Hamilton City Council has said
goodbye to overdue fines for its junior and young adult
collections.
From today (1 July), those fees are being
removed and unpaid overdue debt for those collections will
be wiped.
About $30,000 in outstanding debt will be
erased over the next few days.
Libraries Director
Stephen Pennruscoe said the initiative aims to help shape a
city where people thrive, particularly Hamilton’s
school-age generations.
“Our libraries
are an absolute treasure trove for young learners – they
help set our rangatahi up for success. This new change is
about removing any barriers we can.”
It
can be hard for families to keep track of the items their
The
US State department is stll demanding the extradition from
Britain of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. The US has
indicted Assange for violations of the Espionage Act
related to the publication of classified documents which it
is claimed exposed U.S. war crimes. If the extradition
takes place, Assange would most probably spend the rest of
his life in prison.
But one of the main witnesses in
that extradition case, a convicted hacker Sigurdur
“Siggi” Thorarson, has admitted that he made false
claims against Assange in exchange for immunity from
prosecution.
This surprise revelation is discussed on
several websites: democracynow and consortiumnews.com. for
Thursday, 1 July 2021, 2:48 pm
$50,000 per year is available to help community and
catchment groups with resource consent processing fees as
part of a new fund introduced through the Long-term
Plan.
The new fund aims to reduce the barriers for
Otago groups to advance projects that enhance our
environment.
General Manager Regulatory Richard
Saunders said the initiative arose following feedback on the
Long-term Plan 2021-31.
“Several submissions raised
the issue of consent processing fees being a barrier for
groups wanting to undertake projects that enhance Otago’s
environment. Based on this feedback, Councillors requested
that staff develop a policy that would enable ORC to support
Thursday, 1 July 2021, 12:00 pm
“A new Bill from the ACT Party drawn today will ensure
the baton of environmental regulations is given to regional
councils and taken out of the hands of Wellington
bureaucrats,” says ACT’s Rural Affairs spokesperson Mark
Cameron.
“In recent years farmers have been hammered
by regulations put in place by Government that don’t take
into account the diverse landscapes across the
country.
“This was evident when the Freshwater
Regulations came into effect last year. Otago and Southland
farmers face unique challenges that aren’t faced in other
parts of the country. The winter grazing regulations meant
Thursday, 1 July 2021, 11:53 am
“The Government is creating further ethnic division
with its procurement policy of requiring firms to favour
‘Māori businesses’ hitting the inboxes of firms that
contract to Government up and down the country,” says ACT
Leader David Seymour.
“The policy is one for elite
Māori, those who are in business. For working class New
Zealanders of any background, nothing will change except
they will live in a more bureaucratic world better suited to
consultants and compliance officers.
“Firms up and
down the country who contract to Government agencies from
Kainga Ora to Councils to Defence have received emails