Chief Stipe

Can you give us an indication of when we can stop watching this space? Although nothing that happens now can justify the waste of space that Operation Inca was or is.

Where was any subsidy mentioned?

So what's your measure of variance? Two weeks means zero. Let me guess you are a Cost Accountant?

I've given up listening and watching the current Trackside Crew.

Well he'd be an idiot to not take advantage if he was in the market for an EV. Obviously with your Prius you couldn't resist either.

Just an intelligent observation.

LOL!!! Struggle time for you.

You reckon?

Yep no favours. I guess your Prius has had one elderly woman owner.

Well beats typing it all out when one knows what it's about. Cut and paste saves time putting you right.

If he uses the word vituperative then he is Molloy.

Yep obviously you have no logistics experience either.

$1000/year to drive your EV: Road user charges for electric vehicles from April 1, Transport Minister Simeon Brown confirms www.nzherald.co.nz It will soon cost close to $1000 per year to drive your Tesla or Nissan Leaf. Electric vehicles will lose their long-time exemption from road user charges (RUCs) on April 1, Transport Minister Simeon Brown confirmed this afternoon. EV owners will be charged $76 per 1000km (the same rate applied to other non-petrol light vehicles; essentially diesel-powered cars), plus admin fees of $12.44 (online) or $13.71 (over the counter) when you pre-pay for a block of 1000km or more..(See bullet points below for the mechanics of the new system.. The AA says the average motorist drives 12,000km per year, which equates to $912 in RUCs, not including admin fees. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. “This transition to RUC is about fairness and equity. It will ensure that all road users are contributing to the upkeep and maintenance of our roads, irrespective of the type of vehicle they choose to drive,” Brown said. The previous National government exempted EVs from paying the charge to encourage their uptake. “This exemption was always intended to end when EVs hit around 2 per cent of the light vehicle fleet and we’re now at that point.” Both the AA and the MIA (Motor Industry Association) had raised fears of “double dipping” by the Crown in the case of plug-in hybrids (or PHEVs) - which could potentially be charged both RUCs and petrol tax. Brown said that concern had been addressed by a lower RUC rate for PHEVs, whose owners will pay $53 per 1000km. The partial rate assumes that on average, a plug-in hybrid will consume petrol at a rate of just under three litres per 100km. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. Filling a $2b hole The outgoing Labour Government set March 31, 2024, as the final day of the exemption. Brown said today that he would stick to that date. Both of the major parties are aware that around $4 billion in revenue is generated each year by RUCs and petrol tax - with around half of that from the latter. If EVs maintained their RUC exemption as NZ’s fleet electrifies, the Crown would be left with a $2b hole in its books. Only light EVs (those weighing 3500kg or less) are losing their RUC exemption. Heavy electric vehicles will be hit by RUCs from December 31, 2025. The imposition of RUCs represents the other boot dropping for EV sellers. The first was the elimination of the Clean Car Discount - and the associated “ute tax” on December 31. December saw record EV sales as the discount entered its final days. “I hope that with the removal of the CCD [Clean Car Discount] that we don’t go too far backwards in our low-emission vehicle sales,” MIA chief executive Aimee Wiley told the Herald last week. Wiley said boom-and-bust cycles with various regulatory changes made it difficult for dealers as they ordered cars months in advance. Overall, she supported the elimination of electric vehicles RUC exemption, however. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. “They’ve had a free ride. It’s time for EV owners to pay their fair share,” Wiley said. Although the Clean Car Discount has been wiped, and RUCs imposed, Brown said the Government would subsidise the rollout of 10,000 public chargers by 2030 to encourage EV uptake. The EV charges announcement came on the same day the news cycle was consumed by the resignation of Green MP Golriz Ghahraman following shoplifting allegations. Brown told the Herald the date of the announcement was long-planned. The RUCs will mainly be paid by wealthier Kiwis. EV registration figures show the heaviest concentrations of electric vehicles in Remuera and other top-earning suburbs (see table here). MTA: Spend it on roads Motor Trade Association chief executive Lee Marshall welcomed the move, which he said was necessary as NZ’s fleet electrified. “Now the challenge is to ensure that the proceeds of the RUC goes where it’s needed – on-road,” Marshall said. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. Weather events of the last 12 months have accelerated the deterioration of our roads, he said. “The reality is that cyclones and storms are only going to occur more frequently in the future.” The National Land Transport Fund - to which RUCs contribute - previously went solely to roads. “In 2020, the law was changed to allow these funds to pay for rail. While rail has an important role to play in our transport network, the principle that road users only pay for roading projects is the correct one, and we trust the Government to follow through on that,” Marshall said. How to RUCs work? RUCs are pre-purchased in blocks of 1000km online or from the likes of VTNZ Pure EVs will pay $76 per $1000, plug-in hybrids $53 per 1000km. Hybrids that don’t require a charge at the wall, like the Toyota Prius, are exempt. E-scooters, e-bikes and electric mopeds and motorbikes are also exempt. An odometer reading must be given the first time you buy a block of RUCs. An odometer reading is then taken each time your car gets a warrant of fitness allowing NZTA Waka Kotahi to monitor your figures. If the odometer exceeds the RUCs purchased by the vehicle’s owner, they will be invoiced for any difference. There will be a two-month grace period as the new system is phased in. Every EV owner will receive a letter from NZTA before April 1 explaining the system. An individual can be fined up to $15,000 for providing false RUC records. Late payment can incur a 10 per cent penalty on the amount owed. Under the RUC Act 2012, owners of vehicles over 3500kg have to install an approved electronic device for recording mileage. Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.

National soars in new poll, as voters agree country is ‘on track’, Chris Hipkins crashes record low www.nzherald.co.nz Voters appear to have warmed to the Government over the summer break, with the first poll of the new year showing National breaking the 40 per cent threshold. National hit 41 per cent in January, a massive jump from the 36.5 per cent it scored in the December poll. It’s a first for this particular poll, which began in 2021, a particularly bad period for the party. The poll comes from Curia market research, which also conducts National’s internal party polling. It is comparable with the Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll which has been paused over summer. The last time a party polled above 40 in the poll was in February 2022, when Labour polled 42.3 per cent. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. Now, Labour is static on 28.4 per cent. The Greens polled 9.5 per cent, down one point. Act rose from 6.3 per cent last month to 7.8 per cent in January. NZ First polled 5.6 per cent, down from 8.1 per cent last month. Te Pāti Māori fell to 3.6 per cent from 5 per cent. Those scores would give National 51 seats, Act 10 seats, and NZ First 7 seats. Labour would have 36 seats, the Greens would have 12, and Te Pāti Māori would have 6. The poll has more bad news for Labour, with leader Chris Hipkins crashing 9 points as preferred prime minister, a new low for a Labour leader in this poll, opening up an 18-point gap with Christopher Luxon who was up one point to 31 per cent . Hipkins polled 35 per cent as preferred prime minister when he took over the job a year ago. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. Luxon has overtaken Hipkins in the favourability stakes too, with a net favourability of 5 per cent, compared to Hipkins’ 3 per cent. Favourability is comprised of polling how many people view a politician favourably and unfavourably. The unfavourable number is subtracted from the favourable number to give a net favourability ranking. Luxon is more favoured than Hipkins, but also slightly more unfavoured. Forty-two per cent of people view him favourably, compared with 37 per cent who see him unfavourably. The figures for Hipkins are 37 per cent and 34 per cent. Act leader David Seymour has a favourability of -14 per cent, up from -19 per cent last month, and NZ First leader Winston Peters has a rating of -24 per cent - a huge improvement on last month’s rating of -36 per cent. The poll registered another significant milestone: for the first time since February 2022, more people think the country is on the “right track” than the “wrong track”. A net 4 per cent of people say the country is heading in the right direction - a massive jump from December when a net 19 per cent of people believed the country was heading in the wrong direction. That shows a massive course correction in public sentiment which had seen a net 42 per cent of people think the country was heading in the wrong direction by the middle of last year. It is still a long way off the heady days of January 2021 when a net 53 per cent of people believed the country was heading in the right direction. National has opened up a lead with Labour on all major voting issues. Last month Labour was ahead on just one: health. Now, National is ahead on health, polling at 32.6 per cent as the party best at dealing with health issues, ahead of Labour which polled 30.9 per cent. The largest lead was on the economy, where National polled 54.7 per cent, compared to 20.1 per cent for Labour - a massive reversal from 2021, when Labour once out-polled National on the economy. The poll may just be registering a “summer bump”. It’s sometimes felt that people feel happier about the status quo after some time off at the beach over Christmas. Advertisement CONTENT RESUMES ON SCROLL Advertise with NZME. Whatever the cause, it will be welcome news to the National Party, which will gather this week in Christchurch for its caucus retreat, ahead of the political year starting in earnest. The poll was taken between Monday, January 8 and Wednesday, January 10. It polled 1000 respondents, giving the poll a margin of error of 3.1 per cent. Thomas Coughlan is Deputy Political Editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the press gallery since 2018.

Did you go to Christ's College? They're well known for abandoning their roots and pretending they came from elsewhere.

FFS have you ever reported to or been on a Board? Here is a link for you to educate yourself. 😕 😞 sigh! https://www.iod.org.nz/resources-and-insights/new-to-governance/board-roles/# Role of the chair The chair plays an important role in the operation of the board with one of their main duties being to set the agenda and run board meetings. They are responsible for guiding the meeting to clear outcomes for management to carry out. The chair should invite all possible views on an issue and then work to a consensus decision between board members. The chair should ensure all decisions are understood and recorded. The chair must provide leadership in developing an effective governance culture and ensuring there are strong communication flows between the board and management. The chair is the main link with the CEO and this relationship is critical.

Take time out with the mentality unstable. Some of utterances are getting more and more irrational and bizarre. Mind you that probably appeals to you.

Why is it "daft and not feasible"? They have to go somewhere. NZ is short of good Jockeys and quarantine issues with the horses can be overcome. But I take what you post with a grain of salt as you have admitted you have no interest in investment in the industry.

I would have thought that the obvious strategy would be to get the horses, trainers, jockeys and staff into NZ. You'd probably find that the punter fans would follow either in person or online.

LOL in communist China maybe but its called a Board of Directors not a Board of Dictators. Keep trying Pasta!

So you now agree she is guilty? Yeah hopefully Chloe Swarbick gets the message.

But the CHAIRMAN doesn't on his own! Doh! Even then they approve only above a certain level e.g. your job as policy analyst support intern wouldn't go to Board level. Actually you have negative knowledge.

The biggest flaw in the report is it relies heavily on a NZ RIB report.

Stirrer! Publishing a report funded by an organisation whose sole objective is the banning of Greyhound Racing. Surely you're not suggesting that's Chazza's aka @Yankiwi 's objective?

Your point? The Government has still been working. Hell they dealt to that silly trainset idea! Cost over $230m and not one piece of track laid! Here's hoping that the commercial building market picks up and this Government can make a profit on the buildings the previous one purchased. I'd have thought you'd be keen that the Parliament didn't get back early - less pressure on your public service job.