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1News
6 hours ago
- 1News
'Call me Mr Cash Man': MP seeks protection for hard currency
Self-proclaimed cash advocate and MP Jamie Arbuckle believes his proposed law protecting hard currency transactions is about more than accessibility — it's also about privacy and preventing "Big Brother" surveillance. The New Zealand First MP's members' legislation, the Cash Transactions Protection Bill, would require vendors to accept cash up to the value of $500, with no limits on the amount of cash that must be accepted for essential items like fuel and food. 'There's a real concern across New Zealand that we're becoming a cashless society, and we've got a lot of people who depend on cash,' the MP told Q+A. He said that particularly applied to people living in rural areas, the elderly who are more comfortable using cash than digital systems, and those on low incomes. A self-professed fan of using cash, Arbuckle said, 'cash is king, and you can call me Mr Cash Man if you like.' ADVERTISEMENT 'I've got to tell you right now, I don't like walking into a shop and not being able to pay cash for a coffee.' Composite image by Vania Chandrawidjaja (Source: iStock/1News) But he said in an increasingly digital world, there was a more serious point to be made about the ability to make anonymous payments. 'People are telling me they want to have the ability to use cash, it's a freedom of choice issue.' 'It's really the only true way of having privacy in a transaction. You don't get that with electronic payments. There's always the concern that Big Brother or someone is able to look at where you've been, what you've purchased, so the majority of people have been very positive about protecting cash use.' A Reserve Bank survey released in June 2025 found that — while electronic and debit card use was by far the most common method of making payments — a significant minority of the country continued to use cash regularly. Around 46% of respondents said they used cash 'to pay for everyday things', down slightly from 48% which an equivalent survey found in June 2023. ADVERTISEMENT The survey also found a majority had used cash at least once in the seven days preceding the survey being taken, with approximately 33% of respondents saying they hadn't used cash in the last week, and a further 3.6% saying they would never use cash. Further research undertaken last year by the Reserve Bank found Kiwis value being able to use physical cash. Director of money and cash Ian Woolford said, '84% of respondents were worried about losing access to banknotes and coins, and want assurance that cash will still be issued by the Reserve Bank and not reduced or replaced by digital cash.' 'We'll keep issuing cash for as long as New Zealanders want to use it," he said in December. "We're doing a lot of work to redesign the cash system, including helping retailers through community cash services trials next year in several rural communities lacking over-the-counter bank or ATM services.' Some businesses have moved to being cash-free, but Arbuckle said in his view, it couldn't be an opt-in and opt-out system. 'The majority of businesses hold cash, so we're only talking about a small amount of businesses that would have to change. ADVERTISEMENT "Cash is legal tender, and you should be able to purchase with cash.' He said if the bill is pulled out of the member's bill biscuit tin, he'd welcome feedback from businesses that might be affected during the select committee process. Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air
Scoop
10 hours ago
- Scoop
Building Monopolies Busted: Tradies And Home Buyers To Benefit From Cheaper Materials
ACT is celebrating a major win for tradies and first home buyers alike. From tomorrow, thousands of overseas building products including plasterboard, cladding systems, and joinery will be available for use in New Zealand. This long-overdue reform was a key ACT campaign policy in the 2023 election. 'Builders and tradies are finally free to use materials trusted and approved around the world,' says ACT Building and Construction spokesperson Cameron Luxton, Parliament's only licensed builder. 'For years, outdated red tape has locked our building industry into high-cost, low-choice options. Dumb rules kept out better, cheaper, and more innovative products. This stifled competition, inflated prices, and put the dream of home ownership out of reach for too many Kiwis. "I remember the plasterboard supply crisis back in 2022 and how it crippled the building industry. Only a Government could create the absurd situation where there's a black market for plasterboard. Tomorrow's changes will break up the plasterboard monopoly and have similar effects for products all across the sector. 'Plasterboard in New Zealand costs 67% more than in the US and Canada, and 38% more than in Australia. That's not because ours is better, it's because tradies haven't been allowed to use anything else. 'More competition doesn't just help those who choose the new products, it forces existing suppliers to drop their prices or risk losing out. 'This is how ACT thinks across the board. We're already streamlining medicine approvals, and we're pushing to open the supermarket sector to more overseas players. When there's more choice and more competition, Kiwis get better products at better prices.'
RNZ News
14 hours ago
- RNZ News
European Union parliamentarians in antipodes
Delegation Chair Seán Kelly represents the Ireland South constituency at the European Parliament. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins New Zealand is a crucial partner despite being on the opposite side of the globe, a visiting Member of the European Parliament said while in New Zealand this week. Six members of the multinational legislature, which has recently signed a Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand, were in Wellington to strengthen inter-parliamentary ties, and relay information about our society and the economy back to Brussels. Parliamentary diplomacy, which is distinct from government-led foreign affairs, is something that New Zealand's Parliament values highly. Connecting with counterparts through both inward and outward engagements gives MPs a platform to foster bilateral and multilateral relationships and exchange knowledge. Delegation chair Seán Kelly represents the Ireland South constituency. He says the European Union is keen to grow its relationship with New Zealand, which is culturally connected despite the distance. "New Zealand is the furthest away from Europe, but at the same time, in all other respects, it's very close to Europe, both in terms of language, in attitude, in democracy, culture, and even listening to the parliament there today, it was very similar to the Parliaments across the European Union." Fostering these relationships with like-minded nation states is even more crucial these days, Kelly said. "There are a lot of challenges globally, and working together with like-minded partners in particular is hugely important now for Europe, especially because of what has happened geopolitically in the world in the last number of years." Coming from New Zealand, with our comparatively small, Westminster-derived legislature, the European Union seems like a bit of a distant and unusual entity - akin to a scenario in which New Zealand, Australia and Pacific Island Nations sharing a common currency, lawmaking body and soft borders. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen gives a press conference on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia at the EU headquarters in Brussels. Photo: AFP /NICOLAS TUCAT Kelly gave The House a brief rundown of how the EU Parliament works, noting its trajectory from being branded as a "Mickey Mouse Parliament" to now being a highly respected lawmaking body. "Over time, the European Parliament evolved from having almost no powers to becoming a true co-legislator," Kelly said. "[Nowadays] some would say that we have too much power, because if you look at what's happening in national parliaments, it's estimated that around 60 percent of the legislation that's going through national parliaments is now actually transposing what has been decided or voted on in the European Parliament." "Now, that's in the sense that every single country, the 27 members of the European Union, have representation in the Parliament, and the smallest countries like Malta and Luxembourg, they are guaranteed a minimum of six [seats], the biggest country, Germany has 96. So it's very democratic - there is no government there, so everything is done by majority." New Zealand and Ireland are two countries that are often compared due to their similar populations, and rankings on the human development index. The two societies also have the commonality of pursuing language revitalisation efforts - Irish (Gaelic) in Ireland, and Te Reo Māori in New Zealand. Kelly, a keen proponent of the Irish language says the European Parliament's mantra of "unity in diversity" has been conducive to the legitimisation of indigenous languages being used in administrative and legislative contexts. "So I speak Gaelic, I can speak it in the European parliament - you often do - and that's then interpreted into all the other languages. [It's] the same here. You're preserving your languages [in Parliament] here, which is very important for the Maōri. "We have 200 plus Irish people employed in Brussels, either as interpreters or translating documents. Every single document is translated into the 23 official languages, and, Irish, became a working document language just two years ago, and I put down the first ever amendment to a resolution in our native language. So there's a lot of support there for it and [it's] something we appreciate." You can listen to the audio version of this story, along with other coverage from Parliament this week by clicking the link at the top of the page. *RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
