I’m not much into conspiracy theories, but something struck me the other day as – well, worth investigating further, because I know little about the subject. Perhaps someone on the Standard can amplify the matter?
This was that the USA joined the TPPA negotiations on or around 2008, at the time when Key had just become leader of the National Party/Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Are we then just part of a giant neoliberalist conspiracy funded by the corporates of the United States, and aimed at total domination of the world by the wealthy elite?
So john Key just gained at least five points after refusing to go to Waitangi (a good decision if a bit late) this will either add more to National and/or take away votes from the left
The people I saw up close with the most restraint were the New Zealand Police. I watched for half an hour as they were screamed at within centremetres of their faces, with dozens of protests’ i-phones raised waiting for someone to make the all-important first punch. All for television.
Not a word from them. Not a muscle twitched. Just ice-cool.
And from there, the protest energy at the Sky City entrance dissipated to very little.
Impressive work from the New Zealand Police there.
The ones doing the screaming were possibly the Rent-a-Mob that Gnats like to refer to at protests, no doubt knowing personally that such a thing exists because they ordered one to take-away.
Dunedin anti-TPP protester Olive McRae said yesterday’s mass protests in Auckland had been “very positive”, and emphasised she did not want what happened to her to distract from the success of the overall protest.
This was despite a badly swollen scalp, and bruising elsewhere on her body sustained during a day of protest, including an incident in which her hair was pulled by a police officer, during a motorway protest yesterday afternoon…
Ms McRae emphasised she had been engaged in a peaceful protest, and she and fellow protesters had gone to great lengths to ensure no members of the public, including motorists, were injured or put at risk.
She rejected suggestions the hair pulling was necessary to remove her from the highway for her own safety, and said police had used excessive force.
And what does it say about not only the current National government, but NZ itself, that there will be many of us whose first thought will be Dirty Politics?
How did John Key handle the bombing of Tolley’s office? In response to advice that MPs might want to close their offices meantime, Key said that the safety of people at work was paramount.
He is of course correct.
But also hypocritical as that was not an issue for him with his ongoing hair pulling of a young woman at work.
The second example of Key’s hypocrisy in just one day- this one being not going to Waitangi after his criticism of Clark back in 2007and his promises to always attend.
Here is a comment from an exporter (grundle) re the chinese FTA agreement by a manufacturer.
I will quote in full
e all (or some of us do) know what a ‘crock’ the TFA with China has been.
If the agreement with China was an FTA then explain why we have been paying an 8% tariff on all beef exported into China.
I own a manufacturing company in Auckland and supply a global company which also has suppliers in China. During a ‘bench-marking’ exercise which all manufacturers/suppliers around the globe quoted Tax paid, FIS, prices into each country.
Lordie, Lord, guess what. I had to add 28% to my FIS price into China. The Chinese would add….ZERO to their FIS Auckland price.
Free Trade agreement I think not!! What sort of muppets do we have running NZ Inc???
Clark, Prime Minister at the time, heralded this as the first Western country to achieve an FTA with China….What a load of BS!!
In the last 12 months my company has lost 3 customers to China, two of which relate to Govt. supply contracts.
Remember, every $1.0m that is spent on importing goods equates to 9.4 FTE, both direct and indirect.
If that $1.0m spent importing goods was kept in the NZ economy the Govt would see a $288k return. That $1.0m actually costs us $1.288m. Lost jobs, less PAYE, less GST, etc..
This simple economic fact seems to elude our esteemed politicians. Maybe our leaders aren’t as smart as the believe they are and besides ” it doesn’t matter, because the plebs don’t know any better themselves….”
Is the TPP going to be another Chinese FTA??
A question for John Key. Explain the reason/s for gifting government contracts to the Chinese, whilst our NZ manufacturers are complying with Aust/NZ standards and the Chinese do not comply. The adage; ” you get what you pay for” has been played out for example, in the railway electrification of Auckland. Within three years the Chinese supplied barriers and fencing are rusting out and falling over. Aust/NZ standards for galvanised structures…. what do you mean??
Correctly gauged rolled hollow section steel…All under gauged ….Hey but its cheap and we can’t upset our Chinese masters can we!!!
Stand up NZrs and demand that our government actually starts looking out for local providers of local employment. NOT sucking up to the Chinese at the cost to local businesses and employment.
Read the BERLE REPORT and learn something!!
Regards the TPP. Lets see some detail and solid evidence pointing to a real, not imagined, advantage for NZ Inc.
“Stand up NZrs and demand that our government actually starts looking out for local providers of local employment. NOT sucking up to the Chinese at the cost to local businesses and employment”
dv
So some little manufacturer doesn’t get everything he wants. He does apparently sell in China. When reading this load of complaints, remember that even Fonterra which is our biggest exporter in the sector of dairy produce is only a small player in the world Compare how much more miniscule this little exporter is.
That we managed to make arrangements with China through a trade agreement kept us in the picture, at the table able to talk and deal with this huge country. We are tiny, they are big and powerful. We can’t get just what we want in these circumstances. We just have to try for the best. And note that bigger countries than we are, get grumpy because they don’t get what they want. Sometimes they go to war about it which isn’t a good thing for them and their people really, and not for the world either.
We just have to keep dealing and trying for a better price. And not give away all our worldly goods as may be the price for belonging to the TPPA with its airy-fairy promises. We get vague promises, they get the right to sue us for airy-fairy profits they dreamed up for the future, and that haven’t come to fruition and they can blame that on us somehow. TPPA has been dreamt up by someone who used to send letters to Santa at the North Pole asking for really good stuff and got it! Such people have always expected to get what they want. Now they want to send us their wish list.
edited
Day after day – I see logging trucks laden with unsawn logs travel past on their way to Tauranga. There must be a hundred or more a week. They by-pass one of the largest saw mills in the country – now closed its doors with the loss of hundreds of jobs. Those logs are destined for …. China.
Part of the FTA is that we cannot export sawn lumber to China. Great deal!
NZ in WW2 sent a battalion of foresters to England with the express purpose to log and saw their spruce for the manufacture of the Mosquito. The Brits did not have the know how nor the capability to do it themselves fast enough.
Part of the heritage of this country was built on saw milling – now because of a FTA we are not allowed to do it!
If we were to put our foot down and demand that we only export sawn lumber – the ISDS machine would spring into action immediately.
Swings and roundabouts Macro. We have been not-value-adding to our products for yonks now. I believe that the timber industry is badly skewed, the wood may be straight but the business practices aren’t. Is it true that we have to pay overseas prices for our own timber now that it is privatised and been sold to Fletchers, which I believe was then bought by Graeme Hunt? And that we had to make special treaties with Fletchers to prevent export of all, leaving us with insufficient for our own national needs?
We got milk to China and we know that nothing else matters except dairy. Which has been in milk rush fever for yonks. So we can’t saw our own lumber, that is par for the course in this crazy global market. We do what we do best, then export it so they can do what they do best to it, and then, and so on. It is strange that this is so much like the old type British unionism where each union would only do the work that was covered by their union agreement, another union then did their bit. Much amusement was had because perhaps an electrician could instal something but someone else had to test it. It was uneconomic and inefficient so that got scrapped.
Yet the production of things being split up between nations with much unnecessary transport and handling and bug-carrying shipping, is the received wisdom of all modern business economics. Don’t argue with the wisdom of the business class Macro. They know how to rub the genie to create profit, their magic is stronger, than your practical arguments.
edited
Talking about mugs. What about a line of mugs with political faces on them, perhaps caricatured, for fund raising by the Labour Party. as time moves towards next election? Labour pollies would have to form part of the set – have their faces on them. But better to be talked about for something, than ignored.
Labour could organise a buffet diner to raise money, buying a mug would be a prerequisite along with the dinner cost and there would be a Greek style Zorba music dance, and instead of throwing plates on the floor, they would throw National mugs. That would get some interesting publicity and indicate the strength of determination to win and save the country, and the Labour Party at the same time.
edited
Just a health and safety warning on the mug throwing exercise. The mugs would fracture and there might be some flying splinters so the crowd should stand in a large circle well back from the central impact. Pollies create many dangers which can cut you up and this could be another occurrence – so beware.
Wellington’s hospitality industry is in decline. Is cheap booze being sold in supermarkets really to blame? Or does it come down to a growing lack of disposable income?
Alistair Boyce, managing director of the Backbencher pub near Parliament, wants to see legislation introduced that would set a minimum price per standard drink, across both off-licences and on-licensed premises.
A wee while ago a 500ml bottle of beer cost a little over $2nz across a Dusseldorf bar – same beer across the bar in Whanganui – $7 for a 330ml bottle. Fuck em’.
I think it is reduced disposable income for the most part. People like to go out, and would go out more if they could stretch their income that far. In Australia, the alcohol prices favour the pub over the off-license but drinks at the pub are quite a bit cheaper than they are here, relative to income. However, the pubs in the major Aussie cities do have a much bigger customer base. What might make a difference is a culture change whereby having a drink is associated with conviviality and catching up with friends, rather than drinking up large. This might broaden the pub’s customer base and allow for a price-shift favouring the pub, since they would be able to sell a few drinks to many rather than try to sell many rather expensive drinks to a few. But as things stand, I suspect that raising off-license prices will just lower people’s standards rather than send them running down to the local.
“I think it is reduced disposable income for the most part. People like to go out, and would go out more if they could stretch their income that far.”
Indeed.
“But as things stand, I suspect that raising off-license prices will just lower people’s standards rather than send them running down to the local.”
Or result in them staying home more and drinking less often.
I agree a culture change may help, but if the hospitality industry want to increase consumer demand, then they need to support and push issues that will put more money in peoples pockets while opposing those that will result in consumers having less.
…if the hospitality industry want to increase consumer demand, then they need to support and push issues that will put more money in peoples pockets while opposing those that will result in consumers having less I agree, but also suspect that the squeeze runs all the way down. I have known a bar to get pokies, for instance, not because they wanted them, but because the rent from them meant keeping afloat. Meanwhile the franchises put the squeeze on franchisees, etc. It is not just publicans supporting low wages and still wanting to sell drinks, it is each layer taking their pound of flesh, with low-paid workers and high-priced drinks as the end result.
“It is not just publicans supporting low wages and still wanting to sell drinks, it is each layer taking their pound of flesh, with low-paid workers and high-priced drinks as the end result”
And it’s that kind of structuring that requires to be opposed Even those on the top (applying the squeeze) lose out when patrons stop coming and bars close.
I think, at least for those over about 25, there is the reduced alcohol limit when driving that worries them. They don’t want to go out for a meal and not have a couple of glasses of wine with the food.
The ridiculous campaign the police are running which basically tries to tell you that you cannot safely drink anything is putting people off going out. It doesn’t apply to the younger ones who aren’t driving on their boozing nights anyway.
The person complaining is a special case of course. He lets politicians into his establishment which lowers the tone enormously. Would you want to drink in a place that let Trevor Mallard or Peter Dunne through the door?
“Is cheap booze being sold in supermarkets really to blame? Or does it come down to a growing lack of disposable income? ”
Neither, they’ve just slowly priced themselves out of the market. It’s the classic instance of diminishing returns; the more they put their prices up the less interest people had in buying their booze. No sympathy here.
Pub prices are outrageous, small wonder youngsters pre-load.
“The price of alcohol in off license establishments has always been substantially lower.”
Bollocks, you’re talking to an old public bar boozer here. A pint of tap beer used to be little more than bottle store prices, now they whack on outrageous markups of 400, 500, 600% and more.
High alcohol prices were the domain of first after-hours nightclubs and then trendy bars where the nobs would go to avoid mixing with the working class. They were justified by bar owners either for the short opening hours or low patronage.
When people pre-load it’s a pretty clear message they want to drink at their destination but can’t or won’t because the prices are too high for them.
Bollocks, you’re talking to an old public bar boozer here. A pint of tap beer used to be little more than bottle store prices, now they whack on outrageous markups of 400, 500, 600% and more.
Sorry but you just have it wrong here. At many pubs you could go from bar to bottle store and buy a flagon of tap beer for much the same price you’d pay at the bar.
Bottles cost more than tap beer largely due the cost of bottling but the difference wasn’t that great, was only the boutique beers with high prices.
Prices are considered high because they are high. You can’t load on a huge 500% markup and expect to maintain your sales numbers. Too many bar owners are just plain greedy. You don’t see the popular bars dropping their prices, they’re more than happy to rake it in when the going’s good.
Back in the day you could swap an empty flagon for a pre-filled one at minimal cost. However, it still cost more to drink in a bar and far more in a nightclub when they came about. Yet, they still use to pull the crowds in.
People would queue down Courtenay Place to get into Serepisos’s place. And before that, Ray Johns had them queuing up the stairs at Spats.
IMO, people just don’t have the disposable income to blow on partying as they used too.
Prices have increased but have bar margins, thus return? Overheads such as rent/lease and power increases would have had an impact.
Wages have also increased. But have they kept up?
We also have an aging population.
If bars were making a good return, (and going off closures, a number don’t) we wouldn’t hear gripes like this (link above) coming from within the industry.
However, in saying that, it could be a ploy to reduce competition.
The mind boggles.
I think you’d probably collapse about 2 hours after the bar opened.
On the other hand I do remember many years ago in my University days there were people who would go and have an 8 ounce beer in every pub in Wellington between 9am and 6pm. There were about 45 I think. Never tried it myself. I was foolish occasionally but never that foolish.
The late great Whanganui bicycle crawl was jug a pub jobbie, handles for ladies, starting at The Castlecliff ,all the way across town to The Aramaho, back down the river to The Riverside, Fosters, Rutland, Imperial, Railway, Criterion, Masonic, Federal, Commercial and then over the river to The Red lion Inn.
Face plants and heatstroke etc made for a big day thin on finishers.
Fond memories of Hammond Gamble in particular, swimming in the indoor pool in the bar while the bands played, the guys in the pool team the occasional brawl over the table, the flat upstairs and the Aussie receptionist.
Good times.
I remember the bicycle run and yeah beer was much cheaper and there was a good wine-shop in the main street, opposite Dowsetts, which closed down like many not long after supermarkets were allowed to sell alcohol.
Crawled out a window at the Rutland to avoid the coppers when I was 16 or 17. I have a vague memory of seeing Hammond Gamble and Midge Marsden there, possibly after the bikes on Boxing Day. I also did a couple of crawls, but as most of my mates were Eastsiders, we’d start at the Aramoho, then do the run to the ‘cliff and back into town via the Red. We’d park up there and walk over the bridge to do the town pubs.
Sadly, most of the other pubs mentioned above are long gone. However, the Station lives on as a sports club over by Peat park. It’s a top joint. As luck would have it, I’ll be in the river city tomorrow. Might check out the ‘new’ Riverside bar, see if it’s any chop.
Same thing applied at the Wellington 7’s, only 13k attendance, I wondered about the reasons and if it was economic, what a shame for a great comp if people simply can’t afford to go, and an indictment of the economic policies of this govt.
Waitangi
Key does not attend because he may give power to the unelected opposition reps to enhance their profile on nat tv
Sorry John you dont get to play political bias as PM. You have an obligation and if your security needs to be cranked up for your so called safety that you feel you dont need, well PUT YOUR BALLS WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS AND PROVE IT
Gandhi fronted all sorts of violence and threats to his political profile to the point of being assassinated but knowing it would come, did not give up his principles and actions to achieve independence and democracy for India
On Keys stance he is not addressing the fact that Waitangi is a commemoration of the Treaty and protests are protests .If the protest are illegal and a danger to the govt to be there, Then use the law, you had no trouble at Tetoki bringing a hit squad .
Key is playing the Yank public opinion game of the FDR era, he aint called Slippery for nothing .
Key is trying to sidestep the fact that Maori do have a right to demand clarity over the TPPA and any other crown agreements will be affected by the statutes of the Treaty and why not address it at Waitangi .Key wont do that because of the law and he has already sold out the treaty and NZ in te TPPA and the only way out for NZ is to get rid of the TPPA by electing a govt that will do so .
The TPPA is a mobile ponzi where America gets to take over the sovereignty of the Pacific countries and as we know the real gains to NZ are minimal but isnt interesting to note that the great highs in milk prices have decreased as this TPPA has gained traction and from that you could easily follow that to the drop in currency value and the fact that oil will bottom right out as recent finds in Europe have completely changed the game .And as for the 2008 Crash hoax well Johnny saviour we know we know you are dangerous BS
Key got his TPPA mates in AK to sign the starter for one world govt without full disclosure to the people of NZ. 605 corporations in the states have had the full text since its drafting, why not the people of NZ ?
So Johnny stop pullin our ponytail/chain and face it you have been caught by the Chaser Game Over lets hope 2017
This would be good scheme for a the Green or Labour Party to propose in this country. Might get some of the missing million back to the ballot boxes:
Under a law passed unanimously by the French senate, as of Wednesday large shops will no longer bin good quality food approaching its best-before date. Charities will be able to give out millions more free meals each year to people struggling to afford to eat… Supermarkets will also be barred from deliberately spoiling food in order to stop it being eaten by people foraging in stores’ bins…
Crucially the law will also make it simpler for the food industry to give some excess products directly to food banks from factories. Until now, if a dairy factory made yoghurts carrying the brand name of a supermarket, it had been a long, complex process to donate any excess to charity. Now it would be faster and easier…
Of the 7.1m tonnes of food wasted in France annually, 67% is binned by consumers, 15% by restaurants and 11% by shops. Each year 1.3bn tonnes of food are wasted worldwide.
@Chairman of course it will but that’s too reasonable, sensible and logical. Besides, Labour hate us as much as the Nats, that’s been an established fact since 1999. They have no intention of increasing benefits. They won’t even talk about it.
And here’s an interesting example. On the surface young lad made good and then you see stuff like this and see the dependency on the right connections and where the money comes from.
“Crimson immediately found a market: Beaton’s old high school, King’s College. “We had a very quick client base from people who knew of my experience going through. Parents talk, and they all want the best for their kids.” He adds: “We’ve been cash-flow positive since day one.”
“The Motivational Corner was one of four businesses Beaton bought last year. There was also UniTutor, a university tutoring service; MedView, a company that prepares students wanting admission to New Zealand’s medical schools; and Play Atlantic, which helps student athletes win scholarships to overseas universities (Max Key, the prime minister’s son, is a Play Atlantic consultant).”
No question he’s bright and works hard but I wouldn’t think there’s anyone in my neighborhood paying for his services – or even able to.
And before the righties get stuck in – nope I’m not jealous it just seems to me to quietly reinforce the whole plutonomy service the rich, have the right connections concept.
as an aside, this is why the rhetoric about GE/Monsanto feeding the world is bullshit. We have plenty of non-GE capacity to grow food for everyone, it’s just that some of us don’t want to share.
Did anyone else notice the large drones piggybacked on transport planes flying into Whenupai airbase on tuesday evening?
Seemed quite ominous to me considering the TPP signing coming up.
Maybe it’s a regular thing apparently we build them here but these things looked really big like the U.S ones.
Labour leader Andrew Little and Labour MPs are standing outside the Te Tii Marae gates in the rain after the Green Party went on ahead of them.
The Opposition parties were to be welcomed on at the same time, but instead the Greens have been taken on for a separate powhiri. That has left Labour standing in the rain for an hour.
Although they are not supposed to talk politics on the marae, they are apparently happy to show their colours – the Labour group is a blaze of Labour branded umbrellas and flags.
TPPA
It may have been explained already, but why the rush to get it through parliament now.
Most parties appear to have 2 years to ratify the agreement.
Why not open it to clause by clause scrutiny in our parliament over the next 18 months.
What’s the Key government’s rush?
Kiwis are unaccustomed to having to remove worthless governments – unlike the Poms, who rioted in the streets over Maggie’s poll tax.
We expect better governments than we get, and the governments in turn have lost their respect and loyalty to the people. There will be tears before bedtime one of these days, as either the people or a despotic regime assert power.
Mike “Contra” Hosking clearly intends his “aspirational” heroes to
be a standing reproach to protestors and other “dicks”. Seven Sharp, Television One, Friday 5 February 2016
That brilliantined, preening, self-aggrandizing [1] National Party placeman and SkyCity Casino shill Mike “Contra” Hosking likes to keep repeating that, like the National Party, he’s all about “aspiration”. On tonight’s program, he pushed this message with a vengeance, and his grinning, giggling underling Toni Street followed along obediently….
Item no. 1: An interesting report about young people who learn to fly, and who build and launch rockets for a hobby. This of course provides the thoughtful and serious host with an opportunity for a pointed little homily….
MIKE “CONTRA” HOSKING: What a contrast with some of the people we’ve seen on the streets yesterday, [speaking through closed lips, through the side of his mouth] who are not involved in launching rockets, shall we say?
TONI STREET:[grinning nervously] Yeeeees.
Item no. 2: World Bike Polo championships in Timaru. The organizer says the key message for all Bike Polo players is “Don’t be a dick.” After some quite interesting bike polo action, it’s back to the studio….
MIKE “CONTRA” HOSKING: Words to live by. Words to live by—“Don’t be a dick.” TONI STREET:[still grinning nervously] Ha ha ha ha!
Item no. 3: A Super Bowl commercial, featuring Dame Helen Mirren scolding drink-drivers, labeling them as “a short-sighted waste of space” and “a Darwin Award contender”, amongst other things. At the end of it, there is a brief moment of awe-struck silence, then there is this….
MIKE “CONTRA” HOSKING: Wonderful, eh!
Item no. 4: After noting that Joseph Parker is the number one contender for the world title, Hosking purrs, “Amazing, eh!”
To hear Hosking utter such fervent endorsements will not have surprised long-time Hosking monitors, many of whom will have recalled his endorsement, a couple of years ago on his NewstalkZB radio program, of another right wing ranter. After playing several minutes of his hero loudly and offensively excoriating black men in the United States, Hosking ascended to full worship mode, panting with excitement: “Good, eh!”
The right wing ranter that Hosking commended to his beleaguered listeners was Bill Cosby.
“UN panel has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been ‘arbitrarily detained’ in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, calling upon the UK and Sweden to end Assange’s deprivation of liberty.
“The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) … considered that Mr. Julian Assange was arbitrarily detained by the Governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,” the statement said.
The group concluded that the WikiLeaks founder “is entitled to his freedom of movement and to compensation.”
…”On Thursday, an official from OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner) Christophe Peschoux said if UN panel concludes that a person’s rights have been violated then “the decision is indirectly, but still legally binding on the relevant authorities and states.” ”
“The opinions of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention are legally-binding to the extent that they are based on international human rights law, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The binding nature of its opinions derives from the collaboration by states in the procedure, the adversarial nature of is findings and also by the authority given to the WGAD by the UN Human Rights Council.”
‘Assange sex case: Five things you may not know about it’
“Government departments produce draft documents for consideration all the time. This is a draft document which has not been seen by the Minister or his staff – nothing more,” a spokesperson for the Minister said in a statement.”
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 KotahiThe fact that a ...
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 ...
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 CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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; ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
“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 ...
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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
.“$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 ...
“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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 → ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track 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 publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
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 publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
"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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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, ...
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. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. 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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 19 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
He’s bringing ‘Sophie’ back, yeah. Goodshirt’s ‘Sophie’ music video is one of the most instantly recognisable New Zealand music videos of all time. Featuring a woman listening to the song on headphones while her entire house is burgled behind her, the video won the New Zealand music award for Best ...
I’m not much into conspiracy theories, but something struck me the other day as – well, worth investigating further, because I know little about the subject. Perhaps someone on the Standard can amplify the matter?
This was that the USA joined the TPPA negotiations on or around 2008, at the time when Key had just become leader of the National Party/Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Are we then just part of a giant neoliberalist conspiracy funded by the corporates of the United States, and aimed at total domination of the world by the wealthy elite?
Conspiracy is the wrong word, it’s actually the way the system works with politicians tools of the uber wealthy controllers.
Key is the tool placed briefed and ready in a blue seat for when the brash model imploded. They had to act fast after blinglish eroding their base.
Radio New Zealand disseminating misinformation about the numbers at the TPPA protest.
Look at the aerial photos, Mr Griffin.
It is a little known fact that Richard Griffin, in addition to his other responsibilities at RNZ, is the sole person in charge of crowd estimates.
Working for the Fuerher.
Heard of that expression.
The office of Anne Tolley has been firebombed.
It will be a real measure of Key how he handles this. Particularly in this confluence of Waitangi Day and TPPA protests.
He could easily go gung-ho with the Police and security services.
I pray he chooses the path of restraint and peace.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/76601668/government-minister-anne-tolleys-office-firebombed–reports
So john Key just gained at least five points after refusing to go to Waitangi (a good decision if a bit late) this will either add more to National and/or take away votes from the left
The left just make it far too easy for National
The people I saw up close with the most restraint were the New Zealand Police. I watched for half an hour as they were screamed at within centremetres of their faces, with dozens of protests’ i-phones raised waiting for someone to make the all-important first punch. All for television.
Not a word from them. Not a muscle twitched. Just ice-cool.
And from there, the protest energy at the Sky City entrance dissipated to very little.
Impressive work from the New Zealand Police there.
Umm… I think the police learned a thing or two in 1981 too.
I think the police learned a thing or two in 1981 too.
The police on the streets yesterday weren’t even BORN in 1981.
lolz. Another Nat. simpleton.
Checkmate atheists
Hi Anne
Isn’t it funny how these RWNJ’s can’t even add 2 and 2 together to get the obvious answer, no wonder they vote the way they do.
Thanks Obama
The ones doing the screaming were possibly the Rent-a-Mob that Gnats like to refer to at protests, no doubt knowing personally that such a thing exists because they ordered one to take-away.
Speaking of restraint:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/372065/protester-bruised-still-upbeat
Thanks, I was wondering if we would hear her story. Good on her for being so reasonable.
When I saw the pic, I couldn’t help thinking of the Key connection, you know, the pony tail thing, I bet it crossed the mind of Olive at the time.
He cant be in Waitangi and Bluff at the same time, He is going to Bluff to pull down all the nasty flags
Perhaps Yek is going to Bluff hoping to eat some good oysters to boost his morale.
What are the flags in Bluff?
He cant be at Waitangi . He has bigger fish to fry. Key is going down to Bluff to pull down all the nasty blue flags
Yeah, although your mob are way better at sinister.
/
Second time this week. Some idiot tried the same thing to Gerry Brownlee’s office on Monday night. I wonder if they have caught the fool.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/76446286/vandals-attack-mp-gerry-brownlees-christchurch-office.html
What makes you think it was a leftie?
And what does it say about not only the current National government, but NZ itself, that there will be many of us whose first thought will be Dirty Politics?
Thing about the TPPA is that opposition also might come from the rabid right nationalists.
And I thought the Tuhoe raids were because lefties were being trained how to throw molotovs properly /sarc
Why Tolley’s office? Why Brownlee’s? (although tbh, I’m surprised that someone in Chch hasn’t firebombed Brownlee’s office long ago).
They don’t seem like the targets of the left TPP protest.
How did John Key handle the bombing of Tolley’s office? In response to advice that MPs might want to close their offices meantime, Key said that the safety of people at work was paramount.
He is of course correct.
But also hypocritical as that was not an issue for him with his ongoing hair pulling of a young woman at work.
The second example of Key’s hypocrisy in just one day- this one being not going to Waitangi after his criticism of Clark back in 2007and his promises to always attend.
John Key- hypocrite.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/tpp-support-high-deal-signed-auckland-ns-184337#comment-position
Here is a comment from an exporter (grundle) re the chinese FTA agreement by a manufacturer.
I will quote in full
“Stand up NZrs and demand that our government actually starts looking out for local providers of local employment. NOT sucking up to the Chinese at the cost to local businesses and employment”
100% spot on.
dv
So some little manufacturer doesn’t get everything he wants. He does apparently sell in China. When reading this load of complaints, remember that even Fonterra which is our biggest exporter in the sector of dairy produce is only a small player in the world Compare how much more miniscule this little exporter is.
That we managed to make arrangements with China through a trade agreement kept us in the picture, at the table able to talk and deal with this huge country. We are tiny, they are big and powerful. We can’t get just what we want in these circumstances. We just have to try for the best. And note that bigger countries than we are, get grumpy because they don’t get what they want. Sometimes they go to war about it which isn’t a good thing for them and their people really, and not for the world either.
We just have to keep dealing and trying for a better price. And not give away all our worldly goods as may be the price for belonging to the TPPA with its airy-fairy promises. We get vague promises, they get the right to sue us for airy-fairy profits they dreamed up for the future, and that haven’t come to fruition and they can blame that on us somehow. TPPA has been dreamt up by someone who used to send letters to Santa at the North Pole asking for really good stuff and got it! Such people have always expected to get what they want. Now they want to send us their wish list.
edited
Are you serious???
Day after day – I see logging trucks laden with unsawn logs travel past on their way to Tauranga. There must be a hundred or more a week. They by-pass one of the largest saw mills in the country – now closed its doors with the loss of hundreds of jobs. Those logs are destined for …. China.
Part of the FTA is that we cannot export sawn lumber to China. Great deal!
NZ in WW2 sent a battalion of foresters to England with the express purpose to log and saw their spruce for the manufacture of the Mosquito. The Brits did not have the know how nor the capability to do it themselves fast enough.
Part of the heritage of this country was built on saw milling – now because of a FTA we are not allowed to do it!
If we were to put our foot down and demand that we only export sawn lumber – the ISDS machine would spring into action immediately.
Swings and roundabouts Macro. We have been not-value-adding to our products for yonks now. I believe that the timber industry is badly skewed, the wood may be straight but the business practices aren’t. Is it true that we have to pay overseas prices for our own timber now that it is privatised and been sold to Fletchers, which I believe was then bought by Graeme Hunt? And that we had to make special treaties with Fletchers to prevent export of all, leaving us with insufficient for our own national needs?
We got milk to China and we know that nothing else matters except dairy. Which has been in milk rush fever for yonks. So we can’t saw our own lumber, that is par for the course in this crazy global market. We do what we do best, then export it so they can do what they do best to it, and then, and so on. It is strange that this is so much like the old type British unionism where each union would only do the work that was covered by their union agreement, another union then did their bit. Much amusement was had because perhaps an electrician could instal something but someone else had to test it. It was uneconomic and inefficient so that got scrapped.
Yet the production of things being split up between nations with much unnecessary transport and handling and bug-carrying shipping, is the received wisdom of all modern business economics. Don’t argue with the wisdom of the business class Macro. They know how to rub the genie to create profit, their magic is stronger, than your practical arguments.
edited
+1 DV – these trade agreements are emperors new clothes agreements. Most Kiwis are not benefiting.
An expected $1.3million SuperGold Card funding shortfall looming?
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/367830/free-bus-funding-cap-worries-remain
Will Government force ratepayers to meet the shortfall?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/75971220/mike-yardley-leave-the-free-public-transport-scheme-for-over-65s-alone.html
Thoughts?
Great cartoon in today’s Herald.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11584687
Someone should knock up a few variants, including one with Key’s arrogant mug on it.
Talking about mugs. What about a line of mugs with political faces on them, perhaps caricatured, for fund raising by the Labour Party. as time moves towards next election? Labour pollies would have to form part of the set – have their faces on them. But better to be talked about for something, than ignored.
Labour could organise a buffet diner to raise money, buying a mug would be a prerequisite along with the dinner cost and there would be a Greek style Zorba music dance, and instead of throwing plates on the floor, they would throw National mugs. That would get some interesting publicity and indicate the strength of determination to win and save the country, and the Labour Party at the same time.
edited
Just a health and safety warning on the mug throwing exercise. The mugs would fracture and there might be some flying splinters so the crowd should stand in a large circle well back from the central impact. Pollies create many dangers which can cut you up and this could be another occurrence – so beware.
@ Cogito (6) – You say “Someone should knock up a few variants, including one with Key’s arrogant mug on it.”
That might come soon enough, only with the great dictator’s face staring out at us from our money, as well as the flag!
Wellington’s hospitality industry is in decline. Is cheap booze being sold in supermarkets really to blame? Or does it come down to a growing lack of disposable income?
Alistair Boyce, managing director of the Backbencher pub near Parliament, wants to see legislation introduced that would set a minimum price per standard drink, across both off-licences and on-licensed premises.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/76578943/Cheap-booze-damaging-Wellingtons-hospitality-industry-says-pub-boss
Is putting an end to cheap booze the solution? Or will that merely lead to those priming up at home remaining at home?
Thoughts?
A wee while ago a 500ml bottle of beer cost a little over $2nz across a Dusseldorf bar – same beer across the bar in Whanganui – $7 for a 330ml bottle. Fuck em’.
$7 would be considered on the cheaper side compared to what some places charge.
I think it is reduced disposable income for the most part. People like to go out, and would go out more if they could stretch their income that far. In Australia, the alcohol prices favour the pub over the off-license but drinks at the pub are quite a bit cheaper than they are here, relative to income. However, the pubs in the major Aussie cities do have a much bigger customer base. What might make a difference is a culture change whereby having a drink is associated with conviviality and catching up with friends, rather than drinking up large. This might broaden the pub’s customer base and allow for a price-shift favouring the pub, since they would be able to sell a few drinks to many rather than try to sell many rather expensive drinks to a few. But as things stand, I suspect that raising off-license prices will just lower people’s standards rather than send them running down to the local.
“I think it is reduced disposable income for the most part. People like to go out, and would go out more if they could stretch their income that far.”
Indeed.
“But as things stand, I suspect that raising off-license prices will just lower people’s standards rather than send them running down to the local.”
Or result in them staying home more and drinking less often.
I agree a culture change may help, but if the hospitality industry want to increase consumer demand, then they need to support and push issues that will put more money in peoples pockets while opposing those that will result in consumers having less.
…if the hospitality industry want to increase consumer demand, then they need to support and push issues that will put more money in peoples pockets while opposing those that will result in consumers having less I agree, but also suspect that the squeeze runs all the way down. I have known a bar to get pokies, for instance, not because they wanted them, but because the rent from them meant keeping afloat. Meanwhile the franchises put the squeeze on franchisees, etc. It is not just publicans supporting low wages and still wanting to sell drinks, it is each layer taking their pound of flesh, with low-paid workers and high-priced drinks as the end result.
“It is not just publicans supporting low wages and still wanting to sell drinks, it is each layer taking their pound of flesh, with low-paid workers and high-priced drinks as the end result”
And it’s that kind of structuring that requires to be opposed Even those on the top (applying the squeeze) lose out when patrons stop coming and bars close.
+1000. Couldn’t agree more.
I think, at least for those over about 25, there is the reduced alcohol limit when driving that worries them. They don’t want to go out for a meal and not have a couple of glasses of wine with the food.
The ridiculous campaign the police are running which basically tries to tell you that you cannot safely drink anything is putting people off going out. It doesn’t apply to the younger ones who aren’t driving on their boozing nights anyway.
The person complaining is a special case of course. He lets politicians into his establishment which lowers the tone enormously. Would you want to drink in a place that let Trevor Mallard or Peter Dunne through the door?
Reducing the alcohol limit would have had an impact.
“Would you want to drink in a place that let Trevor Mallard or Peter Dunne through the door?”
lol. They do seem to pull a crowd when they are filming the show though.
“Is cheap booze being sold in supermarkets really to blame? Or does it come down to a growing lack of disposable income? ”
Neither, they’ve just slowly priced themselves out of the market. It’s the classic instance of diminishing returns; the more they put their prices up the less interest people had in buying their booze. No sympathy here.
Pub prices are outrageous, small wonder youngsters pre-load.
I don’t believe so. There has always been a discrepancy. The price of alcohol in off license establishments has always been substantially lower.
“The price of alcohol in off license establishments has always been substantially lower.”
Bollocks, you’re talking to an old public bar boozer here. A pint of tap beer used to be little more than bottle store prices, now they whack on outrageous markups of 400, 500, 600% and more.
High alcohol prices were the domain of first after-hours nightclubs and then trendy bars where the nobs would go to avoid mixing with the working class. They were justified by bar owners either for the short opening hours or low patronage.
When people pre-load it’s a pretty clear message they want to drink at their destination but can’t or won’t because the prices are too high for them.
Bollocks, you’re talking to an old public bar boozer here. A pint of tap beer used to be little more than bottle store prices, now they whack on outrageous markups of 400, 500, 600% and more.
+1
I was talking generally. As for public bars, they still charged more.
Prices are considered high because incomes are low.
Sorry but you just have it wrong here. At many pubs you could go from bar to bottle store and buy a flagon of tap beer for much the same price you’d pay at the bar.
Bottles cost more than tap beer largely due the cost of bottling but the difference wasn’t that great, was only the boutique beers with high prices.
Prices are considered high because they are high. You can’t load on a huge 500% markup and expect to maintain your sales numbers. Too many bar owners are just plain greedy. You don’t see the popular bars dropping their prices, they’re more than happy to rake it in when the going’s good.
Back in the day you could swap an empty flagon for a pre-filled one at minimal cost. However, it still cost more to drink in a bar and far more in a nightclub when they came about. Yet, they still use to pull the crowds in.
People would queue down Courtenay Place to get into Serepisos’s place. And before that, Ray Johns had them queuing up the stairs at Spats.
IMO, people just don’t have the disposable income to blow on partying as they used too.
Prices have increased but have bar margins, thus return? Overheads such as rent/lease and power increases would have had an impact.
Wages have also increased. But have they kept up?
We also have an aging population.
If bars were making a good return, (and going off closures, a number don’t) we wouldn’t hear gripes like this (link above) coming from within the industry.
However, in saying that, it could be a ploy to reduce competition.
Anecdata ahead – 35 years ago if I spent my entire nett wage in the boozer I could buy 112 jugs of beer. Same job today would buy me 62 jugs of beer.
Wages failing to keep up.
The mind boggles.
I think you’d probably collapse about 2 hours after the bar opened.
On the other hand I do remember many years ago in my University days there were people who would go and have an 8 ounce beer in every pub in Wellington between 9am and 6pm. There were about 45 I think. Never tried it myself. I was foolish occasionally but never that foolish.
The late great Whanganui bicycle crawl was jug a pub jobbie, handles for ladies, starting at The Castlecliff ,all the way across town to The Aramaho, back down the river to The Riverside, Fosters, Rutland, Imperial, Railway, Criterion, Masonic, Federal, Commercial and then over the river to The Red lion Inn.
Face plants and heatstroke etc made for a big day thin on finishers.
God. That sounds even worse. A jug was about 35 ounces wasn’t it?
I think I’ll just go and have a lie down.
lol.
Filling up a jug with a nip of everything in the top shelf and then drinking it was probably worse.
God knows what it would cost to do that now.
It probably tasted awful but for some reason the memories are quite hazy in regards to those sessions.
Many hours spent at the Rutland.
Fond memories of Hammond Gamble in particular, swimming in the indoor pool in the bar while the bands played, the guys in the pool team the occasional brawl over the table, the flat upstairs and the Aussie receptionist.
Good times.
I remember the bicycle run and yeah beer was much cheaper and there was a good wine-shop in the main street, opposite Dowsetts, which closed down like many not long after supermarkets were allowed to sell alcohol.
Crawled out a window at the Rutland to avoid the coppers when I was 16 or 17. I have a vague memory of seeing Hammond Gamble and Midge Marsden there, possibly after the bikes on Boxing Day. I also did a couple of crawls, but as most of my mates were Eastsiders, we’d start at the Aramoho, then do the run to the ‘cliff and back into town via the Red. We’d park up there and walk over the bridge to do the town pubs.
Sadly, most of the other pubs mentioned above are long gone. However, the Station lives on as a sports club over by Peat park. It’s a top joint. As luck would have it, I’ll be in the river city tomorrow. Might check out the ‘new’ Riverside bar, see if it’s any chop.
Same thing applied at the Wellington 7’s, only 13k attendance, I wondered about the reasons and if it was economic, what a shame for a great comp if people simply can’t afford to go, and an indictment of the economic policies of this govt.
Waitangi
Key does not attend because he may give power to the unelected opposition reps to enhance their profile on nat tv
Sorry John you dont get to play political bias as PM. You have an obligation and if your security needs to be cranked up for your so called safety that you feel you dont need, well PUT YOUR BALLS WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS AND PROVE IT
Gandhi fronted all sorts of violence and threats to his political profile to the point of being assassinated but knowing it would come, did not give up his principles and actions to achieve independence and democracy for India
On Keys stance he is not addressing the fact that Waitangi is a commemoration of the Treaty and protests are protests .If the protest are illegal and a danger to the govt to be there, Then use the law, you had no trouble at Tetoki bringing a hit squad .
Key is playing the Yank public opinion game of the FDR era, he aint called Slippery for nothing .
Key is trying to sidestep the fact that Maori do have a right to demand clarity over the TPPA and any other crown agreements will be affected by the statutes of the Treaty and why not address it at Waitangi .Key wont do that because of the law and he has already sold out the treaty and NZ in te TPPA and the only way out for NZ is to get rid of the TPPA by electing a govt that will do so .
The TPPA is a mobile ponzi where America gets to take over the sovereignty of the Pacific countries and as we know the real gains to NZ are minimal but isnt interesting to note that the great highs in milk prices have decreased as this TPPA has gained traction and from that you could easily follow that to the drop in currency value and the fact that oil will bottom right out as recent finds in Europe have completely changed the game .And as for the 2008 Crash hoax well Johnny saviour we know we know you are dangerous BS
Key got his TPPA mates in AK to sign the starter for one world govt without full disclosure to the people of NZ. 605 corporations in the states have had the full text since its drafting, why not the people of NZ ?
So Johnny stop pullin our ponytail/chain and face it you have been caught by the Chaser Game Over lets hope 2017
Of course Key would think Gandhi was just another left wing rent a mobster
Have a listen to HOOTEN’S bs on radio this morning not quite awake I would say
I hear chicken is off the menu at Waitangi as it has clucked off and can’t be found.
This would be good scheme for a the Green or Labour Party to propose in this country. Might get some of the missing million back to the ballot boxes:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/04/french-law-forbids-food-waste-by-supermarkets
A policy to restore/increase benefits would get the attention and support of a number
@Chairman of course it will but that’s too reasonable, sensible and logical. Besides, Labour hate us as much as the Nats, that’s been an established fact since 1999. They have no intention of increasing benefits. They won’t even talk about it.
It’s a move a number have been waiting sometime for Labour to make.
The more beneficiaries receive, the more they spend, the more they boost business and tax returns.
Aye but the real money to be made is in servicing the rich.
The more money the rich have, the more you can make providing them shit at high prices.
Remember this was all forecast in the Citibank plutonomy advice they gave to investors:
http://politicalgates.blogspot.co.nz/2011/12/citigroup-plutonomy-memos-two-bombshell.html:
And here’s an interesting example. On the surface young lad made good and then you see stuff like this and see the dependency on the right connections and where the money comes from.
“Crimson immediately found a market: Beaton’s old high school, King’s College. “We had a very quick client base from people who knew of my experience going through. Parents talk, and they all want the best for their kids.” He adds: “We’ve been cash-flow positive since day one.”
“The Motivational Corner was one of four businesses Beaton bought last year. There was also UniTutor, a university tutoring service; MedView, a company that prepares students wanting admission to New Zealand’s medical schools; and Play Atlantic, which helps student athletes win scholarships to overseas universities (Max Key, the prime minister’s son, is a Play Atlantic consultant).”
No question he’s bright and works hard but I wouldn’t think there’s anyone in my neighborhood paying for his services – or even able to.
And before the righties get stuck in – nope I’m not jealous it just seems to me to quietly reinforce the whole plutonomy service the rich, have the right connections concept.
as an aside, this is why the rhetoric about GE/Monsanto feeding the world is bullshit. We have plenty of non-GE capacity to grow food for everyone, it’s just that some of us don’t want to share.
Did anyone else notice the large drones piggybacked on transport planes flying into Whenupai airbase on tuesday evening?
Seemed quite ominous to me considering the TPP signing coming up.
Maybe it’s a regular thing apparently we build them here but these things looked really big like the U.S ones.
anyone important at the signing?
@McFlock – I doubt it – even those signing know this deal is a croc and don’t want the publicity to be associated with it!
Anyone know?? My guess is, nobodies present. They send their 4th assistant to the trade minister in disguise.
You don’t seem to get it, the hearald does not report the news.
Expat +1
I prefer to wait until Checkpoint is on, and hear what actually happened thanks Magisterarse
TPPA
It may have been explained already, but why the rush to get it through parliament now.
Most parties appear to have 2 years to ratify the agreement.
Why not open it to clause by clause scrutiny in our parliament over the next 18 months.
What’s the Key government’s rush?
Steven Joyce has had a dildo thrown at him at Waitangi. For a LOL moment look at the footage from TVNZ
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/tpp-protester-boldly-chucks-dildo-at-steven-joyce-waitangi
The people throwing sex toys are acting like adults? I guess.
I enjoy a good game of ‘toss the dildo’.
Are sex toys made for children?
That’s what I meant. Adult in the Adult Shop sense.
Kiwis are unaccustomed to having to remove worthless governments – unlike the Poms, who rioted in the streets over Maggie’s poll tax.
We expect better governments than we get, and the governments in turn have lost their respect and loyalty to the people. There will be tears before bedtime one of these days, as either the people or a despotic regime assert power.
“This is for raping our sovereignty”
Because rape jokes are funny
Or, you know, not
It wasn’t a joke.
It wasn’t a joke.
She is accusing Steven Joyce of literally placing his penis into an orifice of a principle of jurisprudence without its consent?
That’s either totally confusing or HAHAHA RAPE JOKES ARE TEH FUNNY!!1
There’s certainly some confusion from you, but the rest of us understand.
Mike “Contra” Hosking clearly intends his “aspirational” heroes to
be a standing reproach to protestors and other “dicks”.
Seven Sharp, Television One, Friday 5 February 2016
That brilliantined, preening, self-aggrandizing [1] National Party placeman and SkyCity Casino shill Mike “Contra” Hosking likes to keep repeating that, like the National Party, he’s all about “aspiration”. On tonight’s program, he pushed this message with a vengeance, and his grinning, giggling underling Toni Street followed along obediently….
Item no. 1: An interesting report about young people who learn to fly, and who build and launch rockets for a hobby. This of course provides the thoughtful and serious host with an opportunity for a pointed little homily….
MIKE “CONTRA” HOSKING: What a contrast with some of the people we’ve seen on the streets yesterday, [speaking through closed lips, through the side of his mouth] who are not involved in launching rockets, shall we say?
TONI STREET: [grinning nervously] Yeeeees.
Item no. 2: World Bike Polo championships in Timaru. The organizer says the key message for all Bike Polo players is “Don’t be a dick.” After some quite interesting bike polo action, it’s back to the studio….
MIKE “CONTRA” HOSKING: Words to live by. Words to live by—“Don’t be a dick.”
TONI STREET: [still grinning nervously] Ha ha ha ha!
Item no. 3: A Super Bowl commercial, featuring Dame Helen Mirren scolding drink-drivers, labeling them as “a short-sighted waste of space” and “a Darwin Award contender”, amongst other things. At the end of it, there is a brief moment of awe-struck silence, then there is this….
MIKE “CONTRA” HOSKING: Wonderful, eh!
Item no. 4: After noting that Joseph Parker is the number one contender for the world title, Hosking purrs, “Amazing, eh!”
To hear Hosking utter such fervent endorsements will not have surprised long-time Hosking monitors, many of whom will have recalled his endorsement, a couple of years ago on his NewstalkZB radio program, of another right wing ranter. After playing several minutes of his hero loudly and offensively excoriating black men in the United States, Hosking ascended to full worship mode, panting with excitement: “Good, eh!”
The right wing ranter that Hosking commended to his beleaguered listeners was Bill Cosby.
[1] http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15032015/#comment-985614
‘UN panel rules Julian Assange arbitrarily detained, entitled to liberty & compensation’
https://www.rt.com/news/331371-assange-arbitrarily-detained-un/
“UN panel has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been ‘arbitrarily detained’ in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, calling upon the UK and Sweden to end Assange’s deprivation of liberty.
“The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) … considered that Mr. Julian Assange was arbitrarily detained by the Governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,” the statement said.
The group concluded that the WikiLeaks founder “is entitled to his freedom of movement and to compensation.”
…”On Thursday, an official from OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner) Christophe Peschoux said if UN panel concludes that a person’s rights have been violated then “the decision is indirectly, but still legally binding on the relevant authorities and states.” ”
“The opinions of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention are legally-binding to the extent that they are based on international human rights law, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The binding nature of its opinions derives from the collaboration by states in the procedure, the adversarial nature of is findings and also by the authority given to the WGAD by the UN Human Rights Council.”
‘Assange sex case: Five things you may not know about it’
https://www.rt.com/news/331361-assange-case-five-facts/
“Government departments produce draft documents for consideration all the time. This is a draft document which has not been seen by the Minister or his staff – nothing more,” a spokesperson for the Minister said in a statement.”
sound familiar? CT strikes again
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-35499012