Daily Review 16/05/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, May 16th, 2016 - 50 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

Cameron slater john key

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50 comments on “Daily Review 16/05/2016 ”

  1. dukeofurl 1

    18 states have voted Democratic in six consecutive elections with 242 electoral votes

    13 states have voted GOP since 1992 with 110 votes

    Democrats have also won the popular vote in five of the last six presidential contests.

    The democrats only have to get an extra 28 votes to win ( Florida would give 29) or a combination from the 19 swing states.

    Trump nightmare over, back to sleep now.
    http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2013/nov/10/george-will/george-will-paints-dire-electoral-picture-gop-says/

    • Colonial Viper 1.1

      Awesome, Killary for President.

    • AmaKiwi 1.2

      @ dukeofurl

      “Since 1992” is the flaw in this logic. The mood of society has changed . . . worldwide. In case you hadn’t noticed, non-mainstream candidates and parties are making deep inroads everywhere to say nothing of numerous civil wars.

      Bernie Sanders is not dropping out because his primary objective is revolution, not the White House. You never heard that “since 1992.”

  2. weka 2

    Philip PAtston on diversity fail at Auckland Writers Festival, and a pretty good explanation of why intersectionality is crucial,

    I was disappointed but not surprised that a diversity debate at the Auckland Writers Festival yesterday turned out to be an ethnicity debate, with a little parlance about binary gender thrown in for good measure.

    When I asked at the end why in 2016 a diversity debate’s scope would be so narrow (apart from author Victor Rodger mentioning a fa’afafine character in one of his novels), after a resounding applause from the audience, I was met with varying levels of defensiveness, including:

    “There are only four of us.”
    “Well, I may be gay or disabled.” (If you are, why not say so?)
    And finally, from the chair, “This debate was about ethnicity, so it’s my fault.”
    But if you read the description on the website, it was neither billed nor described as an Ethnicity Debate.

    The pity about omitting other aspects of diversity from the narrative — non-binary gender, sexual, functional, relational, age, religious, lifestyle etc — is that you remove the reality that all ethnicities include these other aspects as part of their collective identities. Instead, ethnic diversity remains heteronormative, binary gendered, middle-aged, functionally common, monoganormative and so on.

    And the “vanilla-ising” of society is perpetuated

    http://linkis.com/www.bloglovin.com/bl/jm2DU

  3. weka 3

    According to this research hallucinations can actually improve cognitive function,

    http://www.thepaepae.com/wp-uploads/2016/05/chickenhallucination.jpg

    • Colonial Viper 3.1

      dreaming seems pretty important for improving cognitive function…and what are dreams if not a kind of hallucinations?

      • Anne 3.1.1

        Some of them are quite funny. I used to dream about my car. On one occasion I decided (in my dream) to go for a holiday, but every time I went to put something in the car a piece of it would be missing. Eventually there was nothing left but the passenger seat, steering wheel and the floor of the car. Everything else was gone. 😯

      • NZJester 3.1.2

        Unfortunately the National government has smashed most peoples dreams and are giving us nightmares!
        No wonder everyone is turning into mindless drones!

      • McFlock 3.1.3

        actually, looking at someone IRL who has significant hallucinations, I think it’s more the other way around – hallucinations are a type of waking dream.

        The visions can be cued up almost like dreams, a careless word or discussion about something interesting or just particularly abstract to the situation at hand can bring about hallucinations that are relevant, but often slightly tangential.

        Sucks initially, because you’re as confused as they are, but once you learn it becomes more about anchoring them back here – not confronting or challenging, just anchoring. Still significant suckage to deal with, but better than before.

        • weka 3.1.3.1

          That makes a lot of sense.

          There’s a whole branch of the psych survivor movement that says it’s better to treat the content of hallucinations as meaningful and relevant rather than dismissing them as well hallucinations. Not that they’re literal truth but that they do have meaning for the person experiencing them, they’re not random, and that working on th assumption of meaning makes life better for the person experiencing them. R D Laing did some good work originally from the pysch treatment perspective.

        • Colonial Viper 3.1.3.2

          Ahhhh had never thought of it in that way before, very handy, thanks.

        • McFlock 3.1.3.3

          Well that’s seems to be the case in the person I know. Other people or causes might have different sources for their illusions.

    • McFlock 3.2

      lol

      that particular hallucination was possibly a “dream” of the chicken’s subconscious – wishful thinking 🙂

      • weka 3.2.1

        It made me think of ts, but funnily enough it’s from an article about Slater 😉

        • McFlock 3.2.1.1

          lol

          I can see that, at least he’s good for provoking a discussion about dreams vs hallucinations 🙂

  4. NZJester 4

    Heritage New Zealand has been ordered to pay almost $120,000 to an oil company after it lost a court battle over the burial place of Treaty of Waitangi signatory Wiremu Kingi.

    If this sort of thing is happening before the TPP is in place, what can we expect once it is passed?
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/304009/heritage-nz-ordered-to-pay-oil-company-120k

    • left for dead 4.1

      Yes, over all the noise i heard that , or at some of that content on Nat Rad hope the can afford too appeal. The community needs better protection, some sort of fund with qualified lawyers at hand, it is after all our space.

    • Jenny Kirk 4.2

      This IS dreadful ! How can any hapu or iwi (let alone a body like Heritage NZ) expect to be able to defend its rohe and cultural heritage against mineral exploration with this sort of precedent-setting.

      And NZJester suggests it will be worse under the TPPA. I’ve just been reading up on a bit more of TPPA – thinking we’d all have another opportunity to really express displeasure about it at the select committee process, but that is just an “exercise” in futility. According to Prof Jane Kelsey :
      “From past experience, the select committee process is a cosmetic exercise anyway, because the government has a majority. Even if it wanted to propose changes, the committee has no power. The Cabinet can ratify the treaty while the hearings are still proceeding, …”
      This is on – http://itsourfuture.org.nz/explanation-of-nzs-treaty-making-process/

    • Et Tu Brute 4.3

      But you missed the point where it was not established the oil company would go near the burial site and Heritage New Zealand was deemed to be protecting more than just the historical site, but also the wider context of the valley.

  5. Paul 5

    Auckland’s housing crisis worsens: RNZ Checkpoint

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dA7KJZ2t1U

    • Scythe 5.1

      It’s distressing how many people in this country live in utter shitholes, but they should stop reproducing like rats. Condoms aren’t expensive, you can get a prescription from your doctor.

      • Gangnam Style 5.1.1

        Ugh! Seems like I have Seen this comment before. Back to the gutter with you!

      • McFlock 5.1.2

        Like rats, you say? Interesting. Maybe put your thoughts into a movie, call it “the eternal beneficiary”. Send the worst ones into camps where they can concentrate on getting work, because work makes you free. They can study from an inspirational text about your struggle for wealth. We can figure out a title later.

        Oh, wait. This is embarrassing. You’re embarrass yourself.

  6. Paul 6

    More evidence of what life is like in John Key’s New Zealand.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO8KRh2gLa4

    • Graeme 6.1

      Good chance that cabin is owned by the local council. The site has been earmarked for the convention centre, which is going nowhere, and the distraction thats put the Council is in the mess it is with building consents.

      So the cabins, which have always been pretty grotty, have got grottier because they are only there until something happens. A lot have been already removed.

      Interesting to see the headline in the article that video was in http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/304026/wealthy-against-queenstown-development-minister

      Smith is quoting a submission on SHA proposal that was the equivalent of 100 x 250m2 sections in Coatesville, say next door to Mr Gibbs. It didn’t meet the SHA criteria anyway, as it wasn’t adjacent to existing residential developments or services.

      The issue in Queenstown isn’t lack of zoned land, there’s quite a bit zoned at Hanley Downs, which the developer is getting the density increased to get more out of it. And any greenfield development will be $800 000 for a house because they can and will sell them for that, and as many as they can build.

      The solution to the girl in the cabin’s problem isn’t zoning more land, it’s building higher density and smaller on land that’s already zoned. But that’s hard because the developer can’t make the same profit, and the cashflow isn’t there consistently in a rental model. Someone, employers? government? council? will have to stump up some cash to make it happen. Then the cycle passes and the problem goes away and we go through it all again the next cycle, and the next. Same thing happens with the DHB and our hospital.

      By the way Mr Smith is going with his dog whistles, we’re going to have a NZ First MP next year.

      • weka 6.1.1

        His comments on RNZ this evening connecting up the problems the council is having with its building consent process with the housing shortage and ta da they will need a commissioner was pretty unsubtle. I hope Southlanders give them a good slap down.

        • Graeme 6.1.1.1

          Yeah, it’s hard to tell if they are talking just the building consent side, which would just be a MBIE manager short term, like Christchurch City, or a ECan like situation, which is a commissioner. ECan style solution would be scary, $800 000+ ticky tacks on every flat piece of land in the basin. And still nowhere for the workers to live.

          The current council here is distracted, often by government dictates (bloody convention centre and it’s associated rezoning), and councillors seem quite overwhelmed by it all. And there’s no one making a play for mayor (incumbent’s outa there….) or council.

          Another thought is that it’s all a distraction from last weeks debacle, but this issue has been building for a while.

          • weka 6.1.1.1.1

            Do you know if the changes to the the Local Government Act a few years ago are having an impact?

      • Pat 6.1.2

        so in effect you are saying its a problem the market will not solve……..much like Auckland…and a publicly funded building program is required.

        • Graeme 6.1.2.1

          There’s a lot of businesses here who are trying to socialise their staffing costs and pushing for someone else to provide staff accomodation. Most of the big employers had staff accomodation until 90’s when it was sold off or developed. At that end of the market something has to be done, and probably will be this cycle. This proposal might have legs http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/383346/school-site-cheaper-housing The hard part will be sustaining it, but if the existing High School goes to the Housing Trust http://www.qlcht.org.nz it should be sustainable.

          The private sector has no trouble building and selling houses here, there’s an insatiable demand and huge churn as well. But the demand is from people moving to the district or holiday houses, some of which are bloody flash. 10 years ago it was said that we turn over half our population every two years. I haven’t seen it change in that time.

          • weka 6.1.2.1.1

            Queenstown could look at establishing housing and work for long term locals and thus stabilise its population a bit. Might have to look at sustainability rather than relying on the tourism cash cow though.

            • Graeme 6.1.2.1.1.1

              The issue is with people who have been here up to 0 – 5 years, or less than a cycle. Everyone want to come and live here for the “lifestyle”, and a lot take from the community but don’t stay long enough to contribute back to the community. There are actually very few who have been here several generations. That sort of demographic makes for some different issues, and require quite different solutions.

              After 35 years here your community gets quite small and tight and a parallel community of transient people lives around you that you have very little to do with.

              The sustainable economy thing has been done to death and all that comes up is different sorts of tourism or cyclical development. Everything else gets stuffed by the high value of land, and the demand for that land. If we keep trying to put more and more people in this tight valley eventually there won’t be any more room and building more or doing it differently doesn’t make it cheaper, but actually everything gets more expensive. Maybe we are at or past that point now.

              the same thing could be said for Auckland too.

              • weka

                Lots of places look over populated to me. People don’t make the connection though.

                “The sustainable economy thing has been done to death and all that comes up is different sorts of tourism or cyclical development.”

                If they’re talking tourism they’re not talking sustainable. They’re incompatible by definition.

                I’ve lived in a few different tourist towns so I know what you mean about the long term effect on community.

                • Gangnam Style

                  Nick Smith was talking about ex-crown land (a school), which has to be offered to Ngai Tahu first, who will then be asked/forced to provide workers housing, when they have every right to do with it what they wish. It’s all the maoris fault!

                  • dukeofurl

                    So they dont need more schools in and around Queenstown ?

                    • Graeme

                      Big new High School being built in Frankton now, to open for start 2018 year

                  • Graeme

                    I think the school proposal is to refit the existing buildings as rental / worker accomodation. This gives a very quick, and probably very good solution. The existing buildings only cover half the site.

                    Ngai Tahu are major tourist operators and landlords around Queenstown and very much set the standard around town. They are very good operators. They will benefit from better worker accomodation and are always ready to do a deal.

        • The Chairman 6.1.2.2

          “A publicly funded building program is required”

          Indeed. Increasing supply and improving standards while ultimately alleviating rent pressures.

          Whereas, introducing housing warrants would do little to help the lady from Queenstown (in Paul’s clip above). Being a high demand short supply location would most likely result in warrant associated costs being passed on, forcing her out.

          • Graeme 6.1.2.2.1

            Two things peculiar to Queenstown, any building program has to be carefully targeted to avoid pouring petrol on the fire, more supply in some sectors would only stimulate demand, and probably square it. And those cabins have been slated for demolition for ages. Would be better to flatten it and put a portable there. This has been proposed for the Lakeview site as well and would be easily achievable as services are in place.

      • Graeme 6.1.3

        This is the SHA proposal Smith is basing his dog whistles on. The developer appealed Councils refusal to the HIgh Court and got smacked, hard.

        http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/383430/high-court-says-qldc-did-not-err

        Hope Council get full costs out of the entitled muppet. Unfortunately it’s also another step on the way to a commissioner.

        The idea that these would have sold for $450 000 is pure fantasy. Everything around them starts at $1.5 mil so these would have very quickly gone to around $800K. The Bridesdale SHA (same developer and an intriguing study of blue privilege) was also $450K at consent, but is now heading through $800K

  7. cowboy 7

    Also on CheckPoint, Nathan Guy putting on his best Sargent Shultz ” I see nuthin” routine:

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/201800911/fishing-report-reveals-damning-criticism-of-mpi

    Thank goodness for John Campbell.

    • tc 7.1

      Guy is a knuckle dragger quite at home in shonky’s cabal.

      That cabinet would have to be the most bent assortment of careerists, opportunists and dullards with just enough rat cunning (key, English, Joyce, Collins and findlayson) to prevent them all being bagged up and dumped in the political river to float away.

      They aren’t even hiding the agenda now, legislate, install commissioner mates and let the plunder continue.

    • Halfcrown 7.2

      Yeah, I heard that. I always thought Nathan Guy looked “vacant” and was a few sandwiches short of a picnic.
      He removed all doubt with that interview with John Campbell.

  8. Ad 8

    And we wonder why sustainability is hard.

    After one packed hall meeting, the Dunedin City Council planner withdraws support for windfarm generation at Blueskin Bay and has another think:

    http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/383532/dcc-planner-reserving-position-wind-farm

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    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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