He said Waterfront Auckland was open to partnerships, joint ventures or multiple-party contracts as opposed to the standard development agreement, but investors would be seeking certainty
WHAT!!!
So they want and ratepayer/taxpayer underwritten profits, regrdless !
I just heard Solid Energy’s chair Mark Ford on Radio New Zealand news saying that former chief executive Don Elder was not available to answer questions to Parliament’s Commerce select committee because it was apparently “not appropriate”. The committee were obviously interested in how Solid Energy could get things so bad that it had gone for a significant earner of overseas reserves to the current position where it is a cot case.
This is incredible for a couple of reasons. Firstly Elder is still getting full pay as he sits at home waiting for a telephone call. He was earning over a million a year so he must be the the best paid gardener in the country. He was the one who knew the business better than anyone else.
Secondly why is Ford the one to decide who should appear? Shouldn’t the peoples representatives be the ones to decide who should tell them how their business is doing rather than some high paid corporate friend of the National Party?
The corporate take over of New Zealand is nearing completion …
Waking up to hear Don Elder is ‘now’ a paid consultant makes my hangover even worst! What is it with these Coal guys? That dirt bag Whittle done the same. The only consulting Don should be doing is with his conscience. Oh that’s right psychopaths don’t have a conscience!
mickeysavage. “He was earning over a million a year so he must be the the best paid gardener in the country.”
I’m just off to do some gardening as a paid employee. One million dollars would employ me for over 32 years full-time, 2000 hours per year, at $15.56 per hour.
Why should people get upset over salaries, perks and golden handshakes of that magnitude? I just don’t understand it.
Had a look at the picture in the Herald article cited above. First impression was that John Key looks crumpled. He needs to press his suit, an analogy which could be also applied to his work as an ambassador for NZ in Venezuela. But I suspect an impeccable suit in Washington has told him that would not wear well in US circles.
Dirty Don the coal man and Double Dipping Bill suffer minimal consequences by fraudulently accessing public funds for their own benefit. However if you are struggling to bring up children on the DPB and lie about the existence of an unreliable partner, god help you! http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2013/03/dirty-don-and-double-standards.html
Do these ad/marketing people think w’re stupid? We know how ads work to convey multiple messages. In response to an “eco-activist” making a complaint about the 100% Pure slogan,
The ASA is responsible only for the regulation of advertising in New Zealand. Tourism NZ spokeswoman Deborah Gray said it did not buy advertising here with any of the ASA’s member organisations.
“100% Pure New Zealand is a campaign that tells the story of how our landscape, people and activities combine to deliver a visitor experience that is unique to New Zealand.
“Our unique combination of landscapes, people and activities cannot be found anywhere else – hence it is a ‘100% Pure New Zealand’ visitor experience.”
The slogan was “not an environmental claim, and it never has been”.
People do seem to be easily led by the flash advertising. That’s one of the reasons that I think stopping watching TV was such a boon for me. Instead of being led around I had to go look for information resulting in being better informed and clearer thinking which allowed me to see the BS that adverts are.
I’m interested by this ‘ASA’s member organisations’ claim. The ASA will not refuse jurisdiction on local ads. They can’t for to do so will mean they’re not being an effective regulator and open the argument for govt regulation of their sector.
The ASA of course won’t uphold the complaint. They are funded by corporates and controlled by conservative interests. They’re very ACT in their approach.
“It should be a real wake-up call to the mayor as to where the real problems and frustrations lie for most Aucklanders – that is in traffic jams.”
Mr Brewer said he’d like more improvements to the motorway network and more bus lanes, ferry terminals and cycle and walkways, rather than the CBD rail tunnel.
You know, it’s sometimes difficult to comprehend just how stupid some people are.
Auckland has transport problems, most of those problems centre around the simple fact that we have too many cars on the road and this idiot doesn’t want the CBD rail tunnel, which will remove cars from the roads and thus decrease the traffic jams, built?
Really, that paragraph is obviously some one who has an ideological hatred of rail and will do anything to try and prevent it from being built even when it will make his precious roads better.
Auckland rail network is doomed to fail as long as the one way in & out Britomart station remains status quo. A loop should have been put in 50 years ago. National & Labour take a bow!
The Greens should make it an election promise put the acid on Labour
Bedroom tax is the latest cruel welfare program from the British right wing, unable to institute positive programs to encourage employers to hire and the economy to produce what is needed for their citizens.
Will this soon be happening in NZ? This was tried here in the 1990’s I think. I know a woman who had to move to another distant town because she had a two-bedroom flat, and then couldn’t get the one bedroom one she expected in her new town. Meanwhile she was deprived of all her friends, support network etc. .
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/22/renters-downsize-bedroom-tax
Fears about the incoming bedroom tax are growing, along with speculation about the likely consequences. Some tenants might stay but not pay the difference between their local housing allowance and their actual rent. They face eviction when discretionary housing payments, limited to six months, run out in October. Mass evictions due to arrears seem certain. Government advice for tenants with a “spare” room is ill-informed or callous. Suggesting part-time workers do a few more hours work to cover costs is deluded when an extra 63 hours are required in certain circumstances .
Let’s take a simple example. A young woman leaving care, who was allocated a two bedroom flat costing £100 a week as there were no one bedroom flats available in her area, faces a deduction of £14 a week from her housing benefit. . She is already working 16 hours a week at the minimum wage. Working an extra three hours a week will net her less than £3 because her housing and council tax benefit will be reduced because of the additional hours: nowhere near enough to make up for the bedroom tax deduction. To earn an additional £14 a week, enough to pay for the bedroom tax, she will need to work 28 hours: a whole 12 hours more. However this doesn’t mean she has escaped the bedroom tax: in fact she will still face the full £14 being taken from her remaining housing benefit. To completely escape she must work a total of 48 hours a week at the minimum wage – three times her current working hours.
http://www.housing.org.uk/policy/welfare_reform/‘under-occupation’_penalty.aspx
How much will people lose?
The cut will be a fixed percentage of the Housing Benefit eligible rent. The Government has said that this will be set at 14% for one extra bedroom and 25% for two or more extra bedrooms.
The Government’s impact assessment shows that those affected will lose an average of £14 a week. Housing association tenants are expected to lose £16 a week on average.
How many people will see their benefit cut?
The proposal will affect an estimated 660,000 working-age social tenants – 31% of existing working-age housing benefit claimants in the social sector. The majority of these people have only one extra bedroom.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-bedroom-tax-is-just-the-latest-assault-on-our-poorest-citizens-8478898.html
According to Shelter, the number of overcrowded homes has doubled in just a decade; in some parts of the country, one in four households live in cramped conditions. Yet the bedroom tax is yet another means for the Government to turn Britain’s poorest against each other. Don’t blame the Government for failing to build housing: blame your neighbour instead. The refusal of both New Labour and the Tories to build council housing has left up to five million on social housing waiting lists. A house building programme is key to recovery from our economic catastrophe: it would stimulate the economy, create j obs, and bring down the housing benefit bill. But it would be a policy of sanity for a government in the grip of economic madness.
Thousands of those hammered by the bedroom tax have nowhere to downsize to. According to the National Housing Federation, there are 180,000 English social tenants “under-occupying” two-bedroom homes, but fewer than 70,000 one-bedroom available social homes. According to Hilary Burkitt at Affinity Sutton, one of the largest housing associations, there are very few one-bedroom properties at all in regions like the North West and North East. Tenants could be driven into the higher rents of the private sector, of course, but then would need even higher levels of housing benefit. Research for housing associations shows 42 per cent of those affected already struggle financially. The rise in homelessness that will result won’t just be devastating for those involved, it will cost: last year, the number of homeless families living in B&Bs soared by nearly half.
When I was in Britain in the 1970s there was a rort on government assistance for homeless people. So there is a synergy in treating vulnerable people harshly by government and private enterprise sweeping them up into some sort of accommodation subsidised by government. And who cares about them?
No-one in NZ seemed to care when the Nats put rents up to market levels. Wikipedia In 1991 the fourth National government raised state house rentals to “market levels” amid much controversy. The Housing Corporation was now expected to make a profit.
The Fifth Labour Government, elected in 1999, placed a moratorium on state house sales and re-established the income-related rents.
It was an eye opener to me about our ‘caring socially responsible’ society when the market rents were introduced. Even the local churches didn’t have any sense of care or involvement. We now have Habitat with houses being built by volunteers along with some sweat equity on an individual basis. But churches could use their power to encourage a good housing system. If they combined and got government to prepare plans and consult while the churches had an expert that oversaw the liaison over the preparation and the work, government would find it hard to resist. But the churches are stuck in their own paradigms of care, and are often concentrated on their own congregations. Their quality of mercy is strained I’m sorry to say.
others (with a little on-going supervision for me-self; it’s ok to be validated for being od / “not normal” ) anyway, upon reflection, nothing that’s observed is regretted. 🙂 (could swear like a trooper, yet, how does that help anything? they don’t refer to this site as a “vipers nest” by accident.
I think Claire Trevett is reading a little too much into the importance of a hat given to John Key. It’s like she’s imagining a conversation between some adviser and the Colombian President.
–¿Senor Presidente, is the smiling gringo worthy of this fine Colombian sombrero?
–Si
When in all likelihood it’s just standard operating procedure for visiting delegations to get some kind of token.
When she was a student in the late 1950s, she said, it was widely understood that loans create deposits. Now students are told that deposits create loans, which is wrong.
Much of neo-classical economics “regard banks as glorified safes.” However, “banks do not lend money” she stated. They don’t have a pot of money that they are passing on.
Economists: Getting the basic fundamentals wrong and then getting surprised when things don’t go as the expect.
Actually, that may be a good addendum to the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result which is something else that economists keep doing.
1: Vehicle WoF costs are minimal compared to the capital expenditure of buying it in the first place. If the repairs to make it up to code are more than the cost of buying a new one, they write it off and buy a new one. And seriously, for houses we’re not talking gold-plating. Insulation and a roof that doesn’t leak isn’t that much to ask for.
2: Prices are set at the most basic level by supply and demand. If the costs increase, the demand is smaller, so costs decrease again.
Putting 1 and 2 together means that you are only correct if the cost of upgrading homes puts enough houses out of the rental market that the supply dwindles and increases costs beyond poor people’s affordability. But then there will be a glut of below-par houses that will be more affordable purchases for first-home DIYers (as Prism points out) because they’re not an investor’s choice.
I think you’ll find that the actual requirements for the WoF will be fuck-all compared to the income provided by rents. And if I’m proved wrong, the worst that will happen is that the accommodation supplement gets larger.
While costs incurred may be minimal compared to total investment expenditure, they are still an additional cost that will be required to be offset. Effectively leading to rent increases.
People living in cheap, poor quality rentals generally don’t have the fiscal scope to sustain rent increases, albeit minimal..
Higher rents will negatively effect family budgets.
The decline in current rental supply will result in higher demand, hence higher rents.
Higher rents largely won’t impact housing demand as housing is a necessity, the numbers requiring cheap housing won’t just disappear..
Tenants in low quality homes generally can’t afford to buy, hence why they are tenants
The current housing shortfall will help sustain prices challenged by a market increase of poor quality homes, hence continuing to price tenants of low quality homes out of the market.
Moreover, those poor quality homes can’t be rented until they meet new requirements set, hence no increase in the supply of cheap rentals.
Additionally, investment in upgrading the properties will generally be seeking higher yields.
Higher accommodation subsidies is not the solution, it’s a bandage and taxpayer burden resulting from poor forward planning.
See, what you’re doing is suggesting that obstacles might be insurmountable as a justification for avoiding the attempt, without actually bothering to see if obstacles that large actually exist.
If the average upgrade/wof cost were 30% of the average residence, you might have a point. But given that I think we’re probably talking about single-digit percentages (if not fractions of a percent), I think the changes will be too small to have an effect on the market as a whole.
But on the off-chance you’re correct, cutting GST a couple of percent will compensate the poor for the change in price.
The shortfall from reducing GST would also have to be offset.
I’m not stifling the attempt or the end objective (improving living conditions).I’m highlighting the unforeseen consequences being over looked.
The means to this end (improving living conditions) .needs reconsidering.
I’ve conceded increases may be minimal, but I’ve also highlighted the lack of fiscal scope. A number of landlords are mortgaged to the hilt and people living in cheap, poor quality rentals generally don’t have the fiscal scope to sustain higher rents.
If they did, they wouldn’t be living in low quality homes
Landlords have faced tax changes, rate increases, and insurance increases, this would add to that burden and will be passed on to tenants.
You’re not highlighting anything that’s been overlooked.
Until specific wof standards come out of proposed legislation, you’re simply pretending that the worst case scenario is among the most likely. And that therefore the policy shouldn’t be implemented. If we all followed that philosophy, we’d still be living in caves.
Only parata would be dumb enough to suddenly introduce standards at a level that distorts the rental market to that degree. Well, maybe brownlee, too.
Failing to refute my assertions, you’ve now taken to being somewhat disingenuous.
I’m highlighting the pitfalls proposed legislation should initially avoid when drafted.
Claiming otherwise is merely your unsubstantiated disingenuous assertion..
I’ve yet to see advocates highlight these pitfalls. Perhaps you could provide me with a link?.
Moreover, I didn’t say or imply the policy shouldn’t be implemented. I highlighted the means to the ends needs reconsidering. I support the end objective (improved living conditions)
Again,you’ve resorted to being disingenuous.
Look at the impact of supply and demand in Christchurch for an example.
Effectively, outlawing lower quality rentals will force the poor into higher quality homes that they can’t afford.
That’s not a warning of what might happen, it’s an outright prediction you made on the basis of no data whatsoever.
For example, do you have any idea whether the short term housing stock reduction that results from the proposed wof policy will be at all comparable to the christchurch earthquakes? No, of course you don’t, because policy specifics haven’t been worked out yet let alone released for public discussion. But apparently you know enough to predict dire consequences for the poor. Rest assured, your concern is touching.
Just have the government enter as a major landlord, instead of leaving it to the market.
If a private investor doesn’t want to upgrade their rental property to the latest standards, the government can acquire the property for a small sum, and socialise the accomodation.
+1 and the price is offset by fewer kids being admitted to hospitals with asthma, rheumatic fever and other illnesses that flourish in damp, cold living conditions.
Just have the government enter as a major landlord, instead of leaving it to the market.
Yep, just have the government own and maintain enough housing to null out demand. IMO, a 2 or 3% over supply of housing, all up to the highest standards and all set to a percentage of household income.
Watch out everybody who wants a house. There will be some that come onto the market ‘needing TLC’ if the WOF is brought in as the money-grubbers have to change to investing intelligently. So start getting your home maintenance classes under your belt in advance.
And don’t forget that little ruse that one solicitor and his wife in Sydney used. Keep an eye on all the mortgage sales and pop along early to see the place, after getting a bit of info on the property. You never know, someone’s bad fortune might be your stroke of luck.
And of course have your mortgage pre-agreed and don’t try beyond that. Look for a reasonable lender who will advise on your suitable loan cap and if they offer you a mortgage holiday don’t take it and check their standing.
The foreseen consequences of a rental property WoF
People don’t live in cold, damp houses and garages, and their children don’t get third world diseases.
Scumbag property owners (slumlords) fix up their stock or get out of the market, but either way, aren’t getting money for nothing off the backs of the unfortunate.
I don’t care about the costs to implement the scheme, just as long as it’s not self regulated or a patsy quango setting the scene.
Those who knowingly rents out an unfit property, it’s clear, value income over society. You are not not good citizens.
You should be hit hard, with legislation aimed squarely at your fat wallets.
Soon as you don’t have the numbers in parliament, you’re fucked.
Stephen Joyce is getting away with far too much piss taking. Hearing Joyce is considering supporting New Zealand manufacturers in some kind of procurement arrangement, where joint ventures between NZ firms get preferred consideration on big builds etc.
I can hear the former skilled engineer workers from the now deceased Dunedin Rail workshop cheering from here!
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Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
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Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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, Wednesday 24 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Auckland waterfront up for grabs
Nice headliner….
WHAT!!!
So they want and ratepayer/taxpayer underwritten profits, regrdless !
Taxpayer contributions, foreign investors wanted… say what?
I despair.
That’s what they always want and they have a tendency to get it as well.
I just heard Solid Energy’s chair Mark Ford on Radio New Zealand news saying that former chief executive Don Elder was not available to answer questions to Parliament’s Commerce select committee because it was apparently “not appropriate”. The committee were obviously interested in how Solid Energy could get things so bad that it had gone for a significant earner of overseas reserves to the current position where it is a cot case.
This is incredible for a couple of reasons. Firstly Elder is still getting full pay as he sits at home waiting for a telephone call. He was earning over a million a year so he must be the the best paid gardener in the country. He was the one who knew the business better than anyone else.
Secondly why is Ford the one to decide who should appear? Shouldn’t the peoples representatives be the ones to decide who should tell them how their business is doing rather than some high paid corporate friend of the National Party?
The corporate take over of New Zealand is nearing completion …
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2548506/solid-energy-chairman-says-don-elder-on-full-pay.asx
Waking up to hear Don Elder is ‘now’ a paid consultant makes my hangover even worst! What is it with these Coal guys? That dirt bag Whittle done the same. The only consulting Don should be doing is with his conscience. Oh that’s right psychopaths don’t have a conscience!
Sad, isn’t it. And all the environmental protections will soon be gone too. Oh, we live in a country run by
shitty people. Is there any hope left ?
Three truths.
Is there a left hope?
mickeysavage. “He was earning over a million a year so he must be the the best paid gardener in the country.”
I’m just off to do some gardening as a paid employee. One million dollars would employ me for over 32 years full-time, 2000 hours per year, at $15.56 per hour.
Why should people get upset over salaries, perks and golden handshakes of that magnitude? I just don’t understand it.
mac 1 With all that disgusting wealth he will surely be buried in a solid gold coffin (oh, yes, even people like that get to die before long!)
Did you hear Joyce declare he could not recall the meeting?
he couldn’t even keep the smarmy conceipted chuckle out of his voice as he said it
This crew will be remembered as ‘the brain fade government’.
Ford is the Nat’s ‘Mr fixit’ when he’s actually ‘Mr cover it up’
Subpoena the Solid Energy bloke, before he gets any elder and inconveniently dies.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10869811
not a single comment, really ??? Not a single Herald on-line reader has an opinion on this topic ?
Had a look at the picture in the Herald article cited above. First impression was that John Key looks crumpled. He needs to press his suit, an analogy which could be also applied to his work as an ambassador for NZ in Venezuela. But I suspect an impeccable suit in Washington has told him that would not wear well in US circles.
There probably are comments… The Herald online has likely decided not to publish them.
There are comments now. Sometimes there’s a huge lag, then they publish a whole lot at once.
Dirty Don the coal man and Double Dipping Bill suffer minimal consequences by fraudulently accessing public funds for their own benefit. However if you are struggling to bring up children on the DPB and lie about the existence of an unreliable partner, god help you! http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2013/03/dirty-don-and-double-standards.html
Do these ad/marketing people think w’re stupid? We know how ads work to convey multiple messages. In response to an “eco-activist” making a complaint about the 100% Pure slogan,
“Do these ad/marketing people think w’re stupid?”
Yes, yes they do.
But the worst part is how often they’re proven right…
People do seem to be easily led by the flash advertising. That’s one of the reasons that I think stopping watching TV was such a boon for me. Instead of being led around I had to go look for information resulting in being better informed and clearer thinking which allowed me to see the BS that adverts are.
Deborah Wormtongue Gray
I’m interested by this ‘ASA’s member organisations’ claim. The ASA will not refuse jurisdiction on local ads. They can’t for to do so will mean they’re not being an effective regulator and open the argument for govt regulation of their sector.
The ASA of course won’t uphold the complaint. They are funded by corporates and controlled by conservative interests. They’re very ACT in their approach.
How one crash caused gridlock chaos
You know, it’s sometimes difficult to comprehend just how stupid some people are.
Auckland has transport problems, most of those problems centre around the simple fact that we have too many cars on the road and this idiot doesn’t want the CBD rail tunnel, which will remove cars from the roads and thus decrease the traffic jams, built?
Really, that paragraph is obviously some one who has an ideological hatred of rail and will do anything to try and prevent it from being built even when it will make his precious roads better.
Auckland rail network is doomed to fail as long as the one way in & out Britomart station remains status quo. A loop should have been put in 50 years ago. National & Labour take a bow!
The Greens should make it an election promise put the acid on Labour
It was Labour’s policy last time to support the loop.
What we need is for Labour support to actually make things happen.
To do that Labour needs levers of power throughout NZ when it is both in and out of power.
It has none currently – it gave them up.
Tiny Solutions to Capitalism and the crisis myth
The artist taxi driver:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZLdWWwDlWI&list=UUGThM-ZZBba1Zl9rU-XeR-A&index=2
Bedroom tax is the latest cruel welfare program from the British right wing, unable to institute positive programs to encourage employers to hire and the economy to produce what is needed for their citizens.
Will this soon be happening in NZ? This was tried here in the 1990’s I think. I know a woman who had to move to another distant town because she had a two-bedroom flat, and then couldn’t get the one bedroom one she expected in her new town. Meanwhile she was deprived of all her friends, support network etc. .
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/22/renters-downsize-bedroom-tax
Fears about the incoming bedroom tax are growing, along with speculation about the likely consequences. Some tenants might stay but not pay the difference between their local housing allowance and their actual rent. They face eviction when discretionary housing payments, limited to six months, run out in October. Mass evictions due to arrears seem certain. Government advice for tenants with a “spare” room is ill-informed or callous. Suggesting part-time workers do a few more hours work to cover costs is deluded when an extra 63 hours are required in certain circumstances .
Let’s take a simple example. A young woman leaving care, who was allocated a two bedroom flat costing £100 a week as there were no one bedroom flats available in her area, faces a deduction of £14 a week from her housing benefit. . She is already working 16 hours a week at the minimum wage. Working an extra three hours a week will net her less than £3 because her housing and council tax benefit will be reduced because of the additional hours: nowhere near enough to make up for the bedroom tax deduction. To earn an additional £14 a week, enough to pay for the bedroom tax, she will need to work 28 hours: a whole 12 hours more. However this doesn’t mean she has escaped the bedroom tax: in fact she will still face the full £14 being taken from her remaining housing benefit. To completely escape she must work a total of 48 hours a week at the minimum wage – three times her current working hours.
http://www.housing.org.uk/policy/welfare_reform/‘under-occupation’_penalty.aspx
How much will people lose?
The cut will be a fixed percentage of the Housing Benefit eligible rent. The Government has said that this will be set at 14% for one extra bedroom and 25% for two or more extra bedrooms.
The Government’s impact assessment shows that those affected will lose an average of £14 a week. Housing association tenants are expected to lose £16 a week on average.
How many people will see their benefit cut?
The proposal will affect an estimated 660,000 working-age social tenants – 31% of existing working-age housing benefit claimants in the social sector. The majority of these people have only one extra bedroom.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-bedroom-tax-is-just-the-latest-assault-on-our-poorest-citizens-8478898.html
According to Shelter, the number of overcrowded homes has doubled in just a decade; in some parts of the country, one in four households live in cramped conditions. Yet the bedroom tax is yet another means for the Government to turn Britain’s poorest against each other. Don’t blame the Government for failing to build housing: blame your neighbour instead. The refusal of both New Labour and the Tories to build council housing has left up to five million on social housing waiting lists. A house building programme is key to recovery from our economic catastrophe: it would stimulate the economy, create j obs, and bring down the housing benefit bill. But it would be a policy of sanity for a government in the grip of economic madness.
Thousands of those hammered by the bedroom tax have nowhere to downsize to. According to the National Housing Federation, there are 180,000 English social tenants “under-occupying” two-bedroom homes, but fewer than 70,000 one-bedroom available social homes. According to Hilary Burkitt at Affinity Sutton, one of the largest housing associations, there are very few one-bedroom properties at all in regions like the North West and North East. Tenants could be driven into the higher rents of the private sector, of course, but then would need even higher levels of housing benefit. Research for housing associations shows 42 per cent of those affected already struggle financially. The rise in homelessness that will result won’t just be devastating for those involved, it will cost: last year, the number of homeless families living in B&Bs soared by nearly half.
When I was in Britain in the 1970s there was a rort on government assistance for homeless people. So there is a synergy in treating vulnerable people harshly by government and private enterprise sweeping them up into some sort of accommodation subsidised by government. And who cares about them?
No-one in NZ seemed to care when the Nats put rents up to market levels.
Wikipedia In 1991 the fourth National government raised state house rentals to “market levels” amid much controversy. The Housing Corporation was now expected to make a profit.
The Fifth Labour Government, elected in 1999, placed a moratorium on state house sales and re-established the income-related rents.
It was an eye opener to me about our ‘caring socially responsible’ society when the market rents were introduced. Even the local churches didn’t have any sense of care or involvement. We now have Habitat with houses being built by volunteers along with some sweat equity on an individual basis. But churches could use their power to encourage a good housing system. If they combined and got government to prepare plans and consult while the churches had an expert that oversaw the liaison over the preparation and the work, government would find it hard to resist. But the churches are stuck in their own paradigms of care, and are often concentrated on their own congregations. Their quality of mercy is strained I’m sorry to say.
others (with a little on-going supervision for me-self; it’s ok to be validated for being od / “not normal” ) anyway, upon reflection, nothing that’s observed is regretted. 🙂 (could swear like a trooper, yet, how does that help anything? they don’t refer to this site as a “vipers nest” by accident.
I think Claire Trevett is reading a little too much into the importance of a hat given to John Key. It’s like she’s imagining a conversation between some adviser and the Colombian President.
–¿Senor Presidente, is the smiling gringo worthy of this fine Colombian sombrero?
–Si
When in all likelihood it’s just standard operating procedure for visiting delegations to get some kind of token.
Maybe they were just sick of seeing his bald spot.
I refer again to this article for those who didn’t see it.
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v34/n17/james-meek/how-we-happened-to-sell-off-our-…
Still can’t believe Key and co are following the same disastrous line of that silly Margaret Thatcher flogging off UK silverware.
…from the “Peak”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terry-tamminen/peak-barbie-mickey-mouse_b_2813737.html
not far to drop-off now
Why don’t economists understand money? (new video)
Economists: Getting the basic fundamentals wrong and then getting surprised when things don’t go as the expect.
Actually, that may be a good addendum to the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result which is something else that economists keep doing.
The unforeseen consequences of a rental property WoF
A warrant of fitness for rental housing will create a new bureaucracy that will require funding.
Funding will come from landlords (via their tenants) through new fees incurred.
The quality of a rental property is generally reflected in the rent. Improving quality and imposing new fees will further increase rents.
Deeming cheaper, lower quality homes unsuitable for rent will further reduce rental supply, also resulting in higher rents.
A number of landlords are mortgaged to the hilt, hence don’t have the extra money or means to upgrade.
Effectively, outlawing lower quality rentals will force the poor into higher quality homes that they can’t afford.
Govt eyes WoF for rental housing
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10869714
Oh, noes, the poor landlords!!1!!11
/sarc
Well, then the government will just have to build more state houses.
It’s not an excuse seeking sympathy. It’s an economic reality requiring recognition.
tell me, do WoF requirements make rental cars unaffordable? Or are other factors involved?
WoF requirements increases the running cost of any vehicle Hire companies past the cost burden on. As will landlords.
1: Vehicle WoF costs are minimal compared to the capital expenditure of buying it in the first place. If the repairs to make it up to code are more than the cost of buying a new one, they write it off and buy a new one. And seriously, for houses we’re not talking gold-plating. Insulation and a roof that doesn’t leak isn’t that much to ask for.
2: Prices are set at the most basic level by supply and demand. If the costs increase, the demand is smaller, so costs decrease again.
Putting 1 and 2 together means that you are only correct if the cost of upgrading homes puts enough houses out of the rental market that the supply dwindles and increases costs beyond poor people’s affordability. But then there will be a glut of below-par houses that will be more affordable purchases for first-home DIYers (as Prism points out) because they’re not an investor’s choice.
I think you’ll find that the actual requirements for the WoF will be fuck-all compared to the income provided by rents. And if I’m proved wrong, the worst that will happen is that the accommodation supplement gets larger.
Ponder this:
While costs incurred may be minimal compared to total investment expenditure, they are still an additional cost that will be required to be offset. Effectively leading to rent increases.
People living in cheap, poor quality rentals generally don’t have the fiscal scope to sustain rent increases, albeit minimal..
Higher rents will negatively effect family budgets.
The decline in current rental supply will result in higher demand, hence higher rents.
Higher rents largely won’t impact housing demand as housing is a necessity, the numbers requiring cheap housing won’t just disappear..
Tenants in low quality homes generally can’t afford to buy, hence why they are tenants
The current housing shortfall will help sustain prices challenged by a market increase of poor quality homes, hence continuing to price tenants of low quality homes out of the market.
Moreover, those poor quality homes can’t be rented until they meet new requirements set, hence no increase in the supply of cheap rentals.
Additionally, investment in upgrading the properties will generally be seeking higher yields.
Higher accommodation subsidies is not the solution, it’s a bandage and taxpayer burden resulting from poor forward planning.
See, what you’re doing is suggesting that obstacles might be insurmountable as a justification for avoiding the attempt, without actually bothering to see if obstacles that large actually exist.
If the average upgrade/wof cost were 30% of the average residence, you might have a point. But given that I think we’re probably talking about single-digit percentages (if not fractions of a percent), I think the changes will be too small to have an effect on the market as a whole.
But on the off-chance you’re correct, cutting GST a couple of percent will compensate the poor for the change in price.
The shortfall from reducing GST would also have to be offset.
I’m not stifling the attempt or the end objective (improving living conditions).I’m highlighting the unforeseen consequences being over looked.
The means to this end (improving living conditions) .needs reconsidering.
I’ve conceded increases may be minimal, but I’ve also highlighted the lack of fiscal scope. A number of landlords are mortgaged to the hilt and people living in cheap, poor quality rentals generally don’t have the fiscal scope to sustain higher rents.
If they did, they wouldn’t be living in low quality homes
Landlords have faced tax changes, rate increases, and insurance increases, this would add to that burden and will be passed on to tenants.
You’re not highlighting anything that’s been overlooked.
Until specific wof standards come out of proposed legislation, you’re simply pretending that the worst case scenario is among the most likely. And that therefore the policy shouldn’t be implemented. If we all followed that philosophy, we’d still be living in caves.
Only parata would be dumb enough to suddenly introduce standards at a level that distorts the rental market to that degree. Well, maybe brownlee, too.
McFlock
Failing to refute my assertions, you’ve now taken to being somewhat disingenuous.
I’m highlighting the pitfalls proposed legislation should initially avoid when drafted.
Claiming otherwise is merely your unsubstantiated disingenuous assertion..
I’ve yet to see advocates highlight these pitfalls. Perhaps you could provide me with a link?.
Moreover, I didn’t say or imply the policy shouldn’t be implemented. I highlighted the means to the ends needs reconsidering. I support the end objective (improved living conditions)
Again,you’ve resorted to being disingenuous.
Look at the impact of supply and demand in Christchurch for an example.
Take a Chair man
You sound as if you’ll soon be thinking like that notorious sheriff in Arizona who puts prison inmates in tents as holding cells.
“Disingenuous”? Let’s see what you started with:
That’s not a warning of what might happen, it’s an outright prediction you made on the basis of no data whatsoever.
For example, do you have any idea whether the short term housing stock reduction that results from the proposed wof policy will be at all comparable to the christchurch earthquakes? No, of course you don’t, because policy specifics haven’t been worked out yet let alone released for public discussion. But apparently you know enough to predict dire consequences for the poor. Rest assured, your concern is touching.
Well you outlaw the poorer quality rentals and have the govt repossess them at market value less needed improvements.
The govt does them up and uses them as socialised housing.
Its pretty win/win.
McFlock
No joy on that link?
It’s a warning that will result if the pitfalls raised above are not taken into prior consideration (and resolved) when drafting legislation..
I wasn’t implying the numbers would be as bad as Christchurch. The reference was to the effect of supply and demand.
And regardless of the numbers, impose additional costs onto landlords and those costs will be passed on.
Effectively, forcing the poor into higher quality homes that they can’t afford.
Bullshit at “warning”. It was a clear prediction. Otherwise you “asserted” nothing.
Care to make an actual assertion, then?
Just have the government enter as a major landlord, instead of leaving it to the market.
If a private investor doesn’t want to upgrade their rental property to the latest standards, the government can acquire the property for a small sum, and socialise the accomodation.
+1 and the price is offset by fewer kids being admitted to hospitals with asthma, rheumatic fever and other illnesses that flourish in damp, cold living conditions.
Yep, just have the government own and maintain enough housing to null out demand. IMO, a 2 or 3% over supply of housing, all up to the highest standards and all set to a percentage of household income.
All fixed.
Watch out everybody who wants a house. There will be some that come onto the market ‘needing TLC’ if the WOF is brought in as the money-grubbers have to change to investing intelligently. So start getting your home maintenance classes under your belt in advance.
And don’t forget that little ruse that one solicitor and his wife in Sydney used. Keep an eye on all the mortgage sales and pop along early to see the place, after getting a bit of info on the property. You never know, someone’s bad fortune might be your stroke of luck.
And of course have your mortgage pre-agreed and don’t try beyond that. Look for a reasonable lender who will advise on your suitable loan cap and if they offer you a mortgage holiday don’t take it and check their standing.
The foreseen consequences of a rental property WoF
People don’t live in cold, damp houses and garages, and their children don’t get third world diseases.
Scumbag property owners (slumlords) fix up their stock or get out of the market, but either way, aren’t getting money for nothing off the backs of the unfortunate.
I don’t care about the costs to implement the scheme, just as long as it’s not self regulated or a patsy quango setting the scene.
Those who knowingly rents out an unfit property, it’s clear, value income over society. You are not not good citizens.
You should be hit hard, with legislation aimed squarely at your fat wallets.
Soon as you don’t have the numbers in parliament, you’re fucked.
People don’t live in poor quality homes because there is currently no better alternative – they tend to live in them because they are cheap to rent.
Improving low quality homes comes at a cost.
Improvements also add value, further adding to insurance and local council rate costs.
These costs will be passed on to tenants.
The objective is to improve the living conditions of the poor. Higher rents won’t achieve this.
Higher rents will negatively effect family budgets.
Savings would have to be made elsewhere – i.e.Doctor visits, heating, diet, etc…
Cheap low quantity rentals cater to market demand.
Not all landlords have the means to buy a quality rental.
And not all tenants can afford to rent one.
But all NZers deserve one.
Absurd Political Correctness Watch
No. 1: David Slack
The Panel, Radio NZ National, Friday 8 March 2013
JIM MORA: All right, it’s Susan Baldacci with what the world’s talking about. What have you got for us today, Susan?
SUSAN BALDACCI: First up is this story of a British school which has banned children playing cops and robbers.
JIM MORA: Did you play with toy guns when you were a boy?
DAVID SLACK: I think I had a toy gun and a holster but I don’t think I enjoyed it very much.
Glib and Spineless Watch
No. 1: Jim Mora
The Panel, Radio NZ National, Friday 8 March 2013
JIM MORA: Okay, just a couple of minutes left. SHOULD JOHN KEY GO TO HUGO CHAVEZ’S FUNERAL OR NOT? I can see why he’s NOT going. Ha ha ha ha!
DAVID SLACK: Of course he should go. He’s been leaned on by the United States.
MORA: But he’d be seen to be endorsing a revolutionary left wing leader?
MARK INGALLS: I’m ashamed as a New Zealander that he’s not going.
[Long uncomfortable pause….]
MORA: Okay!
Stephen Joyce is getting away with far too much piss taking. Hearing Joyce is considering supporting New Zealand manufacturers in some kind of procurement arrangement, where joint ventures between NZ firms get preferred consideration on big builds etc.
I can hear the former skilled engineer workers from the now deceased Dunedin Rail workshop cheering from here!