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Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Healthy Homes Requirements, KiwiSaver, Jobseeker, Parental Leave Changes And More - What's Changing On 1 July
Explainer - It's 1 July tomorrow and believe it or not we're halfway through 2025, which means the government will roll out several new changes to policies and regulations. Here are some of the highlights you need to know: Healthy Homes standards come into effect One big change is mandatory Healthy Homes standards which all rental properties must now comply with. The rules set basic standards for heating, insulation and ventilation. Among them: Landlords need to provide one or more fixed heaters that can directly heat a home's main living room. These need to meet the minimum heating capacity. Properties need to be insulated in the ceiling and under the floor, unless the design of the home makes this impossible. Every liveable area needs a window or door that opens to the outdoors and can be fixed open. Kitchens and bathrooms need extractor fans. All rental properties also need efficient drainage, guttering and downpipes and any gaps or holes need to be blocked. There is a compliance tool on MBIE's Tenancy Services website landlords can use to check their compliance. Parental leave payments going up The maximum weekly rate of paid parental leave will go up as of 1 July. The maximum parental leave payment rate for eligible employees and self-employed people will increase from $754.87 to $788.66 gross per week, Employment NZ said. The minimum parental leave payment rate for self-employed parents will also increase from $231.50 to $235.00 gross per week, to reflect the minimum wage increase on 1 April. There have also been changes to broader parental leave requirements which will take effect that will clarify certain details around how leave is counted and who is eligible. Jobseeker tightens up application procedures Jobseeker is making changes to how people can get support. From Tuesday, people will only get Jobseeker Support for 26 weeks - six months - before they need to reapply. Currently, people need to reapply once a year. Those who are already getting Jobseeker Support may still be on a 52-week reapplication before they move to the shorter period depending on their situation, Work and Income said. There will also be changes to two groups of people already on Jobseeker - sole parents who are the primary caregiver and whose youngest dependent child is 14-18 years, and people who were "grandparented" and getting benefits before 2013. KiwiSaver changes take effect The government announced several changes to KiwiSaver in this year's Budget. As of 1 July, the government contribution will drop from 50 cents to 25 cents for each dollar you contribute to KiwiSaver each year, lowering the maximum government contribution from $521.43 to $260.72. You'll need to contribute at least $1,042.86 to get that. The government contribution will be extended to include 16- and 17-year-olds from 1 July 2025, and they will be eligible for mandatory employer contributions as well, from 1 April 2026. The age for auto-enrolment will remain at 18. Those enrolled in the scheme with an income of more than $180,000 will no longer receive the government contribution. Eligibility for this will be tested according to one of the last two tax years based on the member's income, once their final tax return is finalised. ACC payments to increase ACC has raised some payments starting 1 July as part of their annual review. Clients who have been receiving weekly compensation for more than 26 weeks will have their payments increased by 2.89 percent. The new gross maximum rate of weekly compensation payable will be $2,418.55 per week. Transport fees to increase Public transport fees are changing in many locations as councils try to meet a directive from the government to pay more of the cost of delivering the services. Fares will increase in Waikato, Taranaki, Wellington, Canterbury and Invercargill. Northland's bus fares are going up in August. Auckland Transport increased its fares in February. The BayBus service around Tauranga and Bay of Plenty increased prices in April, while the Otago Regional Council has agreed to raise prices but it hasn't set out when that will happen. In Wellington, Metlink fares will rise 2.2 percent while in Christchurch, fees will also rise. Check with your own local public transport for details in your area. Raw milk records required From 1 July, it will be required to keep records of the movement of raw milk to and from farms. It's part of the National Pest Management Plan for Mycoplasma bovis which aims to prevent the spread of the disease. Weight loss drug Wegovy becomes available in New Zealand The weight loss and diabetes drug Wegovy (also known as Ozempic) which is only available on prescription, should be on pharmacy shelves as of 1 July, drug maker Novo Nordisk confirmed. It ends a years-long wait for the much-hyped medication.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Healthy Homes requirements, KiwiSaver, Jobseeker, parental leave changes and more - What's changing on 1 July
1 July is typically when many new government regulations take effect. Photo: 123rf Explainer - It's 1 July tomorrow and believe it or not we're halfway through 2025, which means the government will roll out several new changes to policies and regulations. Here are some of the highlights you need to know: One big change is mandatory Healthy Homes standards which all rental properties must now comply with. The rules set basic standards for heating, insulation and ventilation. Among them: There is a compliance tool on MBIE's Tenancy Services website landlords can use to check their compliance. The maximum weekly rate of paid parental leave will go up as of 1 July. The maximum parental leave payment rate for eligible employees and self-employed people will increase from $754.87 to $788.66 gross per week, Employment NZ said. The minimum parental leave payment rate for self-employed parents will also increase from $231.50 to $235.00 gross per week, to reflect the minimum wage increase on 1 April. There have also been changes to broader parental leave requirements which will take effect that will clarify certain details around how leave is counted and who is eligible. Jobseeker is making changes to how people can get support . From Tuesday, people will only get Jobseeker Support for 26 weeks - six months - before they need to reapply. Currently, people need to reapply once a year. Those who are already getting Jobseeker Support may still be on a 52-week reapplication before they move to the shorter period depending on their situation, Work and Income said. There will also be changes to two groups of people already on Jobseeker - sole parents who are the primary caregiver and whose youngest dependent child is 14-18 years, and people who were "grandparented" and getting benefits before 2013. The government announced several changes to KiwiSaver in this year's Budget. As of 1 July, the government contribution will drop from 50 cents to 25 cents for each dollar you contribute to KiwiSaver each year, lowering the maximum government contribution from $521.43 to $260.72. You'll need to contribute at least $1,042.86 to get that. The government contribution will be extended to include 16- and 17-year-olds from 1 July 2025, and they will be eligible for mandatory employer contributions as well, from 1 April 2026. The age for auto-enrolment will remain at 18. Those enrolled in the scheme with an income of more than $180,000 will no longer receive the government contribution. Eligibility for this will be tested according to one of the last two tax years based on the member's income, once their final tax return is finalised. ACC has raised some payments starting 1 July as part of their annual review. Clients who have been receiving weekly compensation for more than 26 weeks will have their payments increased by 2.89 percent. The new gross maximum rate of weekly compensation payable will be $2,418.55 per week. Public transport fees are changing in many locations as councils try to meet a directive from the government to pay more of the cost of delivering the services. Fares will increase in Waikato, Taranaki, Wellington, Canterbury and Invercargill. Northland's bus fares are going up in August. Auckland Transport increased its fares in February . The BayBus service around Tauranga and Bay of Plenty increased prices in April, while the Otago Regional Council has agreed to raise prices but it hasn't set out when that will happen. In Wellington, Metlink fares will rise 2.2 percent while in Christchurch, fees will also rise . Check with your own local public transport for details in your area. From 1 July, it will be required to keep records of the movement of raw milk to and from farms . It's part of the National Pest Management Plan for Mycoplasma bovis which aims to prevent the spread of the disease. The weight loss and diabetes drug Wegovy (also known as Ozempic) which is only available on prescription, should be on pharmacy shelves as of 1 July, drug maker Novo Nordisk confirmed. It ends a years-long wait for the much-hyped medication. Read more about the new medication here . Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
17-06-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Landlords face July 1 deadline for Healthy Homes compliance - the five standards rentals must meet
Landlords have a fortnight to meet the July 1 deadline when all residential rentals must comply with Healthy Homes standards. The approximately 500,000 New Zealand rental properties must meet five standards, according to Tenancy Services, part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment: The Healthy Homes checklist explains the
Otago Daily Times
26-04-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Head tenants proving a ‘law unto themselves'
PHOTO: ODT FILES When it comes to rental accommodation issues, the most complaints Queenstown's Citizens Advice Bureau receives relate to head tenants — which they're powerless to do anything about. "Landlords have rules they have to stick by, head tenants don't," manager Tracy Pool says. "Flatmates have no real rights, so head tenants get away with so much." That includes putting their co-tenants' rent up without the notice period a landlord has to give, or raising their power bills when a tenant might not have even seen the bill. "We'll have people walk in here and say, 'oh, they've told me they want me out tomorrow', or 'they want me out next week'." Pool says a lot of head tenants treat their co-tenants well, "but some of them seem to be repeat offenders". She adds Tenancy Services "will not cover anything to do with flatmates". "So one of the biggest problems we have is that flatmates have no rights, no real rights." However, she says it's a different story if the head tenant's your employer, who's rented a house or a unit to house their staff in. "This is then considered as a service tenancy", she explains, which comes under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. "We don't have a lot of issues really with staff accommodation so much, most of our issues come from independent head tenants with flatmates." The only difference between a service tenancy and a tenancy agreement, Pool says, is the notice period if you're no longer employed by the company providing your housing.
