Are property investors and the real estate industry, (who look after their interests), frightened that the government might bring in a Vancouver style empty homes tax?
Indeed they are …..the Gov are being forced to slowly (ever so slowly) unpick the model that has benefited the few at the expense of the rest…..but they are being as circumspect as possible in order to prevent a rout.
The beneficiaries are fighting for their lives (or lifestyles)
Vancouver is doubling down on the success of its vacant home tax…well, tripling down, technically. The Vancouver Empty Homes Tax (EHT) will be tripled from its original rate for the 2021 assessment year. The tax, which places a penalty on underused homes, was put in place to help encourage more efficient use. VancouverEmptyHomesTax (EHT)….
Hundreds Of Vacant Homes Are Now Being Used
The City’s vacant home tax appears to be making a big impact, with the total number of units falling. In 2017, the first year the City had a vacancy tax, there were 2,538 homes found vacant without exception. By 2018, that number fell to 1,989, and finally down to 1,893 in 2019. When including the number of exempted homes that transitioned to tenanted use, this added over a year of housing supply…..
The tax revenue generated is also raising cash for the City, which is being used to fund affordable housing. In 2017, the City collected $33 million from vacancy taxes. As use improved, the revenue fell to $23.3 million in 2018. Last year, that number increased to $27.9 million, despite fewer vacancies. This would imply more expensive homes are being left vacant, potentially also helping with affordability…..
The empty homes tax has released "over a years supply of housing" on the market.
The empty homes tax has increased council revenue by "$33 million".
The empty homes tax is "helping with affordability".
Doing a little reading about the recently disbanded Youth Climate Change group this morning, trying to get this male, pale and stale head around it.
I came across this tweet which went 'viral' last month. I am fully inoculated from twitter and it passed me by. (Apologies if it was put up here on TS).
I recommend reading it, especially any other whiter shade of pale folk, who have seen their fair share of sunsets.
If only we heard more from Aigagalefili Fepulea'i-Tapua'i and her ilk and less from hospitality, seasonal employers, Jewish community and property investor mouthpieces.
You are a disgrace, willing to openly promote the exclusion on racial grounds for any community group to speak out, are there others you are wanting to be silenced ?
I am amazed that this site openly allows such comments to pass.
[lprent: Doesn’t fit our criteria. We tend to concentrate on behaviour rather than ideological position. Like advocating silence or exclusion of people from a robust debate on our site.
The problem is that I can’t see how gsays has advocated for exclusion. The comment you are complaining about reads more like a call for inclusion and for others to read a different point of view.
I’d point out that ironically you appear to be advocating for silencing a different viewpoint that you (presumably) disagree with. Worse still you didn’t bother to make any argument to support either your asserts about what they were purportedly doing, no statements about why it was a problem for the site, and as far as I can see you simply drawing your conclusions out of brain attached close to your lower large bowel.
As you’re probably aware, as moderators we have absolutely no problems dealing with hypocrites trying to spin crap without making an argument. I suggest you try to formulate and articulate a coherent argument before I start judging your piss-poor behaviour in attacking others without one.
In the meantime – don’t waste modderator time. I have a short fuse for dimwits doing that ]
Contained in the news a few days ago a very emotional woman speaking form her experiences at being a target for being a Muslim made the comment that anyone who sees any one being (my words) targeted having adverse comments passed should stand up and call them out and support those who are being the subject of such attacks.
and I am not making a comment about silencing the comment of promoting this amazing individual that the link refers to, just the needed extra regarding race.
But will leave it there after expressing my opinion
Thanks gsays, there's always more to these things than Bomber outrage. Let them get on with it, let's not stand in their way, let them make their own decisions.
gsays makes a good point on how the MSM news is dominated by these sectional interests…who crowd out all others. The NZ Initiative/business Round table would be included.
My pet hate is the 'hospitality industry'…really meaning cafes and bars. They dominate the lives of inner city urban elites but not the lives of the vast majority, but many economic issues are framed around their existence and their access to cheap labour.
This is cafe as part of a well known Cairns pub, with its famous 'Croc bar' and these are its prices in $A. Even with the higher wages and distance to suppliers its still cheaper than a NZ equivalent
Ifeellove – Don't be so quick to hassle people commenting here. The tone of discourse can degenerate quickly to fault-finding, nit-picking, purist outrage if no self-control is mustered. Try breathing in and counting to ten, and let something go that isn't a bad case of whatever you're bothered about.
Myself I am about to write a letter to a newspaper suggesting that too much fault-finding and too tight a criteria is being applied to people needing help. I hope it will improve the situation. I think that approach is a worthy one because it isn't just dissing someone.
If people come here with legitimate arguments or praise of Government policies then I would absolutely agree with you Grey, however the type of attacks we are seeing lately appear to be no more than dumb attacks with no legitimate substance and should be treated accordingly, so I Feel Love should be free to react to an unwarranted attack on the PMs Partner, without being criticized for it. Would we have encouraged an attack on what sort of car Bronagh drove?
I think we should let small things flow under the bridge instead of being po-faced about them. We have bigger things to worry and think about but get deflected often on some teeny matter. Need to grow up a bit – get wise. This is the 21st century and time is short and behaving as in the 20th century will leave us as behind the moving steamroller as we were in 2000.
ANY existing Ute passes your "legitimate use sniff test" (whatever that means in this context) Perhaps you are just fomenting mischief, How many existing Utes will be banned under these changes?
He won't of course – already owning it means he can hang onto it as long as he wants. If he's as sensible as Kiwis of more modest means, he'll have bought it with 60-90,000 km on the clock and will run it to 200,000km or a bit more over the course of about 10 years. Plenty of time for greener alternatives to pop up and have other people with more money than sense take the initial depreciation hit on them.
"This on Kiwiblog this morning"
Oh right – so a fact-free hit job. Though it must really annoy the devoted followers of Farrar's towering intellect that Clark isn't an effete leftie liberal, but he owns a ute and knows how to put a few snapper in the bin.
Gayford needs to hide somewhere and never appear or do anything in life. Anything he does will be used to attack his partner. Then the 10,000 stories will appear about where he is.
Maybe he is just living life appreciating there are f'wits who will do and say anything to appeal to the mindless it attacking Ms Ardern.
Standard arrangement when you know the participants, happens in any work place or low turnover occasion like funerals /weddings where its a number limit ( for tracing purposes)
Did you think UK was in a level 4 type lockdown where no one could go anywhere or meet others not in their own bubble.
Disappointing. There have been no reported cases of COVID community transmission in NZ for 110 days (its a shambles – an utter shambles I tell ya!) MIQ represents our best safeguard against, and greatest risk of another outbreak – more power to their ‘elbow’.
Had the flu jab on Monday; booked in for my first COVID jab on 30 June. Keeping calm.
Below the headline it reads, “The child has subsequently tested negative and members of their family, who are residents on the island, have also tested negative, a statement from the Ministry of Health says."
What does it mean medically/scientifically when a child tests as a weak positive and then both child and family return later negative tests?
There must be some residual concern as the health authorities have reacted with more staff, testing etc. Is this a PR reaction (we need to be seen to be doing something even thoughthe negative tests have removed any concern), or is there a chance that the weak positive test might still indicate further infection possibilities?
What does it mean medically/scientifically when a child tests as a weak positive and then both child and family return later negative tests?
Could be a legacy of previous infection (enough bug corpses remaining in the bloodstream to trip the test), or a false positive.
But a small community in an isolated place that you can flood with a disproportionate amount of medical staff (like, two or three) is about the best place to have a positive result, lol
The information I had at 1.11 pm has been added to in a revamped press release just before 3 pm. A trap for young players. I couldn't figure out why the same news release didn't have the information when I looked but later in the thread people were quoting what I was not sure of. The press release looks the same and begins the same way but has a later release time.
A Stewart Island resident, believed to be a child, has returned a weak-positive test for Covid-19.
They have subsequently tested negative and members of their family have also tested negative, a statement from the Ministry of Health says.
Officials have been unable to identify any possible source of infection "and given the relative isolation of the community, health authorities currently believe that it is most likely that the person is not a case”, the statement says.
I was certainly down with the sentiment if yr comment.
The biggest challenge will be overcoming our complacency, hand hygiene, scanning etc.
I got quite a surprise with a possible (and highly unlikely) positive on Stewart Island. The virus is supposed to make it's way South in a slow, orderly fashion.
Musicians typically take on debt when they first sign to a record label. They are given a lump sum, known as an advance, to pay for recording studios, video shoots, distribution and other expenses. The money is then paid back when they sell their music. However, many artists never earn enough to repay their advances, often because they get unfavourable royalty rates from their own record companies.
Heritage black artists have been particularly affected.
I hope musicians still around will get real benefit from this, even if it just takes a load off their minds.
Here is a excellent interview with a brave and as it turns out, one of the few remaining actual Left wing politicians in western politics today, Clare Daly…
We speak to Clare Daly MEP. She discusses the Julian Assange case and how it shows the hypocrisy of the West in calling out Russia on human rights abuses and Alexei Navalny’s arrest, the hawkish framing of the Vladimir Putin-Joe Biden summit by the Joe Biden administration, the West’s tensions with China and why the policy is pushing the EU closer to the United States, the myth of the Chinese threat, Ireland’s recent actions against Israel’s occupation of Palestine, the painting of Russia and China as imminent threats and much more! We contacted the European Parliament about the allegations in this show and they directed us to this article: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/e…
Can't say I'll bother with it unless I get really shitted-down at work.
Can't say I am surprised at your response there McFlock..being some sort of Centrist Liberal imperialist yourself, I guess her Left Wing politics wouldn't really float your boat.
At least I did what you should have done and actually described the content of the goddamned vid. When you use the words "excellent" and "brave", all that means is that you agree with what you think you heard them say. When you use the words "liberl", "centrist" or "imperialist", all that means is that you disagree with what you think you heard them say.
I was curious enough to at least scope out the description. One day you might link to something useful, with new information. From the description, this video does not seem to document any changes in any of the situations mentioned, or provide any deep analysis.
So what didn't float my boat was the idea that any new information would be introduced about nine or so complex issues in a video that would give an average of a minute and (almost) a half for each issue.
For a chronic whinger like yourself, all that constitutes is a bit of ego stroking at the idea that someone seems to be agreeing with your existing opinions.
I'm afraid, with a strong usa influence here, of our police officers picking up on the policing methods from over there, apparently in turn used by Israeli force. So good that we are getting judgment against the use of head violence here. The guy has disobeyed laws and instructions. Not an excuse for violence from the force entrusted to promote peaceful society.
Police discovered the car was stolen and the young person, (Mr Z) was driving while disqualified.
Officers tried to arrest him but he resisted, did not follow instructions and broke free of the handcuffs.
The car was stolen from his legal guardian, and he was carrying three passengers, one of whom filmed the incident.
Can anyone help me find the actual audio of Ardern talking about not exempting utes? Shub quote her here and seem to imply she said it on The AM Show, but I can't find replays of the AM show anywhere.
The theme of governments over last decades has been to give encouragement to business. But often that seems to be big business, in the main areas the government favours. But most businesses in NZ are micro to small businesses, and they need support because this is where the real NZs are.
They have put heft, heart and soul getting something going, and it is providing them with a living, plus the multiplier effect swirling the money sauce through the community. Just needed road works are holding up customers around Nelson and the businesses are suffering. When it is something of major importance to the region, there sure will be benefits to all, but please don't beggar us little guys (I haven't got one now, but have had). Government, is there an advocate for Micro Business,
Some stats –
Small enterprises are firms with fewer than 20 employees. They make up the majority of businesses in NZ and are the backbone of our economy. They employ 29% of our workforce and contribute over a quarter of our GDP. … When small businesses grow and succeed, they raise employment and incomes. New Zealand's Support for Small Business – Business.govt.nz
What about the micro businesses then:
UK entry – The main difference between a small business and a micro business is size. A micro business generally has 0 – 9 employees, whereas a small business can have between 10 – 49 employees. A small business also has a higher turnover than a micro business and more money on its balance sheet. Micro Business Statistics UK 2021 – SME Loans
In NZ? – Are you a micro business? – Business Headspace https://www.businessheadspace.co.nz › are-you-a-micro…
16/05/2018 — In NZ you don't generally speak of or hear of the term micro business. … according to Statistics NZ – 97% of NZ businesses are considered small. … When you look to dictionary.com, one of micro's definitions is “very small in …
10 Amazing Facts About Small Businesses in New Zealand …https://www.bizcover.co.nz › News & Insights
How New Zealand small business are made up of: 3. 70% of all NZ Enterprises are sole traders and therefore have no employees. That's over 353,000 Small …
(It looks as if this is a growth area for employment. It could be that each of these businesses might take on one trainee or apprentice a year, with some incentive, and make more money and help upskill the workforce. And I think that the saying should be reversed from 'Big business, too big to fail' so that Micro as well as Small Businesses are encouraged, and their entrepreneurship with it, with real money for pilot schemes that if successful, can be granted low-cost loans to develop even if the market is fleeting. And they should not be left dangling when there are big projects proceeding. Once the government chose to go free market and destroy the small-scale domestic market in favour of fixation on exports and imports, intelligent economic planners would have ensured there were incentives for people to self-employ after being given the heaveho from their previous jobs,)
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
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In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
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. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
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. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
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. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
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 ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
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Whose afraid of no ghosts?
Real estate industry tries to explain away ghost houses
Are property investors and the real estate industry, (who look after their interests), frightened that the government might bring in a Vancouver style empty homes tax?
Whose afraid of no ghosts?
You are
Indeed they are …..the Gov are being forced to slowly (ever so slowly) unpick the model that has benefited the few at the expense of the rest…..but they are being as circumspect as possible in order to prevent a rout.
The beneficiaries are fighting for their lives (or lifestyles)
'Want to solve the housing crisis?
Let's do this
The empty homes tax has released "over a years supply of housing" on the market.
The empty homes tax has increased council revenue by "$33 million".
The empty homes tax is "helping with affordability".
What's not to like?
[link required]
Mod note for you.
My apologiees for this slip up.
Here it is.
Vancouver To Triple Empty Home Tax To 3% In 2021 | Better Dwelling
Ta
I don’t know why your comment ended up in Pre-Mod!?
All good
'
More on the Vancouver empty home tax going up…..
Doing a little reading about the recently disbanded Youth Climate Change group this morning, trying to get this male, pale and stale head around it.
I came across this tweet which went 'viral' last month. I am fully inoculated from twitter and it passed me by. (Apologies if it was put up here on TS).
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018766737/aigagalefili-fepulea-i-tapua-i-speaking-up-for-south-auckland-students
I recommend reading it, especially any other whiter shade of pale folk, who have seen their fair share of sunsets.
If only we heard more from Aigagalefili Fepulea'i-Tapua'i and her ilk and less from hospitality, seasonal employers, Jewish community and property investor mouthpieces.
You are a disgrace, willing to openly promote the exclusion on racial grounds for any community group to speak out, are there others you are wanting to be silenced ?
I am amazed that this site openly allows such comments to pass.
[lprent: Doesn’t fit our criteria. We tend to concentrate on behaviour rather than ideological position. Like advocating silence or exclusion of people from a robust debate on our site.
The problem is that I can’t see how gsays has advocated for exclusion. The comment you are complaining about reads more like a call for inclusion and for others to read a different point of view.
I’d point out that ironically you appear to be advocating for silencing a different viewpoint that you (presumably) disagree with. Worse still you didn’t bother to make any argument to support either your asserts about what they were purportedly doing, no statements about why it was a problem for the site, and as far as I can see you simply drawing your conclusions out of brain attached close to your lower large bowel.
As you’re probably aware, as moderators we have absolutely no problems dealing with hypocrites trying to spin crap without making an argument. I suggest you try to formulate and articulate a coherent argument before I start judging your piss-poor behaviour in attacking others without one.
In the meantime – don’t waste modderator time. I have a short fuse for dimwits doing that ]
See my mod note.
Contained in the news a few days ago a very emotional woman speaking form her experiences at being a target for being a Muslim made the comment that anyone who sees any one being (my words) targeted having adverse comments passed should stand up and call them out and support those who are being the subject of such attacks.
and I am not making a comment about silencing the comment of promoting this amazing individual that the link refers to, just the needed extra regarding race.
But will leave it there after expressing my opinion
I think we are talking about different things.
As close to a reference to Muslim I got was denigrating the tone deaf, ill timed comments of Juliet Moses.
Did the security services 'cancel out' Justine Sachs from this conference ?
Thanks gsays, there's always more to these things than Bomber outrage. Let them get on with it, let's not stand in their way, let them make their own decisions.
Yes. The have made their own decisions.
gsays makes a good point on how the MSM news is dominated by these sectional interests…who crowd out all others. The NZ Initiative/business Round table would be included.
My pet hate is the 'hospitality industry'…really meaning cafes and bars. They dominate the lives of inner city urban elites but not the lives of the vast majority, but many economic issues are framed around their existence and their access to cheap labour.
This is cafe as part of a well known Cairns pub, with its famous 'Croc bar' and these are its prices in $A. Even with the higher wages and distance to suppliers its still cheaper than a NZ equivalent
https://www.grandhotelcairns.com.au/menu/
I would have added the proxy mouthpieces of the Australian banking industry if the coffee had kicked in.
Clark will need to change vehicles. This on Kiwiblog this morning.
So mps spouses (private citizens) are open season? Shame on you.
Ifeellove – Don't be so quick to hassle people commenting here. The tone of discourse can degenerate quickly to fault-finding, nit-picking, purist outrage if no self-control is mustered. Try breathing in and counting to ten, and let something go that isn't a bad case of whatever you're bothered about.
Myself I am about to write a letter to a newspaper suggesting that too much fault-finding and too tight a criteria is being applied to people needing help. I hope it will improve the situation. I think that approach is a worthy one because it isn't just dissing someone.
Will we see photos snapped of who Farrar stays with when visiting Great Barrier Island ?
Maybe some audio from outside the Nick Smith office door too
If people come here with legitimate arguments or praise of Government policies then I would absolutely agree with you Grey, however the type of attacks we are seeing lately appear to be no more than dumb attacks with no legitimate substance and should be treated accordingly, so I Feel Love should be free to react to an unwarranted attack on the PMs Partner, without being criticized for it. Would we have encouraged an attack on what sort of car Bronagh drove?
I think we should let small things flow under the bridge instead of being po-faced about them. We have bigger things to worry and think about but get deflected often on some teeny matter. Need to grow up a bit – get wise. This is the 21st century and time is short and behaving as in the 20th century will leave us as behind the moving steamroller as we were in 2000.
Why will he need to change vehicles? Are utes being banned?
So that shows this Government making decisions not based on self interest, refreshing isn't it.
Labour Party electioneering in a Ute would appear to pass the legitimate use sniff test …
Hes towing a boat….and his day job is doing fishing TV shows, amoung others- Farrar always makes sure images like his stories a 'closely cropped'
ANY existing Ute passes your "legitimate use sniff test" (whatever that means in this context) Perhaps you are just fomenting mischief, How many existing Utes will be banned under these changes?
Link for above comment
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/06/car-tsar-national-act-pile-onto-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-over-legitimate-use-of-utes-comments.html
If Clarke is on location for his fishing programme then the chances are it is a vehicle owned by the company he works for which I think is Mediaworks.
If it's even got anything to do with him, and he wasn't just eating a pie in the wrong place.
Pays to confirm the assumptions when tories are throwing shit.
Good rule of thumb, although in this case if you open the image in a new tab you'll see it's from Gayford's FB and strongly implies it's his.
Completely irrelevant of course given no-one's being stopped from owning a ute, PDF is just shit stirring.
lol fair call, didn't remember sometimes pics in the comments are cropped by the column width
I can never remember the width code or I'd adjust it.
100% works
Yeah but what’s the code?
This is the current code
< img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E3-p-DmVEAAx1LL?format=jpg&name=medium” />
< img width="100%" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E3-p-DmVEAAx1LL?format=jpg&name=medium” />
Thanks! I’ve been putting it at the end.
I don’t think it matters; I always put it at the end, as it is the logical place.
yeah, looks like I had the html wrong.
img width="100%" works
"Clark will need to change vehicles."
He won't of course – already owning it means he can hang onto it as long as he wants. If he's as sensible as Kiwis of more modest means, he'll have bought it with 60-90,000 km on the clock and will run it to 200,000km or a bit more over the course of about 10 years. Plenty of time for greener alternatives to pop up and have other people with more money than sense take the initial depreciation hit on them.
"This on Kiwiblog this morning"
Oh right – so a fact-free hit job. Though it must really annoy the devoted followers of Farrar's towering intellect that Clark isn't an effete leftie liberal, but he owns a ute and knows how to put a few snapper in the bin.
Agree.
Helen Clark lost 5% points just on the showerhead and lightbulb kerfuffle alone.
Gayford needs to get on message when Prime Minister Ardern is now in full burn of the political bank account.
Gayford needs to hide somewhere and never appear or do anything in life. Anything he does will be used to attack his partner. Then the 10,000 stories will appear about where he is.
Maybe he is just living life appreciating there are f'wits who will do and say anything to appeal to the mindless it attacking Ms Ardern.
He makes his living from TV, fishing and showing off. He understands media perception.
I'm sure he won't let it happen again.
They need to actually dish out some decent punishments / fines to ensure people like this do not flout the rules.
Covid 19 coronavirus: Two children with virus symptoms among 12 to breach MIQ rules – NZ Herald
Punishment for giving the single digit salute to Covid precautions?
Hell yes, but at the very least let's be consistent.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2021/06/joe-and-jill-biden-have-tea-with-queen-elizabeth-at-windsor-castle-after-g7-summit.html
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/dominic-raab-defends-g7-barbecue-world-leaders-social-distancing-b940326.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-57461693
Standard arrangement when you know the participants, happens in any work place or low turnover occasion like funerals /weddings where its a number limit ( for tracing purposes)
Did you think UK was in a level 4 type lockdown where no one could go anywhere or meet others not in their own bubble.
At least keep yourself informed
Disappointing. There have been no reported cases of COVID community transmission in NZ for 110 days (its a shambles – an utter shambles I tell ya!) MIQ represents our best safeguard against, and greatest risk of another outbreak – more power to their ‘elbow’.
Had the flu jab on Monday; booked in for my first COVID jab on 30 June. Keeping calm.
We all owe a big thanks to everybody working in MIQ, for their hard and careful work to keep us safe.
Too early to shout ?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/125473083/covid19-weak-positive-test-result-on-stewart-island
Not so fast there Drowsy.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/125473083/covid19-weak-positive-test-result-on-stewart-island
Fingers crossed it is a boo-boo or something else innocuous.
Below the headline it reads, “The child has subsequently tested negative and members of their family, who are residents on the island, have also tested negative, a statement from the Ministry of Health says."
What does it mean medically/scientifically when a child tests as a weak positive and then both child and family return later negative tests?
There must be some residual concern as the health authorities have reacted with more staff, testing etc. Is this a PR reaction (we need to be seen to be doing something even thoughthe negative tests have removed any concern), or is there a chance that the weak positive test might still indicate further infection possibilities?
Could be a legacy of previous infection (enough bug corpses remaining in the bloodstream to trip the test), or a false positive.
But a small community in an isolated place that you can flood with a disproportionate amount of medical staff (like, two or three) is about the best place to have a positive result, lol
The information I had at 1.11 pm has been added to in a revamped press release just before 3 pm. A trap for young players. I couldn't figure out why the same news release didn't have the information when I looked but later in the thread people were quoting what I was not sure of. The press release looks the same and begins the same way but has a later release time.
yeah, it's a dinnamik enironmin in the media these days lol
Was that like said like with some sort of vocal you know crack like um kind of?
😉
"I stand by all the misstatements that I've made."
We all make mistakes – like those who would "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory"
I was certainly down with the sentiment if yr comment.
The biggest challenge will be overcoming our complacency, hand hygiene, scanning etc.
I got quite a surprise with a possible (and highly unlikely) positive on Stewart Island. The virus is supposed to make it's way South in a slow, orderly fashion.
The child was being tested as per pre departure protocols.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/444588/sony-music-writes-off-artists-decade-old-debts
…It means that many will now, for the first time, earn money when their songs are streamed on services like Spotify and Amazon Music….
Musicians typically take on debt when they first sign to a record label. They are given a lump sum, known as an advance, to pay for recording studios, video shoots, distribution and other expenses. The money is then paid back when they sell their music.
However, many artists never earn enough to repay their advances, often because they get unfavourable royalty rates from their own record companies.
Heritage black artists have been particularly affected.
I hope musicians still around will get real benefit from this, even if it just takes a load off their minds.
I think they realised that music artists know they can now bypass them and the record producers arent getting their calls returned
ghost So cynical! And probably totally right.
Here is a excellent interview with a brave and as it turns out, one of the few remaining actual Left wing politicians in western politics today, Clare Daly…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4-3yThNDTg&t=12s
from the blurb for the 15minute vid:
Can't say I'll bother with it unless I get really shitted-down at work.
Can't say I am surprised at your response there McFlock..being some sort of Centrist Liberal imperialist yourself, I guess her Left Wing politics wouldn't really float your boat.
At least I did what you should have done and actually described the content of the goddamned vid. When you use the words "excellent" and "brave", all that means is that you agree with what you think you heard them say. When you use the words "liberl", "centrist" or "imperialist", all that means is that you disagree with what you think you heard them say.
I was curious enough to at least scope out the description. One day you might link to something useful, with new information. From the description, this video does not seem to document any changes in any of the situations mentioned, or provide any deep analysis.
So what didn't float my boat was the idea that any new information would be introduced about nine or so complex issues in a video that would give an average of a minute and (almost) a half for each issue.
For a chronic whinger like yourself, all that constitutes is a bit of ego stroking at the idea that someone seems to be agreeing with your existing opinions.
I'm afraid, with a strong usa influence here, of our police officers picking up on the policing methods from over there, apparently in turn used by Israeli force. So good that we are getting judgment against the use of head violence here. The guy has disobeyed laws and instructions. Not an excuse for violence from the force entrusted to promote peaceful society.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444936/arresting-officer-unjustified-pinning-youth-with-knee-to-head-ipca
A car was seen by police trying to avoid an alcohol checkpoint as it drove through Upper Hutt in January 2020.
Police discovered the car was stolen and the young person, (Mr Z) was driving while disqualified.
Officers tried to arrest him but he resisted, did not follow instructions and broke free of the handcuffs.
The car was stolen from his legal guardian, and he was carrying three passengers, one of whom filmed the incident.
Can anyone help me find the actual audio of Ardern talking about not exempting utes? Shub quote her here and seem to imply she said it on The AM Show, but I can't find replays of the AM show anywhere.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/06/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-considered-exemption-for-utes-in-electric-car-incentive-scheme-but-ruled-it-out.html
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/06/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-considered-exemption-for-utes-in-electric-car-incentive-scheme-but-ruled-it-out.html
The statement is in the video link at the top of the page
ta, that didn't show as a vid for me before. Do you know if the AM Show is on demand as well?
some is as far as I can see but nothing with the PM of late
The theme of governments over last decades has been to give encouragement to business. But often that seems to be big business, in the main areas the government favours. But most businesses in NZ are micro to small businesses, and they need support because this is where the real NZs are.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444941/central-auckland-business-owners-protest-crl-disruptions-as-debts-are-mounting
They have put heft, heart and soul getting something going, and it is providing them with a living, plus the multiplier effect swirling the money sauce through the community. Just needed road works are holding up customers around Nelson and the businesses are suffering. When it is something of major importance to the region, there sure will be benefits to all, but please don't beggar us little guys (I haven't got one now, but have had). Government, is there an advocate for Micro Business,
Some stats –
Small enterprises are firms with fewer than 20 employees. They make up the majority of businesses in NZ and are the backbone of our economy. They employ 29% of our workforce and contribute over a quarter of our GDP. … When small businesses grow and succeed, they raise employment and incomes. New Zealand's Support for Small Business – Business.govt.nz
What about the micro businesses then:
UK entry – The main difference between a small business and a micro business is size. A micro business generally has 0 – 9 employees, whereas a small business can have between 10 – 49 employees. A small business also has a higher turnover than a micro business and more money on its balance sheet. Micro Business Statistics UK 2021 – SME Loans
In NZ? – Are you a micro business? – Business Headspace https://www.businessheadspace.co.nz › are-you-a-micro…
16/05/2018 — In NZ you don't generally speak of or hear of the term micro business. … according to Statistics NZ – 97% of NZ businesses are considered small. … When you look to dictionary.com, one of micro's definitions is “very small in …
Ministry of Economic Development report of 2011 doesn't refer to 'Micro businesses' in index – that I notice?
SMEs in New Zealand: Structure and Dynamics 2011 https://www.interest.co.nz/sites/default/files/SMEs%20in%20NZ.pdf
10 Amazing Facts About Small Businesses in New Zealand …https://www.bizcover.co.nz › News & Insights
How New Zealand small business are made up of: 3. 70% of all NZ Enterprises are sole traders and therefore have no employees. That's over 353,000 Small …
(It looks as if this is a growth area for employment. It could be that each of these businesses might take on one trainee or apprentice a year, with some incentive, and make more money and help upskill the workforce. And I think that the saying should be reversed from 'Big business, too big to fail' so that Micro as well as Small Businesses are encouraged, and their entrepreneurship with it, with real money for pilot schemes that if successful, can be granted low-cost loans to develop even if the market is fleeting. And they should not be left dangling when there are big projects proceeding. Once the government chose to go free market and destroy the small-scale domestic market in favour of fixation on exports and imports, intelligent economic planners would have ensured there were incentives for people to self-employ after being given the heaveho from their previous jobs,)