How senior business leaders are feeling, moves to restore confidence in Auckland’s rail network and why Air New Zealand is cutting back on domestic services.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says an early-morning incident involving the partner of an Australian diplomat is a matter for police.
Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis fronted media during a visit to Auckland’s Rising Stars childcare centre in Lynfield today.
Luxon started the press conference by saying this was the week when people struggling with childcare costs could get relief.
He said the new FamilyBoost childcare payment would make a real difference for families facing cost-of-living challenges.
Nicola Willis said some 30,000 parents had already registered with the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to receive the payment.
She said it was a simple scheme for all children in early childhood education. She described the $975 refund as “meaningful” cash for parents.
Registration for the FamilyBoost rebate opened this week. Households earning up to $180,000 can register for a rebate through Inland Revenue’s myIR platform.
When asked about the situation with the partner of an Australian diplomat who was involved in a late-night Wellington street fight Luxon was tight-lipped, saying that was an issue for police.
The new data shows Wellington City is home to the highest proportion of people who identify as belonging to the LGBTIQ+ community.
It also shows cigarette smoking rates have almost halved since 2013 and the number of people working from home increased almost 60% between 2018 and 2023.
On the Census results, Luxon said New Zealand was becoming a more multicultural country. He said the nation was richer culturally because of immigrants.
On smoking cessation, Luxon said the Government was determined to lower smoking rates across New Zealand.
”We’re doing everything we can to make alternatives available and for people to quit smoking,” he said.
He said the Government would be trialling alternative heated tobacco products for 12 months to see if it helped people quit smoking.
Luxon said any alternative to get people off cigarettes was a good thing, and the focus was on child-proofing alternatives to smoking.
Regarding the unfolding crisis in the Middle East, Luxon’s advice for Kiwis was to avoid travel to Lebanon, Israel or Iran.
He said 50 New Zealanders were in the affected countries at present.
Also today, findings from the 2024 Mood of the Boardroom survey were released, naming Erica Stanford, who holds the Government’s Education and Immigration portfolios, as Luxon’s best-performing minister.
Education Minister Erica Stanford has been named as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's best-performing minister in the Mood of the Boardroom survey. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Stanford scored 4.01/5 on a scale where 1=less impressive and 5=most impressive. More than a third of survey respondents marked her performance “most impressive”.
Stanford is not a member of the Prime Minister’s “kitchen Cabinet” but is deeply respected by him.
Simeon Brown, who holds a suite of portfolios – Energy, Local Government, Transport and Auckland – came in next, rating 3.89/5. The Prime Minister was ranked 6th.
Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.
