like to exceed that. So 0:11:01.640 --> 0:11:03.960 that's one will keep an eye on if that sort 0:11:04.000 --> 0:11:08.240 of investment scheme does bring in potentially more than two 0:11:08.320 --> 0:11:10.640 hundred thousand new jobs into the country. 0:11:10.720 --> 0:11:14.920 And also from July first, an increase to paid parental 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:18.400 leave that's coming through up from seven hundred and fifty 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:21.480 four dollars and eighty seven cents to seven hundred and 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:25.200 eighty eight dollars and sixty six cents per week. Is 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:28.200 this a standard adjustment the same way benefits tick up 0:11:28.240 --> 0:11:30.240 every year or is this government policy? 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:33.080 Yeah, so this is quite a big part of the 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:38.560 new financial year, and obviously we've celebrated the new year 0:11:38.640 --> 0:11:42.040 on January first, we've celebrated Matadiki and now it's time 0:11:42.120 --> 0:11:44.559 for another new year, that one being about the cash. 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:48.560 Now Minister for Workplace Relations Brock van Dolden made that announcement. 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:51.440 It's worth noting though it is part of this annual 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:54.440 adjustment which aligns those sort of payments in terms of 0:11:54.559 --> 0:11:57.240 average earnings. So if the cash is going up, so 0:11:57.480 --> 0:12:00.800 as the payment people who are eligible can access these 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:03.400 payments for up to twenty six weeks. And I thought 0:12:03.480 --> 0:12:06.839 it was quite interesting to see Brook van Velden saying 0:12:06.880 --> 0:12:10.480 it also applies to people who've experienced a miscarriage or 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:13.080 a still birth, and it also applies to people who 0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:15.839 act as surrogates, So maybe for people who can't have 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:19.800 their own children for medical or personal reasons, surrogates can 0:12:19.840 --> 0:12:22.880 also take time out of work to recover and sort 0:12:22.920 --> 0:12:23.960 of benefit. 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:24.760 From that scheme. 0:12:24.840 --> 0:12:28.520 When announcing those changes, the Minister was quite hot on 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:31.880 the economy. That was as we've previously said, it seems 0:12:31.920 --> 0:12:34.439 like quite a big focus, Brook van Velden said, and 0:12:34.480 --> 0:12:36.959 I quote, I acknowledge it continues to be tough for 0:12:37.080 --> 0:12:39.760 families right now, paiper and to leave is one way 0:12:39.800 --> 0:12:42.400 the government can help ease that pressure on the cost 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:45.360 of living for families when they're away from work caring 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:48.880 for children. So that is quite a significant announcement in 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:51.760 something that comes in on the first of July. As 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:54.840 we've said, it's also been a bit of a political topic, 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:58.000 as most things are in campaign mode. The last election, 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:01.640 Labor made a policy about this exact one, saying it 0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:05.240 would introduce four weeks of paid partners leave that could 0:13:05.280 --> 0:13:08.880 be taken with or after primary carers leave. The Greens 0:13:08.960 --> 0:13:13.559 also have been calling on wider eligibility criteria in terms 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:16.960 of this policy, and it builds on previous policies from 0:13:16.960 --> 0:13:20.600 this government in terms of families and finance and things 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:20.960 like that. 0:13:21.240 --> 0:13:25.040 Speaking of benefits, what's happening with regards to changes to 0:13:25.160 --> 0:13:27.440 reapplying for the job seeker benefit. 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:30.400 Yeah, so people on that job seeker benefit will have 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:34.120 to reapply for their benefit every twenty six weeks. Now 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:37.160 it's currently fifty two weeks. And if that sounds familiar 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:40.440 to you, it's because fifty two weeks is exactly one year. 0:13:40.679 --> 0:13:45.240 So Work and Income is essentially looking after the role 0:13:45.320 --> 0:13:47.720 out of this scheme. It says it'll check in more 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:50.960 regularly to make sure people are getting the right support 0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:54.440 or finding and preparing for work when they're on that 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:57.800 job seeker benefit, so seeking for a job. It also 0:13:58.120 --> 0:14:00.960 is promising that it will it will let people know 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:03.839 when they need to reapply for that benefit. So it's 0:14:03.880 --> 0:14:08.120 expected people will get a notification about twenty five working 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:11.400 days before they need to reapply for their job seeker 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:14.839 But it is coming in a lot more regularly. That's 0:14:14.840 --> 0:14:17.760 because they want people to keep in touch with MSD 0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:20.520 in terms of what they're actually doing, how they're going 0:14:20.560 --> 0:14:23.040 to find a job, and maybe if they need more 0:14:23.080 --> 0:14:26.840 support or more help in terms of them chasing employment. 0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:30.440 There's also been a lot of changes in terms of beneficiaries, 0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:32.560 and I'm sure a lot of people would be aware 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:36.000 of the benefit traffic light system, which has been quite 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:39.320 controversial for some We talked about the big day, the 0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:42.960 budget day, budget twenty twenty five that kind of drew 0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:45.240 a line in the sand. One of the big headlines 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:47.600 of that budget looked sort of a couple of years 0:14:47.640 --> 0:14:50.560 in the future, and this is not something that's coming 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:53.040 on the first of July twenty twenty five. This is 0:14:53.120 --> 0:14:56.440 proposed for the first of July twenty twenty seven. From them, 0:14:56.640 --> 0:15:00.440 they are essentially looking to means test study jobs for 0:15:00.440 --> 0:15:03.560 people who are eighteen and nineteen years old, saying that 0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:05.400 they're going to put in place what is called a 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:09.080 parental assistance test in the ENTRGUE criteria as well for 0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:12.560 the accommodation supplement also changing. So that is going to 0:15:12.560 --> 0:15:15.760 be an interesting debate as kind of the years go 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:17.720 by as well in terms of the benefit. 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:20.880 That is long to go before that takes place. 0:15:20.920 --> 0:15:23.040 But yes, from the first of July, people will have 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:26.080 to reapply for that benefit every twenty six weeks. 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:31.320 But economic growth also requires people to get from a 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:34.600 to b as quickly and as efficiently as possible, and 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:37.640 we certainly need to speed up produce getting to shops, 0:15:37.680 --> 0:15:40.480 We need to speed up export goods getting to ports, 0:15:40.520 --> 0:15:43.520 parcels getting delivered, and of course workers having shorter commuting 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:45.560 times so they can get home to their families and 0:15:45.560 --> 0:15:48.680 spend more time at home with their families. I got 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:50.600 to tell you, the previous government was great at saying 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:53.960 no and slowing everything down across this country and across 0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:56.400 our economy. We are a government of action, and as 0:15:56.440 --> 0:15:59.160 I keep saying, we're a government of common sense, we're 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:01.200 saying a lot less know and a lot more yes, 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:04.200 and that's what this is actually about. So we're really 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:08.760 pleased that we are literally literally accelerating New Zealand's economic growth. 0:16:11.560 --> 0:16:14.880 And the other big one is the reversal of Labour's 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:18.080 speed limit reductions. Those are all going to be gone 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:21.880 by July first. Why is the government so keen on 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:24.800 getting rid of those changes kind of arbitrarily? 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:28.600 Yeah, So this announcement was it's kind of been signaled 0:16:28.600 --> 0:16:31.320 for a decent amount of time, essentially in. 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:33.040 A bid to speed up drivers. 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:35.120 It was made in the wided upper and it was 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:39.280 estimated that State Highway that being State Highway two between 0:16:39.400 --> 0:16:43.760 Featherstone and Marsterton, would speed up drivers by three minutes. 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:46.920 Now that doesn't seem like a decent amount, but the 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:50.240 government is saying this is for around ten thousand vehicles 0:16:50.280 --> 0:16:52.680 a day, mostly rate and things like that, and it 0:16:52.800 --> 0:16:55.920 is something that could speed up the economy. The government 0:16:56.040 --> 0:17:01.000 essentially had been against those speed limituctions from. 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:01.840 The Labor Party. 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:05.120 They're saying they were blanket speed limit reduction some places 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:09.280 going down by ten twenty thirty kilometers an hour, and 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:11.880 it seems like some motorists are not happy. 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:13.760 The other piece of the coin. 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:18.240 I suppose some road safety advocates also not happy about 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:21.760 the speed limits going back up, but Transport Minister Chris 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:26.880 Bishop is promising that safety has been taken into account. Essentially, 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:30.440 Chris Bishop, when he's asked about the safety issues and 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:34.240 those factors, he says the number one factor for road 0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:38.080 deaths is not speed, it's actually drugs and alcohol, which 0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:40.280 he is trying to make a big focus of the 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:44.560 government's road safety plan. They're focusing on the rollout of 0:17:44.600 --> 0:17:47.919 these roadside drug tests in terms of hoping to bring 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:51.720 those road deaths down, and they're essentially saying in terms 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:54.879 of a lot of these roads they were actually at 0:17:54.920 --> 0:17:57.680 a higher speed limit, they were brought down and now 0:17:57.720 --> 0:17:58.440 they're being. 0:17:58.240 --> 0:17:59.920 Brought back up to what they were. 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:02.960 It's also worth noting some of those blanket speed reductions 0:18:03.040 --> 0:18:06.040 were because they were in school zones and places like that. 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:10.080 So it will definitely be an interesting one to see 0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:12.560 the impacts that that is going to have. But yes, 0:18:12.600 --> 0:18:15.200 it's been a bit of a political hot topic, as 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:18.240 you'd expect, to be honest, in terms of speeding people 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:20.880 up or slowing them down. It's always going to be controversial. 0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:23.600 With probably a half of drivers and the other half 0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:25.399 will feel the other. 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:26.160 Way in Azaria. 0:18:26.240 --> 0:18:29.080 Do you think these changes are working with voters. I mean, 0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:33.600 the investment factor is particularly interesting. We've been hearing about 0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:35.480 that a lot. But is it getting to cut through 0:18:35.520 --> 0:18:36.560 with the general public. 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:39.840 Yeah, so, I mean I suppose it's quite hard to 0:18:39.960 --> 0:18:42.880 say if it is resonating or not. I mean, there's 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:46.040 been a few polls which have showed some different results, 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:49.320 so it's not really one hundred percent clear if that 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:53.080 is resonating. I think another thing is that people might 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:55.400 have to sort of slow down in terms of the 0:18:55.480 --> 0:18:59.879 impacts of invest New Zealand. The ministers have sort of 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:03.600 signaled that we're getting this money into the economy. We're 0:19:03.640 --> 0:19:05.959 trying to get these visas in, but it's something that 0:19:06.080 --> 0:19:09.080 might take some time. So sort of trying to get 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:13.680 the cash into the economy, getting those jobs, sorting out startups, 0:19:13.760 --> 0:19:17.480 making those startups grow, bringing those startups into sort of European, 0:19:17.600 --> 0:19:21.600 American Asian markets, it could be quite a big task. 0:19:21.800 --> 0:19:25.879 Cost of living being quite a significant portion in terms 0:19:25.960 --> 0:19:28.600 of what the government is trying to tackle investment. 0:19:28.720 --> 0:19:29.600 Going for growth. 0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:33.280 The government has released this big Going for Growth plan 0:19:33.760 --> 0:19:37.320 and the investment is a big part of it. It'll 0:19:37.359 --> 0:19:39.840 also be interesting once we do find out the big 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:43.680 names of the people who may have gotten these golden visas. 0:19:43.760 --> 0:19:47.400 That may change things and we'll see from there. But 0:19:47.440 --> 0:19:50.080 in terms of politics, there is still quite a way 0:19:50.080 --> 0:19:53.920 to go in terms of the next election and then 0:19:53.960 --> 0:19:59.040 the election after that. Obviously there's local elections relatively soon, 0:19:59.160 --> 0:20:02.280 but that is is going to have less of an 0:20:02.320 --> 0:20:03.280 economic focus. 0:20:03.480 --> 0:20:06.480 Thanks for joining us, Azariah, Thanks so much. It's been great. 0:20:08.880 --> 0:20:12.000 That's it for this episode of the Front Page. You 0:20:12.000 --> 0:20:15.840 can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage 0:20:15.880 --> 0:20:19.879 at enzedherld dot co dot nz. The Front Page is 0:20:19.920 --> 0:20:23.679 produced by Ethan Sills and Richard Martin, who is also 0:20:23.840 --> 0:20:24.920 our sound engineer. 0:20:25.400 --> 0:20:26.879 I'm Chelsea Daniels. 0:20:27.480 --> 0:20:30.639 Subscribe to The Front Page on iHeartRadio or wherever you 0:20:30.680 --> 0:20:34.520 get your podcasts, and tune in on Monday for another 0:20:34.560 --> 0:20:37.840 look behind the headlines.