NZCPR Podcast: Media Muzzle

The government is proposing major changes to the control of free speech. 

Frank Newman: Straight Talk - Uber Eats

Uber Eats describes itself as a food delivery platform, but its more than that. It’s also a sales platform and that's the attraction for food outlets - it's a source of new business that they would not otherwise gain.

Of course it comes at a cost: between 30% and 35% of the sale value. That cost has come under attack from the Restaurant Association NZ.

In a press release, it's Chief Executive Officer, Marisa Bidois, called on the government to "enforce a cap on commission rates for third party delivery apps." Their headline refers to Uber who they said was "taking the shirt off the industry’s back".

Frank Newman: Regulation risks for property investors

The ANZ Bank and the New Zealand Property Investors’ Federation (NZPIF) have released the findings of their annual property investors’ survey. It’s an interesting insight into the thinking of residential property investors and how that thinking has been shaped by government policy and market conditions. Members of the NZPIF tend to be larger investors who have been in the game for a number of years which is reflected in the results.  1156 property investors took part in the survey.  

The general themes to emerge are:

• Concerns about government regulation,
• Debt reduction, and
• An expectation that property prices will continue to rise.