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We strongly believe that one of life’s greatest pleasures is a restful, luxurious and comfortable night’s sleep.
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With a range of different printers, stacks of paper, a roll of clear film, glue and bottles of dye, Nicholas Parker spent time perfecting his fake $50 notes. And for more than five weeks, he got away with spending them all around the Bay of Plenty and Waikato. He'd go into different shops, buy… View moreWith a range of different printers, stacks of paper, a roll of clear film, glue and bottles of dye, Nicholas Parker spent time perfecting his fake $50 notes. And for more than five weeks, he got away with spending them all around the Bay of Plenty and Waikato. He'd go into different shops, buy something small with the goal of getting legitimate cash in change. He'd screw up his fake note to try to hide the fact they were counterfeit and would engage in a conversation with the person behind the counter to distract them. He said he did it because he had no money. Details of Parker's master plan can now be revealed after the 39-year-old aluminium joiner pleaded guilty to a range of charges when he appeared in the Rotorua District Court this week. Among more than 20 charges that he admitted were making fake $50 notes, possessing equipment and materials used to make the fake notes, possessing the fake money and using the fake money. A police summary of facts has been released to the Rotorua Daily Post which said Parker created an unknown number of forged $50 notes. "[Parker] has spent a considerable amount of time perfecting the forged $50 notes, as a result the notes closely resemble genuine $50 notes," the summary said. "The only obvious discrepancies between the forged notes produced by [Parker] and genuine notes, were the type of paper used and the absence of the watermark in the clear windows." The summary of facts said Parker told police he started making fake $50 notes because he didn't have any money and needed to get accommodation and buy food and clothes. Officer in charge of the case, Detective Sergeant Leonie Smith of the Rotorua CIB, told the Rotorua Daily Post after Parker's court appearance on Thursday that Parker was nabbed after an off-duty police officer spotted him at Bayfair shopping mall at Mount Maunganui on April 9. It came to the officer's attention because he was mingling with a man he was aware had previously been linked with presenting a counterfeit $50 note. Smith said the off-duty officer showed good instincts to take a photograph of Parker and the associate and circulated it with police. The police summary of facts said Parker went into Pricewise at Bayfair on the same day and bought toothpaste, deodorant and a sewing kit. He paid for the items with a fake $50 note and got $37 in change. The summary said staff went to the bank immediately after to change the bank note and realised it was fake. A short while later, a staff member recognised Parker still in the mall and confronted him about the fake note - resulting in the goods being returned and Parker returning the $37.
Smith told the Rotorua Daily Post as a result of Parker's actions on that day and the off-duty officer's actions, a search warrant was done of Parker's Basley Rd home on April 12. Inside, police found printers, failed forged bank notes and ink cartridges for printers. However, Smith said Parker wasn't at the home and he was instead found at a Sterling Pl house in Tokoroa on April 28. The police summary of facts said a printer, practice and failed forged bank notes, stacks of paper, a roll of clear film, glue and bottles of dye were found at the Tokoroa house. Smith told the Rotorua Daily Post police viewed security footage in shops where Parker had presented fakes notes. She said the notes appeared crunched up to avoid detection and on each occasion, he would talk to the person behind the counter to try to distract them while they put the fake note in the till. Smith said that although on the face of it they appeared a good likeness, on closer inspection it was obvious they were fake. She said they were printed on standard A4 paper which can rip and the clear plastic part that had been glued wasn't sophisticated. "It didn't take shops long to realise they were fake but it was just a matter of finding him." She said it was the first time in several years someone had tried to make counterfeit notes in this area that she was aware of. Pricewise manager Darcy Hemara told the Rotorua Daily Post she was pleased to hear the man who had been making the fake notes had been found and she was proud of her staff for playing a small part in helping to catch him. She said just after Parker handed her colleague the fake note, they needed more change in the tills so she took cash to a bank in the mall to get change. She said the machine "spat" the fake note back out and ripped it. "I knew straight away it was fake and when I held it I noticed it didn't feel like an actual note." Judge Simon Menzies remanded Parker in custody to reappear for sentencing on August 5. The maximum penalty for the offences he faces is 10 years' imprisonment.
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Budget 2021 sees the ‘the biggest lift in a generation’ to benefits, $1 billion for Māori housing, health and education, as well as an overall investment of $4.7 billion to health. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said this year’s Budget was "still in the shadow of Covid-19 and its … View moreBudget 2021 sees the ‘the biggest lift in a generation’ to benefits, $1 billion for Māori housing, health and education, as well as an overall investment of $4.7 billion to health. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said this year’s Budget was "still in the shadow of Covid-19 and its focus is to secure our recovery from its impact".
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Here’s what you need to know.
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Welfare:
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Benefit rates are set to rise, with rates to increase by at least $32 to $55 a week from April next year. That is in addition to a $20 boost to all main benefits in July. It comes on top of the $25 benefit lift which came in during the Covid-19 response last year.
- Weekly benefit rates to increase between $32-$55 per adult by April 2022, estimated to cost $3.3 billion over four years (dependent on the number of people receiving benefits)
- All benefits to increase $20 in July 2021
- Main benefits to get a further boost on April 2022 to be in line with Welfare Advisory Group recommendations.
- Families with children will receive an extra $15 per adult per week
- Student support living costs increases by $25 in April 2022
- Increasing the income threshold for childcare assistance
Health:
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- $4.7 billion allocated to health
- Pharmac gets an extra $200m for the purchase of more medicines, treatment and devices
- $486m for new health reforms – that includes $98.1m to establish the Māori Health Authority
- Overall - $243m operating for Māori health which includes $18m to establish iwi/Māori partnership boards, the establishment for the Māori Health Authority and for it to invest in hauora Māori services
- $2.7b extra for District Health Boards over four years
- $516.6m for the development and running of health infrastructure, which includes a national health information platform
- Almost $400m for people with long-term physical, intellectual or sensory impairments
- $100m for air and road ambulance services.
- An extra $50m for the Healthy Homes Initiative
- $3.8m for Family Planning
Health Minister Andrew Little said Budget 2021 increased primary care funding by $46.7m a year – “so that as our population grows, GPs can contribute to provide affordable healthcare to the people who need it most”.
Māori Housing:
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- $380 million for Māori housing
- Of that, 1,000 new homes for Māori – including papakāinga housing, affordable rentals, transitional housing, and owner-occupied housing
- Repairs to 700 Māori-owned homes and support services
- $30 million for iwi and Māori groups to accelerate housing projects
- Injecting $350m from the Housing Acceleration Fund for infrastructure for Māori housing
Associate Māori Housing Minister Peeni Henare said that making sure Māori had access to warm, dry homes was important for “health, social and economic reasons”.
Economic recovery:
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- Treasury’s Budget update forecasts the deficit to narrow, reaching $2.3 billion in the 2024/25 period
- Net Core Crown debt is forecast to go up by about $100b by 2024/25 – peaking at 48 per cent of GDP in 2022/23
- Unemployment is forecast to rise up to 5.2 per cent this June, before trending down to 4.2 per cent in 2025.
- Operating allowance for Budget 2021 was $3.8b per year and capital allowance for Budget 2021-24 up to $12b.
“Despite some near-term weakness, the economy is expected to strengthen throughout the forecast period, supported by the return of international visitors and higher Government spending,” Secretary to the Treasury Caralee McLiesh wrote.
Education:
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- Training incentive allowance scaled up
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- Overall – Budget 2021 gives $1.4b over four years to operational funding for schools and early learning
- Schools and early learning get $185m, in operating and $53m in capital to establish an education service agency to support schools
- One-off funding package for maintenance and upgrades at state-integrated schools
Social insurance scheme:
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- The Government revealed today it is proposing an ACC-style unemployment insurance scheme
- The proposal looks to provide about 80 per cent cover for a limited time after a person loses their job and linked to training opportunities
Windfarm at Scott Base in Antarctica:
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- $306 million to replace windfarm and project operating costs of $38 million
- Expected to need 170 jobs for peak of construction and 700 overall over six years
Pre-Budget announcements:
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$118.6 million for improved cervical and breast cancer screening
$170 million pay boost over four years for early childhood teachers
$67.4 million over four years to de-carbonise the public sector by 2025
Priorities of Budget 2021:
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Continuing the Covid-19 response
Delivering priority and time-sensitive manifesto commitments
Supporting core public services through managing critical cost pressures
Continuing to deliver on existing investments
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Hi Neighbours,
I wrote the piece titled ‘Standing on the side of the road - Genuine Hardship’ found on the noticeboard.
LINK: www.neighbourly.co.nz...
I’m very grateful for the kind comments and for ‘Car……’ helping me out.
I explained my medical situation and that I hoped a … View moreHi Neighbours,
I wrote the piece titled ‘Standing on the side of the road - Genuine Hardship’ found on the noticeboard.
LINK: www.neighbourly.co.nz...
I’m very grateful for the kind comments and for ‘Car……’ helping me out.
I explained my medical situation and that I hoped a followup proceedure would fix me. Unfortunately, I’m too complicated for a proceedure and am not expecting to live much longer, thus, I need a miracle. Since I’m not part of a church, I am hoping I can use others and the power of people’s prayers.
….….
I also need to ask for help to sort out WINZ which will help immensely with health costs. For example: The family crisis I’ve been dealing with is improving slowly as expected, but it’s costly. I ran out of gas 3 times last week attending the many appointments.
….….
On top of asking the above, I urgently need food.
I’m exhausted a lot of the time and my body crashes forcing me to sleep a lot. I am hardly able to stand on the side of the road and while I am hoping to leave shortly, a neighbour suggested I ask on our neighbourly website and give my bank account number instead.
….….
I wish I could explain things more but that’s holding me back from posting. Please, contact me if you have questions.
PS: I am more than happy to receive food (and gas) and let you know if others have helped (if that holds you back).
Bank Account: 02-1242-0091536-002
Phone number: 0275978706
PPS: The silver linings include 'Sprituality' and learning to do things myself.
I can fix a washing machine and build a fence. I have attached a picture of a fence I built myself on days out of hospital. I am now helping neighbours fix their fence, hehe
Cyclists will have additional spots to lock up their bikes with new facilities installed as part of a cycleway trial.
Project WAVE is a $1 million cycleway trial in the Viaduct Harbour to connect the Quay and Nelson Street cycleways that could have over a thousand daily users.
Auckland … View moreCyclists will have additional spots to lock up their bikes with new facilities installed as part of a cycleway trial.
Project WAVE is a $1 million cycleway trial in the Viaduct Harbour to connect the Quay and Nelson Street cycleways that could have over a thousand daily users.
Auckland Transport (AT) confirmed two new bike parking facilities able to accommodate 16 bikes have been installed as part of the trial, taking the total number of bike parks along the cycleway to 56.
The project is opposed by a group of residents and business owners.
The two new bike parking facilities are located on Customs Street West between Market Place and Lower Hobson Street. One is located near the Tepid Baths, and one is near O’Hagan’s bar.
The area now has enough space for around 56 bikes, as there were already existing facilities to accommodate 40 bikes before Project WAVE was implemented.
AT spokeswoman Natalie Polley said there are also numerous new bike parking facilities on Quay Street and in the new square as part of the Downtown project.
"That doesn’t even take into account bike parking at the ferry terminal, the AT Downtown Carpark and at many other locations on the Viaduct,” she said.
By Ripu Bhatia
*Please put NFP if you do not want your comments used by Stuff.
Hello neighbors. I need a vacum cleaner. Would rather garden for you as payment. If you can help me please message or 027784064. Thankyou.
My random query is thus, has anyone else who lives in the vicinity of housing developments experiencing a very heavy load of mushrooms or toadstools or other forms of fungi appearing in their garden, potted plants etc ...?
This may sound kind of random, but it seems to be happening in two places … View moreMy random query is thus, has anyone else who lives in the vicinity of housing developments experiencing a very heavy load of mushrooms or toadstools or other forms of fungi appearing in their garden, potted plants etc ...?
This may sound kind of random, but it seems to be happening in two places out west that I am aware of.
I ask as I have NEVER had any fungi appearing before this last year.
They have suddenly appeared since we've had a couple of large housing developments in the area.
With all of the soil clearance and scrapping of the remaining land preparing for the foundations, I was wondering if any spores of these said fungi have been dug up and are being blown all around the neighbourhood?
I thought that I may have been way off base, and could still be, but a friend who lives in the Swanson area has been experiencing the exact same thing and he has housing developments right across the road and quite a few down Swanson Road.
He seems to agree with my theory and I was wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same thing.
I wonder what else the excavating has loosened and is being transported around the neighbourhood by the wind and all of those heavy trucks removing all the rubble and dirt?
What happened to the LTSA rules for trucks having to cover their loads, especially with loose rubble, dirt, stones etc ...?
2 chairs, wood frame with multi coloured cloth seat covering. Have been used in counselling office. Happy to send picture via messenger if requested. 2 chairs, 1 price
Hi neighbours,
Do you have a vehicle that is taking up space and becoming an eyesore? At AAA Auto Parts we dismantle and wreck cars. We will pay top cash whether your car is dead or alive!
* $300 - $3000 for small cars
* $700 - $10,000 for 4x4 utes, vans, 4WD, trucks and buses
* Same day … View moreHi neighbours,
Do you have a vehicle that is taking up space and becoming an eyesore? At AAA Auto Parts we dismantle and wreck cars. We will pay top cash whether your car is dead or alive!
* $300 - $3000 for small cars
* $700 - $10,000 for 4x4 utes, vans, 4WD, trucks and buses
* Same day removal
* Free quotes over the phone
We will beat any prices in the market by 10%.
Support your local business.
Give us a call on ** 0800 50 00 01 ** and we will be happy to have a chat.
The directive, which essentially means those in the public sector earning more than $60,000 will only get a pay rise in exceptional circumstances for the next three years, has infuriated some workers. It has prompted crisis meetings between the government and unions, and a commitment to review the … View moreThe directive, which essentially means those in the public sector earning more than $60,000 will only get a pay rise in exceptional circumstances for the next three years, has infuriated some workers. It has prompted crisis meetings between the government and unions, and a commitment to review the directive next year. The government denies it is a 'freeze', saying people can still move between pay bands and it is about equity, raising the wages of workers making $50,000 or less – that is 25 per cent of public servants.
Some public sector leadership salaries:
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Matt Whineray, CEO NZ Super Fund: $929,000 (after Covid-19 reduction)
Scott Pickering, CEO ACC: $826,000
Ailsa Claire, CEO ADHB: $677,000
John Ryan, Auditor General: $670,000
Peter Hughes, Public Service Commissioner: $630,000
Rob Everett, CEO Financial Services Authority (just resigned): $623,000
Cherly de la Rey, VC University of Canterbury: $594,000
Tim Fowler, CEO Tertiary Education Commission: $560,000
Judge Peter Boshier, Chief Ombudsman: $456,000
Sid Miller, CEO Earthquake Commission: $437,000
A lower public sector staff salary:
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Jane Doe, administrator Dept of Corrections: $45,000
University of Otago Department of Accountancy and Finance associate professor Dr Helen Roberts put those remuneration packages into perspective. "I just looked at the data that's out on the public sector websites, you can go and look yourself. I looked at the top five paid individuals in the state sector who were full term," she said.
"The top five earn $3.882 million between them. If we break that down, we're talking on average, those five individuals took home $776,400 each before tax last year. "And if I think about minimum wage, that person is taking home under $40,000 a year and at the new minimum wage which just came into effect, that's $41,600.
"If we look at NZ stats, we're still talking about people earning around on average $67,000 or a median of $56,000. So there's a big difference..."If you just want to pay [chief executives] based on what the consultant tells you, what a person in that position on average is getting paid in that sector, then that's what the Labour Act will do. "It will tell you the minimum criteria that an employer needs to make. "I would argue that your baseline employees are worth a lot more than that, and those top-end employees would do just as good a job, but for less money, because they appreciate what they're doing and they have skills and value that they want to add to the organisation, that has more value than just the dollar pay cheque they take home." There did have to be some incentive to take such leadership positions, but the question was what was acceptable, Roberts said. "Does it need to be more than half a million dollars a year? Where's the cut-off? Where's an acceptable reward for the amount of responsibility and the skills you need to do these jobs? "They are highly skilled jobs. At the same time, you still need your face to face, customer engagement with those people who are working on the ground level. "I think often what happens here is compensation consultants are used to help direct the board around how these pay levels should be set and the comparison is to look at someone who's working in the private sector. "So someone who's in a publicly listed company, employed privately. What do they get paid, and then that becomes a benchmark for our state services sector. "But of course there's a big difference in those roles because of the risk involved. "In the state sector you're getting money from the government, you're not facing the risk of bankruptcy or changes in markets or changes in demand. "You're not going to have to make a whole lot of people redundant tomorrow, so it's a very different role that you play in the state sector as opposed to a private sector individual. "So we can't directly compare those pay levels, and I think that's where we're seeing these very high state sector pay levels coming from. "We have to incentivise those individuals so that they manage those risks and the best interests of the stakeholders that they represent. However, there are still flaws in the way the pay setting process currently works in New Zealand, and in a lot of Western countries, and that is because most of these pay packets are on fixed base level. "So when we look at the highest paid individuals, more than half of that money is paid to them in a fixed contract. It's a salary. Then there's a small amount, maybe another $100,000, $200,000 that comes with their performance incentives, but most of it is fixed. "So there is no incentive to do more than you have to… but you're going to take away $500,000 regardless." A bigger percentage of public sector leaders' pay packages should be performance-based, she said. "There should be more linked to performance and less fixed pay, and if you perform well, you meet the objectives of the organisation and the criteria set out in your contract, then you should be rewarded for that achievement." 'Most of us would be happy winning Lotto once'
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Fabulous effort and mouth-watering results from our Diploma, Level 5 cookery students cook this week.
1. Duck breast Sauce Bigarade with turned vegetables and pommes maxime.
2. Share platter: Home made Charcuterie salami & bresaola, sour dough bread, pickles and spread
3. Chicken Ballotine … View moreFabulous effort and mouth-watering results from our Diploma, Level 5 cookery students cook this week.
1. Duck breast Sauce Bigarade with turned vegetables and pommes maxime.
2. Share platter: Home made Charcuterie salami & bresaola, sour dough bread, pickles and spread
3. Chicken Ballotine with pancetta, pommes rissolées, cabbage rolls and Sauce Ravigote.
Join our webinar tomorrow at 7pm to find out about Auckland Council’s kauri dieback monitoring programme.
Check out our event listing for more details and to hear our panel of experts discuss how the data we collect from kauri will inform how we manage the disease in the future.
Speakers:
- … View moreJoin our webinar tomorrow at 7pm to find out about Auckland Council’s kauri dieback monitoring programme.
Check out our event listing for more details and to hear our panel of experts discuss how the data we collect from kauri will inform how we manage the disease in the future.
Speakers:
- Lisa Tolich, Kauri Dieback Manager, Environmental Services, Auckland Council
- Dr Karyn Froud, Biosecurity Scientist and Epidemiologist at Biosecurity Research.
Moderator: Prof. Margaret Stanley, Associate Professor in Ecology with the Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, University of Auckland.
The presentation will be followed by a brief Q&A session, and the full webinar will be available to view after the session.
Roll on in to our “Bake Week” display, and have fun with Baking at home for your yummy delights
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