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Join us for a spooky time!
Bring your friends & family and enjoy a festive and fun afternoon!
What: Halloween in Mt Eden Village
When: Saturday 1 November – 12noon* to 2pm
*Due to setup required, the event will not start until 12noon
Where: Essex Reserve*, Essex Rd, Mt Eden Village… View moreJoin us for a spooky time!
Bring your friends & family and enjoy a festive and fun afternoon!
What: Halloween in Mt Eden Village
When: Saturday 1 November – 12noon* to 2pm
*Due to setup required, the event will not start until 12noon
Where: Essex Reserve*, Essex Rd, Mt Eden Village
*In case of bad weather, the event will move to the Mt Eden Village Centre hall (449 Mt Eden Rd)
Please follow our facebook page for updates on the day if the weather is changeable
Come in costume!
Activities and entertainment for the kids
Prizes and gifts for the young ghouls
Be very scared! (or else)
Brought to you by the Mt Eden Village Business Association
www.mounteden.co.nz...
www.facebook.com...
www.instagram.com...
Inland Revenue says even people with relatively small tax debt can expect to get a phone call about it.
The tax department is cracking down on overdue tax as it tries to pull in an estimated $10 billion in tax debt.
It said it had started calling customers with overdue GST and employer tax, even … View moreInland Revenue says even people with relatively small tax debt can expect to get a phone call about it.
The tax department is cracking down on overdue tax as it tries to pull in an estimated $10 billion in tax debt.
It said it had started calling customers with overdue GST and employer tax, even if they were at relatively small amounts, because it wanted to stop the debt getting larger.
Since 9 October, it has been calling people with debt of at least $1000, that is between six months and five years old.
It said it would tell customers what they owed and point out the penalties and interest that could be charged.
People who owed more than $10,000 would get a warning about the potential legal consequences.
Customer segment leader Tony Morris told RNZ's Checkpoint that IRD was ratcheting up the pressure on people who owed tax, after a period of taking a gentler approach.
People who did not respond to the call could be visited.
If none of those options worked, the department could take money fro bank accounts or start insolvency proceedings.
Since mid-June Inland Revenue has sent out 16,500 notices about planned bank deductions - 25 percent more than for the whole of last year.
Between mid-June and September 30, 8181 deductions were completed with $17 million of debt recovered.
While some accountants told RNZ that the heavier-handed tactics were hard for businesses that were struggling in tough economic times, Morris said there was also support for the increased collection efforts.
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Freshly brewed coffee, warm scones, strawberries and cream, and plenty of home baking - all on the menu at the Strawberry Fair café next week!🍰
👉 Opens 9am Saturday 8 November
📍 St Andrew’s Church, 100 St Andrew’s Road, Epsom
💳 EFTPOS available
Sandringham’s Street Festival is back in early November this year and it's going to be a huge!
We invite anyone from around Auckland to come and experience a free-wheeling taste of famous Sandringham! Try new foods, check out the amazing flavours coming from our shops, and enjoy different … View moreSandringham’s Street Festival is back in early November this year and it's going to be a huge!
We invite anyone from around Auckland to come and experience a free-wheeling taste of famous Sandringham! Try new foods, check out the amazing flavours coming from our shops, and enjoy different cultures and music in the Reserve and side streets.
There’ll be food trucks, new food from around the world (& some old favourites!), retail and trading stalls, amusement rides, and competitions. In the morning we'll have schools, community groups and bands performing on stage in the Sandringham Reserve, then the Pipi Pickers, Hoop and the Elementary Penguins are there to keep you entertained in the afternoon!
Buskers, competitions, community groups, plenty of fun and games for kids, and heaps of delicious food and drinks for everyone!
Thanks heaps to the Albert-Eden Local Board for the funding to help make this event happen each year!
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Where---Sandringham Village and Reserve, 598 Sandringham Road, Sandringham, Auckland
The Festival is based in Sandringham Village and Reserve including the closing of of Kitchener Road, Calgary Road and Lambeth Streets where they intersect with Sandringham Road.
When----Saturday 1 November 2025----9am-3pm
Cost----Free
Contact-----Mark Scherer-----sandringhamba@gmail.com---027 457 7577
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A record number of long-term ACC clients have had their payments stopped, because ACC has decided they are work-ready or no longer injured.
However, many said they can’t work and believed they were being dumped as a way for ACC to save money.
In the year to June nearly 8000 clients were removed… View moreA record number of long-term ACC clients have had their payments stopped, because ACC has decided they are work-ready or no longer injured.
However, many said they can’t work and believed they were being dumped as a way for ACC to save money.
In the year to June nearly 8000 clients were removed from the long-term claims pool – a 20% lift on the previous year.
ACC said these people were ready to work, or were no longer injured, with chief executive Megan Main describing it as an “important achievement” in the annual report.
However, ACC advocate Warren Forster told RNZ’s Nine to Noon many clients – most of whom have chronic and enduring injuries – were not work-ready, and those seeking reviews of their cases are having to wait months.
“If ACC had somehow tripled the effectiveness of their rehabilitation in the last 10 years I’d be the first person celebrating.
“If we had evidence of real rehabilitation, of actually people being supported to get back to work, then I’d be taking my hat off to ACC, saying ‘incredible’. We don’t have any evidence of that.”
ACC Minister Scott Simpson had previously asked ACC, via his Letter of Expectations, to focus on long-term claimants and said the numbers were a “huge result”.
“Often ACC staff deal with clients who have long-standing and challenging personal situations, and I rely on ACC staff to use their judgment given each client’s individual circumstances.”
‘Feel like they’re throwing us on the trash heap’
One of those people recently deemed work-ready was Jonathan Simcock.
He received a letter from ACC last Monday advising him he was work-ready and his payments would cease in 28 days.
This is despite the most recent medical advice provided to ACC advising he was not work-ready, and strongly advised against discharging him from his long-term claim.
He lived with chronic pain, anxiety and depression after a bike accident left him contending with a brachial plexus injury that has mostly paralysed his dominant arm.
Simcock said the correspondence from ACC was “totally out of the blue”.
“It was based on some of the internal guidance and I’d been working on a back-to-work programme, working with ACC to try and get work capability for me and capacity to see wherever that would end up.
“We were working towards this and then literally, from another internal guidance, totally went against any of the other information I was working on and believed that we were working together to get back into some sort of work and to see where that would progress to.”
His last medical assessment suggested he could work three hours a day, up to 10 hours a week.
“Then on the 20th of this month [October] ACC wrote another internal guidance without having any more medical advice or any more investigation, and then from that, they said you’ve been identified to be able to work in two roles over a 30-hour week full time.”
Simcock said it would be “impossible” to work 30 hours a week with his condition.
He said the pain he suffered impacted his sleep and quality of life.
“I would become more anxious, more stressed, lose sleep, wouldn’t be able to do anything around home, I’d only be able to do some work, and then I’d have to have days off being sick.
“It would be horrendous.”
He said it felt like ACC would find any means necessary to get long-term claimants off the books.
“It just feels like they’re stacking it up, and they’re just putting their people in to get the answer they want, and the answer they want is they want all long-term people off ACC because we don’t fit into the nice model.
“I have a serious injury that affects my disability, that affects my life every single day. It’s an incredibly complex and difficult situation. ACC is meant to help me, and basically they’re just throwing us, all of us, onto the trash heap.”
After inquiries from Nine to Noon, ACC agreed to reassess Simcock’s case, and reinstated his payments in the meantime.
Forster said the “exit strategies” used by ACC were systemic, and it was about more than one person.
“You’ve just heard an example of an individual case where that assessment was the person couldn’t go back to work, but ACC still cut them off, and that’s happening across the board at scale.”
ACC responds
============
ACC client recovery acting head Matthew Goodger confirmed they were reassessing Simcock’s case.
“I’m sorry to hear about Jonathan’s situation and the distress this is causing him.
“We are taking another look at his case. While we do, he will continue to receive weekly compensation.
“His case manager has been in touch with him to let him know. We will continue to work with his GP and his other providers and fund any rehabilitation or treatment he needs for his covered injuries.”
Goodger said ACC’s role was to support people to recover from their injuries so they could return to work and independence.
“In mid-2024 we changed the way we managed some long-term claims to ensure these clients were getting the dedicated, interdisciplinary support they needed to get back to independence, including the establishment of new teams of one-to-one case managers.
“This focus is reflected in an increased number of long-term claims being closed as clients were successfully supported to recover from their injuries so they could return to their pre-injury role or other work types, or in some cases identifying that covered injuries had resolved.”
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Beneficiaries and people on NZ Super are experiencing faster increases in the cost of living, while the biggest spenders are getting some relief, new data shows.
Stats NZ has released data for the September quarter, which shows the average New Zealand household experienced a cost-of-living … View moreBeneficiaries and people on NZ Super are experiencing faster increases in the cost of living, while the biggest spenders are getting some relief, new data shows.
Stats NZ has released data for the September quarter, which shows the average New Zealand household experienced a cost-of-living increase of 2.4 percent over the previous 12 months.
That is less than the 3 percent rate of inflation, because it includes a 15.4 percent drop in mortgage interest payments.
Mortgage interest payments were the main contributor to highest-spending households recording the lowest annual inflation, Stats NZ said.
Their annual inflation rate was 0.8 percent, compared with 3.9 percent for superannuitants, who are less likely to be paying mortgage interest. Beneficiaries had costs increasing 3.4 percent and the lowest-spending households had an increase in costs of 4 percent.
Rents increased 2.6 percent over the year to September. Rent makes up 29.5 percent of beneficiary household expenditure. This compares with 13.1 percent for the average household, and 5.1 percent for highest-spending households.
Council of Trade Unions policy director Craig Renney, a former adviser to then-Finance Minister Grant Robertson, said it had historically been the case that people on the lowest incomes had the highest rates of cost-of-living increases.
That had changed after Covid when home loan rates increased sharply but now the situation had reversed. He said it was likely that the impact would continue to be felt in this way.
Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) policy director and economist Craig Renney.Craig Renney. Photo: Stuff / ROBERT KITCHIN
"Much of the challenges are in administered costs, rates, electricity, going to see the GP, which are rising faster than general inflation."
But Satish Ranchhod, a senior economist at Westpac, said it was important to note that some of the lower-income people who were experiencing higher rates of inflation would be young people in the earlier stages of their careers, who had not yet reached a point where they could buy a house.
"It's misleading to say they're getting hit, they're just at a different place in the lifecycle."
But he said times were still tough for many households, including many lower-income earners.
He said people who had mortgages had experienced large increases in recent years and a much bigger squeeze on their incomes.
The relief they were experiencing was likely to continue as the impact of falling interest rates filtered through to more people, he said.
Other significant increases were an 11.3 percent increase in electricity on average and an 8.8 percent increase in rates.
How are cost increases felt?
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Inflation experienced in the 12 months to the September 2025 quarter:
all households 2.4 percent
beneficiaries 3.4 percent
Māori 2.4 percent
superannuitants 3.9 percent
highest-expenditure household group 0.8 percent
lowest-expenditure household group 4 percent.
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Or visit our website for more details.
Exciting news! Tatty’s Rummage Sale is back!
And this time, we’re opening bright and early at 9am. Everything is just $5. Yes, everything!
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We’ve got incredible pieces from Dior, Status Anxiety, Karen Walker, Birkenstock, … View moreExciting news! Tatty’s Rummage Sale is back!
And this time, we’re opening bright and early at 9am. Everything is just $5. Yes, everything!
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We’ve got incredible pieces from Dior, Status Anxiety, Karen Walker, Birkenstock, Juliette Hogan, Ruby and so much more. Expect Womenswear, Menswear, Kidswear, Shoes, Accessories and Jewellery all waiting to be snapped up.
New stock will be hitting the floor every hour, so don’t worry, you’ll definitely find something you love.
476 New North Rd, Kingsland---9am to 2pm
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A section of Tāmaki Drive in Auckland will be closed for a short time on Tuesday 28 October, due to a planned hīkoi.
The seaward side of Tāmaki Drive (eastbound) will be closed between Ōkahu Bay and The Strand in Parnell, from 11.45am until around 1.15pm.
The partial road closure is being … View moreA section of Tāmaki Drive in Auckland will be closed for a short time on Tuesday 28 October, due to a planned hīkoi.
The seaward side of Tāmaki Drive (eastbound) will be closed between Ōkahu Bay and The Strand in Parnell, from 11.45am until around 1.15pm.
The partial road closure is being put in place to ensure the safety of all road users while the hīkoi takes place.
Motorists are advised to plan ahead for any traffic delays and to consider taking alternative routes where possible.
The amount of drivers pinged annually by Auckland Transport’s license plate recognition vehicles has almost doubled.
Data provided to Newstalk ZB shows the licence plate recognition vehicles issued more than 518,000 fines last year.
That’s almost twice as many as they gave out in 2023.
The … View moreThe amount of drivers pinged annually by Auckland Transport’s license plate recognition vehicles has almost doubled.
Data provided to Newstalk ZB shows the licence plate recognition vehicles issued more than 518,000 fines last year.
That’s almost twice as many as they gave out in 2023.
The cars scan licence plates to see if a vehicle has overstayed its paid time in a parking spot.
If a violation is detected, the system can issue an infringement notice.
Parking Services group manager John Strawbridge said the rise was because the fleet increased from nine cars in 2023 to 16 last year.
He said the most common type of infringement is failing to pay for parking in paid zones.
“That’s a $70 fine. It does my head in because if you use the AT Park app, for example, you only pay for the short time you’re there.”
He said people would very rarely pay $70.
AA policy director Martin Glynn said the jump between 2023 and 2024 is large, and they had asked AT about it.
He said he hopes the system is being used for the stated goal of keeping parking spots clear.
“In the past year or so, they’ve been set some pretty big revenue targets by the mayor and Auckland Council from areas they can get revenue from, including parking.”
Strawbridge said while no one likes getting a parking fine, there needs to be a way to manage kerbs and other spots.
“If we didn’t manage the kerbside, there’d be cars parked everywhere, it would be unsafe, and there’d be very limited opportunity for people to come into the city and find a spot,” he said.
Strawbridge said the Auckland Domain is a good example of how the license plate recognition vehicles had helped, with the consistent enforcement keeping the domain at 65% capacity.
“Prior to the LPR cars, we were only able to get up there on foot infrequently, so there was no parking availability.”
Glynn said the cars provide another potential benefit.
“We know it’s become more unsafe for parking wardens, so there’s an advantage to doing it in that automated way where people don’t receive their tickets on the spot.”
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Want to grow your career or upskill your team? ServiceIQ is here to help Kiwis succeed in the service industries including retail, hospitality, tourism, aviation, and more.
We provide practical workplace training, online short courses, and nationally recognised qualifications designed to fit … View moreWant to grow your career or upskill your team? ServiceIQ is here to help Kiwis succeed in the service industries including retail, hospitality, tourism, aviation, and more.
We provide practical workplace training, online short courses, and nationally recognised qualifications designed to fit around real work. Whether you’re an employer building a capable team or someone starting, our flexible options make it easy to gain the skills and confidence to thrive.
Partner with a trusted industry training organisation that understands what today’s service sector needs.
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Love raspberries? We will give away free copies of the December 2025 issue to readers whose raspberry recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way enjoy raspberry (dessert, salad, jam main?!): mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by October 24, … View moreLove raspberries? We will give away free copies of the December 2025 issue to readers whose raspberry recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way enjoy raspberry (dessert, salad, jam main?!): mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by October 24, 2025.
Peak sale season is here. Labour Weekend marks the start of the big sales period and, after Monday, you can expect Black Friday advertising to be in full swing. Those sales will morph into the December pre-Christmas sales. And then advertising will start for the Boxing Day sales before the big day … View morePeak sale season is here. Labour Weekend marks the start of the big sales period and, after Monday, you can expect Black Friday advertising to be in full swing. Those sales will morph into the December pre-Christmas sales. And then advertising will start for the Boxing Day sales before the big day has even happened.
During all these sales, there are some rules that stores must follow.
Sales rules
We’ll be on the lookout for any rule-breakers over the next few months. If you spot any stores doing any of the 10 things listed below, we’d love you to send us a pic to info@consumer.org.nz.
Here’s what they cannot do.
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1. Use sales prices that aren’t that special
A sale must be a genuine opportunity for consumers to buy a product at a discounted price for a short period. If a business continually sells a product at a discounted price, then that’s the usual selling price – not a sale price.
Rather than assuming a sale price is a good deal, check PriceMe and PriceSpy to see what the product usually sells for. Both websites track the price of products, making it easy to see if you can snaffle a bargain.
2. Exaggerate the discount
When a retailer compares a sale price with a previous price (for example “was $100, now $50”), the "was" price must be the true price the goods were sold at for a reasonable time.
The retailer also should not inflate the normal price of a product, knowing it won’t be bought at that price, only to discount it to get sales.
3. Use “clearance” on products that are coming back after the sale
Clearance sales create a sense of urgency. They should only be used for clearing stock. You shouldn’t see clearance stock back on the shelves at full price after the sale has ended.
4. Charge more than the advertised price
The price displayed should be the final price you’ll be charged. So, it can’t be before GST or have any other unavoidable amounts added on later. Stores can’t bury these extra charges in the fine print, and they can’t say “conditions apply” either.
Sometimes, a retailer might make a genuine pricing mistake, like listing a $2,000 TV for just $200 in a catalogue. They’re not legally obligated to honour the price if it’s an honest mistake. But deliberately or repeatedly putting up the wrong price is illegal.
5. Bait advertise
Retailers can’t advertise a product at a great price to lure in customers when there’s not enough in stock to sell for a reasonable period. This is called bait advertising as the customer has been lured in and might then buy a more expensive item.
6. Only have limited stock at advertised discount prices
Stores can’t make a sale look better than it is. They can’t use sweeping statements like “up to 50% off” or “prices from $5” if they only have a few products at that price. Stores should instead advertise the most common saving. The Commerce Commission suggests “up to 50% off – most items 30% off”.
7. Say there is no return on sale items
You still have the right to return sale items if they:
aren’t of acceptable quality
aren’t fit for purpose
don’t match their descriptions.
This applies even if there is a sign instore or a line on a website about a product being on “final sale”.
The only exception is if the fault was made clear to you before you bought the item. For example, the sales tag for a dress lists a small hole on the right sleeve. However, you can still return an item if it has another unidentified fault.
8. Give only store credit on returned faulty items
If you’re returning a product because it’s not of acceptable quality, you don’t have to accept a gift card or store credit in its place. The Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) makes it clear you can get a refund.
If the store is letting you return it for a different reason though – say you changed your mind – they can offer store credit.
9. Put a time limit on the return of faulty items
Retailers can’t make up a time limit for how long you can take to return a faulty product. The CGA doesn’t set a limit, so a retailer is misleading you if they tell you otherwise.
Whether an item is of acceptable quality or not will depend on what a reasonable consumer would think was acceptable. For example, you would expect a top-end product to last longer than a very cheap one.
10. Make claims like “cheapest” without evidence
Claims like these give shoppers the impression they don’t need to go anywhere else to compare prices. Shops need to ensure these claims are accurate and that they can support the claim.
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A 13-year-old boy has undergone major surgery after swallowing 80-100 small magnets purchased on Temu.
Neodymium magnets have been banned since 2014 but are still available through online marketplaces.
Surgeons at Tauranga Hospital had to remove part of the boy’s bowel after he ate up to 100 of… View moreA 13-year-old boy has undergone major surgery after swallowing 80-100 small magnets purchased on Temu.
Neodymium magnets have been banned since 2014 but are still available through online marketplaces.
Surgeons at Tauranga Hospital had to remove part of the boy’s bowel after he ate up to 100 of the small magnets, according to a case study in the New Zealand Medical Journal.
They said it was “alarming” how difficult it was to enforce the long-standing ban when easily-accessible online marketplaces existed.
The Pasifika Medical Association Group said it highlighted the dangers of online marketplaces in the paediatric population.
“While product safety laws exist in New Zealand that prohibit the sale of high-powered magnets, there is significant challenge in enforcing these laws on products sold on online marketplaces.
“This is especially concerning for our tamariki as these platforms are easily accessible,” a spokesperson said.
University of Auckland professor Alex Sims said small, high-powered magnets were being advertised as fun toys when they could be life-threatening.
“Small high-power magnets have been marketed and sold as fun toys for adults and children when they are sold in sets as they can be used to make different shapes and also be used as fidget toys.
“Unfortunately, they often come as brightly coloured small balls, making them attractive for children to swallow.”
Sims said enforcing the ban on these small magnets was difficult when they were cheap and easy to get through online marketplaces.
“Parents should not be allowing their children to purchase items unsupervised on any online marketplaces, all purchases must be done or at least overseen by parents.”
Temu response
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In a written statement, Temu said the company had launched an internal review after becoming aware of the case from media inquiries.
“We are sorry to learn about the reported incident and wish the boy a full and speedy recovery,” a spokesperson said.
“We take product safety very seriously and continuously monitor our platform to ensure sellers are complying with the safety regulations of the markets they are doing business in.”
The platform had contacted the author of The New Zealand Medical Journal article to obtain more details about the case.
“At this stage, we have not been able to confirm whether the magnets involved were purchased through Temu or identify the specific product listing. Nonetheless, our teams are reviewing relevant listings to ensure full compliance with local safety requirements.
“Any products found to be non-compliant will be removed, and we will take firm action against any sellers found to have breached our platform rules or local regulations.”
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Two untouched bags of 20kg each Pedigree Vital dog food for working dogs for sale as my dog just passed away. Plus two half bags are for free if anyone buys the 2 bags (expiry: Dec-2025 and July 2026). I bought them at $115 per bag and now sell for $95/each. Contact: Thomas at 02102753453
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