Trusts, Assets and Tax Implications.

Trusts are invaluable asset protection mechanisms, which allow a person to hold property and assets on behalf of another for the good of the beneficiaries.

However, when you’re dealing with transferring assets in or out of a trust, it is important to consider the tax consequences. There needs to be careful planning and structuring, often with your accountant and lawyer working together.

To get specialty advice for your situation contact Tammy McLeod or one of her team.

the Rangitopuni Stream.

However, in a stroke of good luck, fine weather since the flood has meant the site has remained fairly stable and the problem has not worsened dramatically.

Terrieann has liaised with the Council throughout. "Auckland Council's Healthy Waters team has included it among a group of 15 urgent projects because of the health and safety risk it poses," she says.

Although work is yet to start on clearing it, she says a Kumeubased contractor and Council HEB contractors have inspected the site and are now in discussion on how to approach what they consider a complex task.

Paella Recipe

If you're looking for a crowdpleasing meal to serve over Easter, Liz Curtis's paella will keep them coming back for seconds. Ideal for lunch or dinner, this Spanish rice dish is easy to make and once you've got the ingredients organised, takes about an hour to rustle up, including resting time.

Ingredients

∞ 6 Tbs olive oil

∞ 250g boneless chicken cut into bite size pieces

∞ 1 large red onion cut into 2.5cm pieces

∞ 5 cloves garlic finely chopped

∞ 200g chorizo sausage cut into 1⁄₂ cm slices

∞ 440g can of Italian tomatoes, drained

∞ 5 cups of hot chicken stock

∞ Pinch of saffron threads

∞ 1 red capsicum cut into 2.5cm pieces

∞ 12 large green prawns

∞ 2 1⁄₂ cups calasparra or bomba rice

∞ 2 tsp sweet paprika

∞ Flat leaf parsley and lemon wedges to garnish.

Method

Heat the oil in a paella or electric fry pan. Add the chicken and sauté until golden brown. Toss in the onion and garlic, continue to cook until onion is soft. Add the chorizo and sauté until coloured and starting to release its oil. Add the tomatoes along with saffron and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, scraping the bottom of the pan and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the rice and paprika, stir, add the prawns and capsicums.

Simmer uncovered for approximately 20 mins. Test the rice and when done to your liking, remove from the heat, cover and stand for 10 mins. This is an important step as it allows any remaining liquid to be absorbed, resulting in a dry rice that is typical of paella.

To serve, garnish with lemon wedges and chopped flat leaf parsley. Place in the middle of the table and let people help themselves. Enjoy!

Liz Curtis

You can sample and buy Liz's wonderful Hearts Content preserves and sauces at her stall at the Coatesville Market.

Supporting Families and Businesses By

Iwas pleased to welcome the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Chris Hipkins, to the Kumeu Show and introduce him to the dynamic Kumeu community.

The Prime Minister was swamped with requests for photographs and discussions about policies as well as being impressed with the energy and popularity of the Show as he toured the venue, signed a giant pumpkin, enjoyed the wood chopping competition and leading the parade of tractors around the site.

He took the opportunity to visit my Labour MP stall and talk to the volunteers. The “Tell Us What You Think” issues board was of interest to him especially as it showed a huge interest in developing and promoting our hospitals and health system with the other big item being the ensuring that our children were assured of a great education and schools.

From the Show I took the Prime Minister to meet with members of the Rodney Local Board and the Kumeu Community Action Group where he was briefed on the concerns and problems of flooding and infrastructure that have affected Kumeu during the several recent weather events as these are the sort of the bread and butter issues that matter most to New Zealanders.

That’s why we’re taking a range of actions to reduce cost of living pressures on families and supporting communities as they recover and rebuild following the recent extreme weather.

From the start of April, we’re significantly increasing support for seniors, students, beneficiaries and those on Working for Families. On top of this, we’re making childcare and after school care more affordable for many low and middle income families, through changes to childcare assistance subsidies kicking in on April 1.

We also moved quickly to extend the fuel tax cuts and half price public transport until the end of June, because we know that transport is one of the biggest expenses for households right now.

These measures won’t solve everything but they are practical steps that we can take to support Kiwis. Of course, there’s still more we can do and we’ve indicated that bread and butter issues