IRD using 'stand over tactics' for student loan repayments
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Scoop
9 hours ago
- Scoop
How To Keep Your Power Bill Down This Winter
Twenty percent of Kiwis are struggling to pay their power bills, with 11 percent cutting back on heating their homes, according to Consumer New Zealand's latest energy survey. Stats NZ figures show the price of electricity has gone up almost 9 percent in the past year. Some people have told Checkpoint they are in bed by 5pm to save on heating costs, while others take extreme measures, like turning off their hot water cylinder or bathing in cold water. However, Consumer NZ Powerswitch manager Paul Fuge told Checkpoint people could make significant savings on their bill, if they cut back on their energy use. "Typically, we would say [you can save] around 20 percent, if you're really disciplined." He said the price of energy had increased significantly, resulting in more people getting into energy hardship and struggling to pay their power bills. "One in five have experienced financial difficulty in paying their power bill over the last year and around the same number basically missed a payment because of that. That results in late fees, so the issue compounds." The top household energy user was hot water, amounting to around 30 percent of an average home's electricity bill. Fuge said this was followed by refrigeration at 17 percent and space heating at 15 percent. "Those are the biggest things that use energy and offer the biggest potential to save money." He said the most effective way was to get onto a time-of-use plan, enabling energy usage at times of day when the price was cheaper. "The price of electricity is constantly changing and it's higher when more people are using electricity. "That's early morning, when people are getting up and getting ready for work, and in the evening, when people are coming home. That's the highest price of electricity on the wholesale market." At times, like the middle of the night, when there is less demand for power, the price falls. "Retailers take advantage of this and buy electricity at lower cost periods, and pass those savings on through time-of-use plans." He said this included keeping your hot water cylinder on a timer, heating it up in the middle of the night, when electricity is often half the price, and again in the middle of the day, another off-peak time. Not every hot water cylinder operates on a timer system, typically only newer models. Fuge said the age of appliances also had a significant impact on its efficiency. "Modern appliances are much more efficient than the old ones, particularly things like fridges, but also hot water cylinders." While some may be tempted to power off the hot water cylinder completely to save costs, Fuge warned strongly against it. "We would not recommend doing that at all, because you can get diseases in the hot water cylinder, when the water's not hot enough, particularly legionnaires' disease, which sort of thrives in those warm stagnant water temperatures." He said another key energy drainer was the 'beer fridge'. "Modern fridges are way more efficient than the old fridges and that's a real saving. "We stick that old fridge at the bach or out in the shed, so you get an old inefficient appliance in an environment that it's not designed for and it's a perfect storm of badness in terms of electricity consumption." Fuge said, while the key way to save was a time-of-use plan, it wouldn't suit every household's needs perfectly. "If you can use those high-consumption appliances away from peak times and move them into cheaper times, there's some potential savings there, but I would caution that it requires discipline and it doesn't suit all households."
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
Glitch sends one person's rates bill to up to 1000 Central Hawke's Bay residents
A software problem at Central Hawke's Bay District Council is being investigated. Photo: LDR via Central Hawke's Bay Mail / Ian Cooper A software glitch at Central Hawke's Bay District council sent one person's rates bill to up to 1000 ratepayers. The council's chief executive, Doug Tate, said they were made aware of an issue with the rating system on Friday morning. "When our rate notices were sent out, one person's information from 2024 was sent out to multiple people," Tate said. "We're working to establish the fault. At this point, we understand it to be under 1000 people. "I'd urge anyone who received it to protect the person's privacy, please delete the email. "We take these matters, including protecting people's privacy, really seriously. I will be working with the team at Council to better understand what the fault was." The Council said on its Facebook page there was no need to phone them, "as we're aware and working hard with our software suppliers to understand the issue". "We'll will let you know more soon." Central Hawke's Bay District Council set its 2025/26 rates increase at 7.4 percent. It follows a 20 percent increase last year. The council is working to reduce predicted water rate hikes of $5000 per household over the next decade. At a meeting on Thursday, councillors voted to stay at the table to consider recommendations for the Regional Water Services Council-Controlled Organisation (HBWSCCO), including one on the impact of a 30-year investment strategy. Deliberations were held to consider the community's submissions on three options, a Regional CCO with our Hawke's Bay councils, in-house delivery, and a standalone CCO, and the views heard during the five-week consultation period. "Now's the time we need to sit at the table with Government and our regional partners to ensure the challenges of the district's three waters infrastructure are turned into opportunities for generations to come," Central Hawke's Bay mayor Alex Walker said. From the submissions, it was clear that most residents connected to and paying for water supported the change to the Regional CCO. "It's this group of people who are most impacted," Walker said. "But we also recognise this is a complex issue of ownership, control, Government reach, trust, confidence, as well as affordability. "We've listened to these points, and they helped strengthen our response. Your voices have armed us with the support for clear advocacy in the region and to push back at Government policy, and how to better right-size our investment. "Addressing the challenges of our water infrastructure is one of the most significant - if not the most significant issue for this district. "We have been advocating to the Government, and anyone who will listen, that the system is broken and must change to support districts like ours. "I have called on Local Government Minister Simon Watts, imploring him to consider changes that would benefit smaller rural communities, including Central Hawke's Bay." Council will meet again on 24 July. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
15 hours ago
- RNZ News
New music school forced to change name after Te Pūkenga issues cease and desist
A Te Pūkenga representative confirmed to RNZ it owns the MAINZ brand and that the school's use of the name was breaching this. Photo: supplied An Auckland-based music school says it changed its name after being told it was violating the national polytechnic's legal rights. The music school was originally called MAINZ Limited, trading as Let's Go, but has since changed its company name to Let's Go Educate Limited. A Te Pūkenga representative confirmed to RNZ it owned the MAINZ brand and that the school's use of the name was breaching this. While the Auckland MAINZ campus was closed by Te Pūkenga in 2023, the name is still in use at Ara, its Christchurch-based polytechnic school. Te Pūkenga said it issued a cease and desist on 12 June, ordering Let's Go music school to change both its name and website. "Their use of the name and web address is a breach of the intellectual property owned by Te Pūkenga and may be misleading as we still deliver MAINZ courses." Let's Go Educate is run by a group of former MAINZ staff, who say they acted on legal advice and were told by NZQA that operating under the name was permitted. Director Christine Fenton said when it named the school no legal company called MAINZ was found but staff were moving forward. "We're focusing on the future, not the past, so we have now changed our name knowing that the MAINZ community is behind us no matter what we call ourselves. "We're focused on restoring music provision for the good of the learner and the NZ music industry, and have done so in good faith. "If Te Pūkenga want that too, they know how to contact us to talk about ways we can cooperate." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
