Masters of Finance? 2

Written By: - Date published: 1:39 pm, May 20th, 2015 - 95 comments
Categories: Economy - Tags: ,

MastersOfFinance2

National continue their 75+ years record of not being able to deliver the sort of economic growth for NZ that Labour do…

Source: RBNZ

95 comments on “Masters of Finance? 2 ”

  1. Enough is Enough 1

    Booming world economy v GFC & Christchurch Earthquake….

    • Enough is Enough 1.1

      Just to clarify, I think the Nats are a terrible government.

      I just think these comparisons are fucking stupid.

      An alternative (devils advocate) analysis as evidenced by electoral results is the country supports Labour when we have money to spend, and National when times are tough and we need more prudent managers of the economy.

      • Gosman 1.1.1

        True enough. The UK would have a similar comparison if you compared the Blair/Brown Labour Government to the last five years under the stewardship of the Conservatives. The point being the general populous (or at lease the significant part that decides elections) has the view that Labour left the finances of the State in a mess and that is why the right leaning parties come in to fix it up.

        • Kelly-Ned 1.1.1.1

          Not the case in NZ.
          When National took over we had had a series of black budgets under Labour.
          How much of the financial crisis has been compounded by the ‘austerity’ measures.
          If governments stop spending the economy grinds down.

      • Sable 1.1.2

        Yet we don’t have “prudent managers”. Instead we have Nationals pork barrel politics. An ardent desire to turn this country into a banana republic. A satellite state to be sucked dry by the increasingly desperate USA.

    • Tracey 1.2

      don’t forget the earthquake saw an injection of $2-5bn into our economy from an outside source (re-insurers) which helped with stimulus in Christchurch which wouldn’t have been there without an earthquake.

      Of more interest to me is the lampooning of the allegedly economically illiterate Green contenders for male co-leader for not knowing the current rate of inflation but no such lampooning for master of economic management, Bill English for

      “Finance Minister Bill English says he does not know what effect the new rules on taxing capital gain on residential properties and new disclosure rules from non-resident buyers will have on the rising Auckland property market. ”

      Either he is worse than the Greens (upon whom expectations of economic literacy are lower than English) or it was so ruched it has no background upon which to predict impact.

  2. Ben 2

    You seem to be forgetting the global recession that was in the middle of the last 7 years.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1

      In NZ, Labour governments have always achieved greater per capita GDP than their National contemporaries.

      You always have an excuse. It’s lame. Where’s the personal responsibility?

      • John 2.1.1

        So you’re saying US$42,000 GDP per capita (NZ in 2013) is LESS than US$31,000 GDP per capita (in 2007).

        • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1.1.1

          Cherry picking years and currencies? Are your physical characteristics as reminiscent of dogshit as your arguments?

  3. Karen and Grant Mannall 3

    Christchurch earthquake equals 40 billion dollars of extra work paid for by insurance companies equals extraordinary item gift for G D P figures.
    Nationals performance would be even worse without the Christchurch disaster!

  4. Colonial Rawshark 4

    GDP is an utterly hopeless measure of how any government is leading an economy. And are we really back to banging the drum of moar economic growth = better? What about sustainability using a steady state economy?

    • Bunji 4.1

      To be fair I think GDP is fairly rubbish too, but these things are what the Nats say are important, so if they can’t get those right…

      As Robert Kennedy put it – GDP measures all but that which we hold most dear. But other measures of economic “success” are a whole lot more difficult. If you try and factor environmental and social factors in there as well it gets worse.
      But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.

      At the very least they should measure GDP per capita growth – simple and means you can’t fudge the figures by just adding people.
      But really you want to measure the change in total capital – environmental, social as well as economic. So if you dig up all the oil & coal and sell it off, and leave the environment a mess you take into account that the country doesn’t have the oil/coal to sell again and also that the lower living standards people have from the degraded environment ie you take into account the losses, not just the profits from selling natural resources.

      But yeah, the banners are merely measuring National by their own standards – and with their own simplicity.

      • Enough is Enough 4.1.1

        ‘their own simplicity’….heh

      • One Anonymous Bloke 4.1.2

        Exactly Bunji. They fail according to their own criteria.

      • Colonial Rawshark 4.1.3

        I can see the point of hoisting the NATs up on their own petard, but really all Labour is doing is reaffirming to the electorate that Labour buys into the same orthodox economic ethos – more growth is good, more GDP is good, running surpluses are good.

        • sabine 4.1.3.1

          I think that for most people the banner make sense.

          X amount under red
          x amount under blue

          done.
          This is how people vote. Remeber? National the fiscally responsible party that will make all our lives betterer than it was under the nanny state when Labour was at the helm?

          That is what people voted for.

  5. John 5

    This deserves an award for brainless idiocy.

    Because only a brainless idiot would would make a comparison of the years before and after the global financial crisis, and pretend it didn’t happen.,

    • mickysavage 5.1

      Well National pretend the GFC did not happen all the time, every time they say Labour left the country with a decade of deficits. Do you criticise them too?

      • Enough is Enough 5.1.1

        Well they do it too.

        Great comeback MS

        And just to be clear the decade of deficits was projected pre GFC

        • mickysavage 5.1.1.1

          Um are you sure about this? Link please. My recollection is that the “decade of deficits” was announced in 2008 after the start of the GFC.

          • Enough is Enough 5.1.1.1.1

            Not pre “start” of GFC, pre “full effects” of GFC.

            I could have been clearer.

            My point is the PREFU did not lay the blame for the decade of deficits on the GFC so why would you expect the Nats to when there is an easier target.

            (Jeepers, I can’t believe I am in here defending Bill English)

            • sabine 5.1.1.1.1.1

              then don’t.

              I am not blaming National for a decade of deficits due to the GFC.
              I am blaming National and Bill English for pretending that they could and would achieve a surplus, that things will get betterer to win an election instead of being honest and saying it’s not gonna happen because of a. b. c.
              I am blaming National for spending money on a flag change when we are out of money.
              I am blaming National for spending money on troops against Isis.
              I am blaming National for spending money on vanity projects while ignoring the needs of the country.

              They ran on their fiscal responsibilty and their financial savy and promised a surplus, better raises etc etc. Now they get to eat crow, and frankly they should.

              the have heeped scorn and abuse on so many of our most vulnerable members of society, i think it is just fair that some of us actually hold them accountable.

              • b waghorn

                “”I am blaming National and Bill English for pretending that they could and would achieve a surplus, that things will get betterer to win an election instead of being honest and saying it’s not gonna happen because of a. b. c.””
                I don’t think national have ever really cared if they hit surplus , but its been a terrific excuse to slash services and screw down on the poor.

              • Ffloyd

                Sabine. High five! I first went right off key (although even then thought he was a incompetent tosser) when they spent so much money on the gg residence. I have heard 40ml but stand to be corrected as this amount seems to be exorbitant. Wonder who got the contract?
                Since then the list goes on. Money for 1% nothing for us losers.

            • Puddleglum 5.1.1.1.1.2

              the PREFU did not lay the blame for the decade of deficits on the GFC

              Are you sure?

              In the PREFU section on ‘Weaker Growth as Global Economy Adjusts to imbalances’ there is this comment:

              Since our forecasts were finalised at the end of August, there have been further developments in the global financial crisis, particularly in the US. These developments increase the downside risks to these forecasts.

              And in this section it is stated that:

              Growth is forecast to be positive in the final quarter of 2008 thanks to the recovery from the drought and tax cuts, but will remain subdued throughout most of 2009 as negative influences continue to affect the economy. As the world economy recovers, the domestic economy picks up and inflation and monetary conditions ease, growth will return above trend later in the forecast period, driven initially by increased exports (Figure 1.1). With economic activity forecast to be lower than in the Budget Update, core Crown tax revenue is expected to be $3,148 million lower in aggregate over the next four years.

              In reading the Executive Summary and other parts of the PREFU it seems to me that global economic conditions (referred to as the ‘global financial crisis’) are repeatedly mentioned as an important contributing factor in their forecasts.

              I agree that domestic “imbalances” are also mentioned as ‘unwinding’ – but the GFC is a big part of predicted reductions in growth and therefore tax revenues and increases in spending (on benefits, Kiwisaver, etc.).

      • Stuart Munro 5.1.2

        The structural decade of deficits lie is one of Gosman’s most pathetic fictions.

        V: I’ve not come for what you hoped to do. I’ve come for what you did.

        Labour did not deliver deficits. Bill English did.

      • John 5.1.3

        You mean like Labour criticising National for the deposit guarantee scheme that Labour set up?

        I bought a whole lot of shares in 2007. They plummeted disastrously under Labour, and have gone up significantly and continuously ever since National came to power.

        But I’d have to be an idiotic simpleton on par with bunji to think that was solely down to who was in power.

        • mickysavage 5.1.3.1

          So are you saying that bunji and the entire front bench of the National Party should be criticised for drawing ridiculous conclusions on who should be to blame for certain events?

          • John 5.1.3.1.1

            I haven’t heard the whole front bench of National blaming Labour for the global financial crisis.

            There were plenty of Labour candidates last election blaming National for running deficits while they ran surpluses – effectively ignoring that the GFC ever happened. But obviously the voting public saw the ridiculous comparisons for what they were.

            If you want votes, first you have to be seen as living in the real world – not a delusional one.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1.3.1.1.1

              Labour always get greater per capita GDP than the bought party. The bought party always has a bunch of Quislings like you lining up to shift the blame, and then you pretend to be into personal responsibility.

              If you ask me, you’re lying trash.

            • mickysavage 5.1.3.1.1.2

              Que? National trots the “its all Labour’s fault every chance it gets”.

              Labour does not blame National for the GFC. It criticises National for making unattainable promises to get the books black into credit, for giving tax cuts to the wealthy the country cannot afford, for selling off our profitable assets and for having no growth strategy apart from more dairy. National can be blamed for continuously running deficits for the fact that it gave unaffordable tax cuts.

              • John

                It’s funny when people backing Labour, (who want to run BIGGER deficits for LONGER), criticise National for running deficits.

                It comes across as absurd.

                • One Anonymous Bloke

                  It’s even funnier when lackwit tr*lls (just like you) pretend that their delusions have some connection to what the Left would have done.

                  What’s the matter Johnny? Couldn’t you manage a reality-based argument? Your personal responsibility is a bunch of impotent lies, eh.

                  • John

                    That’s about as idiotic as your claim GDP per capita was higher under Labour – see
                    http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&met_y=ny_gdp_pcap_cd&idim=country:NZL:AUS:CAN&hl=en&dl=en

                    • One Anonymous Bloke

                      Imagine I am speaking to you in a patient tone, as though you are a child.

                      Your graph, poppet, demonstrates that, in $US, the rate of per-capita GDP increase has slowed under National.

                    • John

                      Obviously another person ignorant that there’s been a global financial crisis.

                      And now backtracking on the patently false claim that GDP per capita was higher under Labour.

                      Keep peddling – you’re going backwards fast

                    • One Anonymous Bloke

                      Average 3.7% GDP growth over nine years of Lab5, against National’s record. This is in line with New Zealand history. Hardly surprising when you consider that unemployment is always higher under National.

                    • John

                      As I said – now you’re backtracking.

                      Previously you claimed GDP per capita was bigger under Labour.

                      Now it’s growth rates.

                      And you still show extreme ignorance by failing to acknowledge there’s been a global financial crisis.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke

                      Still you don’t seem to grasp the facts: under all economic conditions experienced thus far, annual per capita gdp growth is lower when the Masters of Finance occupy the Treasury benches.

                      This time, your excuse is the GFC, and, poppet, the GFC didn’t force the Masters of Finance to slash government revenue.

                    • mickysavage

                      Why is it that when it comes to analysing Labour’s economic performance there was no GFC but when it comes to National’s economic performance there is nothing but GFC.

                    • John

                      Really?????

                      The Labour years were BEFORE the GFC so it’s pretty obvious why it’s not linked to Labours performance.

                      [I get tired with RWNJs saying that the decade of deficits was because of Labour decisions and not because of the GFC. For your information the GFC started in 2007 and in 2008 Clark and co were in full adaption mode. Post another idiot comment where you deny this without pristine proof and I will start to treat you as a troll – MS]

                    • John

                      MS says “I get tired with RWNJs saying that the decade of deficits was because of Labour decisions and not because of the GFC.”

                      Time to get reading lessons, or some new glasses –

                      I said “The deficits are because of the GFC, and would have been there regardless of whether Labour or National was in power.”

                      And you really think the GFC had and impact on the growth and debt stats under Labour before it even happened (which is 90% of the period under discussion).

                    • Colonial Rawshark

                      The deficit aren’t “because” of the GFC, John, the deficits are there because NZ’s economy is fragile, unbalanced, and undiversified. The deficits also continue because National is both visionless and gutless, combined with typical right wing short term opportunism.

                      But since you don’t understand anything about real economics, it never occurred to you that this was the case.

                    • John

                      Because of the GFC –
                      – other countries buy fewer of our products, so there’s less tax on company profits
                      – fewer workers are required to make those products, so there’s less paye
                      – the (now unemployed) workers have less to spend, so there’s less gst
                      – less tourists come from countries suffering from the GFC, so they spend less, and the whole cycle continues in the tourism sector with less gst, less company profits, fewer workers, less paye.
                      – and significantly more spent on benefits

                      And you don’t think the deficit is caused by the GFC. Yeah right.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      you’re not paying attention, John. The GFC is but one external environmental factor. Its the internal factors that successive governments have fucked up, creating a narrow economy which lacks depth and diversity. Open your eyes.

                    • John

                      You’re missing the point.

                      When ALL your overseas clients are suffering from the GFC and EVERY company in EVERY country slashes their spending budgets, it doesn’t matter what you produce .

                    • Colonial Viper

                      as usual, wrong again. If National truly believe that, they should stop wasting our oxygen, fuck off, and let people who can make a real difference for ordinary NZers take charge.

                • Colonial Rawshark

                  The whole idea of government running a surplus is absurd. I would far prefer that households and SMEs run the surplus instead of the Crown – i.e. that ordinary people get to have a decent income, get to save more, get to run their businesses at a profit.

                • Stuart Munro

                  No mate – it goes to competence. Bill English promised surpluses – cannot deliver them – not just once or twice but seven times in a row. The non-delivery of surpluses by Bill has become a statistical certainty.

                • mickysavage

                  It’s funny when people backing Labour, (who want to run BIGGER deficits for LONGER), criticise National for running deficits.

                  Idiot. What evidence do you have that Labour wants to run deficits? FFS last time we failed miserably according to your idiot analysis.

                  Ideally the state pays its way and puts some money aside for a rainy day. Labour achieved this. Shame the nats can’t.

                  • NicTheNZer

                    Labour wants to run deficits it just doest know it yet. I have been explaining this to you for weeks now and you said the issue was lying, not that deficits were a problem (which they are not). Are you revising that position?

                    • mickysavage

                      Modern Labour tends to want to run the economy on Kensian lines. When things are good stash money away. When things are bad open up the purse strings.

                      The last Labour Government was happy to start spending. There was a plan to have a mini budget at the end of 2008 if they were reelected. I am not disagreeing with you.

                      I am disagreeing with John’s claim that the decade of deficits was because of the fifth Labour Government. And it irks that he suggests that National should be cut some slack because of the GFC but not Labour.

                    • John

                      mickeysavage says “I am disagreeing with John’s claim that the decade of deficits was because of the fifth Labour Government. ”

                      I think you’re arguing against something that I never said.

                      The deficits are because of the GFC, and would have been there regardless of whether Labour or National was in power.

                      In the 2000s, New Zealand was spending 115% of what it earned, every year, year after year.

                      That is a totally unsustainable position and where Labour stuffed up was they didn’t do a thing about it.

                      Under Labour private debt skyrocketed 166% from $60b to $160b, and they didn’t do a thing to stop massive house price inflation, not just in Auckland as is the case now, but across the other 70% of houses as well.

                      What did Labour do to stop it? Nothing.

                      At least this govt has tightened up on claiming depreciation, speculators, LAQCs, low deposit loans, bigger bank reserves etc.

                    • mickysavage

                      John

                      “The Labour years were BEFORE the GFC so it’s pretty obvious why it’s not linked to Labours performance.”

                      Disagreed. The GFC started during Labour’s term. The GFC had everything to do with the downturn and the “decade of deficits”.

                      “The deficits are because of the GFC, and would have been there regardless of whether Labour or National was in power.”

                      Disagreed. National’s “fiscally neutral” tax cuts basically sucked a billion dollars out of the state’s books each year. There would have been deficits for a while but they have been much worse because of National’s tax cuts.

                      Crown control over private debt? FFS when we suggested people should use eco friendly light bulbs there was hell to pay. Blaming us for not strong arming people into borrowing less is a bit rich.

                    • NicTheNZer

                      John’s comment was dead on to begin with. There would have been similar sized deficits regardless if labour was elected. Labour needs to explain why the deficits are necessary and stop playing a game of irrelevant political football with the constant carping on about what they could get away with before the GFC.

                    • John

                      Mickey – Labour didn’t so much as lift a finger while they watched a housing bubble caused by skyrocketing debt, and a country spending 115% of what it earned every year.

                      The current govt has put in place numerous measures to curtail private debt and housing bubbles.

                      And Labour complains it’s not enough.

                      Which makes your weak excuses for not doing anything look hollow and hypocritical.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      theres no need for the government to “stash money away for a rainy day.”

                      Why would there ever be a need for the government to stash away electronic ones and zeroes that it can enter by keyboard any time that it wants to? How on earth do you “stash” digital digits, anyway?

                    • John

                      Meanwhile back in the real world, a $1b tax cut for six years doesn’t add up to a $66b debt.

                    • Colonial Rawshark

                      The “real world”? Don’t make me laugh John. I agree that the NATs needed to deficit spend, but their lack of a credible long term vision for NZ has been shocking. Under their leadership NZ does all it can to stumble from year to year with no cohesive long term economic planning.

      • Ian 5.1.4

        I am not defending the current government’s record by any means! What I am criticising is this clap trap language that infers deficits are inherently bad and that running surpluses are inherently good. This is implied in the language Labour has used and indeed campaigned on and in this original post.The fact that Labour ran a series of surpluses is not in itself good or bad. Classical and neo-Keynsian economic theory argues that governments should build surpluses when the economy thrives and run deficits when the economy is struggling.

        IF the current regime claim there has been no serious economic crisis post GFC it should be moving towards and running surpluses. We know this isn’t true so we should expect them to run deficits and indeed we should encourage it. We might want to argue over what it is being spent on, of course, but my basic point remains.
        Conversely, IF the previous Labour regime were running surpluses during economic upswings, this should be expected and encouraged. However, IF they were running surpluses during economic recession, they should be admonished.

        The point is, simply comparing Labour’s surplus record juxtaposed to the Nat’s deficit record, devoid of economic context, is disingenuous at worst, and plain ignorant at best

  6. Stuart Munro 6

    In fact Labour weren’t too hot economically either – little realised growth in terms of capacity or productivity, few to no new jobs, little effort to address problems like housing or the balance of payments, much less winding back the employment ‘reforms’ of the black decade.

    But they were basically competent, unlike the screaming heap that National is. Solid Energy is a fair analogy for National’s management of the economy – they wrecked it without even making a profit.

    • mickysavage 6.1

      “Few to no new jobs”

      They had the lowest unemployment rate in the western world.

      • Enough is Enough 6.1.1

        And still do have one of the lowest.

        • Colonial Rawshark 6.1.1.1

          We still have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the western world because National have held off on implementing austerity and govt debt reduction measures.

      • Stuart Munro 6.1.2

        Massaged numbers – tightening Winz policies and lies about ‘the lowest ever unemployment rate’ that anyone alive in the 1980s knows were patently false.

  7. Upnorth 7

    ummm i think you all need to read the correct data. i am very very very happy in nz.

    i earn 70k a year – debt free and own a house in central auckland. 2 kids 50 years old and not one hand out or any inheritance.

    tell me what is wrong?

    • McFlock 7.1

      Clue: what’s wrong is not that people are doing well.
      What’s wrong is that many people are struggling, hungry, homeless.

      How much was your student loan, and how much were your training/course fees?
      How much were the “voluntary” fees your parents shelled out to your school?
      What about your parents – did they get any assistance, or a state house?

      Or are you one of the infintesimally small few people who earn well over the average wage while having zero qualifications?

    • Bunji 7.2

      And how are your kids going to buy a house?

    • Gosh. And you’re so typical, too 😉

      I’m wondering if the reason why 3 million Kiwis don’t earn $70k, live in central Ak etc. is that we live a world that requires mass poverty and unemployment in order for the economy to function so that people like you can be the exception to the rule.

      • Draco T Bastard 7.3.1

        Yep, it’s rare for the people who benefit from the poverty that they create to see the cause.

    • Draco T Bastard 7.4

      What’s wrong is that you believe a lie. You and you’re parents got lots of help from the government. You just don’t want to see it.

    • Weepus beard 7.5

      You are a kick-the-ladder-out kind of person. There are too many of you and that’s what’s wrong.

    • Upnorth 7.6

      moved to auckland 12 years ago. One of 7 kids from a labour voting family. All info is correct. Just saved

  8. Bill 8

    So given that fossil fuel use tracks economic activity, at 1.3% growth, National were about 2/3rds less bad for our future than Labour.

    • Colonial Rawshark 8.1

      THIS

      • Weepus beard 8.1.1

        When did Colonial Viper become a raving right winger?

        I must have missed this because I thought he was socially responsible, like the rest of us.

        • Colonial Viper 8.1.1.1

          are you accusing Bill as well? After all it was his idea i was backing 😈

    • adam 8.2

      You forgot the sheep and extra cows Bill 🙂

    • NicTheNZer 8.3

      Disagree with this line of thinking. There is no reason fossil fuel use must track GDP growth. The government should invest in employing people to create a sustainable economy. If it does this on a large enough scale then it’s quite possible for GDP to grow and the economy to become sustainable (with lower energy use) at the same time.

      On the other hand if the government wants to cause a recession or depression then it’s going to be unpopular and they will quickly be out of office. That will be curtains for plans to move onto a sustainable path no doubt.

      The economy is not going to by itself onto a sustainable path. The government must intervene and buy up outputs towards it.

      • Bill 8.3.1

        Well, there’s no reason why it must, but it does.

        As for growing an economy while aiming for sustainability…from these six eggs I have, I want to make an omelet while wanting for six chicks to hatch.

        Meanwhile,most of the western world is being plunged into recession and depression, in part, due to policies pursuing austerity. Those governments haven’t been kicked out and ,in fact, have been re-elected.

        • NicTheNZer 8.3.1.1

          Sorry, that kind of thinking doesn’t cut it. Explain why if you have some sustainability policy (say reforestation) the government can’t pay for it to happen.

          • Bill 8.3.1.1.1

            The government can pay for such things. That’s not a biggie.

            But if you want a growing economy, then that means more production and consumption. And that’s profit driven, not ‘lets be nice to the environment’ driven. If you find that objectionable (as I do) then you’ll have no option but to adopt a market abolitionist position.

            Then, with the profit motive gone, we can look at steady state or ‘environmentally mindful’ economic models.

            • NicTheNZer 8.3.1.1.1.1

              Closer but you are not there yet. GDP has three main components, consumption, investment and government spending. So growing GDP does not mandate growing consumption. Also not all consumption is a measure of physical consumption it also counts service spending and all kinds of sustainable consumption. There is no solid link between growth of GDP and growth of the physical demands of that economy. In considering how to deal with this issue there also needs to be a distinction between markets with and without government intervention including regulation for socially desirable outcomes.

            • NicTheNZer 8.3.1.1.1.2

              Closer but you are not there yet. GDP has three main components, consumption, investment and government spending. So growing GDP does not mandate growing consumption. Also not all consumption is a measure of physical consumption it also counts service spending and all kinds of sustainable consumption. There is no solid link between growth of GDP and growth of the physical demands of that economy. In considering how to deal with this issue there also needs to be a distinction between markets with and without government intervention including regulation for socially desirable outcomes.

              • Colonial Viper

                “There is no solid link between growth of GDP and growth of the physical demands of that economy.”

                other than energy use tracking closely with GDP you mean? And in the rest of the world that typically means coal and oil being burnt.

                • NicTheNZer

                  No, including energy use tracking with GDP. If you think of an alternative real economy (a sustainable one) then the payments for that can obviously be arranged in essentially any manner. Arguing that it has to be that way then is also claiming there is no real alternative economy possible. The fact Fossil fuel use tracks GDP is just a coincidence due to the world running a non-sustainable economy but that can change.

                  It’s also not true for many countries but industrial production being sent offshore is a large component of that, so it’s not a clear cut example.

                  • Colonial Viper

                    “The fact Fossil fuel use tracks GDP is just a coincidence due to the world running a non-sustainable economy but that can change.”

                    ???

                    I’m referring to the current physical world economy and the energy inputs its activity is entirely predicated on, not a future science fiction one.

                    • NicTheNZer

                      Claims about science fictions and utopia as side, I was discussing with Bill how to grow GDP while shrinking the ecological footprint of the economy. When he says that we must first abolish markets and first instate some other (yet to be defined) system he is the person advocating for inaction.

                      Paid work (and profits) is a powerful incentive and should be used to take action on climate change now.

                    • Colonial Rawshark

                      At the end of the day the only answer I can see is for a fifteen to twenty year war-time like effort to move NZ 90% off fossil fuels and also towards autarky in strategic areas. We will burn a lot of fossil fuels and consume a lot of resources in the process to do so – but at least they will be available at this time.

                      After this next fifteen year window passes, it’ll be too late to do anything more than localised/regional makeshift initiatives to try and make life survivable and decent.

                      National is 1/10 towards what is needed. Labour is 3/10 towards what is needed. The Greens are 3.5/10 towards what is needed.

                      Ah well, currently those are the choices we have been given.

  9. NicTheNZer 9

    Bunji your first post is focusing on the wrong issue, your second on the right issue. Government spending adds directly to GDP by accounting so if the deficit was lower in any of the last seven years then GDP would also have been lower by the exact same amount. Yes if labour wants to grow GDP at a decent rate in future they will need to run a significant deficit for many years.

  10. Atiawa 10

    Great work today OAB. Another one to line up.

  11. Sable 11

    The reality is the neo liberal policies embraced by new Labour and National have led to this mess. They are both culpable for the misery people endure.

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    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    3 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    4 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    9 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    9 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    9 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    9 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    12 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
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    1 day ago
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