nznews

Tuesday 9th Febuary 10. The key to success is honesty, not political promises.

The number of leaky-home victims seeking state assistance is ballooning. The Weathertight Homes Resolution Service, which provides inspections and assessments of leakers less than a decade old, has received claims for 7626 places. Its figures are up by more than 1000 claims on this time last year but are nowhere near the estimated 110,000 monolithic-clad residences built before 2006 when the rules changed to stem the leaks. Data from the service, run by the Department of Building and Housing, showed the expanding scale of the issue estimated to cost $11.3 billion-$22.8 billion to fix.
Government made the rules so they should pay the bills. It's not the owners fault.                Article

Save Animals From Exploitation (SAFE) is angry at what it says is "blatant cruelty" of so-called Catcha Cray machines. The machines are used in a handful of pubs around the North Island, where people can try their luck at grabbing a crayfish using mechanised arm devices. Patrick Chandulal, who owns the Catcha Cray franschise, says the game is entertainment. The crayfish are going to boiled alive and gobbled down, so what's the problem?                                 Article

John Key will unveil measures aimed at cooling New Zealand's love affair with property investment in a speech today that is expected to outline major tax reforms.   The prime minister signalled yesterday that the changes would be included in the May Budget – and said the Government would be ready to implement them "shortly after that".   He ramped up expectations that the speech marked a step up in the Government's economic programme, saying the tax changes were the best way to boost growth.   Softly softly or lose the monkey?          Article

ACT New Zealand Law & Order Spokesman David Garrett today welcomed High Court Judge Justice Asher’s call for the Government to review laws on knife possession, and agreed that offenders should face tougher penalties.   "Carrying a knife without a reasonable excuse was once a serious offence that drew harsh penalties. In the softening up of the justice system that has occurred over the past 20 years the harsh penalties for knife possession have been lost. It is time for that to change," Mr Garrett said. I have a small Swiss pocket knife on my key ring. Am I a criminal? Article