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Photo: 123RF Government officials have been quietly exploring how much carbon dioxide could be saved if the country reflooded its peat soils. The answer was more than four million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year - more than Huntly's coal fired power station. Keeping peat drained for dairy farming, mainly in Waikato, allows microbes into the soil where they release carbon built up over thousands of years, producing up to ten per cent of New Zealand's net greenhouse gas emissions. Officials concluded reflooding peat bogs could cut the country's emissions at a cost of $40 per tonne of emissions - cheaper than the current market price of buying a tonne of carbon. But that was on public conservation land. Privately owned farmland, where most emissions come from, is considered more sensitive b...

Photo: 123RF Higher incomes don't mean a lot for debt-stricken households seeking financial help, coaches and mentors say. FinCap data shows the amount of bank debt recorded in closed cases dealt with by its financial mentors increased from $177 million in the second half of last year to $272.6m in the first six months of this year. Its mentors reported that people refixing larger home loans at higher rates were part of the increase, because more people with mortgages were being supported by financial mentors. Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden said her organisation had also noticed a debt crunch. There was a spike in hardship and debt collection cases in July, she said. "High interest rates and cost of living pressures contribute to the volume of the hardship related cases we see. Many of...

Inland Revenue data shows that New Zealand influencers are on average making less than the minimum wage. Photo: 123rf New Zealand influencers are on average making less than the minimum wage, even when it is their main stream of income. New data released by Inland Revenue based on annual tax returns shows what people are making when working as influencers online - often being paid by companies that want to promote products to their followers. The data covers self-employed or "other" income declared in the most recent tax year and does not include people working for an organisation or business. Inland Revenue said there were 181 people who fit the definition. For 36 percent, influencer income was their main income source. This group had an average income of $46,248.01 in the most recent ...

Photo: 123RF A consumer watchdog is challenging Meridian Energy's claim that households are spending proportionally less on their power bills because electricity prices are not rising as fast as other expenses. Meridian released its annual report on Wednesday, showing a net profit more than 4.5 times greater than last year. But while big manufacturing companies like Panpac and Winstones have shut down production to cut costs, most households are yet to see big bumps in their power bills. That is according to the companies that generate and sell electricity - commonly referred to a gentailers. Despite its massive profit, Meridian's chief executive Neal Barclay told RNZ the percentage of household spending being directed at power bills had actually gone down over the past decade. "For most...