HOUSING

Auckland's housing crisis is being felt further afield... in Hamilton, Tauranga and even the Western Bay of Plenty.

The latest monthly QV House Price Index shows nationwide residential property values have increased 9.3 percent over the past year.

QV spokeswoman Andrea Rush says Auckland and surroundings region are leading the way.

She says about 60-percent of the people turning up to Tauranga open homes are reportedly from the big smoke.

About 15-percent of homes on the market in Hamilton are being snapped up by buyers from Auckland.

Auckland houses are up 17% annually.

The market looks crazy but the yearly price rises are not as high as 2003/04.

Banks are saying today that they expect another two rate cuts by the Reserve Bank. Kind of like fuel on the fire then. People who know far more about house prices than me think the market will keep going up for another couple of years.

Where the prices descend into the surreal is paying $1.6 million for what looks like a state house in Hobsonville. There is surely no logic in this. Logic says to me that this has the hallmarks of a crash in the making.

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SECURITY COUNCIL

New Zealand has started its month-long Presidency of the United Nations Security Council in New York.

There has been much made about what NZ will do on the Security Council. The Middle East Peace Process specifically targeted as an area where we can make a difference.

This is a load of tosh.

Our hand is being overplayed. We are one vote. Five countries on the Security Council have the power of veto. We are a minnow. We can raise issues but to suggest that we will somehow be instrumental in solving the Middle East issues is just silly.

Its good that we are there but lets keep it in perspective.

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SHEEP

The anti live sheep shipment folk are outraged at the mortality rate on the ship that took 50,000 sheep and cattle to Mexico.

191 sheep and one cow died.

The death rate is about the same as would occur naturally on a NZ farm, so the upshot is, the anti folk are talking hysterical nonsense.

The mortality rate was 0.42 per cent and 0.03 per cent respectively of the sheep and cattle. The Aussies had 40 live sheep shipments last year with and average mortality of 0.71 per cent. Acceptable but not as good as this last shipment that went to Mexico.

What this tells is as that there is not logical reason why live sheep shipments shouldn't recommence from NZ.

Its PC madness that has stopped the trade.

Its time the government acted.