MELISSA LEE: NATIONAL LIST MP

LOCAL NEWS MELISSA LEE: NATIONAL MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

As the final results of the local elections are confirmed, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to all the successful candidates that will be representing our communities across the Auckland Region.

This year’s local elections have been significant and I look forward to engaging with all the new councillors, board members and other elected officials at one of our many exciting cultural festivals like Diwali and Christmas functions (I can’t believe it’s already October!) over the next few weeks.

As a National List MP based in Auckland I look forward to working with our local government representatives to build a more liveable city and support key local infrastructure from better housing and roads to better community services so that everyone can benefit from this special part of New Zealand. In particular, I was really excited to hear new Mayor of Auckland Wayne Brown call on telecommunications providers and the Government to do more to bring better digital connectivity to everyone across the Auckland region.

I’ve visited areas from the heart of our city to the rural outskirts with issues ranging, from network congestion and poor broadband to accessibility issues for our older and more vulnerable New Zealanders. It’s time this is urgently addressed for the future of our digital nation and the opportunities that the digital economy can provide everyone in education, careers and lifestyle. No one should be left behind.

Back down at parliament I’ve been challenging the minister on the government’s ridiculous plans over the future of New Zealand’s media landscape. His $370million in wasteful spending during a cost of living crisis is baffling and won’t provide further plurality or benefits to New Zealand media audiences.

Last month, the Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson came before the EDSI Committee to outline his reasoning for the Aotearoa/ New Zealand Public Media Bill. In short, what he did instead was criticize TVNZ for not being on board with his bizarre plans to spend $370million.

As a result, during the last sitting block I put questions to the minister directly in the House and his answers have to be seen to be believed:

Question Time 27 September 2022 https://vimeo.com/754099410

Question Time 28 September 2022 https://vimeo.com/754531827

Question Time 29 September 2022- https://ondemand. parliament.nz/parliament-tv-on-demand/?itemId=228628

During Select Committee hearings over the last few weeks - from big to small - we’ve heard serious concerns about the minister’s plans. The committee received more than 900 submissions on the minister’s plans with many expressing serious concerns over his proposals. Many are concerned at the impact the new public media entity monolith may have on the future of commercial media in our country. Many also have expressed dismay at the thought of hundreds of millions being spent to establish this new entity and then to keep it afloat for the years ahead without value to the taxpayer. This massive cost could instead clear the cancer patient waiting list, fund desperately needed medications with more left over to tackle the worst surgical wait list in the past decade affecting tens of thousands of New Zealanders in need. I encourage you to listen to what the submitters had to say and you can watch the proceedings on the Economic Development Science and Innovation Committee Facebook Page www. facebook.com/EDSISCNZ

In the words of Dr Gavin Ellis and Sir Peter Gluckman, the merger legislation “is so incomplete and raises so many issues that it would be unsafe to enact it in its present form”. I believe it is vital the minister understands these plans are simply not fit for purpose and he needs to go back to the drawing board. RNZ and TVNZ, are cherished institutions for many New Zealanders. They both have some faults that need to be addressed but the solution is not throwing good money after bad while debt borrowing levels continue to rise in our country.

The future of New Zealand’s media landscape is being put at severe risk by the minister’s plans because they will reduce plurality in the market. New Zealand On Air have confirmed they’ll be handing over a lion’s share of their funding to the new entity taking away contestability to other platforms across New Zealand.

It’s time the government took a step back and pauses their plans for the future of the New Zealand media. Who’s with me? (MELISSA LEE MP)  PN

National Member of Parliament. National Spokesperson for Broadcasting & Media| Digital Economy and Communications | Ethnic Communities

With best wishes for Diwali to everyone celebrating across New Zealand!

Melissa Lee

National MP National Party Spokesperson for Ethnic Communities

MPLee@parliament.govt.nz melissalee.co.nz mpmelissalee

Authorised by Melissa Lee, National List MP, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.

EBO’S ALAN DEMPSEY EXPLAINS THE BATTERY/RANGE TRUTHS

There’s a lot of bunk being claimed around E-bike range, especially by the “web-based” E-bike spruikers, where there’s no recourse for the gullible. So, here’s the physics; a primer as to the basics of E-bike range, per battery capacity.

“Watts” is power, and power is a measure of how quickly work can be applied. So, a 350 W motor can apply about 30% more power than a 250 W motor, at maximum, but it also, coincidentally, is more efficient at mid-power applications because it isn’t overloaded, and generates a LOT less heat (i.e. electrical power wasted).

Various “work” challenges face a vehicle: weight carried, gradient that weight is lifted up, wind resistance, and mechanical resistance being the biggies.

An E-bike has two sources of energy to create the power necessary to make it roll, overcome wind resistance, and most especially, climb hills. Those two sources are your battery and your pedal application.

Given still air and decent tyre pressure, rolling on flat terrain at about 15 km/hr requires only about 30 Watts of power (walking energy level) so it’s a doddle. But all such resistance is exponential, so doubling speed squares the power required... 30Km/Hr will be a BIG effort, and if you're not a highly tuned cyclist, you won’t keep that up for long - and that’s on smooth flat roads. Headwinds, chip seal and lifting one’s weight up a climb add another multiple factor of load (i.e. Watts required). And this is why E-bikes are soooo good ! They provide most of the power required to overcome loads even procyclists can’t maintain. To put it simply, with 350 W of maximum power (legal limit, which in fact delivers the legal limit of 300 W nett), adding 80 W of your own weetbix, you’re roughly equivalent to Lance Armstrong on the gear. That 80 W won’t blow the foofoo valve; you’ll be breathing comfortably, and you won’t get arrested,, nor have to explain yourself to Oprah.

Ok, so Watt? Here’s the summary: Watt hours are the energy potential of any battery. To calculate that, you multiply the Volts of the battery by the Amp hours of content, then add that Volts’ number again to assimilate your additional average pedal assistance. So, a 36 V battery with 10.4 Amp hours of content has 36 X 10.4+36 Watt-hours of content = 410 Whrs. Call it 400 Whrs. So, at 100 Watts draw (generally Power 1 or 2) the bike will run with you easy-pedalling, theoretically for 3.5 - 4 hours.; total rule of thumb, but it’s around that .

There’s an entire field of Physics I could bore you witless with, but simply put, in round terms, flat terrain still-air resistance at a cruisey 20km/hr will require about 125 W (upright position, city tourer bike, flat road on a windless day. The exact figures will change according to rider and bike weight etc). So, a 10.4 Amp hour battery through a 36 V system will give a nominal 410 Whrs of assistance/125 W draw, resulting in 3.28 hrs of running at 20 km/hr makes a hypothetical 65 km range. This applies to about a 70 kg rider on a 25 kg bike with high tyre pressure and good maintenance ON FLAT GROUND. As soon as you’re lifting that mass, or hitting headwind resistance you’re dramatically compromising the potentials. Calculating Watts per % gradient is complex, but rule of thumb, halve the kms range potential for every hour spent climbing per 3% gradient. It’s that dramatic.

To summarise: Always pedal-assist your bike, even mildly. When climbing, apply your pedal-assistance to comfortably tensioned, keep your tyres at specified pressures (generally 4 bar rear, 3 bar front), and use your lower gears when climbing (important on Hub-Drives, but vital factor on Mid-Drive bikes).

There you have it. Running on low 80-100 W power setting, with close to equivalent pedal-assistance will give you around 60 km flat-riding range on a good quality 10 Amp hour battery - about 100 km flat riding on a 17.5 Amp hour battery. I’ve done 110 km on a 16 Amp hour battery on my Ebo FoldiE at around 15 km/hr on smooth flat-ish German roads while recovering from surgery and chemotherapy so there’s proof; Auckland’s lumpy, so let’s say 80 km range in hilly terrain. Don’t believe any claims above this WHrs/kmmeters climbed theorem. It’s physics that dictate all this, not some shiney-shoe-gold-toothed spruiker. And there’s plenty of them out there. Cheers!

EBO BIKES SHOWROOM, 27 College Hill, Auckland. M: 021 980 511 www.ebobikes.co.nz

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DAVENPORTS LAW: A BLENDED BIND

Fiona and Clarke had been in a relationship for several years. Clarke had three children from an earlier marriage, and they had one child together.

Tammy McLeod For the first few years they kept their assets separate and then when they decided that this was going to be forever, they agreed to pool their assets and buy a home together. That extended to eventually a bach in Mangawhai as well.

Clarke was CFO in a large company based in Auckland. When Fiona and Clarke purchased their bach, their lawyer told them it would be a good idea to think about putting their assets into a trust.

He said that because of Clarke’s quasi director role and the fact that he was potentially an officer of the company for health and safety purposes, it was wise to ensure that their assets would be protected in a trust. Even though Clarke had more cash to put into the trust assets and children from a previous relationship, the lawyer said that just one trust between the two of them would be fine. He said that they didn’t need to overcomplicate things.

He also went on to say that the cash going into the trust to purchase the home and bach should be lent to the trust. He said that while we no longer had gift duty in New Zealand, it was best to be conservative and leave the amounts going into the trust owed to each of Fiona and Clarke. He said that this would mean if they separated, they would be able to get their original amounts out of the trust and he wasn’t a big fan of gifting anyway.

Fiona had a nagging thought at the back of her mind that this didn’t seem to be quite right.

She wondered whether she should go and get her own independent advice but didn’t say anything as she really wanted to show unity with Clarke. But she did remember some friends talking about this and saying sometimes with blended families one big joint trust was not always a good way to go.

She also wondered about whether she and Clarke needed to do new wills, but the lawyer didn’t say anything, so she didn’t raise it. Fiona knew that she and Clarke would be marrying soon anyway, and she thought that would change things when they were husband and wife. Once the estate planning exercise was completed, Fiona was owed $250,000 by the trust, being the equity that she had brought to the relationship and Clarke was owed $1,050,000.

Their wills remained the same and said that if one of them died, the other would receive all the assets and then once they both died Clarke’s children and their joint child would share in all the assets. They had also completed a memorandum of wishes advising the trustees that all assets would be held until they both died and then distributed to all the children equally.

Sadly, not long after the trust was established and after Fiona and Clarke had married, Clarke had a massive heart attack. He was on life support for three days and then passed away. Fiona was devastated but felt a sense of relief that they had addressed their asset planning position before they had got married.

Fiona went to see the lawyer that she and Clarke had gone to. He seemed to be a bit blasé about the whole thing and one of her friends recommended she go and see a lawyer that specialised in asset planning and trusts.

When Fiona went to see the new lawyer, she was horrified to find that when she and Clarke married, by law, their wills become null and void. This meant that Clarke’s will was invalid, and his estate would be governed by the Administration Act.

Fiona was relieved for a moment because all their assets were in the trust, until she remembered that the trust still owed Clarke $1,050,000 because the previous lawyer didn’t agree with gifting. Under the Administration Act this meant that Fiona would be assigned $150,000 of the debt owed by the trust to Clarke as well as 1/3 of the balance and the remaining 2/3 ($600,000) would be owed to Clarke’s children who could demand payment of the debt.

This would mean that the trust would need to sell the bach to pay out Clarke’s children and pay tax on the increase in value given the Bright-line test rules. This was far from the outcome Clarke and Fiona had envisaged when they first went to the lawyer for advice.

It is so important to seek specialist asset planning advice. Often people don’t think that their circumstances are complicated but there may be legal twists and turns that you don’t think of and that a specialist will be able to help you navigate.

CHOICES FOR LEYS INSTITUTE LIBRARY RESTORATION

Auckland Council is now asking for consultation on two options for the restoration of the Leys Institute and Friends of Leys Institute urge you all to register your preference for the heritage buildings.

There is a very good display with full concept plans at the Little Leys Library, along with consultation forms to take away. Council is also doing a letterbox drop in the local area.

You can also comment online at: akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/leys-institute

Option 1, which was developed by the Project Advisory Group, including several community representatives, will make the building flexible for future community needs. It will also restore original heritage features and open up heritage parts of the building that haven’t been available to the public.

Option 2, which had no community input, is cheaper, but inferior in terms of heritage values.

You have until 1 December to express your opinion and Friends of Leys Institute encourage you to take this opportunity.

HELEN GEARY, Friends of Leys Institute Co-ordinator 021 208 7490, helen@geary.nz

LEYS LITTLE LIBRARY NEWS

Kia ora Ponsonby, the year seems to have slipped by once again and it is now the time to panic plan Christmas festivities.

One thing not to forget is your summer reading. Now is the time to start requesting, so that (hopefully) your reading material will be ready before you head away on a summer break. If you are in need of inspiration or simply need to narrow down your ‘to read’ list, why not join the Auckland Libraries Books and Beyond Challenge through Beanstack.

This challenge is open to readers 18 and over. Via the Beanstack app, Auckland Libraries will cheer you on with suggested booklists, cute digital badges, and spot prizes. There is also a monthly online book chat meetup to share what you’re reading with others. Naturally, at Leys we love to hear our customers’ book and author discoveries. The recommendations from you all keep my ‘to read’ list growing out of control in the most wonderful chaotic way.

Feedback closes for the Leys Institute restoration at the end of this month. Jump online to akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil. govt.nz/leys-institute or pop into Leys Institute Little Library to view the plans. The team and I are available to discuss the two options with you and hopefully answer your questions. We don’t promise to have all the answers, but we are always happy to share the knowledge we do have about the options. Plans are also available to view at the Ponsonby Community Centre and the Waitematā Local Board office. Wriggle and Rhyme is back at the Ponsonby Baptist Church for Term 4. Our sessions are every Wednesday at 10am and 11am. Bring your little ones along for a fun 30 minutes of rhymes, songs bubbles and more. Plus keep an eye on our Facebook page for some park sessions for under 5’s over the summer.

Finally, November brings the final season of Little Leys Classic Film Club. Grey Lynn Library Hall hosts Film Club on Fridays at 3pm from 4 November – 9 December. The programme highlights famous, influential, and entertaining masterpieces of twentieth-century cinema.

Our final series for 2022, Politics and Power, features six real and imagined political landscapes exploring such themes as corruption, high treason, international crisis, colonialism, totalitarianism, and civil rights. Please note that the final film of the season on Friday 9 December has an earlier start of 1pm due to runtime (we promise it is worth it).

Hours: Monday – Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 9am-4pm. (CHLOË – Community Library Manager)  PN

BUILDING AND RENOVATIONS DISPUTES AND RESOLUTION

When we think about doing renovations we are understandably looking forward to living in the finished dream house we have in our heads.

But along the way there are a few pitfalls that people don’t always reckon with and it is a good idea to be clear about your rights from the outset. Our first piece of advice, whether it is a simple job, such as fixing a window, or a large renovation, is be clear about the contract.

For building work costing $30,000 (including GST) or more, you and the building contractor must have a written contract. Even if it is less than that, it is a good idea to have contracts in writing to prove exactly what has been agreed, or ask the contractor for a copy of their terms and conditions, if it is a smaller job. This helps prevent or resolve any disagreements in the future. For big jobs, it is recommended you engage a licensed building practitioner.

At CAB we frequently talk with people who have had issues with tradespeople and builders, and we also support tradespeople who have issues with their employers and contracted work. Sometimes things don’t go according to plan, and often these disputes can be resolved with careful and considerate communication. Some useful tips for discussing the problem can be found on the Building Performance website at www.building.govt.nz.

Below are some processes and resources you might use if you find yourself in a dispute over work on your property that you haven’t been able to resolve by talking with the contractor(s):

· If you are still unhappy after talking it through with the builder or contractor, the next step is to check the contract you have with them (if there is one) to see what (if any) disputes resolution process you should use.

· If the issue remains unresolved, then how you progress your complaint will depend on who or what your complaint is about and how much you are prepared to spend to get it resolved. · The Disputes Tribunal can hear your dispute if your claim is for no more than $30,000.

· The District Court can hear your dispute if your claim is for more $30,000 – you should get legal advice if considering this.

· Mediation is generally less expensive than taking legal action. We can help you find mediators.

· Adjudication is an option if mediation is unsuccessful. There is a specialist building disputes resolution service, where an adjudicator hears from all parties in a construction dispute and decides on a resolution. We can help you find authorised adjudicators.

· You can complain to the Building Practitioners Board about the conduct of a licensed building practitioner or you can complain to the trade / professional association of which the licenced building practitioner is a member.

· If the problem is with the building consent authority, then complain to the local authority (e.g. Auckland Council).

One last thing - the work is complete and you have enjoyed living with the renovations for some time, some life changes occur and you decide to sell the house.

For some people it comes as a shock that the work done does not have code of compliance from the local authority. That is sometimes missed for various reasons. Don’t leave getting this signed off until you are about to list your property. It could be costly.

For further advice and information, please see us at CAB in the Grey Lynn Community Centre at 510 Richmond Road, or phone 09 376 0392, email ponsonby@cab.org.nz

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