The government’s plan to replace petrol tax with road user charges for all vehicles has opened the door to a GPS-linked tracking system.
Auckland-based firm Eroad, which saw its stock surge 30 percent after the announcement, is pushing a $40 “smart tag” that sticks to your windscreen. Every movement could become recordable, although Eroad argues the Privacy Act 2020 means it won’t share your location data without a warrant.
A majority of New Zealanders disagree with Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Grant Robertson, and Ayesha Verrall refusing to testify publicly at the Covid-19 Royal Commission, according to a new Curia poll commissioned by the Taxpayers’ Union.
Sir Ian Taylor, founder of Animation Research Ltd, says claims that Education Minister Erica Stanford is racist for removing Te Reo Māori from early reading materials are unfounded and misleading.
Protesting outside someone’s home will soon be illegal, with Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith introducing legislation that could see demonstrators fined up to $2000 or jailed for three months if they target private residences.
New Zealanders are leaving in their biggest numbers since 2012, with 71,851 citizens departing in the year to June and only 25,353 returning. That’s a net loss of nearly 47,000 people, according to new data from Stats NZ.
Most of them are young. Thirty-eight percent of those leaving were aged between 18 and 30. About 59 percent went to Australia, chasing higher pay and better job prospects.
