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The boss of Auckland’s City Rail Link project is calling for solutions to New Zealand’s major infrastructure bills.
Sean Sweeney has revealed the cost per kilometre for building a metro rail line here is nearly $1.5 billion.
That’s about two-thirds more expensive than doing the same work in Australia.
Sweeney attributes it to Australian state governments working better with contractors.
He says they build up expectations for operations - which companies have an incentive to uphold - so they win future contracts.
Israel and Hamas have struck a last-minute agreement to extend the ceasefire into a seventh day.
The Israeli Defence Force says the extension will allow mediators to continue the process of releasing hostages.
The confirmation came just minutes before the ceasefire was due to expire.
Mark Regev - a senior adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister - says his Government’s position is crystal clear.
The number of Kiwis behind on their mortgages has spiked back up again.
Centrix data shows in October, there are more than 19,000 mortgage accounts past due, up 25 per cent year-on-year.
It comes as the Reserve Bank forecasts rates would need to stay higher for longer and cuts to the OCR could now only be on the table from mid-2025.
Meanwhile, demand for credit cards rose 11.8 per cent year-on-year.
Buy Now Pay Later and personal loan demand all went up in November.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown appears to have strong support for his proposal to lease Port of Auckland’s operations.
A Curia poll commissioned by the mayor’s office shows 71 per cent of respondents support leasing operations for up to 35 years.
That is on the condition that several billion dollars are paid up-front, and the council retains ownership of the port land.
Most people also support selling Auckland Council’s remaining Auckland Airport shares.
The incoming and outgoing climate change ministers are touching down in Dubai, for the world’s most important climate meeting.
Simon Watts will represent the new Government at the UN’s COP28 summit.
James Shaw will represent the Opposition.
Shaw says there is a very large New Zealand contingent attending the talks this year.
Officers were photographed helping to paint protest signs.