NZ news

Government accused of

'ecocide' over ETS scheme

The Government has been accused of gutting the Emissions Trading Scheme by amending it with new legislation.

Radio NZ,

9 November, 2012

Parliament has narrowly passed the ETS Amendment Bill, which keeps agriculture out of the scheme indefinitely and allows polluters to import unlimited foreign carbon credits.

The Green Party argues the Government has gutted the ETS which it says was already weak, and is now pointless.

Green MP Kennedy Graham says the Government is guilty of what he calls 'ecocide' - a political crime of the highest moral order.

He says the ETS is now simply a trading scheme and it is highly likely to increase emissions.

But Climate Change Minister Tim Groser says the bill has gone through an extraordinarily protracted debate.

He says it strikes the right balance between the country doing its fair share while ensuring the cost does not impact unreasonably on New Zealanders.

The bill passed on Thursday by 61 votes to 58, with the support of National, ACT and United Future.

Median house prices hit 

record high - REINZ

New figures show house prices have surged to a record high of $380,000 and sales have jumped almost a third since last year.

Radio NZ,

9 November, 2012

New figures show house prices have surged to a record high of $380,000 and sales have jumped almost a third since last year.

Adjusting for some variations, the median house price in October was 6.9% higher than the same month last year.

The increase has been mainly driven by rising prices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) says.

Auckland's median house price also set a new record, rising 14% from last year to $530,000.

The institute says 6640 properties sold in October - 1633 more than in October last year.

REINZ chief executive Helen O'Sullivan says a surge in new listings is struggling to keep pace with buyer demand.

She says it took an average of 32 days to sell a property in October - three fewer than last year.