Men still better paid than women - census
New 2:15PM Tuesday June 19, 2007


Men in New Zealand are still better paid than woman, according to the latest census figures to be released.

Three-quarters of those earning more than $70,000 a year were men while 63 per cent cent of those with personal income below $5000 a year were women, the March 2006 census found.

The median personal income of all adults in New Zealand on census night in 2006 was $24,400. The median means half received more than that and half received less.

The 2006 median was up from $18,500 in the 2001 census and $15,600 in the 1996 census. Rises in personal income outstripped prices in the period.

The census income data also confirms there are big disparities between regions.

The highest median personal income is in Wellington at $28,000 and it is also the region where the highest proportion -- 24 per cent -- earn more than $50,000 at year.

Auckland had annual median personal income of $26,800 and Waikato followed with $24,100.

The West Coast had the lowest median personal income of $20,400 and the highest proportion -- 49 per cent -- with personal income of less than $20,000 a year.

The census measured personal income from people aged 15 years or more who usually live in New Zealand and included income from all sources.

On census night the median income for all men was $31,500 compared to $19,100 for women.

However, women's median income increased by 32 per cent from the previous census, which was more than the increase in men's income of 27 per cent.

People aged between 45 and 49 years had the highest median personal income of $35,200 and 50 to 54-year-olds were second with $34,600.

Those aged between 15 and 19 years had the lowest median personal income of $3100, while 70 to 74-year-olds had a median income of $14,800.

- NZPA WGT

Low wages blamed for house price crisis
1:35PM Monday June 18, 2007
My Source: NZ Herald.


Low wages are at least partly to blame for house prices becoming out of reach of many people, the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) said today.

In the three years to 2007, house prices increased by 38.5 per cent while wages went up by just 8.7 per cent, union economist Peter Conway said.

It is urging a parliamentary select committee considering housing affordability to look at New Zealand's low rates of pay as a key reason home ownership is being pushed out of reach.

Mr Conway said: "If house prices are outstripping wages by four to one, then it's no wonder that home ownership is increasingly out of reach for low and middle income New Zealanders."

Last week, in its submission to the commerce select committee, the Reserve Bank proposed introducing a capital gains tax on investment properties.

The bank's governor, Alan Bollard, has raised the capital gains tax issue several times recently in his monetary policy statements and in speeches when he has talked about the need to curb the boom in house prices, which he largely blames for rising inflation.

The submission suggested the Government should consider a policy more in line with Australia's, where realised capital gains on rental properties are taxed, but at half the normal rate.

Mr Conway said the CTU also supports a capital gains tax on investment housing.

He added that it "also suggests introducing stamp duties for higher priced houses and removing the offsetting of expenses for rental properties against income".

Its submission to the parliamentary committee also suggests more state housing and subsidised home lending programmes.

Prime Minister Helen Clark and the National Party have rejected the idea, but the suggestion has gained support from the Green Party.

The Green's co-leader Russel Norman said the party supported measures to stabilise the housing market such as a capital gains tax but said it would have to exclude family homes.


National's finance spokesman, Bill English, said his party did not support a capital gains tax and it was the wrong time to think about imposing it on investment properties.

To have an effect it would have had to be introduced when house prices started going up, not as they were flattening or dropping, he said.

Miss Clark said today the bank and its governors had been suggesting a capital gains tax for years, but the Government had continually ruled it out.

- NZPA

Low wages blamed for house price crisis

Thar desert



Photos from India - Thar desert

having "crossed the all country from east to west; from Calcutta in Bengal to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, in the Thar desert (the photos are from there). I went after to New Dehli and I am now in Kashmir. I am going next monday to Laddakh and Zanskar, where I would like to do some trekking."

Photos from India

Photos from India



Photos from India

Directory of Lawyers in New Zealand

Now here’s a tip for finding a lawyer in New Zealand.

Try this website of the Auckland District Law Society

http://www.adls.org.nz/public/legallinks/newzealand/

There is a tab at the top that says “find a lawyer”

Click here then use the search functions to search lawyers

by lawyer type, surname, town, or district within New Zealand.

The New Zealand Law Society also has a useful web page.

You can Google search using this keyword phrase to see.

There is also a directory of lawyers put out by Brookers

So you will need to visit this url: http://brookers.co.nz

A directory like this is useful if searching for addresses

to post a sales proposal or a mail out to many lawyers.

Alternatively you can use the NZ yellow pages or the

NZ white pages in the telephone directory:
http:www.whitepages.co.nz

Auckland Law site url : http://www.adls.org.nz

Directory of Lawyers in New Zealand

Legislation sources - how up to date are these Reference Team memo summary below, of interest to others who deal with the public...

"In Hastings Library we hold printed copies of NZ Statutes and Regulations and these are updated several times a year. We received reprinted Statutes and Regulations a couple of times a year.

==> Interim website of New Zealand Legislation (hosted by Brookers) - updated monthly Acts and Regulations -current versions with amendments incorporated. Search and browse.

==> Knowledge Basket: - Has only unconsolidated legislation, i.e, not updated within legislation.

==> Bills and Supplementary Order Papers (SOPs) Browse only.

==> Acts -- original versions (amendments not incorporated), and reprints published
since 1/11/04. Browse only.

==> Regulations -- original versions(amendments not incorporated), and reprints
published since 1/10/03

Our Brookers New Zealand Law Partner Legislation and Cases Database is the most up to date version, being updated within 1-3 days of receipt of assent copies of Acts and hard copies of Regulations...."

Public Access to Legislation (PAL) Project - almost there.

"The PAL Project is designed to improve the way in which New Zealand Legislation is made available to the public. The aim of the project is to provide public access to up-to-date official legislation in both printed and electronic forms. Electronic versions will be available free via the internet." More at http://www.pco.parliament.govt.nz/pal/