Electoral law changes 'serious breach of rights': Lawyer
A constitutional lawyer says the electoral law changes planned by the government are a serious breach of New Zealanders rights. Constitutional lawyer Graeme Edgeler spoke to Charlotte Cook.
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Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
NZ 'back on course', govt says
By Russell Palmer of RNZ The government has launched a defence of its record on tackling the cost of living. Finance Minister Nicola Willis joined Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at the Beehive Theatrette for the weekly post-Cabinet briefing. She spent much of the previous week facing questions about her meeting with Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell. Luxon said this week marked a full year since the tax bracket changes National campaigned on had come into effect. "It's only through a strong economy that wages rise faster than inflation, that Kiwis can get ahead of their daily costs and our businesses can take risks that can mean that they can invest, grow, and create more jobs," he said. He directly targeted National's main rival in opposition. "Other parties in Parliament believe that raising taxes, growing the public sector, and giving more handouts to those who refuse to work is the answer. Taxing more, spending more, and borrowing more as Labour and others advocate for didn't work in the past and it won't work in the future." The government's decision to increase fees paid to board members on Crown entities - in some cases up to 80 percent - may undercut the messaging that National is prioritising low and middle-income New Zealanders' interests. But Luxon today pointed to the building products changes announced over the weekend, and the proposed ban on payment surcharges as recent examples. He then pointed to other items in the government's agenda, including: the current pipeline of infrastructure projects, Roads of National Significance, completing the City Rail Link, signing trade deals with the United Arab Emirates and Gulf Cooperation Council, starting negotiations with India, the digital nomads visa, and the Investment Boost policy. Willis soon picked up the baton, rattling off her own list of changes the government had made which she said had helped lower costs, including: the Family Boost policy, ending the Reserve Bank's secondary mandate to account for unemployment, curbing government spending, changing residential tenancy laws, tax deductability changes for landlords, delaying the previous government's petrol excise increases, scrapping the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax, increasing rates rebates for seniors, increasing Working for Families support, and extending maximum subscription lengths. She said National had campaigned on tackling the cost of living crisis, and pointed to rising GDP per capita and wages rising faster than inflation as a result of the government's interventions. "Taking the pressure off inflation - that is the general level of price increases across the economy - helps with the cost side of the cost-of-living equation. Lower inflation means less pressure on prices... it's pleasing to say that wages are now growing faster than inflation and forecasts show this trend continuing over the next few years." She said the government's tax changes meant "households have benefited by an average of $60 a fortnight". The change to interest deductibility for landlords had helped to take the heat out of the rental market, she said, noting "the 2.6 increase for the year to June was the lowest since 2011". She said the government was also making big structural changes, saying "the last government conclusively proved that band aids are not enough" and pointing to a series of policies yet to come to fruition: the Going for Housing Growth policy, Fast-tracking renewable energy consenting, work to address supermarket competition, and to curb council rates increases. "Economies are like oil tankers, you can't turn them around on a dime. But New Zealand is back on course," Willis said. The lists of government achievements kept coming, with Willis also pointing to: education reform, the investment boost (again), promoting global trade and investment, changes to the research and development sector, and "delivering infrastructure projects faster and better". Meanwhile, a Cabinet Office Circular reveals the government signed off on increases to fees available to board members of Crown entities. This includes increases of 30 percent for Group 2 and 4 boards and Audit and Risk committees, and an increase of 80 percent for Group 3 bodies. Luxon said the public sector director fees "have got completely out of whack compared to private sector fees". "Obviously we will never pay as much as someone in the private sector but when you are spending $32 billion on healthcare for example, it's important that we are actually able to attract really good governors for the Health NZ board, for example," he said. The changes took effect at the start of July.
NZ Herald
2 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Govt to increase Crown body board members' fee ranges, in some cases by 80%
He said the public sector had got 'out of whack' compared with the private sector. Luxon said when billions of dollars are being spent on the likes of healthcare, it's 'important that we actually are able to attract really good governance, of Health New Zealand for example'. 'This is just acknowledging that we need to make sure that we can attract good people.' Asked what his message was to someone struggling with the cost of living while the Government was lifting board fees, Luxon pointed to other actions the Government had taken. He mentioned efforts to clamp down on inflation, pouring money into new infrastructure, and today's announcement of removing surcharges from card payments. The Cabinet Fees Framework lays out a range of fee levels for appointees to different bodies and criteria that appointees are marked against. The higher their score, the more they could be paid. It applies to members of a range of bodies or groups the Crown has an interest in, such as royal commissions, ministerial inquiries and some governance boards. However, it doesn't cover pay set by the Remuneration Authority, which deals with MPs, the judiciary and the heads of various commissions and authorities. The framework is reviewed every three years by the Public Service Commission, which reports to Cabinet on the fees. A Cabinet Circular today revealed the new pay ranges. Photo / Mark Mitchell The circular issued today says Cabinet agreed to a revised framework that took effect from July 1. A list of 'main changes' from the previous framework include 'an increase of 80% to the fee ranges' for some governance boards and 'an increase of 30%' for other bodies. It is 'not intended to be prescriptive, and judgment will be required to determine best fit', the document says. It enables a 'consistent approach' to setting fees across bodies. The new framework says setting fees should 'support the appointment of appropriately qualified and diverse body members', contain expenditure within 'reasonable limits' and 'provide flexibility'. 'The framework enables fees to be determined by ministers and other fee-setting authorities who are most familiar with the work of particular bodies.' There is a lengthy process of setting or reviewing members' fees, which takes into account the complexity of their role, the degree to which the role is in the public eye, and recruitment or retention issues. 'Fees will continue to be set on a fair but conservative basis to reflect a discount for the element of public service involved,' the framework says. Members occupying identical positions on the same body should be paid the same rate, but the framework says in some cases it 'is necessary to secure people with scarce specialist skills' and therefore consideration may be given to a higher fee. Alternatively, a fee lower than the suggested range could also be paid in some circumstances. The framework says the schedule of fees 'reflects the nature of their business environment and the role requirements'. The 80% increase applies to the fee range for governance boards responsible for most Crown entities. The top range, for those appointees given the highest scores against the set criteria, is between $73,100 and $162,200 for a chair and between $36,500 and $80,400 for a member. This compares to the previous 2022 framework, which had a range of $40,596 to $90,123 for chairs and $20,295 to $44,655 for members. The new bottom range for this group is between $25,800 and $54,200 for a chair and between $12,900 and $27,100 for a member. On the face of it, to be in the top range, an appointee would need to chair the governance board of an entity with a budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars or above, and with more than one primary function. This would require consultation with the commission. The range reflects an annual rate, which the framework says is consistent with the private sector and is appropriate given the workload is 'predictable and/or substantial'. It's expected these members work about 30 days a year, 'which is in line with the amount of time spent by board directors in private sector companies', while chairs are expected to work about 50 days a year. 'The fees for chairs is set at approximately twice the rate of the members to take account of both the differences in responsibility and in workload,' the framework says. 'Where it is anticipated that a chair or members will have a lesser workload than above, it is expected that this be reflected in the fee level.' One group has had its fee ranges increased by 80%. Another grouping with its own fee ranges are members of statutory tribunals and authorities. This is reflected in a daily rate as it is expected their workload will be 'unpredictable'. The top range for these chairs is between $995 and $1550, or between $640 and $990 for members. The bottom range is between $525 and $770 for chairs, and between $416 and $500 for members. A range of additional information is also provided around expenses, how to review current members' fees and where exceptions to the framework could apply. A report from the Institute of Directors in October found directors' fees had not been keeping pace with inflation. 'Despite some claims that directors are overpaid, non-executive director fees rarely increase in line with general employee increases or inflation.' Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.
NZ Herald
6 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon dismisses Greens' Tauranga rail petition, says roads first
'What we really need to do is kick on and get serious about a high-quality roading infrastructure between Tauranga, Hamilton, and ultimately into Auckland,' he said. 'That golden triangle is critical to New Zealand's economy.' Luxon cited the State Highway 29 Ōmanawa Bridge Replacement project as a key development already under way. 'We're kicking that off before Christmas, which is excellent.' It was among $6 billion in government-funded infrastructure projects that Luxon, with Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop, recently announced were scheduled to begin in 2025. He also pointed to the exponential growth in the kiwifruit sector, which he said now generated $4 billion annually – up from $2.8b. 'Eighty per cent of that comes from this region, and it's moved via our roads. That's why we've got to get our roading infrastructure first and foremost sorted and done.' Luxon said building strong transport links was the single biggest change that could be made to unlock both economic and social benefits. Key ongoing regional priorities include the State Highway 29 upgrade through Tauriko West, the Takitimu North Link Stage 1 from Tauranga to Te Puna, and Stage 2 to Ōmokoroa. Luxon has previously described Tauranga's traffic as a 'zoo', underscoring the need for faster project delivery. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo / Brydie Thompson 'We've got to follow through. It's about freight, and it's about people getting home to their families,' he said. 'When we build good roading infrastructure, we boost productivity and get social benefits. We've got to focus on getting that roading network really sorted for New Zealand.' Luxon also addressed the housing shortfall in the region, saying several developments are currently progressing through the government's fast-track process. 'We've got new roads to build that will unlock housing capacity.' A 2023 capacity assessment warned of a shortfall of about 4000 dwellings in Tauranga by 2030 under high-growth scenarios. 'We've got to get the Resource Management Act sorted – there's no doubt about it,' Luxon said. 'When it takes 19 months to build a three-bedroom house, and building costs are 50% higher than in Australia, something's wrong. It's taking us too long to get resource consenting.' He noted that homes in New Zealand can be inspected up to 14 times, adding cost and delay. 'That's why we're pushing through planning law reforms and fast-track legislation. We want one-stop-shop approvals for nationally or regionally significant projects –be it housing, roading, or renewable energy.' Luxon expected the revamped planning framework to be in place by the end of the year. With significant population growth in Tauranga and the wider Bay of Plenty region, he also reaffirmed the need to maintain local healthcare investment. Christopher Luxon said the Government was working on a plan to prioritise and maintain healthcare investment. 'Simeon Brown, the new Health Minister's put together an infrastructure plan, so we have a really clear list of how we prioritise the health building from here on through.' Luxon said across New Zealand, the average age of health buildings is about 47 years. 'We'll continue to work through our health infrastructure plan.' The 10-year plan included seismic strengthening and expanding the Emergency Department as 'stage one' activities for Tauranga Hospital. On crime, Luxon pointed to what he described as an encouraging decline in serious offending since his Government reintroduced tougher measures, including the Three Strikes law (reinstated in June 2025) and a ban on gang insignia (effective November 2024). 'Gangs make up just 0.25% of the population, but they're responsible for 25% of violent crime. And now violent crime is down.' Luxon said the gang insignia ban has helped police uncover illegal firearms and drugs, key drivers of violence. He also cited a 60% drop in ram raids nationwide and a 40% increase in frontline police presence. 'All of that has led to our crime stats starting to come down, which has been really encouraging. 'We've got more work to do, but I think most New Zealanders would credit this Government for restoring law and order.'
