Alice Taylor : Budget-friendly winter cooking

With cold weather about to kick in and the need for many of us to keep a close eye on what we are spending, we've invited popular social media chef and writer Alice Taylor to join us to share some hearty recipes and a few money-saving tips. Alice is 25, and lives in Auckland. She was a contestant on Masterchef, she's a trained pastry chef and has worked in some top restaruants including Amisfield, Paris Butter and Baduzzi, but more recently she's been focussing her efforts on cheap, realistic cooking - and it's obviously hitting the mark - Alice now has more than 40-thousand followers on Instagram.
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RNZ News

21 hours ago

• RNZ News

Defence heads face scrutiny week hearing, promise to be fiscally responsible

Defence secretary Brook Barrington. Photo: Ministry of Defence Defence heads have assured politicians their huge new budget takes into account soldiers actually having to fire their weapons. They fronted up to an even-tempered scrutiny week hearing with MPs at Parliament on Thursday afternoon. Greens MP Lawrence Xu-Nan asked whether the budget boost of $9 billion new spending over four years allowed for buying the likes of replacement Javelin missiles, which cost $400,000 each. Defence secretary Brook Barrington responded that the increased budget meant troops could now move past the approach from the last 50 years of being only partly equipped. "The defence force is actually being provided with funding to ensure that, if we upgrade the capabilty, we are also able to shoot things with it," he said. Along with defence force Chief Air Marshal Tony Davies, Barrington laid out a raft of measures they said would enable them to buy weapons and other systems faster and smarter. "The demand queue is growing," Barrington said. "The longer it takes us to lodge an order, someone else has got their place in the queue before us and some of this stuff takes three years. "You know, you lose your place in the queue... and you're losing time." They felt a sense of urgency, but also had to ensure quality thresholds were set, so that in 3-4 years he was not up before MPs again being told, "We knew we couldn't trust you folk to bloody get your way out of a paper bag", he said. "We've got to find a sweet spot between rigour, confidence and pace." He added defence had already met with 280 people from 174 companies, both last month and this month, and that an industry strategy would be put out soon. They would be fiscally responsible with the billions of taxpayer money, Davies said. Defence Force Chief Air Marshal Tony Davies. Photo: RNZ / Ashleigh McCaull To accelerate, they would drop the old approach of trying to get 30 years of life from gear and retreading it, and instead, look at getting a "minimum viable product" quickly out to the field, he said. "Simple... quick... lean." On the personnel front, they had to rebuild forces, he said. The budget and plan had "buoyed" personnel, but their thinned-back ranks still constrained how much notice they needed to deploy, how long they could deploy for and whether they could mount multiple operations. Personnel turnover had fallen to less than seven percent, but vacancy rates in February were about 30 percent, an Official Information Act request (OIA) showed. The army was short 1500 people, Air Force 660 and navy 630. Defence was "over-training" people to hit 100 percent, when it did not need to, so was reviewing how to speed training up, Davies said. The 15-year plan was to add 20 percent to combat forces - or 2500 people - and the only way to do that currently was to cut civilian jobs down, he said. "At the moment, we've got ships tied up that can't go to sea, because we haven't got the sailors. We've got people that are going on their fifth deployment overseas, because we don't have the number of soldiers. "We've got Joint Force headquarters out at Trentham with watchfloors that can't be filled, because we haven't got the uniformed people with those skills. "We need those. The money is tight, still, even with uplifts." An OIA response showed that, in March, a hefty 313 positions were vacant at Joint Defence Services, far more than in other sections. Defence Minister Judith Collins said the point was to be able to defend against anybody who "threatened our people, or our assets". "Our people are not going to have to wave a white flag anymore. They are going to be able to get out there and protect themselves." She said she had told "prime" multinational defence contractors their best bet for getting a share of the business was to involve New Zealand firms. The small firms would not be written "out of the equation", Barrington said. He added the business cases for two very large projects - replacing the 757s and the maritime helicopters - were well advanced. Other business cases would be made short and sharp. The fleet renewal planning was by far the biggest job, but the budget gave the ministry a couple of million dollars extra for teams to do that. "What happens in two years, if the world situation's got worse and we need to step it up again?" Davies said. "How are we going to accelerate our capability acquisition process. It might be that we need to double our efforts there, so we are constantly looking at ways to fine tune it." The budget set aside $155m over four years for new military allowances for deployments and hundreds of millions for more operations. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Otago Daily Times

a day ago

• Otago Daily Times

Luxon holds talks with Chinese President

By Craig McCulloch of RNZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has held talks with one of the world's most powerful people, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who began by acknowledging "ups and downs" in the bilateral relationship. The highly anticipated meeting took place on Friday afternoon (NZT) at the grand Great Hall of the People on the edge of Beijing's Tiananmen Square. As is custom, the two men shook hands in front of photographers before taking their seats on either side of a long table. In his brief introductory remarks, Xi said now was a time to build on the two countries' past achievements and "strive for new progress". "The China-New Zealand relationship has experienced many ups and downs, but we have always respected each other and worked together," he said, through a translator. Xi also acknowledged the NZ government's recent move to relax visa requirements for Chinese travellers coming from Australia. "This will facilitate people to people exchanges, and I appreciate it." Xi said he had been "very impressed" by Luxon during their first meeting on the sidelines of APEC in November. "I remember that you said that you wish to further advance bilateral relations on the basis of our past partnership and friendship," he said. "I appreciate your positive attitude, and I'm ready to work together with you for new progress." In response, Luxon described the bilateral relationship as being "long-standing" and of "great consequence" to New Zealand. "The relationship has flourished under your leadership," Luxon said. "We have big ambitions to grow the New Zealand economy, and building trade between New Zealand and China is a really important contribution to that." New Zealand's dialogue with China was more important than ever before at a time of "increasing global uncertainty and strain", Luxon said. "The world looks to China as a major global power to play a constructive role in addressing many of the challenges that are facing us all. "Stability in our region and our deep and abiding support for the rules-based system are fundamental to New Zealand's interest. "Our long-standing connections and cooperation supports us to continue our positive, constructive, open and comprehensive discussions, as partners should do," he said. Media were then escorted from the room before the start of the formal engagement. Luxon is expected to take questions from media later this evening. He earlier met with China's number three, Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People's Congress standing committee, also in the Great Hall. In translated opening remarks, Zhao described New Zealand as a "sincere friend and cooperation partner" and said the partnership had maintained a "good momentum". In reply, Luxon acknowledged the "depth and breadth" of the bilateral relationship. He said ongoing dialogue was critical to progressing opportunities and engaging on differences. The meeting came a day after revelations New Zealand paused nearly $20 million of funding for the Cook Islands after the agreements it signed with China earlier this year. The government's dispute is primarily with the Cook Islands for failing to first consult New Zealand, but it speaks to a broader disagreement with China over its increasing assertiveness. In a press conference on Thursday, China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun described both New Zealand and the Cook Islands as "important cooperation partners" but also offered a more pointed statement. "China's cooperation with the Cook Islands does not target any third party and should not be disrupted or restrained by any third party," Jiakun said. The Xi meeting took place against a backdrop of global volatility with Israel and Iran in open warfare, with the United States and China backing opposing sides. Both Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have recently described the China-NZ relationship as "complex", highlighting differences over human rights and militarisation in the Pacific. On Thursday, AFP reported that NZ diplomats had privately warned China tried to mislead foreign governments by playing down the importance of a nuclear-capable missile test over the Pacific Ocean in September. A perceived tilt towards the United States has also prompted concern from former political leaders - including Helen Clark and Don Brash - who this month warned the "special relationship" could be in jeopardy. Luxon earlier dismissed the warnings as wrong and "a bit simplistic" - and said the relationship was mature and multi-faceted. Immediately after the Xi meeting, Luxon was expected to take part in an event promoting New Zealand fruit and then the launch of a new tourism campaign to lure Chinese holidayers. Luxon will return to the Great Hall of the People on Friday evening for the final event of his trip: an official welcome ceremony and then meeting with his counterpart Premier Li Qiang.

RNZ News

a day ago

• RNZ News

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon holds talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Chinese President Xi Jinping shook hands in front of photographers. Photo: Office of the Prime Minister Prime Ministr Christopher Luxon has held talks with one of the world's most powerful people, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who began by acknowledging "ups and downs" in the bilateral relationship. The highly anticipated meeting took place on Friday afternoon (NZT) at the grand Great Hall of the People on the edge of Beijing's Tiananmen Square. As is custom, the two men shook hands in front of photographers before taking their seats on either side of a long table. In his brief introductory remarks, Xi said now was a time to build on the two countries' past achievements and "strive for new progress". "The China-New Zealand relationship has experienced many ups and downs, but we have always respected each other and worked together," he said, through a translator. Xi also acknowledged the NZ government's recent move to relax visa requirements for Chinese travellers coming from Australia. "This will facilitate people to people exchanges, and I appreciate it." Chinese President Xi Jinping during talks with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on 20 June, 2025 (NZT). Photo: Office of the Prime Minister Xi said he had been "very impressed" by Luxon during their first meeting on the sidelines of APEC in November. "I remember that you said that you wish to further advance bilateral relations on the basis of our past partnership and friendship," he said. "I appreciate your positive attitude, and I'm ready to work together with you for new progress." In response, Luxon described the bilateral relationship as being "long-standing" and of "great consequence" to New Zealand. "The relationship has flourished under your leadership," Luxon said. "We have big ambitions to grow the New Zealand economy, and building trade between New Zealand and China is a really important contribution to that." New Zealand's dialogue with China was more important than ever before at a time of "increasing global uncertainty and strain", Luxon said. "The world looks to China as a major global power to play a constructive role in addressing many of the challenges that are facing us all. "Stability in our region and our deep and abiding support for the rules-based system are fundamental to New Zealand's interest. "Our long standing connections and cooperation supports us to continue our positive, constructive, open and comprehensive discussions, as partners should do," he said. Christopher Luxon during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on 20 June, 2025 (NZT). Photo: Office of the Prime Minister Media were then escorted from the room before the start of the formal engagement. Luxon is expected to take questions from media later this evening. He earlier met with China's number three, Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People's Congress standing committee, also in the Great Hall. In translated opening remarks, Zhao described New Zealand as a "sincere friend and cooperation partner" and said the partnership had maintained a "good momentum". In reply, Luxon acknowledged the "depth and breadth" of the bilateral relationship. He said ongoing dialogue was critical to progressing opportunities and engaging on differences. The meeting came a day after revelations New Zealand paused nearly $20 million of funding for the Cook Islands after the agreements it signed with China earlier this year. The government's dispute is primarily with the Cook Islands for failing to first consult New Zealand, but it speaks to a broader disagreement with China over its increasing assertiveness. In a press conference on Thursday, China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun described both New Zealand and the Cook Islands as "important cooperation partners" but also offered a more pointed statement. "China's cooperation with the Cook Islands does not target any third party and should not be disrupted or restrained by any third party," Jiakun said. The Xi meeting took place against a backdrop of global volatility with Israel and Iran in open warfare, with the United States and China backing opposing sides. Both Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have recently described the China-NZ relationship as "complex", highlighting differences over human rights and militarisation in the Pacific. On Thursday, AFP reported that NZ diplomats had privately warned China tried to mislead foreign governments by playing down the importance of a nuclear-capable missile test over the Pacific Ocean in September. A perceived tilt towards the United States has also prompted concern from former political leaders - including Helen Clark and Don Brash - who this month warned the "special relationship" could be in jeopardy. Luxon earlier dismissed the warnings as wrong and "a bit simplistic" - and said the relationship was mature and multi-faceted. Immediately after the Xi meeting, Luxon was expected to take part in an event promoting New Zealand fruit and then the launch of a new tourism campaign to lure Chinese holidayers. Luxon will return to the Great Hall of the People on Friday evening for the final event of his trip: an official welcome ceremony and then meeting with his counterpart Premier Li Qiang. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.