Book review: The city and its uncertain walls

Wednesday, November 13, 2024 IRD begins to crack down on unpaid foreign student debt. Inland Revenue 09:08. The Inland Revenue Department has doubled the size of its team responsible for tracking overseas student loan debt and is taking more legal action in both New Zealand and Australia. Too late… Read more Audio Queue Will New Zealand’s aged care system follow Australia’s reforms? life and society 9.25 am. The Australian government is increasing the price of aged care as part of what is being described as a ‘once in a generation’ overhaul. A crisis in bed availability and financial strain led to a… Read more Audio Queue Wainuiomata High School secures rowing sports education grant Wainuiomata High School students during rowing training in Wellington Harbour. 9:35 am. A first-year teacher with a passion for rowing has scooped this year’s Aon Emerging School Scholarship Award from Wainuiomata High School. Gordon Milne didn’t want cost to be a barrier for students keen to… Read more Audio Queue 09:05 IRD begins cracking down on unpaid overseas student loans. Inland RevenuePhoto: NZME The Inland Revenue department has expanded the size of the team responsible for pursuing overseas-based student loan debt and is taking more legal action in both New Zealand and Australia. Student loan arrears have grown to a record $2.37 billion – of which $2.2 billion is owed to foreign borrowers – most of whom are based in Australia. Only 29 percent of all foreign student loan borrowers have met their repayment obligations in the past 12 months. The Inland Revenue has been allocated $116 million in this year’s budget to promote compliance and enforcement, with some of that earmarked specifically for student loan arrears. The rest of the funding is used in other parts of the tax system, including cryptocurrency, trusts, the so-called hidden economy and organized crime. Andrew Stott, Group Manager of Marketing and Communications at the IRD, discusses the department’s compliance work with Susie. 09:20 Will New Zealand’s aged care system follow Australia’s reforms? Photo of young carer helping elderly woman Photo: 123RF The Australian government is increasing the price of aged care as part of what is being described as a ‘once in a generation’ overhaul. A crisis in bed availability and financial tensions prompted a study that resulted in 23 recommendations that the government is now working on. As part of this, elderly care will become more expensive and financial support for people living independently will be increased. At home, New Zealand could soon follow suit as a government review looks at new financing models. Some cities are completely out of trouble and have tight financial books that force providers to reduce their capacity. Tom Symondson is the CEO of the Australian Aged and Community Care Providers Association. He played a crucial role in the recent reforms and is in New Zealand to discuss the overhaul of our system. 09:35 Wainuiomata High School receives rowing grant Wainuiomata High School students during rowing training in Wellington Harbour.Wainuiomata High School students during rowing training in Wellington Harbour. Photo: Supplied / Rowingpictureshow A first-year teacher with a passion for rowing has scooped this year’s Aon Emerging School Scholarship Award from Wainuiomata High School. Gordon Milne did not want costs to be a barrier to students wanting to work at the lower income Lower Hutt school. The scholarship contributes $5,000 to an eligible school each year. Rowing – a notoriously intense, not to mention expensive, sport for high school students to participate in – has never been an option for those attending Wainuiomata High. Gordon has worked hard to secure grants and other funding to get the students to this point. And has dedicated hours of his personal time to making sure the students get to their practices and out on the water. He hopes to promote a love of the sport and have the crew ready to compete in their first regatta soon. 09:45 UK: Musk versus the Labor Party, Archbishop of Canterbury resigns The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby during the funeral service of Britain’s Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, west of London, on April 17, 2021. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned this week. Photo: AFP UK correspondent Dan Bloom joins Susie to talk about the impact of a second Donald Trump presidency on Britain, especially now that he has Elon Musk – who has targeted the Labor Party – in a high appointed position. He will look at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s ambitious plans, unveiled at COP29 yesterday, to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035. And what led to the resignation of the head of the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby? 10:05 Top doctor defies cancer prognosis with world’s first treatment Professor Richard Scolyer Photo: Tim Bauer Phil Vine reviews The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami published by Penguin Random House