Those machines included excavators, diggers, loaders, tractors, dump trucks, cranes and bulldozers. That offending involved Clarke altering invoices to the New Zealand Customs Service, resulting in his company paying less duty, in particular GST. The summary of facts noted that resulted in the company having a ‘ significant cash flow advantage’’ over competitors and other businesses which paid GST on time. Those imported goods were not exempt. The summary of facts showed that Clarke also operated a machine hire company, which had branches in Dunedin, Christchurch and Cromwell, with 25 staff employed across his companies. Clarke was responsible for ordering machinery, and also for forwarding all invoices to his Customs broker.
RNZ
Northlanders are waiting on the phone for hours as they try to book appointments for their Covid-19 vaccine - while older people are being turned away as they attempt walk-in appointments.
More than a quarter of Air New Zealand’s frontline staff have not had a single Covid-19 dose and the Government doesn’t know how many other border workers are unvaccinated, months after the top priority group was first offered the vaccine. A new Health Order which mandates border workers must have had at least their first Covid-19 vaccine only covers border workers employed by the Government and not the “wider border workforce”. So it misses roles such as airline staff and port workers. All managed isolation and quarantine staff are covered by the order.
Between $60,000 and $100,000, increases will only be available if there is “serious recruitment pressure”. Those earning less than $60,000, or about a quarter of the 429,500-strong sector, will still be eligible for increase.
PSA/SUPPLIED
Rates of pay across sectors. When they laid out the plans, Ministers Chris Hipkins and Grant Robertson said they would not include any provision for inflation or cost of living increases - “because public sector pay had outpaced inflation and private sector pay prior to Covid-19”. Carolyn isn’t convinced. “I think I am well-paid but I think it’s commensurate with the job I do. In the year to June last year, the average salary was $84,500, up 3.9 per cent from the previous year. The median public sector salary was $72,600. Public sector workers take an average 7.6 sick and domestic leave days a year, down from 8.6 in 2016.
COVID-19: NZ fires nine border workers over vaccine
The Guardian and AFP, WELLINGTON
New Zealand’s customs agency has fired nine border workers who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The country has required all frontline border workers to be vaccinated by the end of last month.
In February, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the government would not be making the vaccine compulsory for frontline staff and that those who declined the vaccine would be moved into backroom roles.
However, no other work could be found to redeploy the nine workers who were in fixed-term employment at the maritime border, said Jacinda Funnell, New Zealand Customs Service deputy chief executive for people and capability.
New Zealandâs engagement with China is clear-eyed
The Ardern government has every right to pursue New Zealandâs national interest in engaging with China. Its stance on Five Eyes is smart and principled, and not merely self-serving.
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It takes some doing for a democratically elected government in the West to be praised by the
Global Times, Beijingâs populist mouthpiece, in the current climate.
Yet the Ardern government has managed to do just that, and on several occasions this year.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta is following a different diplomatic path to Australia.Â
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This started in mid-January, following New Zealandâs decision not to join its Five Eyes alliance partners in jointly criticising the arrest of pro-democracy activists under the new National Security Law in Hong Kong. Instead, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta tweeted her concern, accompanying a formal statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade