I know, how about a Jobs Summit

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, January 12th, 2013 - 150 comments
Categories: jobs, john key, Keynes - Tags:

Today, Fran O’Sullivan calls Key out on his complete failure on jobs: “If I have one New Year’s wish it is that John Key returns from his Hawaiian summer holiday brimming with enough determination to challenge the nation’s employers – and himself – to tackle youth unemployment.” In fact, she is the latest of the rightwing’s pundits to conclude neoliberalism has failed.

There’s talk that Key’s going to make some kind of announcement around employment when he finally gets back from holidaying abroad.

It’ll be wrapped up nicely enough for the pundits to cheer. But it’s hard to imagine what real substance it can have. Because National has played all its economic cards – tax cuts for the rich, reducing work rights, crony capitalist deals – and nothing has produced jobs. In fact, our unemployment rate is rising when it is steady or falling in the rest of the developed world. Short of a complete ideological turn-around that would put National to the left of Labour on economic interventionism, they’ve got nothing to offer.

Take Fran’s suggestion:

Key could start by cancelling the top personal tax break and “reinvesting” the hundreds of millions of dollars that would otherwise have gone into Bill English’s Treasury coffers into a massive state-backed scheme to train young people in the skills needed for today’s workforce.

Then challenge private sector employers to match the taxpayer investment and complete the difficult and tedious work of completing the training of young people “on the job”.

Oh, and throw in a bond to ensure the skills are used here (at least initially).

Call it a prime ministerial slush fund if you will. Or just the “Give them a fair go” campaign.

That would mean a total refutation of the core neoliberal ideal (OK, core justification for enriching the rich at everyone else’s expense) – tax cuts for the rich are meant to grow the economy and government doesn’t create jobs. If you turn around and raise taxes on the rich so that government can create jobs, you’re saying that neoliberalism is a failure. Saying that the government should invest in jobs and wages to lift aggregate demand is pure Keynes. And then the whole neoliberal edifice comes crashing down. Asset sales, attacking work rights, privatisation of core services – they all stem from the ‘government sucks, corporates rule’ mentality that says if you have the government do less and let the rich keep more of ‘their’ money then the economy will do better.

Fran might be wiling to turn her back on neoliberalism – joining Gareth Morgan, Bernard Hickey, and others in doing so – but Key’s not going to.

Key will have to pull out something truly spectacular and unheard of if he’s to announce something that really will create jobs without it being a leftwing idea.

In reality, it’s more likely to be some kind of hand out to businesses that won’t create jobs – just like Bennett’s Job Ops, which paid employers to fire existing staff and hire replacements – or one of the ‘bene-slave‘ schemes that the Tories are running the in UK were supermarkets get free labour from beneficiaries who lose their benefits if they don’t work.

And I wouldn’t put it past him to announce it at ‘Jobs Summit 2’, either.

150 comments on “I know, how about a Jobs Summit ”

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  1. aerobubble 1
    12 January 2013 at 11:12 am

    Long ago when they introduced the pension it was decides that older people who had not put money away would receive it. So out of income tax pensioners received money. Now think about that when suddenly we hear all this discussion about teens and adults having to subsidize pensions for existing boomers. It was an accountancy trick that in good times the tax windfalls from cheap oil growth were capable of either being returned to tax payers or being gifted to pensioners.

    State pensions have always come out of income taxes of current tax payers, its only fair that a basic pension is provisioned for all pensioners. So my question is why should boomer retire suddenly be taxing youth and adult tax payers dry? Why should people who got indebted on top of just getting lucky by coming of age during the cheap energy glut suddenly have calls on value, on pensions that force existing income earners to suffer so disproportionately.

    Well that’s the argument the right is making and its false, since we now live in a world that can feed, house and provide health cover to everyone on the planet, that was not so just after the second world war. So the cost of the aged is being horrendously over estimated, or lavished on the old to excess for their votes. We can all do very nicely thank you on our current economy, its not a disaster, sure the debts need being dealt with, we just need government managers who actively support social cohesion rather than play social groups off each other for power and money.

    We don’t need no frigging communists or any of these revolutionary conservative types either.
    we need government to work for all the people, not just the old, or the rich, or the connected.

    • geoff 1.1
      12 January 2013 at 2:28 pm

      If you finished your education and got into work before the early nineties then there’s a good chance you had the opportunity to: Get a free education and buy a house with a reasonable price/salary ratio.
      If you finished your education and got into work after the early nineties there’s a good chance you’re been short changed by the country with expensive houses and education debt.

      That Rogernomics is nearly 30 years old probably goes some way to explaining why the 45+ yr olds have the lion’s share of the wealth in this country and those younger are paying either ridiculous mortgages or ridiculous rent.

      David Shearer 55 yrs old.
      David Cunliffe 47 yr old.

      Also, means test super.
      and tax rental residential property so that’s it’s not profitable.
      and give us participatory democracy.

      • mac1 1.1.1
        12 January 2013 at 3:10 pm

        Make your point clearly, geoff, as to why you name Shearer and Cunliffe along with their ages.

        Why just those two in particular? How many other current politicians are in the 45 plus age group now? How many traditionally have been in that age group? Fourthly, what percentage of the population is in that age group?

        Can you see why I ask for clarification?

        • mac1 1.1.1.1
          12 January 2013 at 3:34 pm

          Rough answer to question four. A quick rough estimate seems that in 1996 the 45+ population was about 33% and in 1976 it was about 28%. That is probably down to baby boomers coming through.

          • mac1 1.1.1.1.1
            12 January 2013 at 3:44 pm

            Another search discovers that 86% of the MPs of the 50th Parliament are 40+ years old.
            40-49 years old 32% The voting cohort is 20%
            50-59 yrs old 38 % Voting cohort is 16%
            60 yrs plus 16% Voting cohort is 24%

        • geoff 1.1.1.2
          12 January 2013 at 10:02 pm

          It was just something that occurred to me as I rambled on.
          You could interpret it that David Shearer may have a social circle, due to his age, which has been less negatively effected than David Cunliffe and therefore he is less acutely aware of the failings of neoliberalism. Or you could interpret it that both of the Davids are older than 45 and so both have probably been sheltered from the negative outcomes of rogernomics.
          I don’t know, I’m just guessing out loud.

    • TightyRighty 1.2
      12 January 2013 at 6:17 pm

      I’m quite happy paying for my education and accepting thatmy dream home may not happen anytime soon. Quite happy to pay for my own retirement to. Just not happy to have to work so bloody hard to pay for everyone to have their hand out to the government.

      • Colonial Viper 1.2.1
        12 January 2013 at 6:30 pm

        All that proves is that you’re a chump and a glutton for punishment. All the senior people in charge today had it much easier than what you are talking about.

        • TightyRighty 1.2.1.1
          13 January 2013 at 4:41 pm

          No point moaning about it though. If we could get the moaners and spongers out of the way, I and others like me can get on with it. We can’t all marry rich and then be allowed to sit around and pontificate ad nauseum about how the country should be run from the safety of daddy-in-laws trusts. wanker. get a job and contribute something meaningful.

          • Colonial Viper 1.2.1.1.1
            15 January 2013 at 3:36 pm

            Of course there’s no point moaning, the point is to get even so that future generations of NZers get the same benefits as they did.

            Not as you suggest to leave most people disadvantaged.

      • xtasy 1.2.2
        12 January 2013 at 10:03 pm

        Yeah right!

        Stop working for families, stop free healthcare, stop free roads to travel on, stop free education for youngsters, stop the police doing what privatised security services may offer for those that can afford to pay for private security.

        I am sure, many are “with” you.

        • TightyRighty 1.2.2.1
          13 January 2013 at 6:01 pm

          Net receivers from the state should be disenfranchised. The urge to act as a rational human being, i.e. take the free money and not contribute is to strong for the “many”. So you see, i’m really much more civic minded than anyone on this site. being a massive net contributor, for no other reason than I believe it’s my civic duty. I’m just not happy about the level I am expected to contribute so others can rest easy.

          I have private healthcare. I repay my student loan above what I am expected to. I save money. I don’t engage with the police if I can avoid it, my burglar alarm helps to contribute to that. What do you contribute? more than CV? not difficult. Or less? in which case hang your head in shame

          • McFlock 1.2.2.1.1
            13 January 2013 at 6:20 pm

            So let me get this straight: you spend money to get preferential treatment from the private health sector, pay your taxes, and take moderate steps to protect your own property, or in other words do the minimum “civic duty”, and for that we should be grateful?

            What was the last thing you did to make society a happier, healthier or better place, rather than just padding your own nest?

            • TightyRighty 1.2.2.1.1.1
              13 January 2013 at 7:40 pm

              Yes, you should be grateful. I don’t consume state resources that could be better used by those who really need them. I do it constantly, as a matter of form for my life. that’s what i do to make society happier and healthier. Oh, I also contribute in a big way to a couple of causes that I believe deserve special thought. What was the last thing you did?

              • McFlock …
                13 January 2013 at 8:15 pm

                Funnily enough, if better-off people like you put the money you spend on private healthcare and private security into the public coffers, the health system for one would be better funded and society would be better off. And choosing charities to donate to is a private conceit, as private charity favours perceptions of cute&deserving over actual need.

                The jobs I’ve had since my first degree consist of respectable or even modest remuneration (rather than riches) in exchange for supporting and helping people who are in need in different ways. Public safety, health, advocacy, that sort of thing.

                A cheque-book isn’t the only way people help society. It’s probably the least effective way. Indeed, I have family members who volunteer much of their time in hospitals and hospices, but at the moment you’d probably claim they don’t deserve so much as a vote in the general elections.

      • aerobubble 1.2.3
        15 January 2013 at 3:24 pm

        You owe society for providing higher education, for roads, for a military, for science, for technology, health, you did none of that yourself. Yet ow you want to free load off all the
        built up common wealth we collectively, our families, our customs, our society has produce
        by canceling the very aspects that made us civilly minded. The very fact that individuals
        would take risks with money was helped by the presence of a social safety net, that health
        care was available to all, that the rich would not run off with your hard work.

        Now we have locks of free loading landlords who expect a retrun on their inflated houses,
        we have reams of buccaneer bankers who speculate on individuals like they were the
        new work slaves of old, and the whole pesky core have ignored all pretense that they
        owe anything to anyone.

  2. Draco T Bastard 2
    12 January 2013 at 11:14 am

    Those who try to effect change here, like Cabinet minister Steven Joyce, face a backlash, such as from Auckland University’s leaders when he said he wanted more engineers trained.

    The academics bang on about academic freedom (more of that follow-your-dreams diet) but failure to prioritise funding of in-demand skills means our companies miss out on trained people and the cycle repeats itself.

    O’Sullivan seems to be going further than just outright dropping of neo-liberalism – she seems to be looking for full government command of the economy.

    • Rhinoviper 2.1
      12 January 2013 at 1:04 pm

      bang on about academic freedom

      Yeah, ‘cos freedom is just so tedious, eh? Let’s dismiss it as “banging on”. Who needs freedom when I want a return on my shares?

      (more of that follow-your-dreams diet) but failure to prioritise funding of in-demand skills means our companies miss out on trained people and the cycle repeats itself.

      Though she’s either too dim or too dishonest to admit it, she’s highlighted the failure of the “free market” theory right there.

      Those damn consumers! They just refuse to make rational economic choices like our models say they should! They simply will not predict the future and enrol in courses where there will be skills shortages in the future! They are so damned irrational that they put their own fulfilment ahead of making profits for big corporations! The people just aren’t good enough for our economy!

      I don’t see Fran O having a Damascene conversion, I see a Ptolemaic astronomer finding that their earth-centred solar system doesn’t fit observations and adding epicycles to the planetary orbits to keep pretending that they’re moving around the earth. It makes her a hypocrite, not a convert.

      • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1
        12 January 2013 at 1:22 pm

        It’s not the consumers or even the government that are failing to fund in demand skills – it’s the business community failing to provide the training that they need to meet the market. What O’Sullivan is doing here is demanding that the government fund that training so that the business community can continue not doing so and thus keep profits high.

        It’s still the failure of the free market which ever way you look at it but she can’t come out and say that (if she’s even recognised it and I don’t think she has) as it would undermine the ideology that drives capitalism.

  3. Saarbo 3
    12 January 2013 at 11:15 am

    ” Key could start by cancelling the top personal tax break”

    This is a great idea, and the New Zealand public have to get used to this idea because it has to happen. Then it needs to be spent on our 270000 kids living in poverty, training and housing for the poor.

    But read the article carefully, O Sullivan is saying that our unemployment is structural rather than driven by National just tanking our economy. We all know why we have such high unemployment in NZ. 1)National choose to spend on Infrastructure (Roads etc) rather than welfare and education. 2) National have chosen to increase GST and reduce tax on the top tax rate which effectively reduces spending and economic growth. 3) National are shrinking expenditure to achieve their ONLY GOAL of balancing the books by 2014. Etc, etc.

    This is also why historically Labour drives GDP growth on average 1% higher pa than National.

  4. ropata 4
    12 January 2013 at 11:18 am

    The US also has a useful slave labour force thanks to their incarceration industry.
    Our Jokey overlord probably admires that vision for NZ

  5. Jenny 5
    12 January 2013 at 11:21 am

    My suggestion:
    A huge expansion in wind farms and industrial size solar collectors.Tthe design, the fabrication, the construction, the installation, the extension of the National grid, and all other necessary infrasrtucture. Including all the best practice training and workshops and and educational infrastructure all done here. Making a bedrock technical and economic base for the coming challenges posed by peak oil and climate change.

    • Jenny 5.1
      12 January 2013 at 11:23 am

      Tens of thousands of jobs right there.

      • Colonial Viper 5.1.1
        12 January 2013 at 11:52 am

        You’re slowly catching up Jenny. However, what we need to accelerate is the building of high efficiency transport infrastructure and housing primarily, not renewable power infrastructure (as that is happening fine all by itself at the moment).

        • Jenny 5.1.1.1
          12 January 2013 at 1:26 pm

          I might add to that CV:
          This work will need to be done to fill the hole caused by the immediate and necessary vitally strategic decommissioning of the Huntly Power station and the shutting down of the deadly and dirty coal industry. Closing down this grubby trade and our biggest thermal power station, will release the necessary number of technicians and skilled tradespeople required to instruct our young people in doing this vital work for the nation.

          • Colonial Viper 5.1.1.1.1
            12 January 2013 at 1:32 pm

            I’m sorry but you can’t replace on-demand generation with the intermittent generation that solar and wind can provide. (The alternative is to accept occasional brown outs and blackouts)

            We’d be better off taking 250,000 cars and trucks off the roads.

            As for your “dirty” perjoratives, petrol and diesel road vehicles are more deadly than coal.

            • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1.1.1.1
              12 January 2013 at 2:01 pm

              I’m sorry but you can’t replace on-demand generation with the intermittent generation that solar and wind can provide.

              Yes you can either by turning the hydro lakes into on demand power (They’re probably more responsive than the gas and diesel fired plants anyway) or by putting in place energy storage (batteries, thermal storage or pumping water back up into hydro lakes). The best option would be some sort of combination.

              • weka …
                12 January 2013 at 4:20 pm

                Are hydro lakes not already on demand power sources?

                Don’t know what is happening up north, but in the South Island there is increasing resistance to increasing hydro. The crunch is coming where people will have to think about comfy, consumerist lifestyle vs environmental integrity.

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  12 January 2013 at 4:50 pm

                  I believe that they’re treated more as base level generation than as on demand. On demand generation tends to be stuff that can be brought on line quickly when demand passes what base load can provide and then shut down just as quickly when the demand has passed. Such plants are usually either gas fired or diesel.

                  • RedLogix …
                    12 January 2013 at 4:57 pm

                    Absolutely correct DtB.

                    New Zealand is the easiest country on earth to turn completely 100% sustainable, for electricity and transport. The hardest part would be to get the industrial uses (timber and dairy processing for instance) completely 100% renewables … but getting very close is possible.

                    The really sad part is that if we had pulled finger a decade ago when it first became obvious the world needed to do this … we’d be there by now.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      12 January 2013 at 4:59 pm

                      The really sad part is that if we had pulled finger a decade ago when it first became obvious

                      And which party was in charge 10 years ago…ah, yes.

                    • handle …
                      13 January 2013 at 6:51 pm

                      And who resisted market-based pricing to reduce carbon? Even drove a tractor up Parliament’s steps to defend agriculture’s right to pollute? Ah, yes…

            • Jenny 5.1.1.1.1.2
              12 January 2013 at 4:05 pm

              As for your “dirty” perjoratives, petrol and diesel road vehicles are more deadly than coal.

              Colonial Viper

              You must be getting desperate CV.

              This is an easily disproven lie.

              Coal is the Number 1 cause of climate change.

              “coal is the single greatest threat to civilization and all life on our planet.” James Hansen.

              Coal mining is the number 1 cause of mine deaths

              http://worldnews.about.com/od/disasters/tp/Worlds-Worst-Mining-Disasters.htm

              Coal is the number 1 cause of acid rain

              Coal is the number 1 cause of miner’s lung

              And it seems that coal, is also the number 1 cause of lies and obfuscation by climate change apologists like yourself.

              • Jenny …
                12 January 2013 at 4:11 pm

                Two of the links showing CV to be a liar in claiming that petrol and diesel road vehicles are more deadly than coal failed to come through.

                Coal is the number 1 cause of acid rain

                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalworker's_pneumoconiosis

                • Colonial Viper …
                  12 January 2013 at 4:19 pm

                  Two of the links showing CV to be a liar

                  Tell me, is insulting me, the Greens, basically everyone else around you, helping to make your point or detracting from your point? Have a think about that.

              • Colonial Viper …
                12 January 2013 at 4:14 pm

                All a know is that vehicles kill anywhere up to 400 people a year in NZ and destroy the lives of one or two thousand more.

                What about the equivalent numbers for coal in NZ, Jenny?

                Come on, you’re so smart and certain (like most any fundamentalist evangelical), I’d love to hear what you have to say on these statistics.

                • Te Reo Putake …
                  12 January 2013 at 5:46 pm

                  I can think of 29 recent deaths attributable to coal, CV.

                  Jenny: try using the word ‘mistaken’. CV is not lying. Wrong, according to you, but not lying. That kind of language picks a fight where none is needed.

                • Jenny …
                  12 January 2013 at 8:22 pm

                  You really are desperate.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    12 January 2013 at 8:36 pm

                    Still waiting for you to back up your facts on the lethality of coal with numbers, Jenny. BTW 30,000-40,000 people a year die in vehicle accidents in the USA.

                    Would be interested in you supporting your contention that coal kills more people than that in the USA, as well as with regards to NZ.

                    • Jenny …
                      12 January 2013 at 9:51 pm

                      You are getting really desperate now CV.

                      You are really splitting hairs here, and are claiming things I never said.

                      How petty, Is a machine gun more dangerous than a hand gun?

                      Is a Hydrogen Bomb more dangerous than an Atom Bomb?

                      Their danger is not measured in how many have each have actually killed, but for the potential for one to kill many more than the other.

                      Yes I did bring attention to the many other ways this dirty fuel kills.

                      But, I never contended anywhere that coal kills more people in the USA than die in vehicle accidents. This is your deliberate misrepresentation.

                      In response to your claim, “petrol and diesel road vehicles are more deadly than coal.”

                      I said, in response, that coal is more dangerous.

                      I stand by this claim.

                      Coal is the most carbon dense fossil fuel, therefore it is the most deadliest. If it continues to be mined and burned in the current volumes, then runaway climate change is inevitable. Globally it has been estimated that the death toll from runaway climate change ( that is, above 6 degrees C.) will be in the millions. Not since the Black Death has humanity faced such a dieback.

                      Is coal more dangerous than petrol and diesel road vehicles?

                      Undoubtedly.

                      Yes the many sad deaths from vehicle accidents is distressing, and something should be done about it. But unfortunately for us all. The threat posed by coal is even worse.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      12 January 2013 at 10:06 pm

                      I don’t think that I am misquoting you. You clearly asserted that coal is more deadly than petrol and diesel road vehicles in the following exchange:

                      As for your “dirty” perjoratives, petrol and diesel road vehicles are more deadly than coal.

                      Colonial Viper

                      You must be getting desperate CV.

                      This is an easily disproven lie.

                      You’re an evangelist and a fundamentalist, Jenny. Good luck with getting the followers that you so deeply want.

                      PS I note that you haven’t been able to pull out a single statistic stating that coal takes more lives in the USA or in NZ than petrol and diesel vehicles. You’ve managed plenty of bullshit hyperbole and fluff though.

                    • Jenny …
                      13 January 2013 at 12:05 pm

                      PS I note that you haven’t been able to pull out a single statistic stating that coal takes more lives in the USA or in NZ than petrol and diesel vehicles. You’ve managed plenty of bullshit hyperbole and fluff though.

                      Colonial Viper

                      CV repeating this ridiculous assertion only makes you look even more desperate.

                      I have never anywhere made the statement, I claim I have “that coal takes more lives in the USA or in NZ than petrol and diesel vehicles.”

                      What I said is that coal is more deadly. Which I stand by.

                      Give it up before you look a complete fool.

                    • Jenny …
                      13 January 2013 at 12:14 pm

                      You’ve managed plenty of bullshit hyperbole and fluff though.

                      Colonial Viper

                      You will be pleased to know I have even managed a poem.

                      I call it Coal Kills

                      Coal kills workers,

                      Coal kills planets,

                      Coal kills,

                      Ban it

                      Jenny

      • Tiresias 5.1.2
        12 January 2013 at 6:00 pm

        Oh but how the claws will be unsheathed and the tongues drip vitriol in these comments if I revealed that I invested tens of thousands of dollars in Christchurch’s Windflow Ltd. – http://www.windflow.co.nz/ – and NZ Windfarms Ltd – http://www.nzwindfarms.co.nz – in the hope of making a decent return on my investment, while incidentally promoting Green energy and achieving exactly the result re employement Jenny wants.

        Still, never mind. You”ll no doubt feel better when I admit that due to a complete lack of Government support in this county and the NIMBY response to actually building windfarms anywhere, plus the UK Govt’s torpedoing subsidies to green energy projects, I’ve lost most of my nasty rentier money, Windflow has had to lay off most of its NZ workers – many of them technical specialists – and is hoping to avoid bankruptcy and even get back a little money for me by selling its world-leading New Zealand innvoation and technology to foreign interests for a handful of beans.

        In the future I’ll stick to nice safe investments – like Mighty River Power and Cocoa-Cola.

        • Jenny 5.1.2.1
          12 January 2013 at 10:11 pm

          Hi Tiresias. Maybe good old state intervention in the style of the old Ministry of Works (MOW) will get over the failings of private sector investment companies, which are forced by the market to deliver a financial return rather than a social good. The two outcomes as you have found at personal cost are actually incompatible.

    • bad12 5.2
      12 January 2013 at 11:46 am

      It a good idea,BUT, against a backdrop of the Slippery lead National Government hell bent on flogging off the electricity supply industry???,

      My view on Solar Power is hell yes, retro fit every House in New Zealand with an array of panels on their roofs, by pass the need for expensive battery systems by running the generation into the National Grid via a meter system that measures the households generation from solar and subtracts that from their overall electricity use,

      Build the whole set-up here in New Zealand and that would be smart use of money,resources and labour…

      • Colonial Viper 5.2.1
        12 January 2013 at 11:49 am

        Solar PV is hopeless as a durable, resilient technology. I’d avoid it and focus on solar thermal which can be used primarily for water heating in NZ, offloading the grid that way.

        • weka 5.2.1.1
          12 January 2013 at 11:53 am

          Plus mandate passive solar design and other low cost technologies in all new houses, which will also take load off the grid.

        • geoff 5.2.1.2
          12 January 2013 at 3:14 pm

          Solar PV is hopeless as a durable, resilient technology

          I don’t think that’s entirely fair. Care to elaborate?

          • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.2.1
            12 January 2013 at 4:21 pm

            I’m referring mostly to the degradation of PV cell performance and lead-acid battery performance over time.

            Having said that, hydro and wind generation also require ongoing maintenance over time.

          • Jenny 5.2.1.2.2
            12 January 2013 at 4:44 pm

            Don’t take him seriously geoff No matter what alternative you put up. CV can be relied on, to put forward any old excuse to hand, to oppose measures combatting climate change. This is rather than face up to any serious measure that could move us from reliance on fossil fuels. This is fully in line with current Labour Party policy.

            • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.2.2.1
              12 January 2013 at 4:48 pm

              *Shrug*

              Good luck with convincing the Green Party to take up your measures.

              • Jenny …
                12 January 2013 at 10:16 pm

                Thank you.
                However it seems that Labour are having greater luck in turning the Green Party into another version of themselves, just another Social Democratic party, (though maybe just a bit further left).

                Personally I was hoping it would be the other way round.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  12 January 2013 at 10:23 pm

                  I don’t think Labour has that kind of impact on the Green Party membership. Many of the ones I have met made a conscious decision to get well away from Labour.

        • History of Violence 5.2.1.3
          12 January 2013 at 8:20 pm

          CV stick to stuff you know about, another lie, sorry mistake
          “Solar PV is hopeless as a resilient technology”
          Big Fail do you actually know what you are talking about? no I didn’t think so, Solar PV is one of the most resilient products around with 25yr warranties.

          What’s this about battery performance, grid connect systems don’t use them

          “Focus on Solar Thermal”
          Have you been in a coma? Solar Thermal is dead, expensive, to short a life, what happens when the water tank is hot, it stops

          I appreciate your political comments but please confine your comments to subjects you know about, otherwise to the informed you could look like a twat.

          • geoff 5.2.1.3.1
            12 January 2013 at 10:14 pm

            While I agree with some of what you’re saying about PV, I don’t agree with what you’re saying about solar thermal water heating. Solar thermal if far more efficient for converting sunlight into useful energy (solar thermal ~70-80% vs ~20% for PV) and also presently costs much less than a standard 2kW PV installation (~ $7000 vs ~$15,000-$20,000). The return on investment for solar thermal is much better a.t.m than PV.

            • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.3.1.1
              12 January 2013 at 10:27 pm

              Yep. It’s far more efficient to keep turn heat from sunlight into heat in water, rather than transforming it into electricity.

          • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.3.2
            12 January 2013 at 10:25 pm

            Hey HoV

            Whateva lol 😀

            PS who you gonna claim the warranty from in 25 years? The fairy god mother?

          • weka 5.2.1.3.3
            12 January 2013 at 10:29 pm

            “What’s this about battery performance, grid connect systems don’t use them”

            What happens when the grid fails if there is no local storage? I’m guessing you and CV are using different definitions of the term ‘resilient’. Personally, in the face of CC, PO and the GFC, I want to see localised energy production systems, rather than national grid tied ones. We are very vulnerable – what’s going to happen when the Alpine Fault and related faults shift and take out the South Island’s power generation and transmission?

            • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.3.3.1
              12 January 2013 at 10:32 pm

              South Island will be fine for power IMO as there is spare generation capacity down there to burn, it’s the Cook Strait cable to the NI which is the really weak link.

              • weka …
                12 January 2013 at 10:50 pm

                The geo bods think that the SI power generation and reticulation will fail in the Big One. Some of the dams will go, and much of the transmission infrastructure. I haven’t seen a really detailed examination, but both the ORC and Ecan are expecting damage within their rohe (so that’s the Clutha and Waitaki generation). How quickly it takes to recover from that depends on how far into CC/PO/GFC we are. Bear in mind that most of the damage in the hinterland will be in the form of multiple and massive slips, lost bridges, and liquefaction, all things likely to hinder recovery. Chch as an example doesn’t bode well.

      • Fortran 5.2.2
        12 January 2013 at 1:12 pm

        Could somebody advise the cost of putting solar in existing houses ?

        • Draco T Bastard 5.2.2.1
          12 January 2013 at 1:57 pm

          About $10k per 1kw at present retail prices. Lasts about 20 years and perhaps longer.

        • History of Violence 5.2.2.2
          12 January 2013 at 8:24 pm

          About $9k installed for a 2kw system , about $900 a year of generation
          Did over 100 last year so I know
          price of solar PV modules dropped by 50% last year

      • vivaciousviper 5.2.3
        12 January 2013 at 3:31 pm

        +1 bad, if i could i would have solar power, Solar power is growing and there are
        some houses being built with solar panels as their main form of electricity.
        I was told by a friend that some firms import lots of containers of solar panels at the cost of
        of $10 a panel from china, if this is so, then the cost of going solar should also be lower,but i guess, add the cost of the import then the profit margin,the cost of installing them puts solar panels out of the reach of many people,shame really.

        • weka 5.2.3.1
          12 January 2013 at 3:49 pm

          Last year someone on Trade Me undercut solar panel prices substantially, which suggests that most panels are being sold at excessive profit. This is why the government should have intervened and supported the solar industry in NZ a decade ago (The Greens had such a policy, that would create industry and jobs as well as reduce prices). We’ve missed that boat now.

    • weka 5.3
      12 January 2013 at 11:54 am

      Jenny, it takes a lot of carbon-emitting industry to build wind farms and large scale solar. Please show an audit re your idea and its impact on NZ’s CC mitigation.

      • Colonial Viper 5.3.1
        12 January 2013 at 12:01 pm

        As you identified Weka, we are going to have to use a massive amount of energy, fossil fuels and other real resources over the next twenty years getting ready for the future 200 years.

        Jenny also hasn’t cottoned on that creating tens of thousands of good paying jobs constructing this infrasturcure will tend to boost per capita lifestyle and energy consumption as people have money to spend on things they want.

        That’s another paradox that no one has answered.

        • Draco T Bastard 5.3.1.1
          12 January 2013 at 1:33 pm

          Yep, having a high standard of living absolutely requires a minimal population level but that goes against the requirement of ever increasing profit that our present socio-economic system needs.

          • Colonial Viper 5.3.1.1.1
            12 January 2013 at 1:36 pm

            It’s like some kind of deviously created labyrinth.

            • AmaKiwi 5.3.1.1.1.1
              12 January 2013 at 3:07 pm

              We can re-define “high standard of living” using luxury taxes.

              I have a high standard of living because I walk beautiful beaches three or four times a week. I do NOT own a jet ski, quad bike, power boat, etc.

        • red rattler 5.3.1.2
          12 January 2013 at 2:14 pm

          CV couple of problems with your scenario.

          “…we are going to have to use a massive amount of energy, fossil fuels and other real resources over the next twenty years getting ready for the future 200 years.”

          Using the next 20 years in this way will guarantee we will have no future 200 years.

          To have a 200 year future we need a state run policy of Public Works that creates full employment around social provision, health, education and housing, including infrastructure. The energy sources will need to be those which don’t put carbon into the atmosphere. Fossil fuels are out. We need to renationalise under workers control the power companies, and the national grid and plan renewable energy use for the next 200 years.

          To pay for it we need to expropriate the big corporates, and encourage cooperative production by taxing unearned profits and rents. We need a state bank that can print money, not to bail out private banks, but to invest in sustainable economic growth.

          If we can achieve the political will and the means to do this we will have created the conditions to solve your second ‘paradox’:

          “…creating tens of thousands of good paying jobs constructing this infrastructure will tend to boost per capita lifestyle and energy consumption as people have money to spend on things they want.”

          A state policy capable of the above would be a ‘socialist’ policy, and to implement it would require a process of democratic planning able to assess and prioritise people’s needs not their capitalist generated wants. Out of that would flow the decisions as to whether this would create higher personal consumption, or, more likely, less waste resulting from market anarchy, and more savings going into a social development fund to increase productivity and reduce work hours.

          One could do worse than to look at Greece where the failure of Social Democracy has led to the formation of Syriza which now incorporates most of the left democratic socialist currents and nearly won the last election. In itself it is not have the answers for a transition from capitalism to socialism, but it sure as hell is raising the question and generating a mass debate that can come up with answers.

          • Populuxe1 5.3.1.2.1
            12 January 2013 at 2:36 pm

            “Using the next 20 years in this way will guarantee we will have no future 200 years.”

            Utter twaddle – the human race is not suddenly going to vanish in the next 200 years short of something very short, sharp and significant like an asteroid strike. There is little evidence that anything we do now will curb climate change (c’est la vie) so we might as well go hard out on the engineering to busy some security for ourselves and descendants.

            “We need a state bank that can print money, not to bail out private banks, but to invest in sustainable economic growth.”

            What, like Zimbabwe?

            “One could do worse than to look at Greece where the failure of Social Democracy has led to the formation of Syriza which now incorporates most of the left democratic socialist currents and nearly won the last election. In itself it is not have the answers for a transition from capitalism to socialism, but it sure as hell is raising the question and generating a mass debate that can come up with answers.”

            Greece is a cess pit of corruption and tax avoidance (you do NOT want to end up in a provincial Greek public hospital) – I’d also point out that those conditions also saw the sudden rise of Golden Dawn as well. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen here.

            • Colonial Viper 5.3.1.2.1.1
              12 January 2013 at 3:05 pm

              What, like Zimbabwe?

              I’m not sure why this Zimbabwe meme keeps popping up every time that “printing money” is mentioned.

              If NZ were to print money, it should be invested in essential high productivity social and community infrastructure.

              No hyperinflation will result from doing that.

              And let’s all be clear – the major reserve banks of the world (BoJ, the Fed, BoE, ECB) have printed and distributed approximately US$5T since 2007. No hyper-inflation, no more Zimbabwe’s.

              Utter twaddle – the human race is not suddenly going to vanish in the next 200 years

              Of course I think you are right, however I think we will be looking at a population of between 1B and 2B max, if there is very limited access to fossil fuels, and if climate disruptions continue to magnify.

            • bad12 5.3.1.2.1.2
              13 January 2013 at 5:14 pm

              Are you really stupid or what,was it not you i told in another post the other day to check out the rate of inflation in the US after yet another quisle about hyper-inflation caused from printing money,

              It doesn’t in itself cause inflation, hence there is no difference whatsoever in printing what the current Government are borrowing, ( which incidently the interim IMF report to the incoming Slippery Government advocated shortly after the 2008 election),

              As CV says, printed money could be used in any number of social intiatives without creating undue inflation,

              There is only one codicil to this where the spending of such printed money into the economy to build the infrastructure of society should give full regard to the Reserve Bank’s inflation targets band,

              The hyper-inflation that resulted from Zimbabwe printing ever bigger monetary amounts had at its root cause sanctions against Zimbabwe by the Western World who took umbrage at Mugabe seizing the famrs occupied by the white folk and handing them back to their previous owners,

              The sanctions meant that fuel,wheat and much of the other daily essentials of life in Zimbabwe had to be smuggled into the country as black-market products,

              Those operating the smuggling regime then charged a premium for such products and the Mugabe Government then began to expand the money supply to keep pace with the cost of these products which fueled a vicious cycle of price rises and money printing…

          • Colonial Viper 5.3.1.2.2
            12 January 2013 at 3:10 pm

            The energy sources will need to be those which don’t put carbon into the atmosphere. Fossil fuels are out.

            Red Rattler, that’s fine, but it’s also the end of virtually all construction and maintenance technologies as they exist now, and risks regressing back to a pre-1900’s level of tech.

            • red rattler 5.3.1.2.2.1
              13 January 2013 at 4:42 pm

              CV I don’t agree that a shift from carbon burning to other energy sources will put us back to pre-1900 technology. Its coal and oil fired industry that we want to leave behind.

              Solar power and electric technology are 20th century (soviets + electricity = socialism) and they can develop more rapidly if they don’t wait for the profit motive. Lets swap our milk for Bolivia’s lithium. And our milk powder for China’s rare earths.

              They can replace oil which is peaked and coal which is absolutely ruled out.
              Why, because 2 degrees becomes 6 degrees and we have no oxygen to breathe.
              Domestic consumption could be switched to solar, wind, and more HEP.
              All public transport could be switched to Solar and HEP.

              Rio Tinto could be converted to produce aluminium for solar panels and vehicles. What began as NZ Steel could upgrade to the latest electric smelters based on local iron sand.
              Local steel, local cement and local rail on new lines could fulfil most infrastructural needs.

              NZR workshops could produce aluminium rolling stock and containers.
              NZ transport could build aluminium electric buses. Converting cars and short range trucks to electricity is possible. Meanwhile bio-diesel from waste can fill the stopgap. Those who dont yet have diesels can carpool in Remuera tractors.
              We can convert surplus oil tankers for coastal shipping.

              Construction of roads, rails, building etc would use all this latest 21st century tech in combination.

              State education in science and technology would keep us advancing in cheapening energy just as labour productivity is reducing the expenditure of labour power.

              So we wouldn’t be going back to 19th century social conditions either.
              We would have full employment with reduced working hours.

              All of this is possible if we have the will and the means which I addressed above.
              The “we” are the working class that says “enough” we want to survive.
              None of this is compatible with capitalism in its destructive phase.
              It would take a socialist government backed by the majority working class to conceive, plan and implement this survival strategy.

              By the way this is called ‘powering up’ not ‘powering down’.

              Waiting to here why this is not possible.

              • Colonial Viper …
                13 January 2013 at 4:57 pm

                I think that those are all ideas worthy of serious consideration. But activities like refitting Glenbrook, mining lithium in Bolivia, laying down rail and refining/shipping rare earth metals from China will all require the use of plenty of fossil fueled machinery and fossil fueled processes.

                So while we will be moving to a low carbon future, the transition itself is going to be very fossil fuel energy intensive. It will require the upfront expenditure of significant fossil fuels now, to allow us to toss fossil fuels out in future.

                Which is what I meant with my original comment

                “…we are going to have to use a massive amount of energy, fossil fuels and other real resources over the next twenty years getting ready for the future 200 years.”

                • bad12 …
                  13 January 2013 at 5:26 pm

                  ALL of the above is correct, BUT, New Zealand has little control over the actual amount of CO2 being produced to the atmosphere so unless such solutions are adopted on a World-wide basis then no matter what we do little difference will be made to the final out-come if the worst case scenario transpires to be correct…

                  • red rattler …
                    14 January 2013 at 12:16 pm

                    Two points. Science and socialism.

                    CV and Bad12

                    The general point that we cannot eliminate carbon emission overnight is a truism. Just as saying that one tiny country produces an infinitesimal carbon footprint is a truism. But the point is how to minimise that footprint in the transition.

                    Its as yet unknown what carbon emissions are necessary to implement rapid green energy. Whatever they are and what impact they will have depend on unknown variables the most important of which is the political economy, or global governance.

                    Who rules the global economy will decide on the carbon costs of a transition to green energy.

                    For example McPherson speaks of economic collapse meaning the end of industrial production. While he talks of stopping Arctic drilling as the one positive feedback that we could control, he does not envisage the link between this and a wider social revolution globally that can make a difference on how long we have got.

                    Mining Lithium in Bolivia is open to technical improvements in method of production (all 21st century) while the Morales populist govt retains control. Even though it, together with NZ in a progressive trade swap, obviously can’t defeat CC alone, that’s two countries making a stand. China is another great unknown potential.

                    China is actually leading in green technology, and with the CCP ruling, they won’t close it down when the prices of oil or tar sands go up and down. Of course to catch up and pass its rivals China is now the biggest emitter. That’s why who rules China is decisive. The biggest factor that we should be pushing hard is the capacity of the Chinese working class to overthrow the CCP and implement a democratic socialist plan for survival.

                    The problem with even the most radical CC position (eg McGregor) is that the political economy is still based on the market and bourgeois individualism. Individuals make personal decisions to burn less carbon or go live in a carbon free lifestyle. They are Climate scientists and by default bourgeois subjects.

                    When science tells us what is necessary to survive, then it becomes clear that this requires collective action to remove the barriers to survival. The biggest barrier is the capitalist system, its state apparatus and its corporate media that treats CC as a technical problem.

                    Any political party that still thinks that bourgeois parliament is a means of escaping or limiting CC is part of the problem. It is invested in a political institution that is the sum of its individual citizens. It’s designed to facilitate and defend the market, not eliminate it as a killer of humanity.

                    CC is thus a social problem and the solution is scientific socialism.
                    “We don’t know what is possible unless we do what is necessary”

      • Jenny 5.3.2
        12 January 2013 at 1:37 pm

        weka you scamp you. Posing as a Green while all the time a shill for the fossil fuel industry.

        • Colonial Viper 5.3.2.1
          12 January 2013 at 3:08 pm

          Keep insulting potential voters Jenny, you’ll definitely win a majority for your cause this way.

      • Jenny 5.3.3
        12 January 2013 at 3:09 pm

        Jenny, it takes a lot of carbon-emitting industry to build wind farms and large scale solar. Please show an audit re your idea and its impact on NZ’s CC mitigation.

        weka

        As you identified Weka, we are going to have to use a massive amount of energy, fossil fuels and other real resources over the next twenty years getting ready for the future 200 years.

        Jenny also hasn’t cottoned on that creating tens of thousands of good paying jobs constructing this infrasturcure will tend to boost per capita lifestyle and energy consumption as people have money to spend on things they want.

        Colonial Viper

        More dismal excuses for BAU, dressed up as negatively alarmist supposition, by this site’s habitual climate change apologist tag team, now openly pissing in each other’s pockets.

        I admit to not being able to show an audit on how much fossil fuels will be consumed building wind farms and industrial scale solar collectors. But I don’t think it will be as much as climate change apologists the weka and CV duo alarmingly exclaim it will. Most of the machining will be electrical, no doubt trucks and cranes powered by diesel will be needed. The smelting of the necessary metals and alloys will require fossil fuels, but not necessarily.[1]

        The important thing is to start. Solutions will present themselves. I have found in my working and political life that solutions start to appear as soon as you start taking action. Solutions and ideas you never perceived before will be thrown up in the process of actually making a start.

        The undeniable thing is, once this infrastructure is in place, then fossil fuel use will plummet and continue to plummet till it is able to be phased out completely.

        Of course people with closed minds continually apologising for the fossil fuel industry, like weka and CV will go to their graves claiming, “it can’t be done”. “It’s impossible”. In fact it is quite possible, all that is missing is the political will. By various degrees weka and CV are the modern climate change equivalent quislings and chamberlains doing their best to make sure that political will is not admitted to.

        [1]
        Electric Arc and Electric Inductive metal smelting

        Solar Smelting Steel Mass Production

        The production of Green Steel

        Carbonscape produces charcoal as a finished product with multiple uses. Loose or briquette charcoal is a popular and leisurely means of cooking food on the barbeque especially during the summer season. This market is worth in excess of US$100m in Europe and the USA. Charcoal is also increasingly used to replace coal in the production of pig iron and ‘green’ steel as a means of reducing carbon emissions. Charcoal is also used to smelt metals such as copper and iron.

        Carbonscape TM

        Those who claim this can’t be done, are either:

        1/ unimaginative backroom drudges,

        2/ willfully stupid,

        3/ lily livered cowards and defeatists

        4/ (or just simply) lying corrupt shills in the pay of the fossil fuel industry.

        I might add that if the above such technologies were taken up alongside the creation of wind farms and solar collectors it will create thousands more jobs. Enough to employ all those expat Kiwis fleeing the rapidly decaying Australian climate.

        • Colonial Viper 5.3.3.1
          12 January 2013 at 3:12 pm

          Hey Jenny, you should find a new evangelical religion to get boring about.

          You clearly don’t understand the complexity of trying to keep an advanced civilisation running during a steepening energy downslope.

          Clue: it’s not possible.

        • fatty 5.3.3.2
          12 January 2013 at 4:10 pm

          Jenny, do you seriously think we can make a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use within a capitalist framework?
          …people who think green capitalism can solve our problems are either;

          1/ unimaginative backroom drudges,

          2/ willfully stupid,

          3/ lily livered cowards and defeatists

          4/ (or just simply) lying corrupt shills in the pay of the fossil fuel industry.

        • weka 5.3.3.3
          12 January 2013 at 4:12 pm

          Jenny, it’s pretty simple. You’re a green techno-fantasist, I’m placing my bets on the powerdown.

          Green techno-fantasists believe that we can replace nasty, dirty carbon with nice, clean Green Technologies, and then carry on BAU. But in reality, if you look at the logistics, it doesn’t stack up. I asked you to produce something real about your proposal. I want you to demonstrate how producing large scale wind and solar for NZ can be done at the same time as reducing our carbon emissions. CV pointed this out earlier, that you are often incapable of responding to the actual points raised, or challenges to your argument. Hence instead of looking at the actual question you make a wildly and bizarrely inaccurate accusation that I am an fossil fuel industry shill (do you actually read anything I write?).

          You then readily admit that you can’t produce any real world back up to your ideas, and that you don’t know, but you believe that it’s possible. That’s the fantasy bit.

          You seem to think that there are two options here: either conversion to green tech as a way of mitigating CC, or being an fossil fuel shill/CC denialist. But there are more options. In our future we have broadly four possible scenarios: techno-explosion, techno-stability, energy descent, and collapse (ref David Holmgren). You believe in techno stability. I don’t, I think the options are energy descent (if we’re lucky) or collapse. Energy descent is by far the ‘greenest’ option, irrespective of CC or Peak Oil. You can challenge my green creds any time you like, and every time you will come off looking like a fool, because you don’t know what you are talking about with regards to either theory or the real world. Do you get it yet? I don’t think the alternative to Green Tech is fossil fuels, I think the alternative is powerdown. Do you even know what that is? I’m willing to bet that in my life and my politics I am far ahead of you in addressing CC in real terms. The irony here is that you accuse me of being a BAU advocate, when I’m patently not, yet if you scratch the surface of your ideals, we see that BAU is exactly what you are after, only a greened-up version.

          From what I can tell, you are so scared of the idea that you might have to use a composting toilet, or bike to work, or not have modern conveniences to hand, that you are willing to let the world burn. So despite all your outpourings of concern about CC, when it comes down to it, it’s about fear of your own future. You’re full of shit, and a hypocrite and coward to boot. You want to prevent CC, but only if you get to keep the comfy lifestyle you have now. You post lots of good links, and occasional useful analysis, but most of the time your push re CC is massively wide of the mark and then when you are challenged on that you resort to personal attacks because there is no substance behind your ideals. That’s because you seem incapable of taking the next step beyond the rhetoric and looking at how your ideas might work in reality. You seem to understand that we are in dire straights, but you also seem completely disconnected about what that means in the physical world.

          In case you are genuinely interested in where I and others you accuse are coming from, I suggest reading serious Peak Oil analysis if you want to understand the physics and logistics of converting fossil fuel industrial society to post-carbon life. You should familiarise yourself with concepts such as EROEI, the difference in power ratios from fossil fuels vs electricity, and why the embodied energy from millions of years of solar power in the form of coal and oil cannot be replaced easily by the pittance of energy we get from solar direct from the sun. You also need to look at how industry produces wind farms and solar panels, and the issues involved in storage vs moving electricity across long distances. There are no easy solutions here, but if you want something that is more hopeful read David Holmgren’s work on how Peak Oil and CC might converge – that at least will give you the theoretical framework to engage in the debate in a meaningful way.

          Sorry to all for being so off topic.

          • Colonial Viper 5.3.3.3.1
            12 January 2013 at 4:27 pm

            😯

            You’re way more patient than I am, weka 🙂

            John Michael Greer’s “The Ecotechnic Future” also has some excellent insights into how transition through power-down and de-industrialisation can occur in very beneficial ways.

            http://redroom.com/member/john-michael-greer/books/the-ecotechnic-future

            • weka 5.3.3.3.1.1
              12 January 2013 at 10:52 pm

              “You’re way more patient than I am, weka”

              Funny, I thought I had just run out of patience 😉

              Thanks for the link, will check the book out. I just ran it through the National Libraries nationwide catalogue, and it’s available from multiple locations – book or audio (or ebook in Auckland). So there you go Jenny, relatively easy access to understanding.

              • Jenny …
                13 January 2013 at 5:40 am

                I look forward to reading it myself. In the meantime I pray the Green Party will grow a spine.

          • Jenny 5.3.3.3.2
            12 January 2013 at 8:26 pm

            A link would be nice too.

            • Colonial Viper 5.3.3.3.2.1
              12 January 2013 at 8:38 pm

              A link to your own fear and lack of understanding on how CC and energy depletion intersect?

        • bad12 5.3.3.4
          13 January 2013 at 5:50 pm

          Oh WoW, could i have 3/ please, a lily livered coward and defeatist is my aspirational goal,

          It’s all fine and dandy to design the carbon free future, the trouble occurs when you calculate how much carbon our little country produces when measured against the likes of the US, China, and, India,

          This little birdy tells me that none of those countries have shown any inclination to seriously reduce their emissions of carbon to the atmosphere so how do YOU propose that we convince those countries to adopt your carbon free plan…

    • geoff 5.4
      12 January 2013 at 3:08 pm

      The wind farm industry is waiting to see if Rio Tinto pulls out of NZ. If so then we will have a nice oversupply of electricity in the market and it won’t be worth adding new supply.

      I’m all for green energy generation but I’m even more for delivering electricity to us citizens AT COST.
      And what I’m even really more for is providing an unconditional citizens ration (using some other less communist sounding name 😉 Along the lines of the ‘unconditional basic income’ that Gareth Morgan advocates for in his book ‘the big kahuna’. But instead of an allotment of money you’d get a bunch of rebates for things. If you use the rebated services, be healthcare, electricity, transport etc, you get the rebate and dont have to pay. If you dont use the services then that’s fine. And if you use more than the worth of the rebate for the service then you pay market rates for the excess.

      And let’s have direct democracy for local government so we dont have to put up with these revolting councils filled with: money grubbing ‘local businessmen/property developers’ and busybody Tracey-Flick-like fuckwits and reptilian narcissistic mayors like Bob Parker and Michael Laws.

  6. Descendant Of Sssmith 6
    12 January 2013 at 11:21 am

    A jobs summit could be useful if his time it was full of women with the ocassional token male.

    Would be interesting if they could come up with something better than a cycleway?

  7. lorax 7
    12 January 2013 at 12:23 pm

    Interesting comment from Fran in the same article…
    “…farmers would rather import low-paid but highly skilled workers from the Philippines who will work long hours, rather than set up an optimum working environment for young Kiwis.”
    Dairy farmers need to be called to task over this issue…I experience this on a regular basis as a rural dweller. The reason that many young kiwis don’t go farming is because they have to work 12 hour days with only 1 weekend off a month for low pay and no hope of ever achieving farm ownership…

    • Colonial Viper 7.1
      12 January 2013 at 12:37 pm

      And not just dairy, lots of property developers/construction outfits too…

    • NoseViper (The Nose knows) 7.2
      12 January 2013 at 1:00 pm

      lorax
      I think that bad farm working conditions was one of the problems that the British Tolpuddle Martyrs were trying to improve when they gathered farm workers together to form a supportive society. For that they got sent to Australia as convicts by the vicious power strata in south England of that time.

      Only massive protests and donations to a trust brought them back to their home country where they wanted to be (and some of them were so ostracised that in the end they shifted to Canada and farmed there). And by the way the Australian authorities tried to get them to stay as they were such sterling people.

      Under this neo lib that doesn’t regard all people as worthy and valuable and just ‘human resources’ to help make profit and advantage for others we are getting perilously close to the Tolpuddle guys, conditions. Colonists to NZ wanted better conditions for people than those they found in Britain, and other archaic societies.

      Are NZ farmworkers going to let similar harsh conditions be imposed? Are we able to stand up for ourselves, object. force our supposed representatives to get out of their BMWs and work hard for their constituents with average conditions, not just waffle and look out for the influential. Could we get a mass prtest going for working people or are we giving up, waiting for somebody to smile and tell us what to do? Are our free moments spent in filling our consciousness with video games, drugs, horror films etc rather than concentrating on being aware of events and having a guiding hand to build and maintain a better real life for ourselves?

      • Colonial Viper 7.2.1
        12 January 2013 at 1:27 pm

        Plenty of decent farmers and farm managers around. It’s just the 5%-10% at the bad end which need dealing to.

        • NoseViper (The Nose knows) 7.2.1.1
          12 January 2013 at 1:39 pm

          Is there a union for farm workers that they can talk to and get support in handling situations of abuse? And also for contractors who need some sort of collective society that can give them advice and enable them to be informed about their problems not just operating as a single entity?

          • Colonial Viper 7.2.1.1.1
            12 January 2013 at 4:09 pm

            No there isn’t a union for farm workers unfortunately. Dairy factory workers have the DWU. But there isn’t an equivalent Diary Shed Workers Union yet.

            • millsy 7.2.1.1.1.1
              12 January 2013 at 8:51 pm

              You have to remember the farming/rural culture. Youll find a lot of farm workers dont see the need for them to join a union because they think they can deal with the boss without the need for someone to ‘hold their hand’, and in the case of a couple of farm workers I know, have no qualms about telling the boss where to put their job if he ends up being a wanker.

              That’s probably one of the reasons why some farmers have to import their workers from overseas, because no kiwi would work for them.

        • Saarbo 7.2.1.2
          12 January 2013 at 5:01 pm

          CV, that’s a bit optimistic. I think the bad lot may be a bit larger than that, Farm Workers have become accustomed to atrocious conditions. They need a Union desperately. Farmers as a group can be a pretty insular and mean bunch. The more modern and younger group coming through with Degree’s are probably ok, but I understand that the average Dairy Farm owner is aged about 59 years old.

          The reason that SI farms are struggling to get workers is that they have turned farming into huge factories and you can end up doing one job, like cupping cows through your whole shift. Now that could be ok if the pay justified doing such boring and meaningless work but of course the farm owners would rather import cheap foreign labour to do it.

          A Dairy Farm Workers Union should be set up and decent conditions need to be developed.

  8. NoseViper (The Nose knows) 8
    12 January 2013 at 12:34 pm

    Something came up this morning on a repeat interview broadcast on radionz between Kim Hill and a New Zealander who is a Vietnamese battler, business entrepreneur and terrific person called Mitchell. After some background of his harrowing experiences he talked about the NZ company he is involved with, with Vietnamese and NZ synergy.

    He also made a point that resonated with me. He said that business teaching and approaches here concentrate on the short term, setting up a business and getting it to proved profitability and then selling it. But Vietnamese and other Asian businesspeople work to build long-term companies – probably with continuing family involvement. Jobs Summit should look at how we can help the small business environment to keep it healthy and vital and growing so as to retain all the well-run ones. There are business supports already, how can this be spread further.

    I have noticed how in NZ we are always building something up and then it gets hocked off, which could very well be to overseas interests which means that there is a short term gain and longterm drain on our national accounts.

    This approach should be discussed at the Jobs Summit – building lasting businesses and the employment and innovation that will go with them. It may mean that we have to kick some of our business school lecturers off their comfortable perches to see a different perspective in the business mirror. We need to regard business as a taonga and try to hold onto them at the same time meeting new challenges. We should not bring in measures that make it impossible for them to continue so they close, all under the ideological, puritan idea that cleansing the stables will bring in better newer business. Magical thinking. Cargo cult thinking.

    Example now- is considering shutting down Picton’s big business draw to provide a ferry base closer to Wellington in a non scenic and totally bare except for grass, with business and infrastructure requiring to be built, which is presently now available through investment in Picton which will be undercut by Clifton Bay proposals.

    • Colonial Viper 8.1
      12 January 2013 at 12:38 pm

      The long term family style business is one reason for German manufacturing success. You build the business for the next generation to take over, you don’t hollow it out and suck money out of it thinking about just today.

    • Draco T Bastard 8.2
      12 January 2013 at 1:52 pm

      He also made a point that resonated with me. He said that business teaching and approaches here concentrate on the short term, setting up a business and getting it to proved profitability and then selling it. But Vietnamese and other Asian businesspeople work to build long-term companies – probably with continuing family involvement. Jobs Summit should look at how we can help the small business environment to keep it healthy and vital and growing so as to retain all the well-run ones. There are business supports already, how can this be spread further.

      The solution would be more support for cooperatives. Not sure exactly what that would entail but here’s some thoughts:
      1.) Advertise the existence and benefits of cooperatives
      2.) Make sure loans are available for them
      3.) Improve the laws surrounding them so that they’re easier to set up

      When the majority of the people who work at a business also have a direct say in how that business is run then there’s less chance that that business will be sold into dictatorial capitalist ownership.

      Oh, and make foreign ownership illegal.

      • SpaceMonkey 8.2.1
        14 January 2013 at 11:25 am

        +1 DTB.

        Last year I listened to Peter Cox on National Radio talking about his book ‘Spedan’s Partnership’ on the history of John Lewis and Waitrose… very inspiring.

  9. NoseViper (The Nose knows) 9
    12 January 2013 at 1:12 pm

    Many have been brought up on a “follow your dream” diet only to find out too late that just following dreams doesn’t always result in a job. An injection of realism is long overdue….

    It’s abundantly obvious from the squeals by business owners this week in Christchurch (and elsewhere) that New Zealand needs to tackle this challenge with some urgency. Employers are finding it difficult to fill labour gaps. Some complain that some of those turning up are just going through a tick-box effort to ensure their Winz cheques keep rolling on. If so, parents should step in and take some responsibility.

    • Colonial Viper 9.1
      12 January 2013 at 1:23 pm

      Many of those same businesses have put fuck all into trade training and taking on apprentices in the last 20 years. They’ve just been living off the tradies who qualified in the 1970’s and 80’s. And that is all coming to an end now as waves of the experienced workers retire. You reap what you sow.

      • RedLogix 9.1.1
        12 January 2013 at 7:19 pm

        Not us.

        All our contractors and suppliers are told that having an on-going training or apprenticeship program will be ‘looked upon favourably’ when evaluating their tenders.

        You don’t have to write it down … just telling them is enough. It’s not hard or onerous, and it tends to help us when sorting out the good guys from the also-rans.

  10. NoseViper (The Nose knows) 10
    12 January 2013 at 1:31 pm

    Ran out of time with my 1.12 pm piece.
    First piece was how do young people know what to do? They are encouraged to think all that they need to do is work well and pass their examinations and they will shoe in unlike all the unemployed who are as everyone knows, losers and unreliable.

    Second the employers who are moaning that the unemployed are not motivated. It should be remembered that these people are not wind-up toys. They are people who have been filling in time, unsure of what the future holds for them, being rejected for what they might like to do.
    They have gone off like wilted vegetables too long on the shelf. You may have to revive them by setting firm guidelines for them to follow, and in turn promising them that they will have a definite period of work, for a reasonable period not just casually on call, so they should drop everything. They may have transport problems, so check about that.

    Make sure they have some time for a morning and afternoon tea break when possible, a toilet break even just have use of a nearby toilet for their purposes would be good, make sure they have a place for lunch where they can sit down. By all means ensure they work but try considering them as people.

  11. geoff 11
    12 January 2013 at 2:09 pm

    In fact, she is the latest of the rightwing’s pundits to conclude neoliberalism has failed.

    No she is not. She is pro ‘free trade’ deals and probably pro all sorts of other right wing agendas.
    There are NZHerald articles by Fran O’Sullivan singing the virtues of the TPP and having a go at the anti-free trade camp too.

    • Populuxe1 11.1
      12 January 2013 at 2:38 pm

      There isn’t anything inherently wrong with free trade provided it is actually free – that is, no tariffs, no political grandstanding, and no asymmetrical bully boy tactics. Unfortunately that’s about as likely to happen as a Fourth International.

      • Colonial Viper 11.1.1
        12 January 2013 at 2:44 pm

        There isn’t anything inherently wrong with free trade provided it is actually free

        I don’t think that you can ignore the fact that markets are primarily there to achieve financial returns on capital, not to accomplish societal or community good which in many instances does not involve a financial return on capital.

        • Draco T Bastard 11.1.1.1
          12 January 2013 at 3:51 pm

          +1

          We have poverty and environmental degradation because of the capitalists drive for more profit.

          • TheContrarian 11.1.1.1.1
            12 January 2013 at 4:23 pm

            Capitalism could still operate comfortably under a completely green, free-energy alternative like fusion power. Capitalism does not necessitate environmental destruction.

            • Draco T Bastard 11.1.1.1.1.1
              12 January 2013 at 4:53 pm

              Capitalism requires ever more access to resources (growth paradigm) as cheaply as possible and that means that the environment will be destroyed to get to those resources. All we have to do is look at this governments support of more mining and lack of support for the ETS to see that.

            • Colonial Viper 11.1.1.1.1.2
              12 January 2013 at 8:22 pm

              Capitalism could still operate comfortably under a completely green, free-energy alternative like fusion power.

              So capitalism needs the laws of thermodynamics to be repealed to continue to work? Imagine my surprise.

              • TheContrarian …
                13 January 2013 at 6:20 pm

                Fusion power requires the laws thermodynamics to be repealed?
                Are you sure about that? (yes I know, ‘free’ energy is a misnomer here – no energy is ‘free’ but fusion power is a close to a limitless energy source as one can get).

                “Capitalism requires ever more access to resources (growth paradigm) as cheaply as possible and that means that the environment will be destroyed to get to those resources.”

                No it doesn’t. If you create a fusion reactor you’d be a very wealthy individual indeed.

                • McFlock …
                  13 January 2013 at 6:32 pm

                  True. My power bill has plummeted since they switched Clyde over to fusion generation.

                  • TheContrarian …
                    13 January 2013 at 6:40 pm

                    Uh-huh

                    • RedLogix …
                      13 January 2013 at 7:12 pm

                      This seems relevant just here:

                      Let me restate that important point. No matter what the technology, a sustained 2.3% energy growth rate would require us to produce as much energy as the entire sun within 1400 years. A word of warning: that power plant is going to run a little warm. Thermodynamics require that if we generated sun-comparable power on Earth, the surface of the Earth—being smaller than that of the sun—would have to be hotter than the surface of the sun!

                      http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2011/07/galactic-scale-energy/

      • geoff 11.1.2
        12 January 2013 at 3:22 pm

        What CV said.
        Plus, international free trade, is a great way to lose the long-term security of a nations assets, industries and interests as they get steadily whittled away purely for the sake of ‘competitive advantage’.

      • Draco T Bastard 11.1.3
        12 January 2013 at 3:50 pm

        There isn’t anything inherently wrong with free trade provided it is actually free – that is, no tariffs, no political grandstanding, and no asymmetrical bully boy tactics.

        You obviously don’t understand the necessary requirements for free-trade, requirements that absolutely require the use of tariffs. As an example consider two countries. One puts in place strong environmental protections and the other doesn’t. The one that doesn’t will, under present rules, be able to produce stuff “cheaper” than the other. The only way to fix such an imbalance would be for the country with strong protections to throw tariffs on the other to offset the added costs that the other country is ignoring.

        Also, there’s the problem that most FTAs aren’t about free trade but about free capital which leaves the countries competing to bring that capital (even though they don’t actually need it) in to the country.

        • xtasy 11.1.3.1
          12 January 2013 at 9:58 pm

          Free trade can and should only be allowed under equal conditions, meaning equal labour, social, environmental and other standards. If such equality is not ensured by law, practice and whatever, there is NO free trade, as distorted trade cannot be “free”, let alone “fair” trade.

          Free it is not to have slave labour in some countries forced to work for pittance, while others in other countries lose their jobs due to that.

          So there you go. FTA is basically meaning ‘Fuck Trade Agreement’.

      • bad12 11.1.4
        12 January 2013 at 5:04 pm

        ‘Free trade’ along with it’s cousin ‘the level playing field’ what a load of utter bullshit, the level playing field was never level which is why our little country has suffered such ongoing high rates of unemployment,

        If we didnt’t have the bolt-hole of Australia a 100 dollar flight away for the unemployed the level of unemployed in this country would have destroyed every Government since 1985,

        There can be no ‘free trade’ while the participating countries have a currency of different values, there can be no ‘free trade’ while the participating countries do not have a minimum allowable wage of the same amount…

        • Colonial Viper 11.1.4.1
          12 January 2013 at 5:20 pm

          Of course the point of “free trade” was always to advantage capital, disadvantage workers, and allow corporations to arbitrage between pools of labour in different parts of the world for increased shareholder profit. But even this game is coming to an end for them now.

  12. millsy 12
    12 January 2013 at 3:28 pm

    FOS, has from time to time, advocated policies, from time to time, that are heavily interventionist in nature, which have included the government effectively nationalizing Fisher and Paykel and PGG Wrightson, and having Landcorp lead a push to mitigate the impact that farming has on the environment (as well as buy the Crafar Farms), as well creating a kiwi version of Temasek Holdings.

  13. vivaciousviper 13
    12 January 2013 at 4:11 pm

    Talk fests and summits never produce the goods, they do supply coffee, tea and biscuits though.
    Training is needed in the areas of trades that are crucial to the country,without the trainees footing the stangling costs, the crux of the issue is that there has not been enough done over the years to focus on the future needs of the country, building,electricians,engineers,plumbers etc, the focus has be on making the buggars pay for their training, which has now crippled our young and brightest with huge debts and no hope for the future,(most of those training in fields that are not really needed),leaving a glaring hole that is filled by bringing in overseas workers,i can see where the system has failed and will continue to fail for years to come unless politicians roll up their sleeves and get down to the nitty gritty of the problem.

  14. tc 14
    12 January 2013 at 4:32 pm

    Oshillivan pitches up some ideas so Shonkey can come back and no matter what he does she’ll spin it as addressing the problem and ‘wow what a guy, I take it all back’.

    Balanced political commentary Granny styles.

    You want change, gov’t must pretty much force it on organisations. You want training, jobs & infrastructure then gov’ts need to tax business etc and take the lead in creating jobs, introducing training and infrastructure spending.

    Cullen gave us net zero crown debt as he knew they’d need to prop up the economy post GFC and the rorting Hollowmen have gleefully plundered it on tax cuts, RONS, corp and farming welfare etc.

  15. karol 15
    12 January 2013 at 6:51 pm

    While I agree that employers and the government need to enable and provide more training and apprenticeships, I’m not keen on FO’S’s line implying education should be all about training for jobs.

    She’s dismisses anything other than job training servicing the needs (dreams?) of employers, as useless “following your dreams”, supported by “academics banging on about academic freedom”. It’s worrying that she doesn’t have much truck with the notion of academic freedom.

    This is a very mechanistic idea of education. It presupposes that employers know what is best for the economy (i.e. anything that is good for them) and society in general. It focuses on training for jobs that are there today, and doesn’t necessarily prepare people for a changing world.

    A much broader education, encourages people to look more critically at the world, with an in-depth understanding that enables adaptation to unexpected changes, and possibly leading to creative solutions. Education can also be useful and relevant to activities other than those of paid employment.

    • mickysavage 15.1
      12 January 2013 at 6:57 pm

      A much broader education, encourages people to look more critically at the world, with an in-depth understanding that enables adaptation to unexpected changes, and possibly leading to creative solutions.

      You can see why some are so afraid …

      • Draco T Bastard 15.1.1
        12 January 2013 at 9:39 pm

        Yep, a broad education and ability to think will bring about the changes that the rich and the politicians that support them don’t want. This is why they’re destroying education and making the majority of people worse off.

  16. Bill 16
    12 January 2013 at 7:16 pm

    How’s about freedom? Sorry. I know. Wage slavery and a principle focus on material accumulation as a measure of human worth is…good.

  17. AC 17
    12 January 2013 at 8:13 pm

    Key also promised to have the cycle network up by the end of 2012. Did the Alps to Sea cycle track through to Oamaru. Under 40% of this is complete. People have started up extra accommodation etc to accommodate the extra people visiting the areas involved and have been let down. Overseas customers have been told to come over here to enjoy this cycle network and end up going home disappointed. Accident waiting to happen on those busy roads.

  18. xtasy 18
    12 January 2013 at 9:44 pm

    Knowing Fran Old Sullied Van, she is again going “wild”, and she may have a strategy. Maybe it is her new paymaster in Mainland China, to tell her to write this. So she can get on nagging to Key to let in more Chinese milk powder manufacturers, likely to employ a fair number of “specially qualified and skilled” Mainland Chinese workers, who will run businesses, here, to export to their country and to pay income tax on a slightly lower slant basis.

    Fran has been crazy for Mainland Chinese and NZ cooperations, to have more investment and property buy-ups here, this article of hers must be seen on that backdrop and in that light.

    She will never turn her back on neoliberal economics, but at the same time she dreams of Mainland China to be just that sort of foreign investor, to turn things around finally, to prove her and others right, that selling assets, allowing large scale foreign investment (even from a dictatorship) and letting them get on with business, no matter what, she will be totally satisfied, that her imaginations have been proved.

    That is dear old Fran, the sellout lady, who will write for your favour, if you offer her an offer that just cannot be denied. I wonder though, what offer she initially got, from her “friends”?!

  19. xtasy 19
    12 January 2013 at 9:52 pm

    Hey, I’m back now, sitting here in dear ol Parnell!

    Stop getting me shat on, I am the man leading the show and getting this country out of a mess.

    I am da BOSS here, I own and have influence, not just affluence.

    Shut up! Job Slammit is not needed, as everybody has a bloody job. Get working lazy buggers, who have no employer, make yourself a job, or at least employable. Get working, get cracking, NZ is booming, it is growing every year, going sky high, we are one of the best performers in the OECD.

    We are boooomin, see it not, hear it not, I am high on it!

    Get some bloody “crack” or whatever to get your mood upped, it seems too many Kiwis are letting me down now, resentful I have a lovely home in Hawaii, where I make deals, big deals, redrafted my CV and am working on my bunker for the future.

    Hah, who needs you no hopers, that is all Kiwis, you better smarten up, or I will have you sold to Haier and others for cheap labour. Hah, get me another beer, so, get off that sofa, turn on the telly, yeah we get real telly here, not f-ing “Freeview” crap, as for the “commoners”.

    I am a winner, I shit on you, and you all love it.

    JK

  20. kiwicommie 20
    13 January 2013 at 2:02 pm

    Good article, but I doubt that they care about jobs let alone what happens to New Zealand. They can retire on parliamentary salaries and live the life of luxury Roger Douglas had after selling out.

  21. gnomic 21
    13 January 2013 at 11:40 pm

    Fran O’Sullivan you say? The journalist who some might think has completely lost the plot, and joined the Paul Holmes dementing in public support group? The Fran O’Sullivan who wrote the passage below in the NZ Herald on Jan 5th 2013?

    “It would be stirring to know that Key — who is a former Merrill Lynch banker — is investigating this issue [ie the failure of the Obama administration to do anything about the banksters, specifically here Goldman Sachs] and that he does have the moxie to say to Obama he is distressed that Goldman’s outrageous behaviour robs the US Government of its moral authority.”

    In my humble opinion this is just so utterly bonkers it’s hard to know where to begin. The smirking weasel would tell Obomber he’s upset about Goldman Sachs allegedly bad behaviour? Yes, it’s rolling on the floor and having fits of hysterics. The US government has moral authority? Yeah right. OK, it’s the silly season and Fran has always just been a mouthpiece for the powers that be, but this really takes the cake.

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    The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    21 hours ago

  • The Case for a Universal Family Benefit
    One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    22 hours ago

  • A who’s who of New Zealand’s dodgiest companies
    Submissions on National's corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law are due today (have you submitted?), and just hours before they close, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop has been forced to release the list of companies he invited to apply. I've spent the last hour going through it in an epic thread of bleats, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    24 hours ago

  • On Lee’s watch, Economic Development seems to be stuck on scoring points from promoting sporting e...
    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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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 ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    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 Step–by–Step 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 third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s 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. Here‘s 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. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen 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 Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days 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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    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, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    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, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    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 ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 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

  • 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
    8 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
    1 day 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
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