Feature and news articles by Max Rashbrooke
First it was a trickle, then a flood. A few years ago, sales of e-books – electronic versions of books that can be downloaded and read on a computer or handheld device – were negligible. Now, Amazon sells more e-books than paper ones, and on some predictions e-books will make up a sixth of...
Read more →Unions fear government spending on consultants could skyrocket after it was revealed that the bill hit $375 million last financial year – and John Key warned of “significant” restructuring to come. The Government spent more than $375 million on consultants and contractors in 2010-11 as a series of government restructurings made thousands of public...
Read more →Government funding cuts could see struggling district health boards (DHBs) go further into deficit, the Treasury has admitted. In a briefing paper, officials say the boards will have find an extra $258 million over the next four years because the government no longer subsidises their Kiwisaver and pensions contributions. “If an individual DHB is...
Read more →Ngatikaura Ngati died after horrific abuse by his parents. Children’s advocates are appalled that pictures of a young Auckland boy killed by his parents were posted on a pornographic site featuring beheadings, impalement and necrophilia. Ngatikaura Ngati died in 2006 after horrific abuse by his parents, who were convicted of his manslaughter. Pictures of...
Read more →Government agencies twice failed to act on calls for more research that could have helped Christchurch prepare better for February’s fatal earthquake, victims’ families have claimed. The families say the agencies “didn’t do the right things” and missed several chances to identify high-risk areas and strengthen key buildings. They say the first opportunity was...
Read more →The Government will spend $11 million on consultants and $10 million on internal costs before they start building a new prison in Auckland. Department of Corrections documents released under the Official Information Act show it is already employing 18 companies, including accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and British lawyers Allen & Overy, to help oversee the...
Read more →