A plague on both your houses

Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, November 24th, 2009 - 35 comments
Categories: climate change, Environment, maori party, national, scoundrels - Tags: ,

desert

So, as far as National and Maori leaders are concerned, it’s a done deal: “Maori Party to support ETS – bill to become law in days”. Unless (as suggested by Eddie) some Maori Party MPs remember their principles and vote against it, National’s ETS will be forced through parliament under urgency. NRT weighs in with some comments on the details of the deal, including a list of good opposition amendments that will be quashed with Maori support.

National’s version of the ETS is crap*: the Environment Commissioner says it “will not achieve its stated goal of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions” and does not support it, Treasury refused to endorse a regulatory impact statement. Combined with our inadequate emissions reductions targets for Copenhagen (we are now being internationally mocked for this) it is clear that this government has no intention of seriously addressing climate change.

It really doesn’t matter whether the National and Maori leaders are too stupid to understand the consequences of climate change, or whether they do understand and are simply too callous to care. Either way the end result will be the same. Unless every country does its fair share the world is going to end up with a lot more sand for useless short-sighted politicians to bury their heads in. A lot more sand:

World on course for catastrophic 6° rise, reveal scientists
Wednesday, 18 November 2009

The world is now firmly on course for the worst-case scenario in terms of climate change, with average global temperatures rising by up to 6C by the end of the century, leading scientists said yesterday. Such a rise which would be much higher nearer the poles would have cataclysmic and irreversible consequences for the Earth, making large parts of the planet uninhabitable and threatening the basis of human civilisation.

We are headed for it, the scientists said, because the carbon dioxide emissions from industry, transport and deforestation which are responsible for warming the atmosphere have increased dramatically since 2002, in a way which no one anticipated, and are now running at treble the annual rate of the 1990s. … Although the 6C rise and its potential disastrous effects have been speculated upon before, this is the first time that scientists have said that society is now on a path to meet it.

What does a 6° rise mean for the planet? The same article continues:

Just how dangerous was signalled in 2007 by the science writer Mark Lynas, who combed all the available scientific research to construct a picture of a world with [a 6° increase]. … He said: “It would cause a mass extinction of almost all life and probably reduce humanity to a few struggling groups of embattled survivors clinging to life near the poles.”

Very few species could adapt in time to the abruptness of the transition, he suggested. “With the tropics too hot to grow crops, and the sub-tropics too dry, billions of people would find themselves in areas of the planet which are essentially uninhabitable. This would probably even include southern Europe, as the Sahara desert crosses the Mediterranean. “As the ice-caps melt, hundreds of millions will also be forced to move inland due to rapidly-rising seas. As world food supplies crash, the higher mid-latitude and sub-polar regions would become fiercely-contested refuges.

National, Maori – this is the path that the world is on. This is the path that your short-sighted, stupid and greedy ETS does nothing to turn us aside from. The future will judge you harshly.  A plague on both your houses.

[* Sorry for the blunt language in this post. It is not a topic to be polite about any more.]

35 comments on “A plague on both your houses ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. vto 1
    24 November 2009 at 10:20 am

    This reminds me of the Electoral Finance Act where something very significant is dealt with on partisan terms. Which is just wrong.

    This should be a cross-party deal.

    Pollies again dealing what’s best for their own position instead of whats best for New Zealanders.

    Hate it. Makes me hate them.

  3. micky savage 3
    24 November 2009 at 10:55 am

    Well said rob. Bluntness totally justified.

  4. NickS 4
    24 November 2009 at 10:59 am

    Well, even the 2-3 degree rise wasn’t paradise, there was a bit posted in NewScientist this year on how the world would look, and pretty much the tropic’s were uninhabitable and global population had crashed.

    Also, cue Andrei et al posting something stupid in 5, 4, 3…

    • Andrei 4.1
      24 November 2009 at 12:18 pm

      Also, cue Andrei et al posting something stupid in 5, 4, 3

      So how much has the temperature risen in the past ten years Nick?

      Yesterday at this time the thermometer on my deck hit 30C – today it is only 9C sigh

      What does it all mean?

      It means we live on a planet with chaotic weather systems that we have virtually no control over despite what the ruling elites tell you. Nor are these systems in any respect predictable in the long term – this is in fact basic science – the limits of predictability being quite well studied. and applied to many fields,

      And anyone who believes that reducing productivity and lowering peoples living standards – which is the only possible way of “reducing emissions” needs their head read IMHO.

      The only beneficiaries of ETS schemes will be the ruling class and if you doubt this why do both National and Labour going down this path?

      Their schemes only differ in the detail – the losers remain the same (that is you and I who despite our differences of opinion remain mere peasants), the winners
      might vary slightly but even then not much being drawn from the parasite class who float to the top regardless of political system.

      • NickS 4.1.1
        24 November 2009 at 12:41 pm

        So how much has the temperature risen in the past ten years Nick?

        Yesterday at this time the thermometer on my deck hit 30C today it is only 9C sigh

        What does it all mean?

        Easy.

        You have no idea how to do a statistically valid sample, and instead are relying on only two samples, not controlling for any of the factors normally taken into account with temperature measurement, a mistake that not even a first year statistics student would make. All in a dishonest attempt to prove a fallacious point.

        Or, more simply you’re a moron. Congratulations.

        It means we live on a planet with chaotic weather systems that we have virtually no control over despite what the ruling elites tell you. Nor are these systems in any respect predictable in the long term this is in fact basic science the limits of predictability being quite well studied. and applied to many fields,

        Wait, so as student of science, who will likely end up with a post grad degree, I’m in line to be one of the ruling class? Despite the strong tendency in the developed world to anti-intellectualism, lack of political power and crap pay?

        Wow, that’s some mighty strong stupid.

        Anyhow, you can forecast chaotic systems, and on large scales quite easily predict long term trends. It’s why Hansen et al’s models from the 80’s still have a statistically significant fit to the long term climate trend, despite not being having a time machine to pick up the data from the future and curve fit the model. It’s also why the vast majority of climate scientists accept the long term predictions for climate change, rather than be as utterly f*ckign clueless about it as you are.

        And anyone who believes that reducing productivity and lowering peoples living standards which is the only possible way of “reducing emissions’ needs their head read IMHO.

        /facepalm

        Except you don’t need to reduce standards of living if you boost energy use efficiency and change the way we think about transport and the our bad habits of throw-away consumer culture.

        The only beneficiaries of ETS schemes will be the ruling class and if you doubt this why do both National and Labour going down this path?
        Hello conspiracy theory.

        Or you know, it could be due to international scientific findings indicating that we need to reduce CO2 emissions, along with pressure from our major trading partners not to be so stupid and ignore the science. But then, I suppose delusionaly believing in a shadowy ruling class is so much more comforting that reality right?

        Their schemes only differ in the detail the losers remain the same (that is you and I who despite our differences of opinion remain mere peasants), the winners
        might vary slightly but even then not much being drawn from the parasite class who float to the top regardless of political system.

        It’s like I’m reading something from the torrid depths of mid-20th, paranoid Marxist analysis.

        And I’m now running late for work, so the last bit can wait, or someone else can deal with it… /hint

      • Armchair Critic 4.1.2
        24 November 2009 at 12:58 pm

        “Yesterday at this time the thermometer on my deck hit 30C today it is only 9C sigh
        What does it all mean?”
        According to your atrocious knowledge of statistics, and applying a linear trend, it means that in two weeks the temperature on your deck will be at absolute zero, i.e. -273C.
        Here is a full list of the predicted temperature on your deck up until then.
        25/11 -12C
        26/11 -33C
        27/11 -54C
        28/11 -75C
        29/11 -96C
        30/11 -117C
        1/12 -138C
        2/12 -159C
        3/12 -180C
        4/12 -201C
        5/12 -222C
        6/12 -243C
        7/12 -264C
        8/12 Absolute zero
        According to your theory, it’s going to be a white xmas at your place, Andrei.

        • Andrei 4.1.2.1
          24 November 2009 at 3:15 pm

          According to your atrocious knowledge of statistics, and applying a linear trend, it means that in two weeks the temperature on your deck will be at absolute zero, i.e. -273C.

          My dear friend I applied no analysis statistical or otherwise to those two data points.

          It was you who have

          FYI the thermometer, a cheap warehouse job originating in China now reads 11C – make of that what you will.

          • Con 4.1.2.1.1
            24 November 2009 at 3:45 pm

            FYI the thermometer, a cheap warehouse job originating in China now reads 11C make of that what you will.

            I will make nothing at all of it, then, since it has no statistical significance or even relevance in the slightest.

      • Con 4.1.3
        24 November 2009 at 1:38 pm

        So how much has the temperature risen in the past ten years

        According to this NASA data source, the average global temperature in October this year was 0.35° warmer than 10 years previously.

        So there you are: 0.35 degrees is the answer.

        No doubt you were attempting to make some bogus statistical point, but your pseudo-scientific trolling failed miserably.

        • Andrei 4.1.3.1
          24 November 2009 at 3:20 pm

          This would be the ground based data – no?

          FYI – the same data for February has it 1.6C cooler

          what can it mean?

          I wonder what the satellite data would reveal? Something different that’s for sure

          • Con 4.1.3.1.1
            24 November 2009 at 3:42 pm

            You asked for the last 10 years, not the 10 years prior to last February.

            Of course you can find individual days or even months or years when it is colder, but underlying that fluctuation is a warming trend that is still there.

  5. Chris 5
    24 November 2009 at 11:23 am

    “breaking” is my captcha and it’s apt as it encapsulates everything that is wrong with National and the Maori Party.

    Breaking our childrens’ future. Our souls. The lives of countless animals and plants around the world that will be made extinct (think Hector’s dolphin for example and yes, shame on Jim Anderton for not standing up for them, and shame on what’s his name – the national minister for (selling, mining our) conservation – shame on them both).

    Good on you r0b for saying what needs to be said. It’s not chicken little stuff – it’s real and its here.

  6. Zorr 6
    24 November 2009 at 11:36 am

    The thing I don’t understand is why a lot of the CCDers seem to think that somehow those of us that support this side of the argument somehow WANT this. You know what I want more than anything? I want the view that my parents had back in the 70s and 80s when they were growing up, when there wasn’t the threat of peak oil and climate change. Where petrol was cheap and CO2 hadn’t been invented yet. But wishing doesn’t make it so and we need to live in the world we have, not the world we may want.

    • Bored 6.1
      24 November 2009 at 1:08 pm

      Hi Zorr, I love the idea of the view your parents had in the 70s/ 80s. My wish (on a good day when dark brooding over a bleak future hasn’t become too oppressive) is for the younger generations to envisage a non utopian non materialistic world where inclusiveness involves doing something useful to save and enhance the planet. This at the same time has the added benefit of delivering a good life to future generations. Not too much to ask is it?

      • Zorr 6.1.1
        24 November 2009 at 2:20 pm

        I agree that we should be aiming toward it. My point merely was that CCDers seem to argue that because I am on this side of the fence that I actually want bad stuff to be happening. It seems ridiculous to assume that climate change scientists might have something to gain from saying the world is in peril. Nobody ever gained anything from toting “End Of The World is Nigh” signs when it wasn’t going to happen.

        Responsible, sustainable living makes as much sense as teaching our 2 year old to clean up after himself. It should be a common sense issue (you would hope).

  7. Bored 7
    24 November 2009 at 11:45 am

    Got to agree with VTO that this is a non partisan situation, it’s a war we have to win as one. Unfortunately we have as a species the same nature as a frog in a pot of warming water. The temperature warms slowly, the frog takes no notice till he passes out, and then it’s boiling, too late.

    As mentioned previously, we cannot wait for Nick Smith, the Maori Party or other self interested twerps, we all have to do something collectively to change our habits. Catch the bus, walk to the dairy, buy food without packaging and processing, give up consumer shopping, turn off appliances, share car rides etc etc a lot of little actions comprise a lot of change. Do a Gandhi with the moral imperative. Most importantly raise awareness.

    Stations my captcha…take the train.

  8. tc 8
    24 November 2009 at 12:39 pm

    Nice post Rob and maybe just maybe the MP’s in Maori who don’t have the comfy do nothing portfolios and limos (i.e. not the leaders) will see their political future on the line over this and vote accordingly to not pass it.

    Hide on RNZ this morning was scathing about the ‘lazy’ govt…..yes Wodney that govt that you’re a part of but again showed how he’s equally not bothered which is no surprise as it requires morals and standards to be bothered by this shambles.

    Gwynn Dyers ‘Climate wars’ should be compulsory reading for any climate denial monkeys as the science is compelling and irrefutable now……unless the sand is deep enough to fit your head into.

    It is nice to see JK following his ‘How to be a single term goverment for dummies guide’ to the letter though….the stupidity of this is even concerning some true blues I know.

  9. Tigger 9
    24 November 2009 at 1:14 pm

    Nice piece in the Guardian. How much longer will Key bother with this Tourism portfolio. The wider the gap between our ‘image’ and reality becomes the more he walks a tightrope here.

  10. Bill 10
    24 November 2009 at 1:24 pm

    Said before, saying again.

    We can have capitalism or we can have a future.

    Problem. Politicians think we can have both.
    Problem. Far too many of us are locked within a framework of reference that is dominated by or hemmed in by a capitalist perspective.

    An under reported story from Britain ( I just can’t imagine why!) does offer some light and interesting possibilities.

    “Employees who raise concerns about their company’s environmental practices won the right to legal redress yesterday after a judge ruled that green beliefs deserved the same protection in the workplace as religious convictions.”

    Could a similar precedent be won in NZ whereby a philosophical belief based on science was treated in the same manner as religion in relation to discrimination?

    If so, then a question that comes to mind is this. If I am engaged in a job activity that contributes directly to the endangerment of a life, am I legally protected should I decide to withdraw my labour? What if many lives are endangered? How many lives need to be endangered before I am looking at complicity in a crime against humanity?

    I like the idea of non participation with production techniques that contribute to climate change being won as a legal right.

    Anyway, my point is that no parliamentary party nor any business entity is ever going to offer a serious challenge to the status quo. Waiting for such a thing is akin to waiting for the Catholic Church to preach atheism. Not happening.

    Our present framework of reference constitutes nothing less than a gallows for the future to hang from. That’s our framework of reference. That’s our future. Which means that any change is down to us both individually and collectively…. not some politician, monkey, ape, god, saviour or whatever entity you want to conjure up….just us.

  11. Matt Andrews 11
    24 November 2009 at 1:31 pm

    I disagree with your criticism of the Maori Party.
    They are taking a deal that has been offered to them.

    The party in the wrong here is National, which never should have offered the deal.

    • r0b 11.1
      24 November 2009 at 2:11 pm

      They are taking a deal that has been offered to them.

      So, what – the Maori Party have no free will?

      They know what they are doing is wrong – see their minority report on the ETS. They know exactly what they are doing, and they’re doing it anyway. They are just as guilty as National.

  12. mickysavage 12
    24 November 2009 at 1:36 pm

    To the climate change deniers who think the temperature is stable the following article from the Herald caught my attention.

    “More than 100 Antarctic icebergs – and possibly even hundreds of them – are floating towards New Zealand.

    An Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist, Neal Young, said yesterday that the ice chunks, spotted in satellite photos, had passed the Auckland Islands and were heading towards the South Island, 450km northeast.

    He said more than 100 icebergs – some more than 200m across – were seen in just one cluster, indicating there could be hundreds more.

    Dr Young said they were the remains of a massive ice floe which split from Antarctica in rising sea and air temperatures resulting from global warming. “

    Wave goodbye as you see the South Pole sail past your bedroom window,

  13. Draco T Bastard 13
    24 November 2009 at 2:13 pm

    As the ice-caps melt, hundreds of millions will also be forced to move inland due to rapidly-rising seas. As world food supplies crash, the higher mid-latitude and sub-polar regions would become fiercely-contested refuges.

    This is the part that scares the crap out of me. We’re only a small country and under AGW/Peak Oil we’ll have difficulty in supporting the number of people we have here already never mind the AGW refugees that are going to try to come here.

  14. Peter Wilson 14
    24 November 2009 at 2:18 pm

    Scary indeed. What I am interested is if that study factored in peak oil and peak coal. As in, if it just extrapolated current emission rates increasing then it may not be right. If the carbon simply isn’t there to burn, and this applies to coal as well as oil (as the oil price goes up, it becomes harder to get the coal out of the ground, and there isn’t as much there as we once thought).

    It’s a very disturbing thing indeed to hope that energy scarcity arrives as soon as possible. But right now, with the current state of political leadership, a bit of geological reality that no National, ACT or Maori Party deniers can conjure their way out of might be quite welcome.

    • Bored 14.1
      24 November 2009 at 4:35 pm

      I suspect the additional carbon fuel reserves are factored in, we probably have from what I have read only recently peaked oil and coal is nowhere near peak which is frightening. The rate the ecosphere can filter this out is extemely slow (centuries) by comparison to rate of carbon release. Put bluntly, we are in the gun.

      PS The so called scientific debate you see here from deniers makes me wince, as a degreed fluvial morphologist and geologist (many years ago and much memory loss later) it makes me cringe.

  15. Killinginthenameof 15
    24 November 2009 at 2:20 pm

    So originally the data apparently showed there was no climate change, then somehow that same data showed that there is no climate change and magically also shows that if there was humans aren’t causing it. Now apparently, all the data is false which you guessed it, means there is no climate change.

    Not a hell of rigor to their method huh?

    If [anything] then “There is no climate change”

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  • 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
    22 hours 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
    22 hours 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
    23 hours 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
    23 hours 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
    24 hours 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 days ago

  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago

  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: “What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago

  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • In Whose Best Interests?
    On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
    It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Auckland faces 25% water inflation shock
    Three Waters became a focus of anti-Government protests under Labour, but its dumping by the new Government hasn’t solved councils’ funding problems and will eventually hit the back pockets of everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 8:06 am today are:The Government ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Small accomplishments and large ironies
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume VII
    In order to catch up to the actual progress of the D&D campaign, I present you with another couple of sessions. These were actually held back to back, on a Monday and Tuesday evening. Session XV Alas, Goatslayer had another lycanthropic transformation… though this time, he ran off into the ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days 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
    11 hours 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
    16 hours 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
    17 hours 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
    19 hours 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
    20 hours 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
    23 hours 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
    24 hours 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
    1 day 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
    2 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
    3 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
    3 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    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 Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
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