Lynfield, Auckland

1746 days ago

Downtown New Year's celebrations a glimpse of Auckland's future

Brian from New Lynn

A new year and new decade will arrive with a glimpse of the future as some downtown Auckland streets are closed to vehicles during New Year's Eve celebrations. Several streets will be restricted to pedestrians only between 10pm on New Year's Eve and 2am on New Year's Day, when … View moreA new year and new decade will arrive with a glimpse of the future as some downtown Auckland streets are closed to vehicles during New Year's Eve celebrations. Several streets will be restricted to pedestrians only between 10pm on New Year's Eve and 2am on New Year's Day, when festivities including street parties, family-friendly spaces, fireworks and light shows take place, destination general manager of Auckland Council's economic development arm, ATEED, Steve Armitage said. Queen and Albert streets will be closed to vehicles between Wellesley St and Wyndham St, and Victoria St will be closed between Hobson St and Kitchener St.
Several other smaller streets, including Durham and Darby, and Bowen Ave, will also be restricted to foot traffic. Some feeder streets are also affected, while Federal St will be closed to vehicles for 25 hours from 3am on New Year's Eve. Those parked within road closure areas, including parking buildings, would not be able to leave until the closures were lifted, in all cases except Federal St, at 2am, Armitage said. "Last year, Auckland Transport reported there was heavy vehicle congestion in the city centre for several hours either side of midnight, so we want to create a safer environment by closing a section of the roads." The closures were welcomed by city leaders. They would ensure people could enjoy the celebrations in a safe, enjoyable and pedestrian-friendly environment, Auckland mayor Phil Goff said, while his planning committee chairman, councillor Chris Darby, said it was what people wanted. "There is a real public appetite for rebalancing the city's streets to be places for people and not just through streets for cars. "These closures represent a vision of the future of Auckland's city centre." Other measures have also been put in place to support those choosing downtown Auckland as the place to welcome 2020. That included increased public transport after midnight, Armitage said. "There will be 31 additional bus services, more trains will operate on the Onehunga Line and Eastern Line (to Sylvia Park), and there will also be added ferry sailings between Auckland and Devonport." As for the festivities, they would be both varied and colourful - and he expected many people to gather to enjoy them. "It's clear from the past couple of years that the city centre is popular with locals and visitors alike on New Year's Eve, dispelling the belief that Auckland empties out over the holiday period." Light installations around the city will be switched on, including Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum, Te Ara I Whiti - Light Path, the Sky Tower and the Harbour Bridge.
Vector Lights will sparkle on Auckland Harbour Bridge for a second year, displaying a fabulous light show from 9pm to 1am, Armitage said. "At the stroke of midnight, the lights will sync with the Sky Tower fireworks in a five-minute display of dancing colours." On Federal St, SkyCity would host Auckland's biggest New Year street party, from 5pm to midnight with Ladi6 and Chong Nee & Friends as the headline acts. And at Karanga Plaza and Wynyard Quarter, the council's urban planning department, Panuku Development had ensured an alcohol-free, whānau friendly space with fantastic views of the Sky Tower available. As well as Auckland's waterfront, other top locations for viewing the festivities in included Little Shoal Bay, Bayswater Marina, Mt Victoria, Queens Parade, Devonport, Bastion Point, Harbour View Beach Reserve, Te Atatū Peninsula, Sentinel Beach and Mt Eden.
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1746 days ago

Recipe: Gooey Hot Chocolate Pudding

New Zealand School of Food & Wine

Are you looking for a last minute Christmas Special recipe?
This recipe is “forgiving” in the sense that it is quick to assemble and does not seem to matter if the quantities are not precisely measured.

Ingredients (Serves 6)
100 g Butter

100 g Caster sugar

View more
Are you looking for a last minute Christmas Special recipe?
This recipe is “forgiving” in the sense that it is quick to assemble and does not seem to matter if the quantities are not precisely measured.

Ingredients (Serves 6)
100 g Butter

100 g Caster sugar

4 Eggs

2 Tbsp Milk

125 g Flour

1 Tbsp Baking powder

2 Tbsp Cocoa powder, dark


Sauce
250 ml Water

100 g Soft brown sugar

2 Tbsp Cocoa powder


Check out the full recipe on the link below.

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1746 days ago

$150/- MOVING OUT SALE!!!

Nazia from New Windsor

ONLY $150 ......
Really good quality wooden bunk bed... Easy to assemble, disassemble.... Comfortable... portable.... Pick up asap

Price: $150

1746 days ago

Wishing you a safe and happy start to 2020!

The Team from Auckland Council

We are taking a break until 6 January 2020. We don’t monitor Neighbourly outside of business hours or on public holidays. On other days and during business hours, we will have limited monitoring and our response time might be longer than usual. For immediate information on all council services … View moreWe are taking a break until 6 January 2020. We don’t monitor Neighbourly outside of business hours or on public holidays. On other days and during business hours, we will have limited monitoring and our response time might be longer than usual. For immediate information on all council services and facilities visit www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz... or call 09 301 0101 at any time. Wishing you a safe and happy start to 2020. ^Melodie & team.

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1746 days ago

Hight chair

Cristina from Mount Roskill

Good condition

Price: $35

1747 days ago

Give the gift of giving this Christmas & be in to WIN!

NZ House & Garden Tours

Escape to the Bay of Islands on a weekend getaway with us! 🌞

We're giving away x4 NZ House & Garden House Tours - Bay of Islands tickets and two nights accommodation at Driftwood Seaside Escapes - one of the amazing Tour houses!

View the beautiful property on the tour, then be the … View more
Escape to the Bay of Islands on a weekend getaway with us! 🌞

We're giving away x4 NZ House & Garden House Tours - Bay of Islands tickets and two nights accommodation at Driftwood Seaside Escapes - one of the amazing Tour houses!

View the beautiful property on the tour, then be the envy of all tour-goers by spending two nights.

To be in the draw all you need to do is enter the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ raffle below. Give to an important cause this Christmas and be in to win! 💕

Find out more and enter here.

Raffle closes on 6th January.

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1749 days ago

The weird things Aucklanders tried recycling this year

Caroline Williams Reporter from Auckland Stuff

Firearms, ammunition, swords, dead animals, chemicals, tree stumps and Christmas trees are just some of the strange things Aucklanders have attempted to recycle this year.
However, the contest for the most unexpected items went to those who tried to recycle a samurai sword and an artificial hip … View more
Firearms, ammunition, swords, dead animals, chemicals, tree stumps and Christmas trees are just some of the strange things Aucklanders have attempted to recycle this year.
However, the contest for the most unexpected items went to those who tried to recycle a samurai sword and an artificial hip joint.
Auckland Council is pleading with residents to be wary of what they recycle, as it reveals some of the weird items found in the yellow-top recycling bins in 2019.
Anyone who attempted to recycled prohibited items bubble wrap, plastic bags, ribbons, batteries, food scraps, clothing, footwear, electronics, broken glass, polystyrene and single-use coffee cups should consider themselves an addition to "Santa's Naughty List", Auckland Council said.
Are you on the naughty list? What weird things have you tried recycling?

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1747 days ago

Latest news on Inland Revenue's transformation

Brian from New Lynn

What's gone live in 2019
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With the holiday season upon us here is a brief summary of the changes that have gone live this year.
Short-process rulings
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You can now apply for a short-process ruling. This is a new way to get a binding ruling on how a … View more
What's gone live in 2019
====================
With the holiday season upon us here is a brief summary of the changes that have gone live this year.
Short-process rulings
==================
You can now apply for a short-process ruling. This is a new way to get a binding ruling on how a tax law applies to a situation. It’s quicker and less expensive than private rulings, which means that more people can get certainty on how tax rules apply to them.
For more information, check out our website: ird.govt.nz/SPR
Ring-fencing rental losses
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New rules apply from the start of the 2019-2020 income year. You will no longer be able to reduce your tax liability by offsetting residential rental property deductions against your other income, such as salary or wages, or business income.
For more information, check out our website: ird.govt.nz/ring-fencing
Investment income
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Payers of investment income can opt into the new investment income reporting requirements. These will be mandatory from 1 April 2020.
For more information, check out our website: ird.govt.nz/investment-income
Research and Development Tax Incentive
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The Research and Development Tax Incentive is available for the 2019-2020 income year and features a 15% tax credit on up to $120 million of eligible expenditure. You can enrol now. Use the eligibility tool and guidance on our website to find out if your R&D activities meet the incentive criteria.
For more information, check out our website: ird.govt.nz/rd-tax-incentive
KiwiSaver changes
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There are two new KiwiSaver contribution rate options for members, who can now contribute 6% or 10%.
For more information, check out our website: ird.govt.nz/kiwisaver-individuals
Register for Inland Revenue's webinars
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In 2020 we’ll continue our series of tailored webinars to help you prepare for the upcoming tax changes. Our next session is on 22 January 2020 from 2:30pm – 3:30pm when we’ll share more information on:
Working for Families Tax Credit changes
Research & development tax incentive changes
Short-process rulings
Ring-fencing rental losses changes
Income equalisation
Moving on from cheques
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To learn more about our future sessions or to view previous webinars on demand, visit our website: ird.govt.nz/webinars. You will also find questions and answers from previous webinars.
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Research & Development Tax Incentive: preparing for your end of year returns
Businesses wishing to claim the Research & Development Tax Incentive (RDTI) must first enrol through myIR.
To claim for the 2019-2020 income year you will need to:
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complete an R&D supplementary return electronically
include the value of the tax credit you are claiming in your income tax return, which you will also need to file electronically
file your R&D supplementary return and income tax return by the required dates.
You can do this yourself or ask your tax agent to do it on your behalf.
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The supplementary return is specific to the R&D Tax Incentive. It will be available to enrolled customers through their myIR account and will be visible after the end of their income year. ??To help you prepare, we’ve created a PDF showing the questions you’ll need to answer and the format. ?You can find this PDF on our website.
New Inland Revenue Tax Technical website coming in early 2020
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To help people find tax technical answers more quickly, we’re building a new Tax Technical website. The new site will be available on, but will operate separately from, the main Inland Revenue site.
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We’re improving the site in stages throughout 2020, with the first release planned for early 2020. This first release will make it easier to browse and search our tax technical publications, public consultations, and the Tax Information Bulletin (TIB).
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In the months that follow this first release, we will add more features, including:
The ability to browse for keywords e.g. motor vehicles, depreciation rates
Filters to narrow your results
Better linking between publications and to other websites
Better interlinking of TIB issues and their individual publications.
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The development of a new and improved Tax Technical website follows on from our work to modernise the Inland Revenue website over the past year.
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No cheques from 1 March
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A friendly reminder that from 1 March 2020 we will stop accepting payment by cheque, including cheques dated after 1 March 2020.
There are several payment methods offered by us and the banks.
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Pay online through your bank
You can make payments to us through your bank’s online banking facilities. This can be fast, easy, secure and you can set your payment for a future date.
Pay online in myIR
=================
You can make payments to us in your myIR account with your credit or debit card. You can also set up a direct debit and select the date of the payment.
We recognise that online payments may not suit everyone. The following options are also available.
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Automatic payment authority form (IR586)
You can set up an automatic payment from your bank account to us using our automatic payment authority form:
Complete the form and give it to your bank
Most suitable for fixed or regular payments, such as debt or arrears
Allows for two signatures
Available on our website, or we can post it to you on request.
Please speak to your bank about processing times for automatic payments.
Cash or Eftpos at Westpac
======================
You can make cash or Eftpos payments to us at a Westpac branch. Remember to bring your barcode to ensure the payment can be correctly allocated.
We encourage you to speak with your bank or a tax professional to help you find the best payment method for you.
For more information on these payment methods visit ird.govt.nz/cheques.
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Holiday office hours
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Our offices will close at 2pm on Tuesday 24 December and will reopen on Monday 6 January.
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1747 days ago

Will you check out Auckland's biggest NYE?

Todd Niall Reporter from Auckland Stuff

Hi Neighbours, Are you in the city for New Year's Eve? Auckland is putting on it's biggest-ever downtown event, a forerunner of how it hopes to launch America's Cup year 2021. Does this sound like you ? Read the story below :

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1750 days ago

Has your family waited a long time to see Santa in a store this year?

Kendall Hutt Reporter from Central Leader

Hi neighbours. One family waited in line for hours at Smith and Caughey's on Sunday to see Santa. Children were lying on the floor among hosiery, jewellery and shoes. Has your family waited a long time to see Santa in a store this year?

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1748 days ago

Let’s respect the neighbourhood we live in

The Team from Auckland Council

If you see dumped rubbish call 0800 NO DUMP (0800 663 867).

Dumpers will be fined up to $30,000.

Your waste is your responsibility. For more information on how to dispose of unwanted items check out aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Find out more

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