Open mike 09/11/2014

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, November 9th, 2014 - 57 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

corporate overlords-1Open mike is your post.

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The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

57 comments on “Open mike 09/11/2014 ”

  1. North 1

    WTF ???

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11355618

    Reminds me of a story about Pat Lam (Samoa coach/captain?) in a tournament here in NZ.
    Manu Samoa travel from the airport over the Harbour Bridge to a budget hotel in Devonport. Other national teams go to salubrious accommodations in the CBD. Lam gets off the bus, inspects, gets back on the bus and tells his team they’re not staying there.

    Apocryphal ? I don’t know but if it’s not then League in it’s management of the current Four Nations has surely surpassed Union’s gold-standard in gratuitous insult. No wonder my Samoan mates complain bitterly that ‘star-farming’ Polynesia gets ripped-off. In fact I’ve just now spoken to one such – his lament – “Same old same old…….”

  2. Morrissey 2

    Poppy Bullshit a problem in England….
    http://noglory.org/index.php/articles/363-this-year-s-poppy-appeal-song-is-a-disgrace-and-should-be-withdrawn

    Poppy Bullshit also a problem in New Zealand….
    PEACE POPPY
    Date Posted: April 16, 2014
    https://www.rsa.org.nz/blog/donmciver/peacepoppy

    I have been concerned to find that an organization is conducting a White Poppy campaign on or around the RSA Poppy Day. There is little doubt that they are piggy backing both on the poppy and on Anzac Commemorations. I believe that they say they are collecting for peace but I have some difficulty with the suggestion that the iconic red poppy does not do that anyway.

    The Flanders Poppy is one of the best known and most iconic lapel brands in New Zealand and the Commonwealth. Its immediate purpose is to show gratitude for donations made to the support and well being of veterans, service people and their families. Its origin lies in the red poppies which appeared in the mud and gore of those battlefields at Flanders after the guns had stopped firing. They are a powerful representation of the return to peace and the stability after those tumultuous years of conflict.

    Today the red poppy is more than just a small token of thanks from the RSA. It represents the gratitude we feel for all servicemen and women, in all conflicts, who agreed to put their lives in harm’s way because their country asked it of them. It represents their deep desire to contribute to world peace and stability when our nation had concluded that this could only be achieved through opposing forces for evil or disharmony. It represents the sacrifice they and their families made.

    In my view there is no more powerful single image of our nation’s thirst for peace. The Red Poppy is the peace poppy.

    DON McIVER
    National President, RSA
    https://www.rsa.org.nz/blog/donmciver/peacepoppy

    • chris73 2.1

      I have no problems with the White Poppy just choose a different day…Armistice Day seems a more natural day for them and they’d probably raise more money

      • Morrissey 2.1.1

        You’re objecting to the White Poppy campaign because you’ve heard the RSA objecting to it. The RSA has little or no right to make moral judgements. It still has not apologised for runing poems in its magazine in PRAISE of the murderers and cowards in the Anzac Mounted Rifles, who in December 1918, rounded up more than one hundred boys and men in the Palestinian village of Surafend, then methodically clubbed them to death…..
        http://alh-research.tripod.com/Light_Horse/index.blog?topic_id=1115959

        • chris73 2.1.1.1

          I beg your pardon? Who do you think you are to tell me where I get my objections from? You know nothing of my background nor my families and my opinions are my own.

          The reason you’re objecting to Don McIver is because you’re naive and ignorant

          • Morrissey 2.1.1.1.1

            I beg your pardon? Who do you think you are to tell me where I get my objections from? You know nothing of my background nor my families and my opinions are my own.

            Which just happen to match, word for word, what the RSA has said ad nauseam since the White Poppy campaign began.

            The reason you’re objecting to Don McIver is because you’re naive and ignorant

            No, I object to Don McIver because his comments on this matter have been ignorant and hypocritical, and also because he heads the RSA, an organization which has yet to apologize for its printing of doggerel verse praising the rounding up and clubbing to death by Anzac Light Horse “soldiers” of more than one hundred boys and men in the village of Surafend.

  3. mickysavage 3

    Gah on Q&A the commentators have passed comment on how Key’s handling of Pike River was well weighted as was his handling of the contribution to the ISIS war. The comment was made that he had done just enough to be seen to be doing his bit while not enough to put soldiers in the firing line. They also said that the debate about what we are doing off shore will die down.

    Please media. Tell us what is going on. Do not tell us what to think.

    • Paul 3.1

      The NZ media is simply a propaganda tool.

    • tc 3.2

      Ain’t gonna happen so work with the new paradigm

    • North 3.3

      How is it that Groser’s Q & A interviewer can blithely question Groser in these terms……”But Mr Groser isn’t it in YOUR interests……..” ?

      For God’s Sake ! What are, and how can Groser’s individual interests be legitimately pursued in this context ? He constantly assures us it is ‘steady as she goes…..’ and that the National Party is directed to working in New Zealand’s interests which might even require that the TPPA never results. ‘Steady as she goes…..trust us we’re acting in YOUR interests.’

      It’s appalling that the interviewer seems to allow of and be ‘relaxed’ more or less with the fact of individual interest. That of course is the foundation on which the neuter MSM routinely predicates its examination and reporting of the political process. Who best plays the ‘game’ so to speak. It remains extremely alarming nevertheless.

  4. Ad 4

    English utterly unconvincing on National Radio this morning about state housing.
    There was never any sense he gave a damn about families needing a house – it was policy tinkering language.

    • Kiwiri - Raided of the Last Shark 4.1

      A good chunk of Double Dipton’s Karori house is from the state’s purse. Good for him for getting his share of state housing. Can we all haz some.

    • tc 4.2

      Bill has never been convincing.

      Since 2002 and the knives from key etc he comes across like a corporate cull consultant yawning his way through another restructure.

      He makes sure him and his own do very nicely and soon as they lose he will shoot through.

  5. Rodel 5

    Quote from Ali Ikram ‏

    ‘Who will be the one to tell the PM the All Blacks are all members of a union and get a mandatory 10 minute break every 40 minutes?’

    A bit like us:

  6. Draco T Bastard 6

    Pregnant, and No Civil Rights

    Such laws are increasingly being used as the basis for arresting women who have no intention of ending a pregnancy and for preventing women from making their own decisions about how they will give birth.

    How does this play out? Based on the belief that he had an obligation to give a fetus a chance for life, a judge in Washington, D.C., ordered a critically ill 27-year-old woman who was 26 weeks pregnant to undergo a cesarean section, which he understood might kill her. Neither the woman nor her baby survived.

    I doubt if the judge was then booked for murder.

    Thing is, these same things will happen in NZ if we keep going down the same RWNJ path that National has us on.

    • weka 6.1

      Thanks, that’s some serious shit. And yesterday we had that discussion about foetal alcohol syndrome in NZ, with the implication of criminal liability for women that drink during pregnancy.

      There’s a couple of other things here. One is that the historical high caesarian rate in the US is partly a consequence of their mix of litigation culture with medical practitioner entitlement i.e. obstetricians needing to perform caesarians in case something goes wrong with the labour and they get sued. Women have been forced into birth surgery for reasons other than foetus rights.

      The abortion issue and the litigation/medico-entitlement issue overlap and highlight that gains that women have made are allowed gains and can be taken away again (ditto other people too). We don’t have human rights. This is why so called identity politics are so crucial. The dynamics reported in the article aren’t a result of an unfair economic system. Ending capitalism won’t change the inherent moral imperative that says women don’t have sovereignty over their bodies. As long as the patriarchy/kyriarchy/domination system prevails at the expense of egalitarianism, there will always be a battle to stop women’s politics and needs being subsumed for the greater good of the culture (be it foetal rights, or left wing agendas).

  7. Chooky 7

    Those who deny Climate Change and their use of the media…..is the feature of Colin Peacocks Media Watch

    …and Mathew Hooton the right wing spinner and expert on Ninetonoon, arch critic of the Greens and who advocates the Greens joining with Nactional !…..receives a mention! ( OMG!…would he rewrite Green policy to deny Climate Change?…his nerve knows no bounds!)

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/20156538

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/20156538/mediawatch-for-9-november-2014

    Mediawatch for 9 November 2014 ( 30′ )
    09:09 A conversation that wound up climate change campaigners and skeptics – and other contrary climate claims in the media; the complex deals done to get local shows on commercial TV; one man’s mission to revive a long-lost quiz.

    Wallace Chapman runs a great programme. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday

  8. chris73 8

    http://www.prosperity.com/#!/ranking

    The 2014 Legatum Prosperity Index ranks 142 nations on their “wealth and wellbeing” in eight categories, including health, education, safety and security, and economy.

    – This is what you get after six years of National, shocking eh

    • One Anonymous Bloke 8.1

      “Data” from a right wing think tank lie factory supports right wing politics. Are you the Legatum Institute’s pimp?

      • chris73 8.1.1

        Yep keep telling yourself that also the polls don’t matter either 🙂

        • One Anonymous Bloke 8.1.1.1

          Right wing lie factory succeeds in manipulating public opinion after spending millions of dollars on lies. Are you their cheerleader as well as their pimp?

          • chris73 8.1.1.1.1

            Let me put it this way: National can put through whatever bill or law it wants whereas parties on the left can’t

            Its really that simple and nothing else matters

            • One Anonymous Bloke 8.1.1.1.1.1

              Keep telling yourself that.

              • chris73

                Hows Metireas bill going?

                • One Anonymous Bloke

                  It’s going to demonstrate what a pack of murderous low life scum you are.

                  • chris73

                    Actually its going to prove that being power is better then being out of power but I wouldn’t worry it as Keys going to do something about it which will be a lot more successful then some half-cocked rubbish thought up by Hone and carried on by the Greens

                    • One Anonymous Bloke

                      Key is going to fail (in fact he isn’t even going to try), then lie about the statistics, and you will help him kill more children.

                    • chris73

                      So how did throwing out mindless, over the top statements help the left this election

                      Lets see Labour had its worst result in over 90 years and the Greens went backwards

                      I’m surprised you didn’t finish off with a stanza or two of The Red Flag though in Labours case they may want to change it to The White Flag

                      🙂

                    • One Anonymous Bloke

                      And I’m not surprised that you are ignoring the list of deaths from preventable poverty related diseases.

                      “Mortality with a social gradient” the professionals call it.

                      When you’re not denying it you’re busy telling everyone it’s the deceased’s fault.

                    • chris73

                      Keys track record is success whereas Hones is failure and the Greens well 25 years and still not in government says it all

                      So like crime, unemployment, the economy Key will make significant improvements here and the left can…well the lefts irrelevant at the moment so it doesn’t really matter what the left do

                      🙂

                    • One Anonymous Bloke

                      There are plenty of things the Left can do, Treasury benches or not.

                      Meanwhile, don’t forget what Dirty John said about arrogance, chump.

                    • chris73

                      There are plenty of things the Left can do, Treasury benches or not.

                      – Like what? A protest no one cares about or going on strike which most people view as an inconvenience

                      Meanwhile, don’t forget what Dirty John said about arrogance, chump

                      – Good thing hes the leader then isn’t it…well not so good for left of course

                      🙂

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      So how did throwing out mindless, over the top statements help the left this election

                      Well, Key’s and the right-wing’s use of them successfully kept the Left out of government.

                      So like crime, unemployment, the economy Key will make significant improvements here

                      Only if you consider having more of them an improvement.

                    • chris73

                      Well Draco myself and over million voters are going to have to disagree with you on this

                    • felix

                      Can someone please remind me what function is served by allowing right-wing fuckwits to spout National Party propaganda all over what is supposed to be a left-wing blog?

                    • weka

                      @ felix.

                      Completely. Fucking. Agree.

                • Paul

                  Ignore the tr***

            • framu 8.1.1.1.1.2

              “National can put through whatever bill or law it wants whereas parties on the left can’t”

              and right there is where you dishonestly shift the goalposts

              you started with dodgy stats, moved to popularity and now your starting in with house majorities.

    • Paul 8.2

      Google Legatum
      They are based in Dubai.
      I think you know this.

  9. One Anonymous Bloke 9

    Andrea Vance isn’t mincing her words.

    Key wasn’t “lying” in the strict sense of the word when he revealed to reporters on Wednesday that nine passports were revoked. (Back in February he told a press conference that the documents of fewer than ten people have been cancelled since authorities were granted the power back in 2005.) But he deliberately implied they were wannabe Kiwi jihadis….The threat level was publicly raised, for added theatre…Scaremongering, twisting the facts…

  10. A voter 10

    Here s a laugh
    ISIS was a model of a Morris car back in the 60s
    I know totally of no value in its current context on the news
    But you just never know when every thing is important with meta data collection
    Maybe its just something Key has a private bit of madness about in his own guilt of how he describes his childhood in the 60s and tells all those lies about being poor when everyone knows it different and now all his money is up for scrutiny in ANY conflicts of interest as a public official ,when he is doing the will of Britain the US etc
    Like maintaining Rio Tinto in NZ for Britain when economically its a dead loss for NZ
    GET MY DRIFT

  11. Potato 11

    This little piece from Malaysia links recent changes to their labour laws to readiness for the TPPA.

    http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=390982:msia-land-of-the-working-dead?-signing-tppa-will-further-erode-workers-rights-psm&Itemid=2#axzz3IWkp9SgP

    After reading Mr Grosers comments this morning, I am so tempted to add a disclaimer…’ the names and places have been changed to protect the guilty’.

  12. Paul 12

    Felix above
    “Can someone please remind me what function is served by allowing right-wing fuckwits to spout National Party propaganda all over what is supposed to be a left-wing blog?”

    +100
    It’s all done to derail conversations.
    If I want to hear rwnjs, there are plenty of other places to turn to…………
    And it turns people off this site.
    Well me anyway.

  13. North 13

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11354344

    And the modern day slaver will ensure the utility of the ‘business tool’ of modern day slavery by refusing to employ anyone who can’t show experience of modern day slavery.

    The script written by Crosby Textor of course. “Very well young man…….welcome to the team, as of tomorrow. Your unspecified pay starts in six months. Completely voluntary of course. ACT Corporation is a fervent believer in freedom of choice…….oh by the way, tomorrow bring in confirmation of your self-funded public liability cover, there’s a good chap.”

    Far fetched ? Yeah. The risk of imminent mortality for the slaver far too high. I mean who could blame the slave ?

  14. factchecker4all 15

    “There are things like the Len Brown affair…”

    You’re joking right ?

    ……and as for the dirty politics book the most astute overview IMO was this piece in the herald.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11323792

    • Murray Rawshark 15.1

      I’ve seen better. That piece is trying to say Hager was wrong in what he did, and that Gusher Collins (for example) was just trash talking to impress her buddy Slug Boy. That might be OK except that she gave him names of people to trash. It should be the job of the GCSB to intercept communications between conspirators against our democracy. Why didn’t they intercept these? Or if they did, why wasn’t Key informed? Or if he was,……..? Nah mate, Rawshark was our last line of defence.

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  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    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 ...
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    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,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    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 ...
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