Dutch disease

Written By: - Date published: 5:10 pm, June 21st, 2011 - 69 comments
Categories: Economy, exports, monetary policy - Tags:

No it’s not a virus. It’s our dollar surfing on a dumper. Here’s how Neville Bennett describes it:

There is increasing evidence that New Zealand is ailing. The symptoms are a high exchange rate, excessive foreign debt and a decline of the manufacturing sector. This is often called the Dutch disease which is defined as a development that results in a large inflow of foreign currency, which in turn causes an appreciation of its currency, making its manufactures too expensive for others to buy.

Gareth Morgan also writes about it in today’s Herald.

The most concerning outcome is that New Zealand will swing on the end of an unsustainably high currency until the economic damage wrought warrants a major change. That damage would come via a hollowing out of our non-commodity producing businesses, no correction in our household savings rate and in time, a balance of payments/external debt crisis as those factors conspire.

Any amount of commentators from the Prime Minister on down tell us that all is well, we are on a path to growth (eventually), and nothing can be done about our dollar that has risen from a little above 50cents US in early 2009 to over 80cents now. This volatility also makes it impossible for borrowers to plan for future growth and expansion. The dollar’s current level also provides a headwind for our economy according to Bill English.

Treasury are holding a conference later this week on macroeconomics. I don’t know whether Neville Bennett and Gareth Morgan will be there – I hope so. It is high time that we got some fresh thinking into our economic planning. The neoliberal recipe the 1980s Treasury adopted from the monetarist Chicago school has not stood us in good stead.

Neville Bennett does not believe nothing can be done. He offers some ideas, supported by the IMF. We need more thinking like this.

69 comments on “Dutch disease ”

  1. Jim Nald 1

    At this point, am I allowed to chant the Government’s mantra …

    We can’t do this,
    We can’t do that,
    We can’t do anything,
    This is out of our control,
    That is out of our control,
    Everything is out of our control.

    (recite 170,000 neoliberal times)

    • Rusty Shackleford 1.1

      Aren’t they borrowing a ton of cash? I wouldn’t call that doing nothing.

      • Jim Nald 1.1.1

        Wow. Let’s all go to sleep. No need for that Treasury conference.

      • lprent 1.1.2

        Paying for their silly tax cuts?

        The Nats do one little political screwup, and I am expected to pay for it for the next 9 years. I thought we’d gotten through tha type of fiscal irresponsibility in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. But nope somehow we are meant to have 170,000 jobs appear based on a average from a period when we did no have a do nothing government….

        They should average from the jobs growth in the 1990’s when we last had these clowns around. Deeply negative to flat. That would be a more appropriate measure.

        • Deadly_NZ 1.1.2.1

          And the biggest problem is how bad will it become if these incompetents are re elected ?

          • Colonial Viper 1.1.2.1.1

            1 in 6 NZ’ers have decided not to find out and have already left.

            • Lyall 1.1.2.1.1.1

              “one in six have ….already left” Really? over 600,000 people have left? Evidence please that 600,000 people have left New Zealande permanently?

              • McFlock

                Not permanently. Just until National are out.

              • Colonial Viper

                600,000 Kiwis living in just Australia buddy. When you add up the rest of the world it comes to a million people now.

                http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10705666

                1 in 6 NZ born Kiwis have already fucked off out of this country. Wake up mate this is a national disaster which has been in the making for decades.

                Now stop wasting my time asking for “evidence” “Lyall”.

                • Lyall

                  “1 in 6 NZ’ers have decided not to find out and have already left.” Did they all leave in the last two years ? Thats seems to be the point you’re trying to make. Its a fact that they have been leaving since the 1980’s and even when Labour were in power, don’t you think? Or are you saying that ALL 600,000 left since 2008? I think fact based evidence is a much more forceful way to make a point, rather than hot air, indignance and noise.

                  • Colonial Viper

                    I’m not saying that this has happened since 2008. (Even though the records are being set under National’s inept plan-less leadership).

                    New Zealand has been going down the wrong neoliberal track for roughly 30 years. Net migration to Australia was even a big enough issue for Muldoon to comment on.

                    I think fact based evidence is a much more forceful way to make a point, rather than hot air, indignance and noise.

                    In case you haven’t noticed, allow me to state definitively that I don’t give a flying fuck about conforming to your standards of decorum. National is going down hard in November.

                    And the Bankster Occupation of NZ must be ended.

                    • Blue Rain

                      What if they don’t Viper, what if the inept and lying Labour Party don’t win? Will you be doing us all a favour and leaving as well as the 600,000 you seem to think vanished in the last two years? Go on do us a favour go to Aussie and “increase the IQ’s of both countries”.

      • prism 1.1.3

        Rs It would be more correct now to say a tonne of cash. Can’t you get anything right?

    • KJT 1.2

      A company manager and board of directors would be sacked if they said. “We will not do any long term strategic planning. The market will sort it out”.

      How is it when the same people get into Government “the market will sort it out”????

      Well the market cannot and will not!

      The difference between us and Singapore or China is their Governments plan for the long term.

      “An aspiration is not a strategy”. (Not sure who to attribute this).

  2. Dan 2

    So even if we could lower the dollar, what would you then do about the surging price of petrol that would also seriously harm the prices of business inputs? We can’t win either way.

    • KJT 2.1

      Start doing what we should be doing anyway. Replace hydrocarbon fuels with renewables.

      Currently the spend on importing energy is over a billion a year.
      There are good environmental and economic reasons for reducing our dependence on imported energy.

      Not to mention the boost to local industry by becoming leaders instead of slow followers in alternative technologies.

      • Rusty Shackleford 2.1.1

        KJT, if the investment is a lock and you are on to something, you owe it to yourself to borrow the cash to set it up yourself. Not only will you be doing a service to the whole of NZ, but you become a rich man (or lady) to boot! Seems like a no-brainer to me. Good luck!

      • queenstfarmer 2.1.2

        And that would be cheaper than surging petrol prices how? Nice idea, but who’s going to pay for it. As with so many “green” initiatives, the super-rich can afford them no problemo, but the rest of us can’t.

        • Rusty Shackleford 2.1.2.1

          What are you talking about farmer? Millions in subsidies to govt cronies in Spain yielded dozens of “green” jobs, and hardly destroyed any real ones at all. They don’t actually have cheaper electricity, but they “created” jobs. You aren’t against jobs are you queen?

          • Colonial Viper 2.1.2.1.1

            Don’t be moronic.

            The main benefactors of Europe’s debt woes are the creditors.

            Next step in the plan: pick up the public assets in Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Greece for pennies on the pound.

            Who needs to invest in building shit up when you can corporate raid others’.

            • queenstfarmer 2.1.2.1.1.1

              Not against jobs, or green tech. It is the future. But it will cost a lot more than most countries can afford, including ours. Even the US Govt, which has pumped billions of stimulus into green tech, has little to show for it.

              As for Spain borrowing money to create artificial jobs, I don’t think that is working out too well for them, or anyone else who tries it.

              • Colonial Viper

                Well of course you are wrong on all counts.

                As for Spain borrowing money to create artificial jobs

                For instance, almost every investment banking job in the US is “artificial” by your stupid inference.

                – All those firms would be bust without ongoing US govt cash and everyone from their traders to the CEOs should be on the street or in jail.

                – The vast majority of their activities and assets are fraudulent or add no value to the sustainability of society or economy.

                – Their expert “help” is a direct contributor to all the shit that the PIGS are in.

                But it will cost a lot more than most countries can afford, including ours.

                Oh fuck off, 2%-3% of GDP invested over the next 5 years will sort it.

                Even the US Govt, which has pumped billions of stimulus into green tech, has little to show for it.

                That’s what you get for pouring money down the drain of fusion reactors and hydrogen cars.

                • Rusty Shackleford

                  CV, who even disagrees with you on investment bankers? They are the scum of the earth. But leeches love blood. You can’t blame them for dashing in and sucking up all the milkshake. Someone was going to. It’s the heads of the guys that opened the wound that need to roll. ie, the central bank cartels and the pols who enable them.

                • The Baron

                  CV,
                  2-3% of NZ’s GDP of approx $170 billion is a $3.4-5.1 billion dollar investment.
                  Hardly an “only”.
                  What would you cut to pay for it? Or you must gonna borrow more for that too?
                  If we add that to the $5b plus Labour havealready promised to increase, offset by lala land extra enforcement ( net benefit will NOT be anywhere near what Cunliffe claims), then that sounds like fucking lunacy to me.

                  • Colonial Viper

                    Fair question, Baron.

                    Let’s take the figure $5B p.a. as a nice round figure for investment for say a period of 5 years. That’s $25B of highly productive investment creating several tens of thousands of NZ jobs for NZ workers, rebuilding our engineering capabilities, in order to get NZ’s energy infrastructure right for the next 100 years.

                    Where to get the money from? The richest 1000-2000 people in New Zealand control assets of approximately $100B. Raising $5B p.a. in taxes from just them would not be hard to do. None of them would have to sell their stable of 7 series limos or give up their vintage champagne.

                    Or, print half the money and you only need to tax those 1000-2000 people $2.5B p.a. out of their total $100B asset base. Given yearly capital growth, they may not even see a net reduction in their asset base after taxes. Their day to day and week to week lifestyle would be completely unaffected. No need to downgrade from first class to business class at any stage.

                    Sorta easy really.

                    • Jim Nald

                      To quote that famous and articulate currency trader, it would be “chump change”

                    • The Baron

                      CV, I’m sorry but that 1-2000 NZers owning that much in assets sounds like horseshit to me; and given that the entire merit of your proposal rests on this, I would have thought we were running off more than blind prejudice and made up stats. But lets run with it to see how your maths stacks up.

                      Lets be generous and say that there is indeed 2000 people in that bracket. You need $5b a year from them all to pay for this, according to your plan – in other words, $2.5m pa from each of them, right?

                      Please, pray tell, which magical taxation instrument you’ll introduce to suck that much out of these pockets? And once you are done with that, can you think of any consequences to introducing that tax – or do you genuinely believe that you could do it without consequences?

                    • The Baron

                      … actually, we probably need to double it again – right? You’ll need another $5b to pay for the other things that labour have promised, which I assume you remain supportive of.
                      Now, with all due respect, you know I don’t buy into your “print money” answer – sorta a deus ex machina. So can I be daring enough to ask you to formulate your taxation masterwork within the bounds that Labour and the Nats could actually implement?

          • KJT 2.1.2.1.2

            We are going to have to do it anyway.

            Before our overseas customers stop believing in Clean Green 100% pure and resist our products.

            Before oil prices eventually hit the stratosphere. (Which they will as China’s demand increases and the Saudi ever increasing reserves prove a myth). Great South basin oil will cost more than $200 a barrel to extract.

            Before other countries demand we do our bit to lessen AGW.

            We can do it cheaply now while we still have cheap hydrocarbons to make the windmills.

            Or we can leave it to our kids to do it the hard way!

  3. ChrisH 3

    This shows how important a plan for better public transport must be, along with a plan to lower the currency. Or alternatively we do nothing and then the roof caves in, at which point we face $3 to $4 a litre petrol with no PT and lots of people out of work, a spiral of collapse that is likely to feed on itself.

  4. JaJ 4

    Don’t forget that the US dollar has been depreciating against many currencies over this peroid as well, indeed the NZ dollar is not up nearly so dramatically with regard to the AUD, GBP or even the embattled Euro.

  5. davidc 5

    Gareth Morgan is the chap who a couple of years back predited that house prices would drop by 50% on the front page of the Listener (all in aid of getting people to invest in his savings scheme) so he has f*uk all credibiliy to me.

    [according to REINZ’s index, house prices are down 18% in real terms since peaking in 2007. So far. I’d rather put my money with Morgan than you. Eddie]

    • ianupnorth 5.1

      There is a strong view amongst many in the financial sector that NZ property is grossly overvalued, with only the demand for properties by inbound immigrants keeping the market afloat. How many houses are being sold in your town, are they getting GV, cos they ain’t where I live.
       
      A house is the price someone is willing to pay and people are holding out for bargains, whilst those with the tax cuts and overseas investors are speculating.

      • Jim Nald 5.1.1

        Folks leaving for Australia and further shores
        Folks having job uncertainties
        Folks losing jobs
        Folks not having jobs
        All these not helped by this government decimating the public sector (ie more jobs being lost) …

        Who are the ones madly buying up the houses?

      • Colonial Viper 5.1.2

        NZ property is grossly overvalued, with only the demand for properties by inbound immigrants keeping the market afloat.

        So what happens when net migration falls for three months in a row? Whoops.

        AKL house prices are still going up as net migration there from the rest of the country continues. And it is causing house prices everywhere else to continue sliding at a fast rate.

        • Rusty Shackleford 5.1.2.1

          House prices need to come in line with income. Which is what they are doing. The market works!

          • Colonial Viper 5.1.2.1.1

            What do you mean by “works”? Housing prices are finally coming back into line – after a very long and dangerous delay – but the debt and investment inbalances created by the housing bubble are still here.

          • Zaphod Beeblebrox 5.1.2.1.2

            It would work even better with a CGT and stamp duty on purchased properties.

    • davidc 5.2

      Thanks for the partisan edit Eddie.
      I am pretty sure rent a quote Morgans article was late ’08/early ’09 (after Lehman and co went tits up) and prices are up a couple of percent (maybe even 5) since then according to this…
      https://www.reinz.co.nz/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=A2D89DF1-B00A-462C-5EBB-E90911AA6B4D&siteName=reinz

      • Colonial Viper 5.2.1

        According to that graph house prices are still down from late 2008! And I suspect that the index you quote doesn’t even take into account inflation, nor the fact that specific in demand suburbs in Auckland have continued to support the national average from falling further.

        I reckon you’re a deliberately misleading (or blind) chart reader. Or have no idea of the housing market. Or all three.

        Further, who cares when you think Morgan made his quip? Give us a reference if you can. One that you’ve read properly this time.

        • davidc 5.2.1.1

          Are we looking at the same chart?
          Bottom of the housing trough was late 08 early 09 mainly caused by holiday homes and appartments being sold off to cover debt tho thewre was some selldown in over built areas like Auck, real houses that people actually live in (and not just speculate with) have dropped fuck all and wont drop in the future as replacement cost in a lot of places now is way higher than existing stock prices. For existing stock prices to fall further something would need to change. Land and materials are not getting cheaper, infact soon the way timber prices are going NZers wont be building at all.

          • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.1.1

            It seems like I didn’t look at the years on that chart prob, sorry.

            Across New Zealand … The national median house price at $350,000 was equal to the same month of last year, but down by $10,000 from April 2011.

            Against mortgage interest rates and inflation over that period, house prices staying flat is comparable to a 4-6% decline in real spending power dollar terms.

            i.e. property prices are still falling, and falling significantly, in real terms.

            http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=35549

            • davidc 5.2.1.1.1.1

              and as i said in the first post its up 5% from the trough NOT down 50% as muppet Morgan said.

              using the assumption of debt to weight your argument is just bollocks…. add rental income or value to a family of not having to rent … people do need to live somewhere… and THAT is never going to change ….and only add to upward price pressure.

              Have a nice day.

              • Colonial Viper

                and as i said in the first post its up 5% from the trough NOT down 50% as muppet Morgan said.

                Morgan never said that we are 50% down from the trough. Pretty sure you just made that up there.

                Also your lack of understanding of the value of money is showing. If inflation over the year is 5% but your house value stays absolutely flat – you’ve just lost 5% of your asset value in purchasing power dollars.

                That’s a significant drop in house prices in inflation adjusted dollars.

                Thank you. You have a nice day yourself.

          • davidc 5.2.1.1.2

            and as an afterthought…what effect do you see to the market when 50 000 households relocate out of Chch and 20 billion gets spent on rebuilding… what effect will that have on supply/demand and building costs?

            • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.1.2.1

              Not much davidc if the people who are relocating aren’t fully paid out, have no work to go to and cannot afford to buy houses or rent anywhere else.

              And you can see from the latest immigration figures that thousands who are leaving Christchurch are choosing not to stay in NZ.

  6. prism 6

    What a crock Mike Smith. A great post and all you get is hot air from the RW farts who don’t know what to do about anything, haven’t an idea likely to lead to positive outcomes in the future, but do know how to sneer at anybody who tries.

  7. Craig Glen Eden 7

    My best friend told me tonight he is off to Australia better paid job plus 9% employer contribution from employer, leaves in September family to follow in December. He does not want to leave but the opportunity is just to good to pass up given he cant get ahead in NZ.

    This guy is a CEO here but like he says National have no plan and Key is a total clown, its all turning to shit real fast in NZ so he feels he has to go, cant say I blame him.

    • ianupnorth 7.1

      I know six people in the 20 – 30 age range who went to Aussie last month; we have a family from Sri Lanka living in our sleep out (they were made homeless in the ChCh earthquake), they go to Aussie in three weeks. If my daughter was not in year 13 at high school I would be going too.

      • Colonial Viper 7.1.1

        If she is a NZ citizen she can go to university in Australia at their local rates.

        Not stupid these Aussies, they know which side their bread is buttered on.

        • SBS 7.1.1.1

          NZ citizens are not eligible for HEC’s loan to pay for their fees. A paper from UNSW costs about $2,500 (at local rates) so you’ll be paying for that upfront.

      • sean 7.1.2

        People leaving for Aussie are those whose careers aren’t going anywhere – if you’re good enough you can earn craploads in NZ. If you’re not good enough, then its probably worth going to Aussie. There will still be a glass ceiling over there which most of these people fleeing won’t be able to go above however

  8. Richard Olykan 8

    Why would you want to call it a “Dutch Disease?
    When it come to financial management the Netherlands are showing the lead in Europe and the world for that matter.
    It’s more of an Iceland, Ireland, Greece, Spain or Portugal disease, bit definitely not Dutch !

    • Rusty Shackleford 8.1

      Iceland are on the road back. They told the banks to get fucked. It’s what every country should have done.

      • Colonial Viper 8.1.1

        +1

      • KJT 8.1.2

        That I totally agree with.

        http://kjt-kt.blogspot.com/

        “Don’t forget that New Zealand’s credit rating reflects the expectation that the Government would bail out private banking”.

        Private debt would not figure in the credit rating if the NZ Government had made it clear, that if private financial institutions failed, they would have to take the bath themselves.

        So did Argentina. They were punished for a bit. The banks were too greedy to stay away though, Argentinians are now better off than they were..

      • Zaphod Beeblebrox 8.1.3

        Argentina too.

    • Uroskin 8.2

      “Dutch disease” doesn’t refer to current financial prudence in the Netherlands, but a 1960/70s energy resource boom (the “gasbel” – http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aardgasveld_van_Slochteren) crowding out other exports due to upwards pressure on the guilder. The gas exploitation was/is a PPP (50% state, 25% Shell and 25% Esso-Exxon). Interesting to see the difference in approach to Norway which exploits its oil via Statoil (67% state-owned) and is the main crontributor to its sovereign wealth fund. Why can’t we in NZ set up a similar scheme/wealth fund for resource exploitation like the Norwegians instead of giving away our resources at a paltry royalty rate to overseas companies? (1%! – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newmont_Mining_Corporation#New_Zealand)

  9. randal 9

    wrong again. dutch disease is when all the leaves fell off the trees and they all died.
    dig?

  10. ZeeBop 10

    Tulips anyone, get them while their cheap.

    When the bubble crashed in Tulip bulbs, people tried to resurrect the market, and would have pointed to Hayek if he’d been around, that it was the banks (thanks to government intervention letting the banks lend that set off the problem), then they will conclude that everything but the banks needs to suffer austerity and government intervention of the opposite extreme.

    You see its either too easy on the banks, or clamp down austerity, both interventions by free marketeers who hate well interventionist government (except when they are in power).

    Buy my tulips, did up your soils and plant these bulbs you’ll be rich by summer.

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    Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    23 hours ago
  • New Zealand has never been closed for business
    1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    23 hours ago
  • Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Melissa Lee and the media: ending the quest
    Chris Trotter writes –  MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to April 19
    TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The ‘Humpty Dumpty’ end result of dismantling our environmental protections
    Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Nicola's Salad Days.
    I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Study sees climate change baking in 19% lower global income by 2050
    TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    1 day ago
  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  The data is from February this ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 day ago
  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A StepbyStep Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and thirdparty applications. So, lets dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. Thats why they introduced the Recently Deleted folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Heres how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the Recents tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on Edit. Select Show Recently Deleted. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose Recover to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Heres how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose Erase All Content and Settings. Follow the onscreen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose Restore from iCloud Backup during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore ThirdParty Apps (with Caution): ...
    1 day ago
  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    2 days ago
  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    2 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    2 days ago
  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    2 days ago
  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    2 days ago
  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    2 days ago
  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    2 days ago
  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    2 days ago
  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    2 days ago
  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    2 days ago
  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    2 days ago
  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago
  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days ago
  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    2 days ago
  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    2 days ago
  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 days ago
  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 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 ...
    4 days ago
  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days ago
  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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 ...
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    3 days ago
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