Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

Every time a New Zealander fills up at the pump, around 10 cents per litre is being added through the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). · At current consumption levels — roughly 8.76 billion litres per year — that equates to: · ~$860 million annually · Not in theory. Not in modelling. Real money. Collected every single day. · A Policy Nearly Two Decades Old · The New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme was introduced in 2008 under the Fifth…

Kiwibank economists are warning that any move to raise interest rates in the current environment would be “tone deaf” and potentially “reckless,” as New Zealand households and businesses grapple with rising costs and global uncertainty. In a sharply worded commentary, Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr and economist Alexandra Turcu argue that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) risks repeating past mistakes if it tightens monetary policy…

More than 15,000 foreign nationals from 115 countries have taken part in the fighting, according to the latest Russian estimates Published 17 Mar, 2025 · Foreign nationals fighting alongside Ukrainian troops are continuing to suffer heavy casualties as Russian forces push out enemy invaders from Kursk Region. Over the past several weeks, Moscow has consistently reported the elimination of hundreds of Kiev’s troops and foreign mercenaries in the…

The Strait of Hormuz did not actually close on 28th February. · The flow of oil from the Gulf never stopped. · And yet—prices at the pump surged. · What people are paying right now is not scarcity. It is not disruption. It is not supply shock. · It is profit. By Ali C (Instagram: @aliscforever) · The Illusion of Crisis · An analysis by Rystad Energy, cited in the Financial Times on 14 March, confirmed that American oil producers are set to…

How the modern credit system shapes who owns New Zealand — and who pays for it · There is a growing gap in New Zealand. · Not just between rich and poor. · But between how the system is explained — and how it is experienced. · In policy papers, it is described as: · stable regulated essential · At the kitchen table (reality as a citizen wage earner), it looks very different. · It looks like two incomes barely keeping up. It looks like 40,…

On April 8, 2026, London-listed Sunda Energy Plc signed a deal to acquire producing oil and gas assets in Taranaki from Matahio Energy. · The deal was announced publicly on April 9, with an effective date of January 1, 2026. · This was not speculation. · This was a transfer of control over producing assets: · Cheal, Cheal East and Sidewinder fields Existing infrastructure Around 1,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day production · And the…

There’s a growing tension in New Zealand’s farming sector — and it’s no longer sitting quietly in policy papers or industry meetings. It’s now out in the open. On one side, Federated Farmers are urging caution. On the other, farmers themselves are pushing back — hard! And at the centre of it all is a simple question: · Why are New Zealand farmers forced to meet higher standards while competing against imports that don’t? · The Official Line:…

After meeting with Marco Rubio, foreign minister Winston Peters says he made sure US understands ‘significant economic impacts on New Zealand and Pacific’ Eva Corlett · New Zealand has called on the US to send fuel tankers to the Pacific to help alleviate some of the significant economic and fuel pressure caused by the war in the Middle East. · Winston Peters, New Zealand’s foreign minister, met the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, in…

New Zealand’s ministers answer to Parliament for departments they cannot control. They cannot choose, direct or remove the chief executives who run those departments. The Public Service Commissioner makes those appointments. The New Zealand Initiative argues this arrangement is broken. It recommends that New Zealand adopt a version of Germany’s model, where ministers appoint their top officials while a protected career service operates below. ·…

And it is still falling · Not stabilising. Not correcting. Falling. · This is no longer a slow demographic shift. It is a trajectory toward collapse. · The Reality No One Is Fronting Up To · For years, fertility decline was explained away as: · Lifestyle change Economic pressure Delayed families · That was acceptable when the decline was gradual. · It is no longer acceptable now. · Because what we are seeing today is different: · Record…