Every day, we read about the hard times that people are having, as a result of the credit crunch and the rises in gas and food prices. And if one thing is certain, it is that things will become tougher as oil reserves dwindle.
I was therefore a little surprised to read of the ambitious plans for a "high-class brothel" in Dannevirke - a town in an area that was, as its name suggests, settled in the 19th century by people from Denmark. It is on the other side of "the Ranges", a 47-minute drive from Palmerston North.
Who, these days, can still afford to pay $100+ for sex? I'm sure there aren't many local people who can, as the area is in economic decline.
According to news reports this week, the Tararua District Council has given the green light to the brothel, which is to be called Promiscuous Girlz and which is to be located in the historic Public Trust Office on the town's main street.
The brothel's prospective operator promises that signage around the premises will be discreet.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Pessimism grows over employment prospects
The Westpac McDermott Miller employment confidence index fell eight points to 120.8 in the June quarter, reflecting the increasing realization among employees that the economic downturn will result in further job losses.
A number above 100 indicates there are more optimists than pessimists, while a number below 100 indicates that pessimists outnumber optimists. The index is thus still in positive territory, despite the loss of 29,000 jobs in the first quarter of this year (according to Statistics New Zealand figures).
My own employer, Fairfax Media, today announced that about 40 sub-editors (copy editors) are likely to be made redundant at the company's newspapers in New Zealand, as a result of a planned restructuring that will see "hubs" created in Wellington and Christchurch to handle the editing of the features, world and business pages for all the papers. Each paper will thus be left with a smaller staff to handle the editing of mainly local news.
I am a sub-editor at the Fairfax-owned Manawatu Standard in Palmerston North. But as I am now employed on a casual basis in the advertising features department, rather than in the editorial department, I don't yet know whether I will be affected. My boss thinks that, as we make a lot of money for the company, we may be left alone. The fact that I am my department's only sub-editor may also strengthen my position.
A number above 100 indicates there are more optimists than pessimists, while a number below 100 indicates that pessimists outnumber optimists. The index is thus still in positive territory, despite the loss of 29,000 jobs in the first quarter of this year (according to Statistics New Zealand figures).
My own employer, Fairfax Media, today announced that about 40 sub-editors (copy editors) are likely to be made redundant at the company's newspapers in New Zealand, as a result of a planned restructuring that will see "hubs" created in Wellington and Christchurch to handle the editing of the features, world and business pages for all the papers. Each paper will thus be left with a smaller staff to handle the editing of mainly local news.
I am a sub-editor at the Fairfax-owned Manawatu Standard in Palmerston North. But as I am now employed on a casual basis in the advertising features department, rather than in the editorial department, I don't yet know whether I will be affected. My boss thinks that, as we make a lot of money for the company, we may be left alone. The fact that I am my department's only sub-editor may also strengthen my position.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Solar panels: some pros and cons
How long does it take for a solar-panel system to pay for itself?
Unsurprisingly, that depends on where you live. According to Toby Littin, managing director of importer-installer Elemental, it can take 20 to 30 years for a solar system to pay for itself in major centres such as Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, where the cost of grid electricity (including line charges) is quite low. But in areas such as Northland, East Cape and Southland, which have high line charges, a system can pay for itself in 10 to 15 years.
Business customers can usually expect solar panels to pay for themselves in 10-15 years, Mr Littin says. And that if they are in a windy location, where they can install a turbine, that can come down to five years.
My personal feeling is that the average consumer will consider 20-30 years too long to wait.
And what is the total cost of installing solar panels - which constitute the most viable renewable energy system for an urban environment? According to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, it is in the range of $9 to $13 per Watt of power they produce.
That means a system producing 2kW of electricity - enough to power an electric heater - would cost $18,000 to $26,000. But a similar system would have cost about $40,000 four years ago, so prices are falling rapidly.
Unsurprisingly, that depends on where you live. According to Toby Littin, managing director of importer-installer Elemental, it can take 20 to 30 years for a solar system to pay for itself in major centres such as Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, where the cost of grid electricity (including line charges) is quite low. But in areas such as Northland, East Cape and Southland, which have high line charges, a system can pay for itself in 10 to 15 years.
Business customers can usually expect solar panels to pay for themselves in 10-15 years, Mr Littin says. And that if they are in a windy location, where they can install a turbine, that can come down to five years.
My personal feeling is that the average consumer will consider 20-30 years too long to wait.
And what is the total cost of installing solar panels - which constitute the most viable renewable energy system for an urban environment? According to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, it is in the range of $9 to $13 per Watt of power they produce.
That means a system producing 2kW of electricity - enough to power an electric heater - would cost $18,000 to $26,000. But a similar system would have cost about $40,000 four years ago, so prices are falling rapidly.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Majority don't live comfortably in NZ
A national survey commissioned by UMR Research shows that 55 percent of New Zealanders feel their household finances don't allow them to live comfortably.
In the United States, a similar survey found that 60 percent of Americans feel the same way.
The survey asked people to say whether their household finances left them (1) able to live comfortably, (2) able to meet basic expenses with a little left over for extras, (3) able to just meet basic expenses, or (4) unable to meet basic expenses.
About 45 percent of New Zealanders said they lived comfortably, 36 percent said they met basic expenses with a little left over for extras, 16 percent said they just met basic expenses, and 3 percent said their finances didn't leave them with enough to meet basic expenses.
The survey results were announced this week.
In the United States, a similar survey found that 60 percent of Americans feel the same way.
The survey asked people to say whether their household finances left them (1) able to live comfortably, (2) able to meet basic expenses with a little left over for extras, (3) able to just meet basic expenses, or (4) unable to meet basic expenses.
About 45 percent of New Zealanders said they lived comfortably, 36 percent said they met basic expenses with a little left over for extras, 16 percent said they just met basic expenses, and 3 percent said their finances didn't leave them with enough to meet basic expenses.
The survey results were announced this week.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Figures confirm NZ economy going down
Data released today by Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) showed the economy shrank by 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2008, further raising fears New Zealand is heading for a recession. (A recession defined as two quarters in a row of economic decline.)
In its announcement of gross domestic product figures, SNZ said the agriculture and construction industries, which fell 5.6 percent and 5.2 percent respectively, were the main contributors to the decline in the first three months of the year.
Household consumption spending fell 0.4 percent, in the first decrease since the June 2004 quarter, SNZ said.
Adding to the pessimism, Bank of New Zealand chief economist Tony Alexander said the BNZ expects the June-quarter figure to be slightly worse than that for the first three months of 2008.
In its announcement of gross domestic product figures, SNZ said the agriculture and construction industries, which fell 5.6 percent and 5.2 percent respectively, were the main contributors to the decline in the first three months of the year.
Household consumption spending fell 0.4 percent, in the first decrease since the June 2004 quarter, SNZ said.
Adding to the pessimism, Bank of New Zealand chief economist Tony Alexander said the BNZ expects the June-quarter figure to be slightly worse than that for the first three months of 2008.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The scoffers are silent now
Well, well, what a surprise! UBS economist Robin Clements says the era of cheap fuel is over - for good.
I can't help remembering the oil shock of 1973. At the time, I had been in New Zealand for about a year, and was writing articles in which I was warning of the resource shortages of the future.
I had left Japan, where I had spent 10 years, with a conviction our way of life was unsustainable, and had assumed New Zealanders would be receptive to a call for a rethink of the practices of our industrial civilization. How wrong I was!
In an editorial in my newspaper, the Manawatu Standard, I was told that the oil crisis had given a "spurious authenticity" to my warnings, and that there was nothing to seriously worry about. Indeed, there was likely to be an oil glut in the 1980s.
The Economist said much the same thing - that, since World War II, every shortage had been followed by a surplus.
Well, the wasteful 1980s have come and gone, as have the wasteful 1990s. And now we find ourselves in the late 2000s. And guess what? The party's over!
No editorial writer is today ridiculing "eco-freaks", "eco-nuts" or "Jeremiahs", and saying that, even if resources are being depleted, technology will soon come up with alternatives. Everyone with more than half a brain knows that we have a crisis on our hands - and that the switch to biofuels is a move that creates more problems than it solves.
I can't help remembering the oil shock of 1973. At the time, I had been in New Zealand for about a year, and was writing articles in which I was warning of the resource shortages of the future.
I had left Japan, where I had spent 10 years, with a conviction our way of life was unsustainable, and had assumed New Zealanders would be receptive to a call for a rethink of the practices of our industrial civilization. How wrong I was!
In an editorial in my newspaper, the Manawatu Standard, I was told that the oil crisis had given a "spurious authenticity" to my warnings, and that there was nothing to seriously worry about. Indeed, there was likely to be an oil glut in the 1980s.
The Economist said much the same thing - that, since World War II, every shortage had been followed by a surplus.
Well, the wasteful 1980s have come and gone, as have the wasteful 1990s. And now we find ourselves in the late 2000s. And guess what? The party's over!
No editorial writer is today ridiculing "eco-freaks", "eco-nuts" or "Jeremiahs", and saying that, even if resources are being depleted, technology will soon come up with alternatives. Everyone with more than half a brain knows that we have a crisis on our hands - and that the switch to biofuels is a move that creates more problems than it solves.
Monday, June 23, 2008
New Zealand's median rent level falls
New Zealand's median rent level has fallen $5 a week to $295, Massey University's Real Estate Analysis Unit said today.
At the start of the year, the median rent level was $300 a week - a record high.
The unit's director, Professor Bob Hargreaves, said the 1.6-percent drop was unexpected, as rents had been rising steadily since last year.
Prof Hargreaves said some would-be vendors, unable to get what they wanted for their houses, had apparently taken them off the market and chosen to rent them out instead.
At the start of the year, the median rent level was $300 a week - a record high.
The unit's director, Professor Bob Hargreaves, said the 1.6-percent drop was unexpected, as rents had been rising steadily since last year.
Prof Hargreaves said some would-be vendors, unable to get what they wanted for their houses, had apparently taken them off the market and chosen to rent them out instead.
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