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The older generation can suffer financially by allowing their adult children to live at home, experts say. (File photo) Photo: 123RF It is becoming more common for young people to stay living with their parents for longer - but it can be an expensive mistake for the older generation, one retirement planning expert says. The number of households with adult children has grown by more than 100,000 since 2004 - the fastest growth of any type of household. We have crunched the numbers to look at what it might be adding to the household bills. In some cases, having extra adults in the house can add thousands of dollars a year. Otago University researchers estimate the cost of food around the country each year. Their most recent estimates show that at a national level, a man with a "moderate...

Port Taranaki is in talks with its staff following the announcement from Methanex. Photo: Supplied / Port Taranaki The announcement of 70 potential job losses at Methanex's plant in Taranaki is sending shock waves through the region, with Port Taranaki already in talks with its staff about reconfiguring its business. Methanex, which uses gas to produce methanol for export, said policy settings had not been conducive to securing sustainable gas supply for its business since 2018. About 300 people work at Methanex's Motunui plant, but when a deal to sell its gas supply to electricity generators Genesis and Contact Energy ends later this year that number could take a hit. The Canadian-based multinational has told staff that rather than firing up two production plants it wanted to scale bac...

Many are needing to turn to second jobs to pay the bills. Photo: 123RF From police officers to IT workers, people are picking up second jobs to make ends meet. As part of Checkpoint's series Crunching the Numbers, we're drilling into the detail of people's finances and this week, we've spoken to people with full-time jobs who are burning out because they're having to find side hustles to stay financially afloat. Avinash Kaur Dhaliwal works for an IT company in Auckland and on top of her full-time job, she became a marriage celebrant to help pay for extra expenses. She said the money from her second job goes towards everyday needs like groceries, petrol and public transport costs, as half price fares have now ended in Auckland. "Nowadays we've reduced our expenses so much, before we us...