Willis says $1 billion cut to operating allowance coming in Budget, Tory Whanau drops out of Wellington mayoral race, Carney's Liberals win Canada election.
1 Govt’s operating budget slashed by a billion dollars
The Government says it has freed up "billions" of dollars through additional public service cuts to be redeployed into "New Zealand's most pressing priorities".
Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced at a speech to the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce that the Government is halving its operating allowance — the new money it has available to spend at the May Budget — from $2.4 billion to $1.3b.
Willis said only a small number of government departments will get additional funding this year, as next month's Budget was "no lolly scramble".
2 Tory Whanau drops out of Wellington mayoral race
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has announced she is no longer running for a second term.
In a statement, Whanau said Andrew Little entering the race had "changed the game", and she did not want a "Green versus Labour narrative to distract from what’s important for our city".
3 Carney's Liberals win Canadian election in a race upended by Trump
Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal Party won Canada's federal election today, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fuelled by US President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war.
The Liberals looked headed for a crushing defeat until the American President started attacking Canada’s economy and threatening its sovereignty, suggesting it should become the 51st state.
The opposition Conservative Party’s leader, Pierre Poilievre, had hoped to make the election a referendum on former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose.
4 Blues wing Mark Tele'a cops three-week suspension
Blues winger Mark Tele'a has been suspended for three weeks after being red-carded for a lifting tackle in his side's loss to the Queensland Reds last Friday.
Tele'a's tackle on Tim Ryan in the 31st minute earned him a yellow card which was later upgraded to red.
Tele'a, who has scored 13 tries in 19 Tests for the All Blacks, announced earlier this month he'll play in Japan next year.
5 Russia declares a 72-hour ceasefire in Ukraine for next week
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire next week in Ukraine to mark Victory Day in World War II as the US presses for a deal to end the three-year-old war. Kyiv insisted on a longer and immediate truce.
The Kremlin said the truce, ordered on "humanitarian grounds," will run from the start of May 8 to the end of May 10 to mark Moscow's defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 — Russia's biggest secular holiday.
ONE AVERAGE POWER BILL
Have you ever wondered whether your power bill is "average"?'
Power bills have gone up for lots of households this month, as new lines charges and other price changes filtered through.
But what you pay also depends in part on where you live.
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