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Otago Daily Times
16-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Call for road tax money to go back into region
An Ashburton man wants more road taxes generated in the district to be spent locally - and the South Island minister says he will look at the proposal. Jeff Ryan, who has said he will run for mayor, has filed a petition to the House of Representatives calling for 'road user charges and fuel excise tax paid in a region be left in that region to pay for roading infrastructure projects and other vital projects'. 'I believe that road user charges and fuel excise tax should be used to pay for roading within the region it was paid. 'Councils are reliant on ratepayers to pay for roads. 'I feel ratepayers can't afford it, and this is stifling economic growth in our towns.' Ryan said working out the finer details wasn't up to him, he just wants to push for more funding for the regional roads rather than 'Auckland's slush fund'. 'It's not fair on councils to keep footing the bill for roading when people in their region have already paid for it by road user tax or fuel tax.' A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport said there are 'no current plans to move to a system in which RUC and FED are used only in the region in which they were paid'. Ryan hopes to change that through his petition, which is open for signatures until October 31. There is a one-signature minimum requirement for a petition to be presented to Parliament, and an MP needs to accept it for it to be presented to the House. Once presented, it is referred to the petitions committee which then decides where the petition should go. South Island Minister and Rangitata MP James Meager said he has not been contacted to present the petition. 'I will consider it but want to be clear that I am not preferencing any particular candidate or endorsing the proposal. 'As local MP, presenting petitions is part of the role.' He described land transport revenue as 'often lumpy'. 'Investment may be higher in some regions for a period of time and then lower in future to allow a focus on investment in different locations. 'The transport network provides economic benefits on a national level that do not necessarily accrue to the region where the investment is made. 'There would be administrative and implementation challenges in more closely aligning regional revenue and expenditure.' He provided the example that it's difficult to assign FED and RUC to a particular region 'as we do not have good data on vehicle movements at this level of granularity and there would likely be data quality issues between regions'. 'There's also the issue of what do you do for regions where perhaps the excise and RUCs are collected elsewhere, but the wear and tear on the roads is still happening. 'Ultimately, we need to invest in the infrastructure that we need as a country not just as a region.' The disparity of road funding has been highlighted by Canterbury mayors. According to Canterbury Mayoral Forum figures, Canterbury represents around 12% of New Zealand's population, contributes12% of national GDP, and has over 16% of the national roading network. The region only received 6% of the NZTA funding in the 2023/24 year. Figure from NZTA show the national total of road user charges and fuel excise duty collected was $3.735 billion in 2023/24. In the 2024/25-year (with some claims still to be finalised), NZTA has funded $2.5billion to territorial authorities, which excludes State Highways and KiwiRail funding, contributing to a total spend (local share plus NZTA share) of $4.5billion. Canterbury councils received $171,941,592 of NZTA funding, or 6%, which contributed to an overall total spend of $318,422,870. At a more local level, the Selwyn District Council's annual plan pointed to a funding disparity. The document states that NZTA spent $105m in Selwyn over the past 10 years, 'which is less than $150 per capita each year compared to a national average of $950 each year'. 'If NZTA investment had been consistent around the country, over $500m in additional transport projects would have been funded in Selwyn over the last 10 years.' Mayor Sam Broughton said New Zealand needs to upgrade its road funding model and 'move to electronic RUC for all vehicles to pay for the roads we use'. 'Otherwise, the burden just falls back on ratepayers—and that's not sustainable.' The issues with the current road funding model is most noticeable in Canterbury he said. 'Our roads carry 15% of the vehicle kilometres travelled but received just 5% of national road funding. 'Every other region receives its percentage share of the national fund from central government in line with the amount of travel on their roads.' He said Selwyn is 'feeling the pressure of the co-funding we get from the government for our roads not keeping up with their cost or use'. 'We maintain over 2,500 km of roads and more than 120 bridges. 'In the past three years, the cost to maintain and upgrade these has jumped by up to 40% in some cases. But the funding hasn't increased to match that. 'This puts us in tough positions, like having to choose between making safety upgrades outside schools or fixing dangerous intersections.' Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown said, with the fourth largest roading network in the country, he feels Mid Canterbury is missing out. 'We are underfunded and the statistics show that.' He said that keeping road taxes in the region of origin is one option, one that has been raised before, and while it may improve the situation for Ashburton, it would create issues for others. 'Canterbury would certainly win from it as there is a lot of money spent on fuel tax here that never comes back. 'But we are one big country and there are other areas that have a low spend and big road network that would miss out. 'It needs to be a combination of thing to even things out' How does it work? Road TaxesThe spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport explained that revenue collected from Road User Charges and Fuel Excise Duty goes into the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) – a dedicated fund to maintain, improve, and build new roads, as well as funding public transport, road safety, and walking and cycling. 'The Government's approach to land transport expenditure is based on revenue being invested in projects that deliver the highest national benefit, while giving consideration to regional priorities.'
RTÉ News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
NORAID: Irish America and the IRA - inside the new documentary
Documentary maker Kevin Brannigan introduces his new documentary NORAID: Irish America and the IRA, a two-part tale telling the astonishing story of the role played by Irish Americans during the conflict in Northern Ireland, which premieres on RTÉ One on July 9th and 16th. Belfast, August 12th, 1984. A few thousand people have assembled outside Sinn Féin's Connolly House, in the Anderstown area of the city. They have all spent the day marching under the watchful eyes of the RUC and the British full apparatus of the security state is on display. Police Land-Rovers, guns, dogs, helicopters. It's the 13th anniversary of the start of Operation Demetrius, better known as the introduction of Internment, when the British Army had rounded up close to 2,000 people, the majority of whom were nationalists, imprisoning them without trial. But in this scene at Anderstown something else other than simply marking this date is at play. Something is about to happen. Then it happens. In our film we pause the footage a split second before the plastic bullet is fired, when we hit play again the RUC bullet travels through film frames and into the chest of 22 year old John Downes. The father of one dies. In the moments before Downes' death, an American man in his 30s had been introduced by Gerry Adams MP onto the speaking platform. Before the American utters a word, the RUC, with batons drawn, rush forward to storm the platform. They want to arrest Martin Galvin. Death and injury follow. The American slips away. Why had the British Army been deployed in great numbers onto the streets of Belfast to apprehend this American? Why had the RUC caused a riot and in the melee killed a young man to get to this American? Who was he and what did he represent? The American was a New Yorker by the name of Martin Galvin. He was the spokesperson and face of a US group called 'Irish Northern Aid'; better known as NORAID. The group had been formed at the outbreak of the Troubles in 1969, with the stated intention of raising money for the families of imprisoned or dead Irish Republicans. Through access to exclusive archival accounts and interviews with members of NORAID our film explores this mostly forgotten but vital component of the conflict in the North. Watch a clip from NORAID: Irish America and the IRA By the time of the anti-interment march through Belfast in the summer of '84, NORAID had become such a thorn in the side of the British state that Martin Galvin had been banned from entering Northern Ireland. This banning order and his subsequent appearance alongside Gerry Adams on that speaking platform is what led to the riot on that day. But NORAID was much more than this one incident. Their members acted as the Republican Movement's eyes and ears in America. Fundraising, demonstrating, propagandising and, for some, gun-running. NORAID were a crucial part of Sinn Féin's strategy right up until the mid-1990's. In making this two-part film we travelled throughout New York, New Jersey and Boston, interviewing former NORAID members, IRA gun runners, gangsters, a bi-liturgical priest in his 90s from Limerick and a one-time FBI agent, who served on the NORAID beat. For the first time on film, we have put together the story of militant Irish Republicanism in America during the conflict in the North. It's a story that leads the viewer into back-rooms with the infamous South Boston Gangster Whitey Bulger and ultimately into the White House. But, at its core, it's a story of Irish immigrants, or those of a second or third generation, who had a deep connection to their country of origin and who were anything but the Plastic Paddy stereotype. The scorn poured on their intense activism by the media in the Irish Republic also acts as a mirror to the attitudes of those living in the South during the conflict. Did those of us in the 26 counties resent this American ''interfering'' due to the embarrassment of our lack of action, fueled by censorship under acts such as Section 31? Our main aim with this film was to tell a story that is either misunderstood or not known at all. NORAID were a crucial part of Sinn Féin's strategy right up until the mid-1990's. It was NORAID lobbying that helped focus minds in the Democratic Party on the North of Ireland. NORAID agitation that led Bill Clinton — then a candidate for the Democratic Primaries – to declare on television that, yes, he would issue a Visa to Gerry Adams if elected President. Clinton, of course, won the presidency and it's around this time that NORAID moved off the stage. Financiers and powerbrokers, elite men who once would have not deemed Gerry Adams acceptable company began to occupy the position that NORAID once held. But there's a lot more to it than that. Myself, Jamie Goldrick, Niamh Learmont and Faolán Carey travelled the East Coast of America meeting the people who formed the backbone of NORAID. We wanted them to tell their story for themselves. No talking heads guide you towards how you should feel about the characters or their actions. It's for the viewer to make up their mind from watching and listening to first hand testimony. Watch a clip from NORAID: Irish America and the IRA We also wanted to capture the high-jinks and devilment that come with being part of an organisation that's operating outside the accepted norms. History should never be cold or boring in its retelling and with the characters we met and interviewed that was never going to be an option. Our film should also help frame the Irish relationship with Americans through a different lens, that of international solidarity, the opposite to Shannon Airport being used by the US military. While also reminding Irish people just how deep the love of one's native country stays within the hearts of immigrants down through the generations.
Hindustan Times
06-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Gujarat: Amit Shah launches new dairy federation, salt co-operative
Ahmedabad: Union minister of home and cooperation Amit Shah launched the Sardar Patel Cooperative Dairy Federation in Gujarat on Sunday and said that it would benefit the farmers of the country on the lines of Amul. Union minister Amit Shah addresses a gathering during an event to mark the fourth foundation day of the Ministry of Cooperation and the 150th birth anniversary year of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, at the campus of Amul Dairy in Anand, Gujarat, Sunday. (PTI) Speaking at an event in Anand to mark the completion of four years of the Ministry of Cooperation, Shah also announced the formation of Kutch District Salt Cooperative Society that will benefit the salt-producers, or Agariyas, as they are known in Gujarat. The event, organised by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (GCMMF), or Amul, as it is popularly known for the brand it markets, also marked the 150th birth anniversary year of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The multi-state Federation aims to establish a system of organised milk procurement, fair pricing and circular economy in the dairy sector. 'The Sardar Patel Cooperative Dairy Federation will work to complete a cycle of organised market, input services, fair purchase of milk, difference in price and circular economy in the dairy sector,' Shah said, adding that on the lines of Amul, it will benefit the farmers of the country. Shah also virtually inaugurated the expansion of Dr Verghese Kurien cheese plant in Kheda and chocolate plant in Mogar, projects worth ₹365 crore. He inaugurated the new office building of the National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI) named Maniben Patel Bhawan, located in the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) complex in Anand, and dedicated the Ready-to-Use Culture (RUC) Plant of NDDB built at a cost of ₹45 crore. He also laid the foundation stone for the new NDDB headquarters building. During his address, Shah said the Ministry of Cooperation, created four years ago, has undertaken over 60 initiatives focused on people, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), digital platforms, policy reforms and prosperity. He said that cooperation has existed in Indian society since the Vedic period and Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave it legislative backing by creating the ministry, which has given new life to more than 8.4 lakh cooperative societies involving about 31 crore people. Shah said that the upcoming Tribhuvan Sahkari University has recently been established in the name of Tribhuvan Das Patel and that 2 lakh new PACS, a National Cooperative Database and six new national level cooperative bodies are being set up—three related to grain and three to dairy. He also said that the Kutch District Salt Cooperative Society, launched on Sunday, will benefit salt workers and grow into a strong cooperative movement, and added that profits from salt production will now go to those who work in the fields. Gujarat accounts for more than 70% of India's salt production, with nearly 30% coming from the Little Rann of Kutch. Shah also called for cooperative institutions to focus on transparency, technology adoption and member-centric practices. He said that without these, cooperative models cannot survive in a competitive environment and urged leaders to make these values part of the work culture during the International Year of Cooperatives. He paid tribute to Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary, saying Mookerjee sacrificed his life for Kashmir and made West Bengal part of India. 'He gave the slogan that 'Two prime ministers, two Constitutions and two flags would not be acceptable in the country',' said Shah. Talking about the milk co-operative model, he said that 36 lakh women work hard every day in Gujarat and 20 lakh women in other parts of the country. 'The annual turnover of Amul is ₹80,000 crore and it will cross ₹1 lakh crore next year. The profits from this are going directly into the accounts of these 56 lakh sisters. Prosperity is not of an individual but of the entire society, affluence is not of a few rich people but of the poor, labourers and farmers,' Shah said adding that the initiatives have been taken by Prime Minister Modi bearing this in mind.
Irish Independent
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Dr Who star Christopher Eccleston spotted in Dundalk on set of new movie ‘Chasing Millions'
Emmy winning actor and former Dr Who Christopher Eccleston has been spotted in Dundalk as shooting took place in a number of locations in Dundalk on the new film Chasing Millions based on the infamous Northern Bank robbery. There was consternation last week when an RUC jeep was spotted in the Muirhevnamor housing estate but it turned out that the film crew had rented a house at Slieve Foy Park.
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Elizabeth Emblems: Thirty NI police officers get award
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has paid tribute to 30 police officers posthumously awarded the Elizabeth award, named after the late Queen, recognises public servants, such as police and firefighters, who died in the line of Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers and two from the PSNI are among 100 people people being posthumously recognised across the UK on is the second such list since the award was announced last year and the first to include recipients from Northern Ireland. "It is with deep humility and respect that we remember these 30 fallen officers – our colleagues and friends who gave their lives in service," Mr Boutcher said. "Their sacrifice and the enduring grief carried by their families must never be forgotten."The Elizabeth Emblem is a poignant and powerful symbol of national gratitude – a recognition not only of the officers' ultimate sacrifice, but also of the pain their loved ones have been left behind to process and carry."Today, I stand with our police families who have lost a loved one – the Elizabeth Emblem serves as a lasting memory of their bravery."Many of our fallen colleagues included on the list lost their lives during the Troubles in Northern Ireland – a painful and turbulent chapter in our history. "We will honour their memory, and I stand alongside their families in quiet reflection, pride and sorrow." The Elizabeth Emblem is the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross, which recognises members of the armed forces who died in action or as a result of a terrorist design of the emblem includes a rosemary wreath - a symbol of remembrance - around the Tudor Crown, which King Charles adopted when he took the is inscribed with the words "For A Life Given In Service" and has the name of the person it commemorates on the reverse.
