A farmers’ coup in Canterbury

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, March 31st, 2010 - 38 comments
Categories: capitalism, Environment - Tags: , , ,

The Government has dissolved the elected council of Environment Canterbury and replaced it with an unelected commissioners. It has decided that there will be no elections as otherwise required by the Local Elections Act for ECan later this year. Instead, the region’s water will remain under the control of unaccountable mates of National under 2014.

The catalyst for all this was a review by Wyatt Creech that damned the elected council. Creech is a big player in the dairy industry (amongst other interests, he, along with John Key at one point, and other National figures are behind the Dairy Investment Fund which owns Open Country Cheese).

The report is a real piece of trash. It contains accusations that the ECan councillors are too worried about ‘science’ (yup, it uses the quote marks as if science isn’t real) and says their decisions are “science led rather than science informed”, which is basically equivalent to saying that ECan should turn a blind eye to the facts when they’re inconvenient for dairy interests. It goes on to say “large numbers of staff are ‘green’ in orientation”, an outrageous accusation that these public servants are swayed by their political beliefs rather than the facts and the law which lays Creech’s own prejudices bear.

At the end of the day, the dairy industry, which has deep connections with National, just wants more water allocated for dairy farming. They don’t care that this is unsustainable.

They want more water now and the consequences be dammed. Yeah, literally dammed because that’s the dairy industry’s big goal, to dam the rivers and create reservoirs for themselves, despite the damage this will do to the water table beneath their own farms. They want to right to send untreated cowshit down our rivers in ever larger quantities.

John Key himself has made incredibly ignorant comments about not wanting to see water ‘wasted’ by flowing into the sea, which displays a complete ignorance of the role of river outflows in carrying sediment that counter-acts erosion all up the coast and the life-cycle of both native and introduced fish species that change between fresh and salt water during their life spans (whitebait anyone?). It is this kind of ignorance that is driving these dumb decisions.

Ultimately, the diary farmers will pay along with everyone else for their short-termist ‘science be damned’ attitude. But not before they’ve caused long-term damage.

38 comments on “A farmers’ coup in Canterbury ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. vto 1
    31 March 2010 at 8:43 am

    For the first time in a long time the blood is actually boiling.

    National and its thugs Key, Smith and Hide, etc no longer get my support. They can count me out at the next election.

    Who the hell do they think they are?

    FUCK OFF KEY

    FUCK OFF SMITH

    FUCK OFF HIDE

    I truly hope like hell that another government will be in place in, what is it, about 18 months? And that that new government stops this bullshit dead in its tracks.

    • r0b 1.1
      31 March 2010 at 8:50 am

      ‘Tis a rare and wonderful thing to be able to change one’s mind. Welcome to the struggle vto.

      Hey Cantabrians, you’re being shafted, are you going to take it lying down?

      • NickS 1.1.1
        31 March 2010 at 11:27 am

        Nyet comrade, I’m going to be watching out for protest dates and heading off to them.

  2. vidiot 2
    31 March 2010 at 8:51 am

    For once I agree with Marty – Dairying is not great for New Zealand in terms of environmental impact. Perhaps we should just build a few more open prisons in the high country instead, that should soon sort things out.

  3. RedLogix 3
    31 March 2010 at 8:58 am

    The increasing presence of nitrates at the Avonhead aquifer site (where ChCh gets most of it’s water from) even at low levels is a very ominous sign. It tells us that the ‘leading edge’ of this groundwater groundwater contamination has already travelled a significant distance, and that there is more to arrive. The problem will not get better.

    Nitrates are a terrible curse in a water supply. There is no effective treatment to get rid of them, and once they build up to toxic levels they will render the aquifer useless forever.

    I’m with vto … but I’m not sure if this or the mining issue boils my blood more.

  4. jcuknz 4
    31 March 2010 at 9:01 am

    My take on the situation is that the committee couldn’t get their act together and solve the problem.
    Remember the saying that a camel is a horse designed by a committee? Though it is a pretty efficient animal with regards to water .. maybe cantabrians should have elected a few camels?

    • RedLogix 4.1
      31 March 2010 at 9:14 am

      My take on the situation is that the committee couldn’t get their act together and solve the problem

      No Right Turn covered this ages ago.

      A plan is in place and ready to be implemented August this year… just that Fed Farmers don’t like it.

  5. RedLogix 5
    31 March 2010 at 9:04 am

    It is not well recognised that the Regional Councils are the primary body mandated to manage the environment (outside of the Conservation estate). For Creech to attack their staff It goes on to say “large numbers of staff are “green’ in orientation’, is outrageous. It is their JOB to be green in orientation.

    Mining on Schedule 4 land.

    A big hit on DOC funding.

    Disbanding Auckland Regional Council and now this attack on it’s Cantebury peer…

    anyone else see where this is going?

    • handle 5.1
      31 March 2010 at 10:32 am

      Add to that list gutting the Resource Management Act and the Local Government Act in favour of short-term business and economic drvers over longer environmental or social ones. Stealing hope from our children. I hope others like vto see what has been done with the support they gave in good faith. I would fell betrayed too.

  6. Bored 6
    31 March 2010 at 9:15 am

    There is one species amongst many that is threatened with extinction from the dairy industries efforts to exploit the Canterbury rivers. I harp on to my friends about a wonderful bird, the only one in the world that has a beak that bends to the right, the Wrybill Plover. These birds only nest on braided river beds and require a clear square kilometer of gravel to breed. Should flows and scouring be reduced they will not breed.

    Wrybill are a bell weather species on environmental damage in NZ, and highlight the total disconnect between our grass mining industry (irrigated farming) and doing what is right by the environment. I fear that the dairy and hydro power industries will be the death of this species.

    Alarmist, I think not. When a country tries to wipe out a race with industrial methods it is called a holocaust, or genocide. When an industry sets out knowingly with industrial methods to profit from actions that destroy a species it’s called progress. Draw your own conclusions, for me both are extreme acts of criminality.

  7. Red Rosa 7
    31 March 2010 at 9:17 am

    It appears that the rural gerrymander in ECan, which has allowed rural councillors to stall any serious water allocation plan for years, was coming slowly to an end. Also, the conflict of interest issues hanging around 4 councillors who voted to roll Kerry Burke as chairman was likely to see them dumped at this year’s election in October.

    So the end of this year may have seen an end to the ECan impasse. But it would be in the wrong direction for a government which has pledged ‘irrigation for Canterbury’, regardless.

    Couple this with the furious reaction from farmers when the Central Plains schemes was truncated, and you can see why this was being treated urgently.

    The government must want Central Plains reinstated, and the conservation orders on the Rakaia and the Hurunui lifted or at least amended. Or they wouldn’t be putting Ministers down here week after week. Then the Hurunui scheme, barely on the drawing boards, will get the green light, so to speak.

  8. Draco T Bastard 8
    31 March 2010 at 9:18 am

    Authoritarians always see dictatorship as the answer. Not surprising then that NACT+MP implemented dictatorship for Canterbury and Auckland.

  9. vto 9
    31 March 2010 at 9:24 am

    So many wrongs having blind eyes turned to … How about Key man up on some basic honesty …

    1. Creech was not independent and should not have carried out the review.

    2. People at Dunsandel have for the first time had to treat their groundwater recently. As one local put it “now we’ve got fuckin’ shit and fuckin’ chemicals in our water”.

    3. See Redlogix point above about nitrates at Avonhead.

    4. The Selwyn River has gone from being a fully flowing river and one of the nations best fishing rivers to only flowing in flood. And the fish are fucked. gone.

    5. The Rakaia River closed up at the mouth about 10 days ago. Virtually unprecedented. People at Rakaia Huts say low flows are causing back-up flooding. Also unheard of.

    6. Perhaps farmers can explain how they will achieve economic growth after there is no more water to take. (fed farmers, are you man enough to answer such a simple and pertinent question?).

    7. Central Plains Water owners being a Requiring Authority and having the power to force others out of their homes. For their own private financial benefit. (Hubbard – stand and answer).

    8. The irony of having North American Indians over here at the Rakaia just two weeks ago to bring some of their salmon back to their rivers where they no longer exist… the reason? get this … because their rivers were dammed and all the fish lost. FFS! As the indians said “our fish die, we die.. our fish prosper, we prosper”

    .. puff puff… i’m getting pooped.. need to stop or the whole day will run away on me …

    • Bored 9.1
      31 March 2010 at 10:09 am

      Thats a sad list VTO, for years when I lived down there in Canterbury I would fish around streams on the plains, thats all gone now. I will maintain that if the high country and foothill swamps were reintroduced (they were all drained for extra marginal pasturage), and the aquifers left alone then the rivers would run to the sea in a pristine state. Ellesmere might get a chance to flush and clear rather than being a toxic soup.

      There were studies done by Lincoln / MAF years ago that recommended a far higher incidence of shelter belts across the northwester. They showed that irrigation became far less necessary due to the wind induced evaporation being reduced, and that fertiliser to replace wind eroded top soil was less necessary. Of course the agro industry ignored this, they prefered to get an instant return by “artificial” means, petro chemicals, water etc. All rather tragic, and per se rather myopic.

      I do have faith that the damage can be repaired and the plains returned to an economic / ecological balance, but these Nats and farmers wont do it until forced by coming economic circumstances. At the risk of being “Boring” I can only hope that the wrybill and mudfish last long enough to see the end of the cheap petro fuel and fertiliser era which underpins this madness.

  10. tc 10
    31 March 2010 at 9:24 am

    ‘Democracy under attack’ has another new front. I’d like to formerly welcome Cantab’s to the shafting feeling that aucklanders/beneficiaries/workers/students/teachers/conservationists etc have been experiencing awhile now.

    And you don’t even get a gentle kiss before being rogered up the rear…….and you thought they loved you.

    Any process with Wyatt Creech up front only has one outcome….Dairy farming good, everything else a poor second.

  11. Bill 11
    31 March 2010 at 9:50 am

    Before the election, I was present at a partisan meeting in Otago where Labours’ David Parker managed to completely fuck off an entire audience of a few hundred when he laid down his green credentials in relation to dairy farming and water by saying that he wanted ‘water clean enough to swim in.’

    Which leads me to anticipate with relish the blowback that the NAct government will get for their atrocious shenanigans on this matter.

    • Tigger 11.1
      31 March 2010 at 11:41 am

      The Nat leaders don’t believe in needing clean swimming water in rivers. They all have their own pools.

  12. Puddleglum 12
    31 March 2010 at 9:59 am

    Alec Neill, interviewed on Nine to Noon, did a surprisingly frank account of why the council was sacked. As Kathryn Ryan summed it up (to paraphrase) ‘So, you’re telling me a democratically elected body that made perfectly procedurally correct decisions has been ousted because those who didn’t like the decision lobbied for it to happen’ (Sorry – I’ll have to master the linking thing.) Given Neill is an ex-Nat MP and was the figurehead for ousting Burke recently, it was quite a spirited defence of local democracy.

  13. grumpy 13
    31 March 2010 at 10:07 am

    What a load of rubbish here about ECAN.

    Water is hugely important to Canterbury and nobody knows that more than farmers. Farmers NEED a sustainable water allocation system for the REgion but attempts to introduce abstraction from deeper wells and adaptive management practyices were stymied by activist Green councillors who had a blanket opposition to ALL irrigation and a few staff in key positions who decided to ignore Environment Court and their own RMA ommissioners findings.

    • vto 13.1
      31 March 2010 at 10:17 am

      Bullshit Grumpy.

      “Farmers NEED a sustainable water allocation …”

      bullshit bullshit bullshit

      This is exactly where this wholly erroneous sense of entitlement that farmers seem to have comes from.

      farmers buy a chunk of land and that is what they get. They get to make use of the geography of the farm and the climate which passes overhead in order to farm it. There is no right attached to that farm to take water from some publicly owned source some many miles away from the farm in order to make the farm viable.

      If a farm aint viable with its own geography and climate then it aint viable.

      Farmers do not need the water. They have bought their farm and they get that farm and climate which passes overhead.

      Tell me grumpy – how will farmers achieve economic growth on their farms when they can no longer add water to dry dirt?

      • grumpy 13.1.1
        31 March 2010 at 12:04 pm

        vto, you misunderstand.

        When I say farmers NEED a sustainable water allocation, I mean that an unsustainable one will risk their entire farming practice. In my opinion dairying is not sustainable on the scale it is at present and the newly introduced (but yet to be implemented by ECAN) Adaptive Management regime with Nitrate monitoring in the 1st aquifer monitoring bores required of consent holders, will see irrigators stopped when levels are high – that will be the end for some current dairy farmers.

        • vto 13.1.1.1
          31 March 2010 at 12:20 pm

          Oh. woops sorry.

          My comment still stands in relation to the commonly expressed view by farmers that they NEED water to make their farms viable. … those with that view need to wake up to reality.

          some more 2c says that the Canterbury Plains will be sacrificed to industry. The plains already resemble industrial estates. Farmers are just lucky that grass is coloured green and softens the blow – if it was coloured oil black, or tailings clay brown, they would get nowhere near as far as they have managed to to date.

          Canterbury will be an economic powerhouse. The entire plains will be a factory. The rivers and ecology will be fucked. The drinking water will be full of shit and chemicals even more than it is already. This is my vision unfortunately.

          The cruel irony is that Canterbury will end up an economic powerhouse anyway, all things being equal. So we can either be such a powerhouse with rivers and waterways intact, or we can be such a powerhouse with rivers and waterways all fucked up. Simple choice. It really is that simple.

  14. grumpy 14
    31 March 2010 at 10:07 am

    What a load of rubbish here about ECAN.

    Water is hugely important to Canterbury and nobody knows that more than farmers. Farmers NEED a sustainable water allocation system for the REgion but attempts to introduce abstraction from deeper wells and adaptive management practyices were stymied by activist Green councillors who had a blanket opposition to ALL irrigation and a few staff in key positions who decided to ignore Environment Court and their own RMA ommissioners findings.

    • Zaphod Beeblebrox 14.1
      31 March 2010 at 10:20 am

      Which highlights even more the need to have electorally accountable decision-makers. If you don’t like the decisions of the new commissars what are you going to do about it? You won’t have the opportunity to vote Margaret Bazley out.

      Don’t get me wrong, water in Canterbury is a mess, but do think this is going to help things?

    • Galeandra 14.2
      31 March 2010 at 10:25 am

      Saying it twice doesn’t make your offering anything but unqualified assertion. Evidence please. And don’t spare the sauce when explaining what “sustainable” means when you write : ‘ Farmers NEED a sustainable water allocation system for the REgion’

  15. Bored 15
    31 March 2010 at 10:19 am

    Hi Grumpy, we all need water, good clean fresh non polluted stuff, no dairy effluent or nitrates in it. And we all need to eat, get farm product, work, have an economy etc etc.

    You may be right that some activist “Greeny” types took an extreme position. So to re-establish a balance we now have a swing to activist “exploiters’…..cant quite see how that can be any more sustainable or balanced.

    As I pointed out before there are alternatives, we have (had) some of the best agricultural research and development in the world at Lincoln, so why are we in such a mess? Myself I put this down to short term economics and our rip shit and bust attitude to the public domain.

    • grumpy 15.1
      31 March 2010 at 11:52 am

      There are 2 decision under the RMA that are relevant, the Rakiai Selwyn decision and the Selwyn Waimakariri. Some of the consents granted were for replacement of expired consents.

      In all cases exhaustive aquifer testing, monitoring and adaptive management were required but ECAN staff (obviously backed by their political Green mates), have (up till recently) refused to abide the the decisions.

      ECAN have shown to have little understanding of Canterbury groundwater and the consent holders, who are required to install monitoring bores in shallower aquifers, with full time data logging would give ECAN a much more reliable scientific understanding of the state of groundwater in Canterbury.

      I do not know about dairying other than it is not a natural farming practice for most of Canterbury, but adaptive management would mean potential huge restrictions on any abstracter and that would likely mean a reduction in dairy farming using groundwater and a shift to arable and pastoral farming using valuable water as drought insurance.

      • BLiP 15.1.1
        31 March 2010 at 12:05 pm

        Dox or GTFO

      • Bored 15.1.2
        31 March 2010 at 12:15 pm

        I am not sure how adaptive management works (been away too long) so cant comment, what I am sure of is that any regime for water allocation that ignores the true costs to the public domain will attract trouble.

        I am more familiar with the Manawatu where water is taken from the rivers and returned with toxic soup inclusive. The problem I see there is that a special interest group (dairy industry) has taken upon itself the right to plunder the public domain with little fear of ever having to bear the true cost. I can state that if these people had to pay the true cost they would stop polluting. So while they are not challenged the attitude and practice is a big private sector f**k you to the public.

        • Armchair Critic 15.1.2.1
          31 March 2010 at 12:27 pm

          Adaptive management is meant to work like this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_management
          I always thought it was a bit of a buzz-word, thrown about by people who wanted to sound like they knew what they were talking about (when actually they didn’t).
          It relies on a measure of consistency in its application and doesn’t work so well when the process is captured by interest groups or the governing body is disemboweled by the government.
          Apologies if this is double-posted.

  16. Pascal's bookie 16
    31 March 2010 at 12:10 pm

    Timaru Herald’s got some choice quotes.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/3531434/ECan-ndash-you-re-fired/

    (Nick Smith) said the appointment of the commissioners would be revenue-neutral and funded out of ECan’s rates budget for democratic procedures.

    Well of course it will. Chinese state executioners sending the family a bill for the bullet come to mind.

    Dr Smith said part of the reason he replaced the council with commissioners rather than appointing a commissioner adviser to oversee water management issues, as ECan suggested was he was wary of the outcome of the October elections.

    Got that Cantabs? Vote properly or that nice Mr Key will be forced to deprive you of the option untill you come to your senses.

    • vto 16.1
      31 March 2010 at 12:24 pm

      “..was he was wary of the outcome of the October elections.”

      That is disgusting.

      Can some journalist or interviewer not try to drag that out to amplify that thought of his there? Sounds like the tip of an iceberg sticking up.

      This is ugly ugly business.

    • Jum 16.2
      31 March 2010 at 12:52 pm

      If even we are shocked by Smith’s actions things are really getting bad!!

  17. Jum 17
    31 March 2010 at 12:47 pm

    I took on board about ignorance leading to bad decision making. No doubt many NZers know little about these things. The important point is that they don’t make decisions on those things. Key does; he has science adviser Peter Gluckman.

    How is Peter Gluckman advising Key?

  18. RobertM 18
    31 March 2010 at 12:55 pm

    I generally agree with Vito, but in reality Hide is right democracy has failed in NZ. Possibly a commissioner should be appointed to run Timaru given that annear has closed the brothels, strip clubs, late night bars and nightvclubs and hardly achieved diversity or law and order. Mark Oldfield is a man of the land an old hayseed.
    The school marks of Mark Oldfield
    SC-1972 English 68
    Maths 55
    Science 72
    History 80
    Geography 80

    UE Accrediting exams
    English 65
    Maths 27
    Chemistry 34
    physics45
    Biology 56

    l974- First attempt at Bursary
    English 45
    Biology 45
    Physics 25
    Chemistry 25
    Maths 20

    1976 Otago
    History C
    Legal System D
    Biology D

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    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 day ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
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    4 days ago

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