MINIMUM WAGE IS SET TO INCREASE THIS WEEK, RISING BY $1.20 AN HOUR TO $17.70 FROM MONDAY.
Welcome to the March edition of PolitiPal brought to you by HSB Government Relations. No bull, no spin, all truth. Each edition covers memorable moments from the House, a range of political insights you would be crazy to miss, and tips to help you hone your political engagement.
HSB Government Relations is a firm that matches domestic and overseas businesses with all levels of New Zealand’s political ecosystem. We aim to make political engagement simple and accessible for all kinds of New Zealanders across Aotearoa.
1: Prime Minister vs Leader of the Opposition – What has been happening in parliament?
2: Things you should know – Latest changes and discussions that may affect you.
Every house sitting week the Leader of the Opposition (LoO) asks the Prime Minister (PM) questions, also known as holding the Government to account. If question time is on, we are watching it so you don’t have to! This month, the key issue was the capital gains tax (CGT).
The two debated whether a CGT would cause losses from KiwiSaver, the exemption of Māori from CGT in the Tax Working Group Report, valuations and their effects on SMEs and farms, and the effect of the CGT on inflation and migration to Australia.
Minimum wage is set to increase this week, rising by $1.20 an hour to $17.70 from Monday.
Consultation on Vocational Education Reform: the Ministry of Education has extended the timeframes for submitters to give feedback on the proposed changes to vocational education in New Zealand. The new date is 5 April. You can find out more information about the submission process here.
Are you a Māori business based in the Waikato region? The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, in conjunction with Te Hūmeka, is hosting a Regional Māori Business Event 8:30am – 3:30pm this coming Friday 5 April. Register your attendance here. Holly will be co-facilitating the event along with Te Hūmeka Chair and business strategist Kim Hill.
Currently going through the rigmarole of open homes? Take this survey to help scope the viability of a proposed new New Zealand-based app that aims to streamline the open home experience for New Zealand home buyers. You might just win a prezzy card! Or contact the creator for more information.
R&D Tax Incentive: in an effort to increase R&D spending to 2 per cent of the GDP in the next 10 years, the Government will be introducing the R&D Tax Incentive in April to encourage innovation and sustainable growth for New Zealand businesses. More details can be found here.
Also check out some of our favourite political reads from this month:
- What exactly is the Official Information Act, and why does it matter?
- This jargon-free, comprehensive analysis of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s report on farms, forests, and fossil fuels.
- How did our domestic intelligence agencies fail to save 50 lives on March 15?
- 27 Parliamentary Service staff have resigned since around Christmas last year as the department restructures, costing taxpayers close to $250,000. Seen something political that interested you this month? Drop us a line at [email protected] we’d love to hear from you!
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