Open mike 17/06/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 17th, 2016 - 51 comments
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51 comments on “Open mike 17/06/2016 ”

  1. Paul 1

    Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
    We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.

    Yet there are people who still care and who are unselfish.
    More than 500 cars park up to support homeless families in south Auckland

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/306582/park-up-for-homes-brings-in-hundreds
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11657982
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/81153216/hundreds-expected-to-camp-in-cars-in-south-auckland

    • Paul 1.1

      Here’s the cruel part.
      Barry Soper and people like him.
      He has written this article.

      ‘Political grandstanding in the carpark’

      Mr Soper
      Was supporting the anti-tour movement in 1981( if you weren’t actually living in South Africa and suffering from apartheid) political grandstanding?
      Were people who joined the Civil Rights movement (who weren’t black) political grandstanding?
      Was supporting the miners in the UK in 1984 (if you weren’t a miner) political grandstanding?
      Is marching against the Israeli treatment of Palestine ( if you don’t live in Gaza ) political grandstanding?

      It’s called solidarity, Mr Soper.
      Not political grandstanding.
      Rich privileged white old men like you are part of the problem.

      I realise the party you slavishly support in your sycophantic articles is failing the country.
      But does that mean you write a piece deflecting from the failures of the Key, Bennett and Smith to provide homes for our most vulnerable citizens?
      Shame on you.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11657874

      • mauī 1.1.1

        Disgusting and childish attack by Soper, that was not journalism. How many tired right wing memes can you stuff into one pathetic hack piece.

      • Paul 1.1.2

        Next time I support the nurses when they want a pay rise, will I be political grandstanding?

      • Olwyn 1.1.3

        The Soper article looks like a scramble to claw back a narrative that has worked like a charm for seven years, but is now slipping from their hands. It is a narrative that goes something like, “Most people (at least the ones that matter) are doing just fine. Yes, there will always be about five percent (really closer 30%) that don’t make the grade, and most of them are either morally or psychologically deficient. So don’t sully your own gorgeous life by dwelling on the negative. Have a coffee. Have a gluten-free croissant. Have some me-time. Take a selfie. Have a nice day.”

    • mauī 1.2

      +500!

      • Paul 1.2.1

        Soper’s article is repulsive.
        His sinecure in the mainstream media makes him a pathetic defendant of Key and his nasty regime.

        For a start, what about these ad hominem attacks?
        Playing the man, not the ball.

        ‘Martin Luther Cunliffe may be ashamed of being a man but he’s not too proud to spend a night in his car, it seems. It was likely parked some distance away from the local MP, Su’a William Sio’s saloon for the night though, who apparently had a shout-out snout, a snore that even the best car stereo wouldn’t be able to silence.’

        Some other lowlights in his piece.

        ‘But they claim they’re drawing attention to the problem which presumes we’ve all had our heads buried in the sand in recent weeks, drowning out their constant howls about housing.”It’s just plain silly to say, as they have been, that a Government, regardless of its political hue, doesn’t care about the homeless.’
        ‘The finger pointing gets us nowhere and MPs, rather than sleeping in cars, should wake up and work together to come up with a solution.
        The reality is though that there are only so many houses that can be built in a day’

        The media is a major part of the problem.
        Soper needs a job in North Korea.

        • Hanswurst 1.2.1.1

          I don’t understand how Mr. Soper even remains employed. He never provides any kind of decent analysis, instead just recycling a tired repertoire of lame writing tricks that he seems to think lend his pieces literary flair (“Martin Luther Cunliffe”, “Luigi Peters”, “The Bear Pit, “The Mother Bear”, “The Baby Bear”… he’s been rinsing and repeating the same stuff for years). His thinking is woolly on all levels. How would a car stereo “silence” snoring? Drown it out, maybe, but wouldn’t that wake more people up? The fellow can’t even scrape together a decent metaphor to make up for his lack of content. It’s tempting to see the Dunning-Kruger effect at work; he doesn’t even understand enough about politics to realise that he has no idea, or enough about writing to realise that he can’t hold a pen straight. Now what does that have to say about those who continue to employ him after having let so many more talented and perceptive writers go?

          • Gangnam Style 1.2.1.1.1

            “Now what does that have to say about those who continue to employ him after having let so many more talented and perceptive writers go?” – writers of the truth are ‘shown the door’.

    • Snakeoil 1.3

      The Right Hon. Bill English – residing in a former Ambassadorial residence in Kelburn – should be the last person to disparage people sleeping in cars as winter comes.

  2. Paul 2

    ‘The finger pointing gets us nowhere and MPs, rather than sleeping in cars, should wake up and work together to come up with a solution.’

    Does this man doing any research?
    They are working together!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI59fc1JO-Y

    • Pasupial 3.1

      Paul

      I get that you are all aflame with indignation at this government and its media enablers, and maybe you only have the time before you go to work in the morning to post. But your firsting of the first few Open Mike threads every day is getting a bit spammy at this point. I did quite like your daily overnight temperature/ homelessness routine, but really I just scroll past your posts these days so am probably missing a lot.

      Maybe it’s just me, but could look at spreading out your posts over the day? It’d probably give them more impact.

      • Sabine 3.1.1

        well, i don’t think it matters if Paul’s Posts are on the first place, in the middle or the last post of the day.
        Fact is, that last night so many slept in cars that had no house to go to.
        But yes, it is uncomfortable to wake up, open a thread and see the misery of this country being spelled out in plain english. Day after Day after Day without end in sight, and a political Party – National Party of Misery for NZ, that really can’t be paid to do the job, can’t be shamed to do the job, and is out and proud in telling you and me that we are suckers that don’t count.

        So please Paul, go on.

        • YNWA 3.1.1.1

          Agreed, x10

        • Pasupial 3.1.1.2

          Sabine

          I’m not trying to stop Paul having his say, but it’s a bit pointless for him to do all that typing if his bulk posting means less people read it. For people with limited time to engage in online political discourses brevity and succinctness are definite advantages (when it doesn’t lapse into slogan recitation).

          It does matter who post first (and for that matter last) on a given forum, because those are the posts most likely to be viewed. Sure; what Paul says is important, but are; Ad & Rhinocrates’ posts not also worthwhile?

          Also, I have to agree with ScottGN that Soper is pretty irrelevant. I would scroll past posts about him no matter where the occurred.

          • Sabine 3.1.1.2.1

            well in that case a lot of things are pointless.
            Maybe Paul is not posting for us, but for those that read and don’t comment.
            Maybe we all should be posting this on our Twitters, Facebooks and other forums where we hang out to socialise in the virtual world.
            Its not as if the NZ Herald would be doing it, despite the Home of Journalism being the one place where this tally should be done.

            What Paul posts here should be the Frontpage on every newspaper in NZ , on the News in NZ before they do anything else.

            As these are our people that live in cars/vans/containers with no plumbing/heating, in tents behind in the bushes near our highways.

            AS for Ad and Rhinocrates they to post, and their points are equally valid, and if they are the first to open a thread they would then the first to post.

            Are you saying that Paul should wait for someone else to be the first to post?

        • TC 3.1.1.3

          Right on sabine, keep it up Paul.

      • ScottGN 3.1.2

        I pretty much scroll past them too now, though if it’s any consolation Paul, I don’t think anyone much reads Mr Soper in the Herald either.

      • Brigid 3.1.3

        Parsupial
        I just think your declaration that “… your firsting of the first few Open Mike threads every day is getting a bit spammy at this point.” is just silly. Just because you choose to scroll past Pauls postings because they are the first (I assume), you believe everybody does. Why do you assume that?

        The first posting does not need to define the discussion, I thought the purpose of Open Mike was that any contributor can initiate any discussion.

        I’d like Paul to continue to post where and as often as he sees fit.
        If I want to read it I will. If I don’t I’ll scroll past it.
        Isn’t that what everybody does?

      • mary_a 3.1.4

        @ Pasupial (3.1) … It doesn’t matter what time of the day (or night) that Paul posts his comments, or when they appear, the point is they are based on facts, always supported with evidence of his information.

        Paul’s opinions are not rants or the sake of it. Nor are they “pretty” stories either. What they are, is the dark truth about what a hell hole NZ has become.

        We should appreciate the great efforts of posters such as the likes of Paul, to keep the distasteful, ugly truth out there, keeping us informed, something msm is failing to do.

        Paul being one of many, is the voice of those who are unable to speak out, NZ’s vulnerable.

      • weston 3.1.5

        id have to agree repetition just becomes brainwashing after a bit …

    • Halfcrown 3.2

      “Some more reading for Mr Soper”

      Thanks, but no thanks

      • Halfcrown 3.2.1

        “Thanks, but no thanks”

        Paul apologies and I retract that statement. I quickly misread that as
        Some more reading BY Mr Soper

  3. Ad 4

    A nice U.S. state-by-state index of deprivation and income share of the 1% against everyone else:

    http://www.epi.org/multimedia/unequal-states-of-america/?utm_source=Economic+Policy+Institute&utm_campaign=9c279245cd-Unequal_States_06_16_20166_16_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e7c5826c50-9c279245cd-58385193

    Would be great if Treasury did this kind of anaylsis over New Zealand.

    • weka 4.1

      Good graphics too. The past 100 years is interesting esp the peak from just before the Depression compared to now.

  4. rhinocrates 5

    On Radion NZ Nine to Noon now:

    09:20 Ninety day trial law failure: report
    The 90 day trial period introduced by the government in 2008 has done nothing to boost employment, the conclusion of a comprehensive analysis commissioned by Treasury.
    We speak to one of the authors of the study, Dr Isabelle Sin, an economist at Motu Research and Dr Stephen Blumenfeld, the director of the Centre for Labour Employment and Work at Victoria University.

    Note: it doesn’t work, it’s cruel to workers and the so-called “Labour Party” supports it.

    Oh yeah, Little wants to “make it fairer”, whatever that means. 91 days perhaps?

  5. cogito 6

    Overheard….

    “Mum, what does LGBT mean…?”

    “It means Little Girls Brush their Teeth…. Off you go love….”

    🙂

  6. joe90 7

    Cracker idea.

    Milwaukee congresswoman Gwen Moore, though, is “sick and tired, and sick and tired of being sick and tired, of the criminalization of poverty” she said in an interview on Wednesday. And, she added: “We’re not going to get rid of the federal deficit by cutting poor people off Snap. But if we are going to drug-test people to reduce the deficit, let’s start on the other end of the income spectrum.”

    Moore plans to introduce a bill on Thursday that she thinks will even the playing field or, at least, “engage the wealthy in a conversation about what fair tax policy looks like”. The bill, called the Top 1% Accountability Act, would force taxpayers with itemized deductions of more than $150,000 – which, according to 2011 tax data compiled by the IRS, would only be households with a yearly federal adjusted gross income of more than $1m – to submit to the IRS a clear drug test from a sample no more than three months old, or take the much lower standard deduction when filing their taxes. (In 2016, for comparison, the standard deduction for single people or married people filing separately is $6,300.)

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/16/gwen-moore-drug-test-rich-for-tax-deductions

  7. reason 8

    Propeganda —- how much does it affect your thoughts and emotions ????

    Here’s a quick self test involving a small bit of reading followed by asking yourself three questions …….. repeated twice

    Here’s the first bit of reading ….
    ***********************************************
    ” What are the trends in alcohol advertising?

    Many researchers have identified the following trends in New Zealand and overseas:

    1. More money is being spent on alcohol marketing, pervading more areas of life:
    • Use of newer media often popular with youth, such as the internet and cell phones (see http://www.lionred.co.nz; www. tui.co.nz; http://www.42below.co.nz).

    • Alcohol sponsorship more common in key areas of popular culture such as music, film, fashion (eg Big Day Out, Bicardi Beats, Smirnoff Fashion Awards, Speights orientation…).

    • Sport a particularly large focus of alcohol sponsorship; growing association with youth-popular sports such as surfing; sports clubs and events financially dependent on alcohol companies.

    • More alcohol-branded merchandise: t-shirts, caps etc enabling the public to become “walking advertisements’.” …

    **************************************************

    Your three self questions are ……

    1) Is what I just read propaganda ???

    2) Is my understanding of what I just read biased by my previous exposure to propaganda ??

    3) What is your general feeling towards alcohol advertising particularly regarding young people, sports sponsorship etc ??

    There are no tricks in this test and it is not a measure of intelligence so don’t over think the three questions………………

    • reason 8.1

      I decided to put this post up after seeing CV trying to educate Add on the prevalence of propaganda in a thread a few days ago ….

      I think CV said the best propaganda is the stuff you don’t even know your getting …. which Add wouldn’t/couldn’t get …..and CV struggled for a specific example to show him…

      Hopefully stage two of this self test serves as a good example…………

      • reason 8.1.1

        Stage two involves an almost identical bit of reading but this time we are going to start of by being more factually accurate and recognize Alcohol is a drug …..which is exactly what it is ….:
        *******************************************
        Alcohol is a Drug.

        ” What are the trends in Drug advertising?

        Many researchers have identified the following trends in New Zealand and overseas:

        1. More money is being spent on drug marketing, pervading more areas of life:
        • Use of newer media often popular with youth, such as the internet and cell phones (see http://www.drugred.co.nz; www. drugtui.co.nz; http://www.42drugsbelow.co.nz)
        .
        • drug sponsorship more common in key areas of popular culture such as music, film, fashion (eg Big Day Out, Bicardidrug Beats, Smirnoffrussiandrug Fashion Awards, drugs orientation…).

        • Sport a particularly large focus of drug sponsorship; growing association with youth-popular

        sports such as surfing; sports clubs and events financially dependent on drug companies.

        • More drug-branded merchandise: t-shirts, caps etc enabling the public to become “walking
        advertisements’.” …

        **************************************************************

        Now ask yourself the three questions again ……. and if your inclination is to say “ but Alcohol is not like drugs” ……….then you are 100% mind fucked.

        If you honestly claim no difference in your reactions I’d like to hear from you as I’ve always wanted to talk to a Vulcan….. I’m aware of the propaganda and I still have a reaction such is the strength of lifetime indoctrination.

        And then you can start asking who benefits by the propaganda surrounding the drug alcohol and its relation to other recreational drugs ….

  8. M. Gray 9

    There is something seriously wrong with our Justice system when a young Chinese women Jieling Xiao gets 17 months jail for killing Rhys Middleton and yet the Dutch visitor Johannes Jacobus Appelman who killed 3 NZers because he failed to stop at a stop sign in Christchurch gets reparation. This in my view is racist and discriminative and this is simply not fair one killed 1 the other person killed 3. Who does our justice system seem to favour I find this to be disgusting and there are other examples of the blatant unfairness in our justice system. Also how many more Teina Poras are sitting in our prisons?

    • Draco T Bastard 9.1

      Our justice system is inherently racist and favours white people. There was an excellent article about it in the NZHerald a few years ago by a lawyer. She put forward a few like cases where it was obvious that people of colour were being more heavily punished than white people.

  9. Chooky 10

    ‘Switzerland withdraws longstanding application to join EU’

    https://www.rt.com/news/346884-switzerland-eu-membership-application-rejected/

    “The upper house of the Swiss parliament on Wednesday voted to invalidate its 1992 application to join the European Union, backing an earlier decision by the lower house. The vote comes just a week before Britain decides whether to leave the EU in a referendum…

    • Puckish Rogue 10.1

      Well from their point of view what would be the point of joining? They won’t gain anything and they’ll lose some of their sovereignty.

  10. Bearded Git 11

    Toby Manhire on Trump in the Herald today:

    On this I agree with Donald Trump, who said: “The biggest problem we have is nuclear, having some maniac, having some madman go out and get a nuclear weapon.” Speaking for the world, we’re worried about that, too, which is why we don’t want him to have the opportunity to single-handedly order the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal [to attack]. And that’s not hyperbole: in a long feature this week for Politico detailing the process by which a nuclear attack is launched, nuclear security expert Bruce G Blair writes that a President Trump “would be free to launch a civilisation-ending nuclear war on his own any time he chose”.

    Gawd ‘elp us.

    • Colonial Viper 11.1

      utter bull shit. The President cannot launch a nuclear attack without agreement of the Joint Chiefs.

      Further, Clinton is far more likely to construct war against China or Russia, or China and Russia.

  11. AsleepWhileWalking 12

    Bernie Sanders not endorsing Killary yet! Still in the running….

    Thought he was selling out and for sure would run as VP. Respect dude.

  12. b waghorn 13

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/306632/auckland-to-get-59-new-state-houses

    Iwi must not donate as much to national as fletchers does!

  13. ianmac 14

    Salisbury Special school for girls? Parata vowed to get them sunk.

    “Despite assurances to keep the school open after the school’s successful High Court case in 2012, the Minister has allowed her ministry to initiate a sinking lid process regarding enrolments, [saying] that parents enrolling for the IWS aren’t choosing Salisbury.

    “This is simply not true. Parents tell us they were not even offered Salisbury when applying for the IWS, and they had to go to extreme lengths to be allowed to choose Salisbury.”
    Dirty tricks?
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11658356

  14. weka 16

    The United States Senate voted to pass a defense bill today that would require young women to sign up for a potential military draft for the first time in U.S. history. The vote was 85-13 in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act, a $600 billion defense spending bill that had a host of other controversial provisions in it, including prohibiting the closure of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and denying the Pentagon’s attempt to close military bases.

    Republicans were divided about whether the U.S. should require women to register for the draft when they turn 18. Sen. Ted Cruz told Politico it was a “radical change that is attempting to be foisted on the American people,” while Sen. John McCain said “a large bipartisan majority on the Armed Services Committee agreed that there is simply no further justification to limit Selective Service registration to men.”

    The Senate and the House will now meet to compare and resolve differences between the two versions of the defense spending bill. The House version does not have the female draft requirement in it.

    http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/06/14/senate-votes-to-require-women-to-register-for-the-draft/

    • Gangnam Style 17.1

      Party Political Broadcast, the Nats have really started already, early election maybes?

  15. Paul 18

    Another of the privileged offspring of the wealthy in the news.
    For assualt.
    I wonder if his sentence is tough…

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11658323

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  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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 ...
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days 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
    4 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
    6 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
    7 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
    20 hours 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
    5 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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