Latest news with #Taupō
RNZ News
21-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
New Plymouth District Council rates blunder caused by lack of financial reporting knowledge
New Plymouth District Council chief executive Gareth Green concedes an earlier restructure played a part in the error. Photo: Taupō District Council / Supplied An external review following a New Plymouth District Council rates GST blunder - which could've cost it $20 million in lost revenue - indicates key managers may not have a sufficiently sophisticated understanding of the rating process and its impacts. The Simpson Grierson review found the council lacked financial reporting and modelling capability which "strongly suggests a need for training, and possibly recruitment/restructure and training". Council chief executive Gareth Green conceded an earlier restructure - which saved the district council $10 million - played a part in the error. "That necessitated some significant pressure being applied through the business. "I think that pressure along with other pressure points in the local government sector has contributed to this [mistake] occurring, so certainly the pressure that restructure has applied has had an impact, most definitely." He was instigating another restructure designed to bring more financial and local government experience to council staff. Green said this would result in a "small number of job losses" due to new positions being created. He wasn't thinking about falling on his sword. "I do take full responsibility for this, but I am not tendering my resignation at the current time. "My total focus at this point is leading this organisation through this situation and making sure we can resolve it in the best possible way." The Simpson Grierson review also uncovered two further bungles . It revealed the council hiked average residential rates 12.8 percent rather than 9.9 percent as advertised. The gaffe equated to $102 per ratepayer or $3.1 million. The review also identified an annual plan wording error relating to industrial water use which could've cost council a further $1.4 million in lost revenue. In his report, consultant Jonathan Salter said sophisticated knowledge and understanding of the rating process and rating impacts tended to be the domain of specialist officers with a long-standing understanding of the rating function. These staff were usually intimately familiar with the council's financial reporting and modelling systems, the valuation and rating information database and the district itself, he said. "There appears to have been a lack of capability in these two areas. This strongly suggests a need for training, and possibly recruitment/restructure and training." New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin Mayor Neil Holdom said one reason why he called for an independent review when the GST error was discovered was so council could learn from its mistakes. "I just want to make it clear the councillors - the governance team - made decisions based on information that was incorrect. "Our long-term plan was audited by Audit NZ and they also didn't pick up this error in our rating calculation model." Holdom said the proposed restructure would bolster the financial capability and bring people onboard council with local government experience. The Simpson Grierson report also recommended an independent legal review be a component of the annual rate setting process, and that council not rely on the Audit NZ review alone. Holdom said an extra-ordinary meeting on 22 July would consider a proposal for future annual-plan and long-term plan calculations to be externally peer reviewed as part of a parcel of steps to address the recent errors. Salter also wanted the council to review how it handled documents. "It appears that document management may have been an issue ... the restricted water supply targeted rate issue appears to have arisen from an incorrect 'cut and paste' from another document." Holdom earlier described the GST blunder as a "typo" and a "cut and paste" error. The Simpson Grierson consultant also thought council should consider moving away from an average residential rates model to an overall rates model. "This would be a more transparent and certain disclosure. If there is reference to the 'average' rather than 'overall' rates increase, this concept should be defined." At the extraordinary council meeting on 22 July, the mayor would recommend councillors approve a one-off rates refund to all residential property owners to ensure the average residential rates increase equalled 9.9 percent. That would require council to find $3.1 million in savings elsewhere. Councillors would also vote on amending the rates resolution wording regarding properties on a restricted water flow - usually industrial users - to ensure council was able to charge $418 for each cubic metre of water as intended. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
20-07-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Can you afford to die?
New Plymouth District Council told the Herald this was for a double-depth plot and interment fee, but there were cheaper options. The cheapest burial fee on the list was Taupō's, at $1455. The Weekend Herald also talked to those in the industry, who said one in two Kiwis will now go into debt to cover the costs of a funeral. But funerals are so much more than just where a person is buried. They're a celebration of a life well-lived, or a recognition of one ended too soon. An epilogue to a person's life story. They are a place to share grief with others who feel the same pain of loss, exchange stories and keep memories alive. And all of that, unfortunately, costs money. A 2023 report by the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand calculated the average costs for a 'very modest' funeral, arriving at $7500 for a cremation and $10,000 for a burial. The association's cost guide breaks down where all that money goes. Nationally, burials (plot and interment) range from $1000 to $8000, while cremations are between $600 and $1100, and ash burials $200 to $3000. Other major costs include professional services ($3000 to $6500), body preparation ($700 to $1050) and a casket ($1200 to $5000). Then there's everything else funeral-related – venue hire, hearse, celebrant, flowers and the death certificate, to name a few. The more you add to a service, the more the costs mount. Even those service sheets handed out at the beginning of a funeral, decorated with photos of the deceased and detailing the service order, cost between $2 and $3 per sheet. It's a drop in the bucket compared to the rest, but it all adds up. Where does all that money come from? Work and Income New Zealand (Winz) has a funeral grant that offers up to $2616 for some families, and ACC covers $7990 if the death was the result of an accident. Fourteen per cent of funerals are pre-paid, the funeral association says. Some people's funerals will be covered by their estate. But the remainder will need to have their farewells paid for by their friends and family – another burden to place on people already dealing with loss. They will have to make the hard choices about pine versus MDF, sausage rolls or macarons, newspaper notices or Facebook posts, lilies or roses, and they'll have to do all that while talking to funeral directors, filling out paperwork, informing relevant parties and receiving condolences. It's worth having a conversation now with loved ones to let them know your wishes and come up with a plan for how to fund your final goodbye. Do it before it's too late. Our deaths will be hard enough already for the people we leave behind. We don't need to add to that burden. Sign up to the Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
19-07-2025
- RNZ News
Witnesses sought after fatal crash near Taupō
Two cars collided on a straight stretch of road at Wairakei, killing one person on Saturday. Photo: Googlemaps Police are appealing to witnesses of a fatal crash on State Highway 1, near Taupō, to come forward. Taupō Area road policing manager Senior Sergeant Fane Troy said the crash happened on Saturday morning at Wairakei, north of Taupō. "About 7.30am, two vehicles travelling on a straight stretch of road collided. Sadly, the driver of one vehicle died." Taupō Area road policing manager Senior Sergeant Fane Troy. Photo: RNZ / Natalie Akoorie Troy said two other people were transported to hospital with minor to moderate injuries. The Serious Crash Unit has examined the scene, and police were now asking to hear from anyone who saw the crash occur or who might have dashcam footage of it. "If you can help, please call 105 and quote reference number P063212014." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Writing a wish list to go with your will
Talking about what we want after we die is a difficult conversation for many, and a Taupō mum and her 15-year-old son have come up with an idea to make the whole process easier. Suzanne Stevenson and her son Quinn have created a list of wishes, in the form of a book, that can sit aside a will and give families a clearer idea of the deceased's preferences before it is too late. The wishes book goes into the details of what a person would wish for their funeral, things a legal document like a will wouldn't cover, Stevenson told RNZ's Saturday Morning programme. 'Once you've gone through the passing of someone that's died quite suddenly, you don't know what to do, you're in that fight or flight mode, and the will doesn't give you any information about funeral arrangements and things like that.' As well as funeral arrangements the book can also document where family treasures will go, anything that someone might like to be passed on through the generations, she says. Two sudden deaths in her own family, inspired the idea, she says. 'My father died suddenly, and he had always joked and talked about what he wanted. A song would come on the radio and he'd go, 'I like that song, I want it played at my funeral. 'And he was a big advocate for wanting to be an organ donor. So he passed really suddenly of an asthma attack, and we knew what he wanted because he'd talked about it'. When her father-in -aw died suddenly the family had much less idea of his wishes, she says. 'There were question marks about if he was going to be cremated, where he was going to be scattered, the funeral itself, there wasn't really much clarity around it.' The book takes the form of a worksheet, she says. 'So, it's got questions: where would you like your funeral or celebration of life to be held? Are there any songs or poems that you would like? "It details what you'd like for your funeral first.' The idea is the family can then pass this to a funeral director, she says. 'Once you've got through the funeral, then you can start looking at family treasures, if there was like a teacup or something that you want your cousin to have, because it reminds you of a great aunt or if there's any artwork.' While not legally binding, she hopes because it would be written in the deceased's handwriting there would be little chance of families contesting it. She and Quinn have also created a board game The Wishes End Game . 'It's for people who want to have a conversation about death with family members but don't know how to start it. So, it's supposed to be fun. It's supposed to get people laughing. You talk a lot about what you don't want. 'And what I found is while you're laughing about things that you don't want, you talk about things that you do want.'
RNZ News
11-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
'Transformative change' needed for sport of triathlons
New Zealand's leading triathlete Hayden Wilde competing during the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Taupō, 2024. Photo: PHOTOSPORT A much-anticipated and wide-ranging report on the current state and future of triathlon has been published, with World Triathlon President Antonio Fernandez Arimany describing it as a "guide for transformation". The swim-bike-run sport that emerged from the United States in the 1970s, gained worldwide attention via the iconic Ironman distance and joined the Olympics in 2000 with a standardised 1500 metres swim-40km bike-10km run format has always had something of a piecemeal feel. Differing governing bodies, new and changing formats, and struggles for commercial and TV backing have long dogged it as the professional side of the sport sought to thrive and be attractive to the elite, while maintaining the appeal and availability of the grassroots aspect against declining participation numbers. In the US participation has dropped by an estimated 40 percent from its peak around 15 years ago, with the decline setting in long before COVID caused so much disruption to the sport. All these issues and many more were covered by the report, developed in partnership with Deloitte. World Triathlon issued a statement alongside it, listing some of the key elements to emerge. The report also concluded that World Triathlon's role had "proved challenging". "As a governing body, an international federation and an event organiser, its responsibilities are broad and sometimes conflicting," it said. "This makes it harder to act with the commercial focus and agility required to fuel growth and excitement in the sport's next chapter. "Triathlon, once a booming trend with mass amateur appeal and bucket-list allure, has now matured. "The challenge is not competition from other sports alone, but the need to reimagine triathlon's value proposition for a new era, retaining loyal athletes while attracting the next generation of fans and participants. "With that maturity comes the urgent need to adapt, re-energise its base, and capture new attention in a crowded field of fitness and competition. "This is more than a report - it is a guide for transformation," Spaniard Fernandez Arimany said, who was elected president last October. "Triathlon must evolve to thrive. We will embrace the future with purpose, clarity and renewed ambition to make our sport stronger, more visible, and more inclusive." Director at Deloitte Sports Bernard Sinnaeve added: "Triathlon is a sport with global relevance and deep cultural value. But to meet the expectations of today's athletes, fans and partners, it must become more agile, collaborative and commercially smart. This report lays the foundation to do exactly that." One of the areas highlighted was the possibility of the T100(km) distance (2km swim, 80km bike, 18km run) being included in the Olympics. CEO of the Professional Triathletes Organisation Sam Renouf who launched the event in January 2024 said: "The potential inclusion of the T100 distance in the Olympic programme is exciting and could significantly enhance the sport's global appeal, offering a more accessible and spectator-friendly format. "We are eager to explore how we can work with World Triathlon to make this a reality." - Reuters
