Merry Christmas Hillside

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, December 7th, 2012 - 72 comments
Categories: capitalism, jobs, national - Tags: , ,

I almost missed this little gem from a couple of days ago:

Govt urged KiwiRail to keep workshops open

The Government leaned on KiwiRail to stop it closing the Hillside workshops but the company couldn’t find a way to keep them open, Prime Minister John Key says.

The government leaned on KiwiRail. Leaned on them (is that even appropriate)? If only, instead of “leaning” on KiwiRail, the government had done something useful, like, say, I don’t know, sent them some business. Used the skills, experience, and talent of Hillside. If only the government had been able to do that.

Oh wait.

The government could have sent a big contract to Hillside. Instead they decided to pay bargain basement prices for bargain basement quality and bugger the bigger picture. They can’t really complain to anyone when KiwiRail plays the same short-term bottom-line game then can they. Hypocrites.

Meanwhile, as is so often the case, the workers give the bosses a lesson in humanity:

Show of solidarity in job offers for Hillside workers

In a demonstration of solidarity, older KiwiRail workers are offering their jobs to redundant Hillside employees and electing to retire.

The Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) was facilitating discussion between the 90 workers facing redundancy at Hillside and KiwiRail staff elsewhere in New Zealand who have offered to retire.

RMTU South Island organiser John Kerr said a KiwiRail worker in Christchurch, another in Invercargill and a few in the North Island were willing to exchange places with those made redundant from the South Dunedin workshops.

He said the older workers were close to retirement age and felt it was more important for “younger blokes” to be employed.

“It’s quite gratifying in a way. It shows the depth of solidarity among KiwiRail employees. Rail workers stick together and there is a lot of support from our members throughout the country for Hillside workers,” Mr Kerr said.

Here’s a salute to the workers who are going early to help others keep their jobs. It won’t help many, but it will help a few. Here’s commiserations to the 90 who have just lost their jobs – an early Christmas present from the National government. It’s another sad chapter in the ongoing collapse of manufacturing in NZ. A particularly bitter chapter, because it didn’t have to be this way.

72 comments on “Merry Christmas Hillside ”

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  1. Neoleftie 1
    7 December 2012 at 9:05 am

    I work on hillside rd, chat daily to some of the workers and have witnessed events unfold from a gaggle of woman branch south D protestors and the usually media focus to the resigned to their fate staff adrift and isolated powerless in the face of the Tory idiolology….merry merry fuckin Christmas.

  2. BM 2
    7 December 2012 at 9:22 am

    How does the government over rule Kiwi rail?
    I thought SOEs were structured in a way to avoid political meddling

  3. higherstandard 3
    7 December 2012 at 9:52 am

    Good on the chaps for taking an early retirement to keep some of the younger fellows on.

    It does seem perverse that the government couldn’t have tilted the playing field, by hook or by crook, in the favour of local industry.

  4. karol 4
    7 December 2012 at 9:55 am

    I was very sorry to read about the lay offs.  The PM is a hypocrite for making out he cared about the workers by “leaning on” people.

    Is there any kind of Christmas collection happening for the people laid off?

    How is the parliamentary inquiry on manufacturing going? 

  5. vto 5
    7 December 2012 at 9:57 am

    “The government could have sent a big contract to Hillside. Instead they decided to pay bargain basement prices …”

    … should read …

    The government could have sent a big contract to Hillside. Instead they decided to pay [slave wages in far off lands].

    Mind you, what should we expect in modern New Zealand? The fishing companies get [slaves from far off lands] to fish our seas. The Warehouse gets [slaves in far off lands] to make our clothes.

    We make use of [slaves in far off lands]. This is the current way.

    • Populuxe1 5.1
      7 December 2012 at 1:14 pm

      “The government could have sent a big contract to Hillside. Instead they decided to pay [slave wages in far off lands].”

      The government is obliged to the taxpayer to get the best possible deal to make the most of the budget. I suppose they could cut welfare and state funding even more than they have. Would that make you feel better? And while this government is happily slashing welfare out of their own perverse ideology, most left leaning governments wouldn’t advocate propping up uneconomic manufacturing in the middle of an economic contraction either.

      Non-luxury manufacturing for NZ is a dinosaur. There is no getting around China and the other Asian manufacturing markets – the NZ economy has to get smarter. 

      • galeandra 5.1.1
        7 December 2012 at 1:47 pm

        most left leaning governments wouldn’t advocate propping up uneconomic manufacturing in the middle of an economic contraction either. ….

        Obama’s auto bailout .. from someone to the right of Reagan. Even in the ol’ USof A!!

        • Populuxe1 5.1.1.1
          7 December 2012 at 2:01 pm

          In that particular instance it was still probably the wrong thing to do, but then again they also risked the total economic collapse of the state of Michigan. 

      • vto 5.1.2
        7 December 2012 at 2:15 pm

        I think you missed the general point pop…

        How much are we prepared to turn a blind eye to us paying people 2c an hour to make our undies?
        How little are we prepared to pay anyone to make our undies? As little as we can possibly get away with and who cares about the undies-maker? (current approach).
        Are you happy to support slavery?

        Why only non-luxury manufacturing? Why would it stop at that pop?
        If we have to “get smarter” as you put it, then how on earth do we do that? Are we the smartest people in the world? And if not, then how would we succeed at that?

        What will we do when cheap labour does everything for us? Do we never labour again?
        And how do we build our trains and make our undies if the slaves stop doing it?

        I just don’t see that the current way the world is operating as sustainable. Entire giant populations of the world are dependent entirely on ships sailing in with their food, trains and undies. Some populations do nothing at all because the slaves do it all. It is just all up the boohai if you ask me…

        • Populuxe1 5.1.2.1
          7 December 2012 at 7:05 pm

          Well unfortunately we don’t live in some airy fairy utopia full of unicorns and rainbows, so if anyone is going get screwed over I’d rather it wasn’t the citizens of this country. It’s incredibly presumptuous and paternalistic of you to tell those countries what their problems – they’re more than aware of them. Of course, I expect some of those “slaves” might be quite glad to be able to feed their families in countries where they don’t have our relatively expensive welfare system. I mean hell, the entire western world is facing the possible collapse of social security and all our Greens can do is whinge that some of the fund is invested with companies that make weapons. Well boo hoo, the world is a shitty cesspit of unfairness and exploitation – the best we can do is try and hold it off from our shores for as long as possible.

          • TheContrarian 5.1.2.1.1
            7 December 2012 at 7:15 pm

            Yeah but you’re too stupid to understand/delusional/an RWNJ…..and so forth

            • Populuxe1 5.1.2.1.1.1
              7 December 2012 at 7:27 pm

              Of course. Anyone who doesn’t preach verbatim from Das Kapital is stupid/delusional/ a RWNJ, etc.
              OK, I would never support third way doctrine either – I’m an old-fashioned national economic protectionist, me. I believe in workers rights, but I’d rather focus on this country where we can actually achieve progress.
              I’m afraid as the world situation worsens, some folk might actually realise that the niceties of liberal democracy we enjoy are actually fragile and expensive, and if we are to continue to enjoy some semblance of them, we may very well have to dirty our hands.

              • TheContrarian …
                7 December 2012 at 8:57 pm

                It doesn’t matter what you believe anymore Populuxe. You have already been tainted with a scarlet letter by disagreeing with the Learned Alphas of The Standard.

                It is too late for people like you and me – we are The Enemy, our fate is written.

          • vto 5.1.2.1.2
            8 December 2012 at 3:18 pm

            Well instead of going off on a rant and throwing in some witty confusing one-liners with noncontrarian you could try and answer the general point, which was expressed thus…

            “How little are we prepared to pay anyone to make our undies? As little as we can possibly get away with and who cares about the undies-maker? (current approach).”

            And you answer in your rant is clear pop. It is, “fuck them get stuck in first, it is a big mean tough world and you have to be a prick to survive so we smell the roses. ” Do you grow roses pop?

      • Johan 5.1.3
        7 December 2012 at 3:22 pm

        Mate you need to remove your blinkers. There is such a thing as cause and effect.
        Every nation in the world will and has been getting screwed economically, simply because of an unlevel playing field in the manufacturing sector.

      • Draco T Bastard 5.1.4
        7 December 2012 at 6:07 pm

        most left leaning governments wouldn’t advocate propping up uneconomic manufacturing in the middle of an economic contraction either.

        It’s not uneconomic. It may not make financial sense but, then, finances are delusional. That is the problem with modern economics – it completely misses the economics and focuses on the monetary side. This results in society collapsing as economies fail.

        • Populuxe1 5.1.4.1
          7 December 2012 at 7:21 pm

          Well roll on arma-fucking-geddon and the return of the barter system and shitting out the window. I mean, it may not make rational sense, but the real world is an illusion and focuses on the mere physical needs of human beings when everyone should be sitting around gazing at their navels and keeping out of trouble.

          • Draco T Bastard 5.1.4.1.1
            7 December 2012 at 9:24 pm

            Who said anything about barter?

            Money is an abstract tool used for moving real resources. The economists and most people have forgotten this and so when they ask if something can be afforded they ask if there’s enough money but don’t ask about the availability of the actual resources. We have the resources to make trains here and thus it is cheaper to make them here but, again, people only focus upon the money and see that it’s cheaper monetary-wise to make them elsewhere and do so. This results in the resources we have here either not being used and/or being sold at far less value to pay for the trains to be made elsewhere. We become poorer from these rather stupid decisions due to excess resources being sold cheaply to pay for expensive work.

            • TheContrarian 5.1.4.1.1.1
              7 December 2012 at 9:33 pm

              “We have the resources to make trains here and thus it is cheaper to make them here”

              Not necessarily. Resources are one part of the cost, labour is another. It is cheaper overseas because you’d only need pay $1NZD per person, per hour over $12.50NZD for the same labour here.

              • Populuxe1 …
                7 December 2012 at 11:04 pm

                Ah, you see, that’s because your stuck on this whole real world existence where people use money to pay for things and Draco isn’t the benign tyrant of the fantasy world state. Do get with the programme.

                • TheContrarian …
                  7 December 2012 at 11:32 pm

                  Draco has this bizarre idea that it is just as cheap to produce things here as it is anywhere else in the world. Which would be true if it wasn’t for that fact it isn’t true.

    • Johan 5.2
      7 December 2012 at 3:11 pm

      Yes we, and every single country in the world is falling into that same old trap of “They can produce it cheaper, therefore our manufacturing sector is uneconomic, and our workers are lazy and greedy” or some bullshit reply. The truth is that the capitalists, starting with the American billionaires, have heavily invested in China
      ( setting up factories), who have agreed to manufacture goods at slave labour rates, which no country can compete against, this is hardly a level playing field.
      “Tricky Dick” Richard Nixon started the ball rolling years ago with an agreement hatched between American capitalists and the Chinese hierarchy, ensuring that American investments would be safe. Now, if Chinese employees protest due to inhuman treatment at work, the local police and army personnel are quick to strikes and general public outbursts of disharmony.
      It is easy to see that we, as a society are heading more in the direction of multi-national corporate control, and less democratic say for individuals.

      • vto 5.2.1
        7 December 2012 at 3:19 pm

        Well I am quite happy for the Chinese police and state army to suppress all attempts by Chinese workers to improve their lot through intimidation, arms, torture and jail so that I can buy cheap undies. I think that is entirely reasonable.

        Go the cheap undies and labour. Go the Chinese state police.

        edit: sarc. btw

        • Populuxe1 5.2.1.1
          7 December 2012 at 7:15 pm

          Ok, this is why you’re an idiot. Most of our economy relies on exports. If other countries don’t buy those exports because they can get them elsewhere cheaper, we’re fucked. Of course if we’re fucked, and we’re having to pay twice or three times the price for locally manufactured versions of your hypothetical undies, we’re even more fucked. Do you have a problem with beneficiaries and poor families being able to afford undies?

          • Draco T Bastard 5.2.1.1.1
            7 December 2012 at 9:27 pm

            Do you have a problem with beneficiaries and poor families being able to afford undies?

            If we produced those undies here and paid well enough then we wouldn’t have beneficiaries or poor people.

            • Populuxe1 5.2.1.1.1.1
              7 December 2012 at 11:08 pm

              Ok, you do understand that if we subsidise undie production in this country we will have to take the money from somewhere else? Or were you just proposing to wave some magic wand and perform a miracle akin to that of the loaves and fishes with said undies? Never mind, you can comfort yourself with images of starving Chinese families.

              • Draco T Bastard …
                8 December 2012 at 12:19 am

                What subsidy?

                People work, get paid. No subsidy. And no need for the Chinese to starve either.

                • Populuxe1 …
                  8 December 2012 at 2:54 pm

                  “and paid well enough” = subsidy.

                  • vto …
                    8 December 2012 at 3:11 pm

                    I know. We could just pay the same labour rates here as over there. Then we would still pay the same for undies and there will also be some jobs as undies makers.. Everyone’s happy.

                    Eh pop.

                    • Populuxe1 …
                      8 December 2012 at 3:56 pm

                      Again with this rather stupid tactic of trying to make me out to be some kind of libertarian or neoliberal. It’s very funny.
                      I want to pay NZ workers at good rates, you buffoon, that’s why I want them doing things that will grow the economy rather than just making you feel less guilty. I also want to be able to afford a robust welfare system, which for an economy like ours becomes less likely if the government is busy propping up The Great New Zealand Undies Mountain.

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      9 December 2012 at 10:55 am

                      “and paid well enough” = subsidy.

                      An interesting concept. So, in your view, nobody except the owners should have enough to live on?

                      that’s why I want them doing things that will grow the economy

                      Can’t grow the economy as doing so is unsustainable. Besides, we’ve been growing the economy for quite some time and poverty has been increasing. Time to do something different.

                      I also want to be able to afford a robust welfare system…

                      We already can do as we have enough resources to keep everyone in a reasonable living standard. The problem is the distribution of those resources.

                      …the government is busy propping up The Great New Zealand Undies Mountain.

                      The government wouldn’t be propping anything up. NZ would just be manufacturing enough from its own resources to keep everyone in a reasonable living standard which, in reality, is actually far less than what we produce now.

  6. burt 6
    7 December 2012 at 9:58 am

    Is there are retraining package for these workers? I think it’s great that tax payers are not maintaining a sheltered workshop but I do feel for the individuals.

  7. Rosie 7
    7 December 2012 at 10:32 am

    I’ve lost count of the times that I’ve had to put my head in my hands over the last four years, upon hearing another “genius!” announcement from our govt. One of those times was upon hearing the news that the contract for making the new fleet of Matangi trains for Wellington would go to South Korea. Time and time again we’ve seen our govt intentionally destroying jobs and the families, communities and local economies that those jobs support. Hillside is no exception and they now join the long list of workers made redundant because of our visionless spineless govt.

    All of this was in mind when I had my first ride on a new matangi train on the Johnsonville line recently. Great ride! Really smooth and comfortable. However knowing that the car we were riding in was not made here, made the trip a little bittersweet. It would have been a source of pride to NZ if those trains had been made here, not to mention the economic benefit to our people. Shame on Kiwirail.

  8. Skinny 8
    7 December 2012 at 10:37 am

    Well John Kerr your Union could have dug their toes in and gone on a nationwide strike. I understand the members have been collective bargaining for a wee while? Christ sake  railways & ports that’s real muscle to deal to this tory Government. Take a leaf out of the Maritime Union & man up or STFU.

    • Rosie 8.1
      7 December 2012 at 12:54 pm

      Skinny, isn’t that a bit of a harsh judgement on the RMTU organiser? Its not their fault the workshop has made 90 workers redundant. Also, how can they go on a nationwide strike when our opportunity to strike is limited by law to a)striking when collective bargaining breaks down and b)when their is is a clear and immediate health and safety threat that managment won’t attend to. Don’t forget its not the organisers decision to strike either, even the opportunity to do so was there for them: The members have to vote on it and the decision to strike is not taken lightly by members.

      I think the members have done the best they can and the show of solidarity from the older workers is really remarkable and admirable, especially in an age when looking out for your mates clashes with the modern workplace ethos of dog eat dog.

      • Skinny 8.1.1
        7 December 2012 at 1:21 pm

         I am not sure what PC world you live in? but collapsing ( breakdown) the bargaining  is child’s play. 

        You elect & pay handsomely a General Secretary for strong leadership, same applies with other paid officials. You give guidance to the membership to vote on, that Unions guidance should be ‘every body out!

        Do you know what a golden handshake is Rosie? That is when a worker closing in on retirement gets paid 30 to 50 years severance pay, commonly called ‘voluntary redundancy.’  

        • Rosie 8.1.1.1
          7 December 2012 at 2:52 pm

          Er, what do you mean “PC world”? It depends on how you use that word. Are you using it in the original context in which the term refers to ones minimisation of causing offense around marginalised members of society and supporting their empowerment OR are you using the term in that lazy right wing way where the term refers to practically everything they might be opposed to for no apparent reason.

          EG: ” I hate all that health and safety bullshit these days, its all so PC”

          Either way Skinny, the world I inhabit is one in which I stand by NZ workers when they are being shafted. Sounds to me like you do too and that you’re angry with the outcome for these workers, as anyone who cares about lives of people and the future of manufacturing in NZ should do. Also sounds like you place the blame for it on the Union officials. I tend to blame KiwiRail. Maybe you know more about the job meetings the membership may have held prior to their forthcoming redundancies but I’m guessing that if the membership happened to be invloved in their annual or bi-annual negotiations and they wanted to put a motion forward to strike over this issue then they would have done. Like many Unions in NZ nowdays, the RMTU is a democratic one. It works from the ground up. Its not for the officials to boss them around and tell them what to do. Comes back to empowerment.

          Like I said before, the decision to strike is never taken lightly given the hardship this imposes on households so unless you are actually a worker and RMTU member involved (and maybe you are and thats why you take issue with the officials) its not your place to say what the Union (and the Union IS the membership) should have done. Only those affected know whats best for them.

          • Skinny 8.1.1.1.1
            7 December 2012 at 5:53 pm

            Thanks for your assumptions Rosie… now point your rivet gun down at your big toe… close your eyes and pull the trigger ‘joke.’
             
             Cutting to the chase, this is really about having a GO having a go for all of us, standing up and saying enough! 

            Look at the teachers in Christchurch, is there strike lawful? No, do they care NO.   

            Play this Government at their own game of manufacturing, all be it a manufactured democracy.

             Great example is ‘state assets sales’ Nationals  trying to force on us. Fortunately the 350,000 signatures are very close. Its been easy for me personally  to sign hundreds of Kiwi’s up… rich, poor, young & old. 

            Now that’s real democracy. people saying “get lost.” 

            Back to that Union & their officials, they were in a position to stop the ROT for all of us, by a bit of ‘manufactured democracy’ of their own.  By ‘screwing the scrum’ call it what you like, but they could have done it! 

            As for those members, they have had good wages & conditions for years, so a day or two of striking is paying their dues.    

            • Rosie 8.1.1.1.1.1
              7 December 2012 at 6:50 pm

              Skinny, it’s not me you should be taking up the fight with. We’re on the same side. I want to see ALL NZer’s, not just organisational bodies, standing up and fighting for their democracy and to reclaim all that we’ve lost but we’re not. Our main streets are quiet. 4 years on, too little too late.

              • Skinny …
                7 December 2012 at 7:02 pm

                Correct my point is if you have the muscle use it! Most workers don’t have a blunt instrument which to smack the bosses & or the Government with 🙂

  9. Jaybob 9
    7 December 2012 at 10:57 am

    I have never wanted NZ to become another state of Australia. But, this year, it seems like our only hope. Kiwi life has become so dumbed-down, dishonest, and fractured that unity with Australia seems to offer more hope than us being a Chinese-owned labour pool with natural resources.

  10. Pete 10
    7 December 2012 at 12:12 pm

    Manufacturing has suffered a lot in Dunedin over the past five years. Fisher and Paykel, changes at Cadbury’s, this and a number of smaller local engineering firms. Each is a body blow to a city where there aren’t so many opportunities for people.

  11. TheContrarian 11
    7 December 2012 at 12:37 pm

    First sentence of the article preview on the main page reads “Aanother sad chapter in the ongoing collapse of manufacturing in NZ.”.

    Might wanna drop the extra ‘a’ in ‘Aanother’

    • fender 11.1
      7 December 2012 at 12:51 pm

      Yeah there’s no way to comprehend aanything after such a major error like that, ggood thing you ccame to the rrescue CC.

  12. mike 12
    7 December 2012 at 2:29 pm

    So John Key is trying to play the ‘gee I tried hard to save them jobs’ role here? Maybe, uh, don’t go the cheaper Chinese option? Anyone remember the ‘buy kiwi made and we’ve got it made’ campaign? What was that all about? Let me see now…

  13. fender/same sentiment less eloquent Viper 13
    7 December 2012 at 3:39 pm

    When the kids train set made in china broke the passengers were lucky as they were plastic also. Am not looking forward to the grown up version having the same problem, those rail accidents in slave land look very nasty indeed.

  14. fisiani 14
    7 December 2012 at 3:46 pm

    In the 1900 there were more metal ships built on the River Clyde than in all the other shipyards in the world. Both sides of the river had shipyards side by side for many a mile. In 2000 there were just two shipyards left. One was building oil rigs and the other was builing naval ships. In the 70’s my father, a welder, showed me a tender contract. The Glasgow workers had submitted a tender for a ship. A Korean yard submitted a tender for the same ship and the price quoted was less than the cost of the raw materials. ie without the cost of labour.
    The shipyard in Glasgow closed in 1974 and the ramifications for employment were severe with a knockon of 1for 6 shipyard redundancies for those in coalfields, steelworkers, iron works, car factories, tyre manufacturers, retailing etc etc.
    Sadly the answer is not as simplistic as subsidising heavy engineering, an argument strong on emotion but pitiful in global economics.
    The answer is in growing the productive side of our economy. It is why I was a Socialist as a teenager but have seen the light and it is truly a brighter future.

    • vto 14.1
      7 December 2012 at 4:13 pm

      sadly the answer is neither as wishful as the “grow the productive side” silliness either fisiani. That looks like one of them treadmills widdle mices run around in their cages.

    • Draco T Bastard 14.2
      7 December 2012 at 9:30 pm

      The answer is in growing the productive side of our economy.

      No you moron the answer is in decreasing the amount people actually work. We have poverty simply because our productivity is already far beyond what is needed to support ourselves but almost all of it is going to support the very few while everyone else starves.

      • Populuxe1 14.2.1
        7 December 2012 at 11:18 pm

        I’m not sure you can treat the real world as a game of Civilisation. But let me see if I understand: you expect businesses to pay their employees more money to do less work, irrespective of the size of the business, the lack of efficiency in increasing staff numbers, the expense of securing more skilled staff to make up the shortfall, the ethical issues with preventing someone from working when they can and want to (because while you might possibly be a lazy bastard, not everyone is by inclination) etc etc. Also Malthus and basic mathematics would suggest productivity must stay beyond what is needed to support ourselves (if we must except that ridiculous premise) because population growth and energy usage are exponential, as is technological advance. But then again I expect you want us all to live like medieval peasants.

        • Draco T Bastard 14.2.1.1
          8 December 2012 at 12:40 am

          But let me see if I understand: you expect businesses to pay their employees more money to do less work,

          The problem is productivity and who gets the rewards for the increases that we’ve seen. Over the last few decades the people who own the businesses have gotten all the productivity gains while everyone else is going deeper and deeper into poverty (yes, that includes the middle classes). This is happening because the economy has been hijacked by the capitalist class so that it only benefits them. This has to be changed so that the economy benefits everyone and ensures that a) no one lives in poverty and b) that it’s sustainable. Neither of these things apply at the moment due to the greed of the capitalists who take all the gains for themselves.

          Part of the problem is money as I said up thread. It’s not a resource and yet people treat it as one and then people also try to pay less in money than what is needed to provide the service/product that they want to buy. Given the illusion of buying cheaper Chinese made trains only results in more poverty here as well as the trains actually costing more (that poverty isn’t free) and the cost is inflated due to having to export low quality goods to pay for high quality ones.

          But then again I expect you want us all to live like medieval peasants.

          Yeah, that would be why I keep saying that we need to build high tech fab plants here.

    • RedLogix 14.3
      7 December 2012 at 9:40 pm

      The answer is in growing the productive side of our economy.

      Well that sounds cool. Care to enlarge on how you think this might be achieved?

      • Fisiani 14.3.1
        7 December 2012 at 9:47 pm

        9 more years!

        • RedLogix 14.3.1.1
          7 December 2012 at 10:58 pm

          Of increasing unemployment and job destruction?

          Of an economy that’s still shrinking?

          By exporting record numbers of kiwi’s to aussie?

          Of a replay of the same failed 1990’s policies that led to a decade of under-performance?

          Or do you have something else in mind that the rest of us have completely missed?

      • Populuxe1 14.3.2
        7 December 2012 at 11:20 pm

        Added value processing to primary products and intellectual property. That’s how it usually works.

        • Draco T Bastard 14.3.2.1
          8 December 2012 at 12:42 am

          But that’s just it, we’re not doing that and haven’t been for some time. Instead we’re focusing on having more low tech farms.

  15. xtasy 15
    8 December 2012 at 1:57 am

    I know for a fact that most NZ workers, like at the Hillside engineering works, would be too happy to put in their best efforts for a good day’s work and reasonable pay. They would not even want to expect too much in pay increases, as long as they have job security.

    But that is NOT what this government is interested in.

    It is solely pre-occupied with cost spread-sheets and comparing labour costs with that in China or Korea or elsewhere. They forget the social costs associated with unemployment, low skilled employment, lower tax takes and the likes.

    NatACT are traitors to workers, and their comments about supposedly having tried all to keep the jobs are as hollow as the promises they made to voters in past elections.

    Now surely, NZ voters must slowly wake up and see what the truth is all about.

    I am sure, with the right resources and determination, trains could be built in NZ, at least waggons and equipment. But it is not wanted, as the cheapest bidder is what counts. So also NZ is selling milk powder and raw logs in return, trying to “earn a living”, which is more and more nothing but low quality and leaving too many out of the equation.

    But the ones still hanging in there think of number one only. I am right, jack, fuck the rest, that is sadly what I see and hear of too much. This plays into the hands of Key and NatACT.

  16. Jaybob 16
    9 December 2012 at 11:26 am

    I’d rather say “we can build trains” than “we can buy trains”. If they don’t work properly, we can fix them, because we built them. In fact, we might get really good at it, building them at Tiwai Point or somewhere.

    I was thinking about Italy’s exporting success with engineering – not just sports cars and espresso machines but also typewriters, ice-groomers, and flash ride-on lawn-mowers.

    Mechanical and electrical engineering expertise tends to GROW across industries. NZ does very well in exporting engineering for marine, aviation and farming applications, to name a few, but avoids the investment in heavy engineering capacity that might be necessary in transport, such as shipping, and trains.

    We have a lot of ironsand and a lot of geothermal and hydroelectric power to turn it into steel to make ships to send our trains overseas, if only it wasn’t for the short-term focus that gets us lost in the woods.

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    1 hour 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
    4 hours 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
    6 hours 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
    6 hours 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
    6 hours 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
    7 hours 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
    7 hours 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
    8 hours 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
    10 hours 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
    11 hours 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
    13 hours 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
    20 hours 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
    21 hours 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
    21 hours 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
    21 hours 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
    21 hours 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
    21 hours 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
    21 hours 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
    22 hours 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
    23 hours 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
    24 hours 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
    24 hours 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
    24 hours 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
    24 hours 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
    24 hours 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day ago

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

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

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

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

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

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

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

    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 days ago

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

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

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

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

  • 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
    2 hours 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 ...
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    3 hours 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
    4 hours 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 ...
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    4 hours 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 ...
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    4 hours 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 ...
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    7 hours 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 ...
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    18 hours ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
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    24 hours ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
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    1 day 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
    1 day 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 - ...
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    1 day 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 ...
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    1 day 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 ...
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    1 day 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 ...
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    1 day ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
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    2 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
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    2 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
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    2 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
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    2 days ago

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

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

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

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
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    4 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 ...
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    4 days ago

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

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

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

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

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government redress for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua
    The Government is continuing the bipartisan effort to restore its relationship with iwi as the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill passed its first reading in Parliament today, says Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith. “Historical grievances of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua relate to 19th century warfare, land purchased or taken ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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