Yes how else do you think he got the gig. National refocused RNZ years ago under Griffin and other dropped in manager types, TVNZ and mediawonks has its equivalents.
His disgraceful treatment of Turei and Little still rankle.
Truly it is National Radio between 6 and 9 am with him and the hapless Ferguson.
Can one of them go on holiday so we get Kim Hill for the election period?
Most TV journalism now appears to be making the ‘journalist’ the actual story.
Narcissism gone wild after 35 years of neo-liberalism and the cult of the self.
Guyon sort of reminds me of a long pants Scots College boy or something. Even if he wasn’t. Gets a bit too sassy sometimes and annoys. Give it to him though……(repeatedly) “Prime Minister is it OK ?”.
THIS IS A ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM THAT ROAD BUILDERS LIKE NATIONAL & THE GREEN PARTY DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
RAIL DONT USE TYRES –
SIMPLE THAT EH!!!
DO WHAT NZ FIRST & LABOUR WANT TO DO.
USE RAIL.
Air pollution: Tyre and brake fatigue compound an exhausting problem
8 SEPTEMBER 2016
tags: air pollution, road transport, rubber
by Guest author
Danger ahead
Shayne MacLachlan, OECD Environment Directorate
Anyone else feeling exhausted by all this drum humming about air pollution? Indeed it appears the fumes won’t be dissipating any time soon as we consider the extent to which tyre and brake rubbish exacerbate the problem. The European Commission says exhaust and non-exhaust sources may contribute almost equally to total traffic-related PM10 emissions. A few months ago, I was proposing (on this very Insights blog) that electric cars are essential in fighting filthy air pollution in urban areas because humans are unwilling to relinquish the comfort of their vehicles. Since then, I find myself mulling hard after this “alarmingly obvious” realisation that electric cars use tyres and brakes too! Even if they emit less of the harmful fine particles than conventional vehicles, please do feel free to file that blog in the “seemed like a good idea at the time” folder. And to turn insult to injury, I see that my own colleagues at the OECD have just published new data on PM2.5 emissions which did little to ease my blushes.
Fine particles vs coarse particles
A lot of non-exhaust pollution from tyres and brakes winds up in rivers, streams and lakes. They produce particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) which is more harmful for humans than gas pollutants like ozone and NO2. Fine particulate matter penetrates deep into your lungs and cardiovascular system. New research has even discovered tiny particles of pollution inside samples of brain tissue. The OECD is amongst a few international organisations proudly leading the fight against ambient air pollution. And rightly so, with 80% of the world population exposed to PM2.5. Outdoor air pollution causes 3.7 million premature deaths a year and 1 in 8 people die from filthy air. OECD Environment Director, Simon Upton recently stated that air pollution is not just an economic issue, but also a moral one. He urges governments to stop fussing over the costs of efforts to limit pollution and start worrying more about the even larger costs they will incur if they continue to allow it to go unchecked.
Airpollution 2016 deaths loss 7.9.16
Dead “tyred” but rolling on
Tyre rubbish is the 13th largest source of air pollution in Los Angeles, California, a city famous for its smog. A recent study showed links between PM2.5 particles and the daily death rate in 6 Californian counties. When the PM2.5 count was high, so was the death rate. Then there’s nanoparticles, ultrafine particles used in tyres. Manufacturers didn’t know it at the time but research now contends possible links to lung cancer from recycling some of the 1 billion dead tyres used in, for example, the surfaces of playgrounds. Some are calling it “the new asbestos”. The complexity of the problem is evident: there are over 1 billion cars on the road globally and on top of that just as many motorbikes and scooters. Add to that the pneumatic tyres used on trucks and public transport such as metro train systems and buses and we have a considerable source of road rubber. A road with 25,000 vehicles using it each day can produce up to nine kilograms of tyre dust per kilometre. That’s only ¼ of the 100,000 cars that use the Champs-Elysées each day so that makes at least 36 kilograms of tyre pollution a day on the world’s most famous street.
air-pollution-pm2.5-2016
Bliss ignorance until my tyre burst
When I think back 10 years, sharing my time between the “not so clean” cities of London and Paris, I really had no idea that the air in these places was so bad. I recall often emptying my nostrils of its black contents after using underground transport, but now learning about the added impact of tyre and brake rubbish, I’m not really sure being better informed is better—at least from a personal health standpoint. I have friends in Paris that actively avoid Châtelet and other central metro stations for a number of reasons, one of those being the eye-watering pollution. The metro trains’ brakes and tyres are contributing to this “perfect pollution storm in a subterranean teacup”. Sometimes you can find between 70-120 micrograms of PM10 per m3 down there with peaks at 1,000 micrograms per m3 trapped in the station. In comparison, the average concentration of PM10 outside is around 25-30 micrograms per m3.
So what can we do?
In an ideal world, we would ditch cars completely, but I’m not sure we’re ready to take that step yet. However, several cities are working on implementing policies that will ban or severely reduce the amount of cars. Oslo announced a plan to ban all cars from its city centre in 2019; and Norway is in the process of preparing a bill that would issue a nation-wide ban of the sale of petrol-powered cars. In places such as Tuscany, cars are banned in city centres except for residents. Others park their car just outside and then take public transport. This is common in the UK too. This means that when there are more people in the centre during the day, there are fewer cars, meaning fewer people are exposed. Hopefully, other cities and nations will be inspired by such drastic changes in transportation methods and follow suit. There are certainly enough reasons to do so.
Play the cards dealt and work towards a better hand
It’s hard not to feel we’ve exhausted our current options. I’ve gone through several cycles of choosing my methods of transportation and have ended up cycling—literally and figuratively. Do bicycle tyres contain rubber (though they emit precious little)? Yes; and so do bus and some metro train tyres, as well as motorbikes and scooters. We are left with only imperfect options. They won’t solve the problem, but they can reduce it and that’s something to be optimistic about. As with many actions that influence health and the environment, human behaviour and choices matter massively. Choosing the least damaging option of getting around your town means the bicycle is still a great option. It might also be worth trying to avoid times in which the pollution levels are the highest: 9h, 12h and 18h in many cities. But of course the exercise and associated heavy breathing whilst riding, exposes you to the risk, even though you are contributing least to the problem. So while the thought of all that damaging pollution is ever so “tyring”, it seems that the pollution, including from brakes and tyres itself might also leave you feeling worse for wear.
An international deal on air pollution
WHO guidelines indicate that by reducing PM10 pollution from 70 to 20 micrograms per m3, air pollution-related deaths could be reduced by roughly 15%. Staging a climate COP (Conference of the Parties) style conference to address air pollution emissions seems like a good start. Who could disagree that setting limits for polluting emissions from all sources is an absolute minimum requirement to give our lungs and environment a breather. Moving forward, it’s crucial we keep pushing governments to come up with innovations and policies that vigorously tackle air pollution issues. Governments also need to ensure that people are aware of the issues and help them make the best choices. In the meantime, we all have to play the cards we’re dealt and make a conscious effort to choose least polluting options.
Agree we do need a substantial shift to rail and light rail:
Mr/Ms capital letters said: THIS IS A ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM THAT ROAD BUILDERS LIKE NATIONAL & THE GREEN PARTY DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
RAIL DONT USE TYRES –
SIMPLE THAT EH!!!
DO WHAT NZ FIRST & LABOUR WANT TO DO.
What on earth are you on about in lying about the Green Party? The Labour Party latest transport policies, especially re-rail, have just taken over a lot of Green Party policies.
Rail freight uses roughly one third of the fuel of road transport per tonne kilometre and is a highly energy-efficient means of commuter transport. A strong, viable rail system will be important in reducing New Zealand’s carbon emissions, and in coping with the transport needs of industry. The Green Party will:
1.Increase commuter and long-distance rail passenger services and ensure trains
are accessible to all users.
2.Make rail and road access costs fair and equitable.
3.Develop ‘land port’ facilities to minimise heavy truck movements in urban areas
and facilitate road to rail transfer of all kinds of freight, and expand investment
in facilities to enable easy transfer of goods from rail to local delivery services.
4.Support completion of electrification of the North Island Main Trunk Line, and
investigate electrifying the rest of the rail system over time.
5.Fund the Auckland City Rail Link and ensure Auckland Transport has the funding
for upgrades and new projects.
6.Encourage most heavy goods are carried by rail, and facilitate the creation of
spur lines to significant freight generators.
7.Ensure local suppliers are preferred for production and maintenance of rail
hardware.
Ahh just a point to consider re brake polution, electric cars produce almost none! This is because all braking under driving conditions is regenerative (the motor puts the energy back into the battery) brakes are for holding stationary and emergency only on an electric car.
Does still leave tyre and road particulates tho.
A good example of tyre polution is some of the paris underground runs on rubber, the ventelator shafts on those lines are gross!
In this particular instance, their critique is based around the sorry fact that the electrical power used for battery production is still primarily produced from fossil fuels. Thus it is primarily a criticism of current electricity production, and is not a valid criticism of electric vehicles.
I don’t buy that link AHW. they are drawing conclusions not supported by the study IMHO. Would you like to calculate the CO2 involved in getting oil out of the ground, refining it, and transporting it to the bowser ?
Their graphs show that battery cars use 51-53% fewer emissions over the car’s lifetime than petrol cars, and that’s in the USA where a lot more electricity is generated using fossil fuels than in NZ.
So, while I’m not sure how credible these guys are (https://ecotricity.co.nz/cradle-to-grave-emissions/), they estimate that a battery powered car charged in New Zealand is 7-10 times more efficient over its lifetime than a petrol equivalent, including manufacturing costs
“Rail is our second corridor. A single train can remove 70 heavy trucks from the road. By investing in rail and shipping we will not only make roads safer, but the air cleaner, and create a safer climate for future generations.”
The Greens said they would not expect a return on profit, as that had “set rail up to fail” in the past.
“Moving freight by rail and ship is not only safer and cheaper, but better for the environment. Shifting half of New Zealand’s freight by rail and ship is the equivalent of replacing over 1.6 million petrol and diesel cars with electric vehicles.
…
KEY POINTS OF POLICY
– Fund rail infrastructure from the transport budget, on the basis of best overall economic and climate impact for New Zealand
– Set a target for 25 per cent of freight to be moved by rail and 25 per cent by coastal shipping within 10 years – 2027
– Electrify rail in the Golden Triangle (between Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga)
The GP have been leading the way on rail travel with it’s many benefits, including better for the environment and climate. Good to see Labour and NZ First getting on board.
Very important to have this pollution of our “environment” aired and get some cut through into the press Caroyln & Xanthe.
The elephant in the room is “ROAD RUNOFF” OF VEHICLE BASED TRANSPORTATION INTO OUR STREAMS, RIVERS, LAKES AND OUR AQUIFERS AND DRINKING WATER.
Not even the green Party place “environment” on their policy plank now as they are only targeting CLIMATE CHANGE that is placing the pollution out of focus do you not understand this?
POLLUTION OF OUR ‘ENVIRONMENT’. = ‘CLIMATE CHANGE’ – IS ONLY ONE OF POLLUTION IMPACTS.
Better to also concentrate on pollution of our environment as this is also a massive public health issue now. Hence the issue of tyre dust pollution which no one talks about; – not even the Green party, so don’t back road transport please Greens.
[Please stop using all capitals in your comments. On the internet it’s considered shouting, which is rude and will get moderated. – weka]
No argument from me there, tyre/road runoff is very big problem as well as the environmental impact of roading itself. rail is a very much smaller impact for a very much greater capacity. Where possible Public transport should be provided and where possible that should be on rails. and where possible electric.
Not even the green Party place “environment” on their policy plank now as they are only targeting CLIMATE CHANGE that is placing the pollution out of focus do you not understand this?
Like Carolyn, I’d like to know why you are basically telling lies about the Green Party on this.
You said this the other day as well and I replied demonstrating the ways that the Green Party are working on environmental issues and how they still have the environment at the centre of what they do.
If you want to see what they work on most weeks of the year, follow their blog and news pages, their twitter and FB accounts, and what they do in parliament. The environment is core to it all.
Yes I have read the issues about the tyres. The minim wage workers whom fit our tyres are 10 x more likely to get cancer just when they are ready to retire WTF. All the people close to these motorways have a higher chance of getting cancer. The tyre industry has not got any ideas on ways to deposes of tyres in a economical and environmentally sustainable way. And get most of the trucks off our roads
Some idiots in Australia decided to make a reef out of tyres to create a good surfing swell 15 years later and there is no marine life around these toxic reef and they had to spend millions to clean this shit up. I use the word shit a lot but it gets right to the point and a famous Man I admire used the word often. One can not keep shitting in your own back yard as he will eventually suffer the consequences.
There is a invention called the Twheel now this French invention will reduce waste and they are safer IE reduce hydro planing reduce rubber waste and we would save money.
But the powerful OIL Barron’s around our world wont let this Invention grow to its full potential We no this happens and we should not accept this behavior by the power full it is our world to.
As for brakes most electric car have a regenerative braking which reverses the polarity captures waste energy. NOW PEOPLE LETS COME UP WITH IDEAS TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS IN A SUSTAINABLE AND HUMAN WAY PLEASE
You mean, some other policy other than the largest rail development programme seen in this country since the 1930s? That’s what the Labour and Greens policies are.
Over on TDB Dr. Wayne Hope makes a very pertinent point in a paragraph in a post, which bears repeating here:
“The arrival of neoliberalism in the mid 1980s triggered a breakdown of ethics at every level of society.
“The evidence is overwhelming – a rising prison population, thriving gangs, organised crime built upon the drug trade, crooked real estate agents laundering money, corporate tax evasion, law firms assisting clients to commit fraud, corrupt public servants, bribery from senior immigration officials, Ponzi schemes posing as finance companies – New Zealand has seen it all.”
How very true! Let’s get rid of the corrupt right in this fair land!
Late last night I watched a presentation video by Labour’s Nash on Tamati Coffey’s Facebook.
It was about starting a new NZ Forest Service to supply wood to be used in Govt builds.To be placed in Rotorua probably on the old FRI site.
Based on sustainability goals and meeting climate change goals, this would be huge for the region, in many ways involving the Waiariki Politech, the apprenticeships, the IT,and the general forestry infrastructure.
We in HB/Gisborne now need a heavy rail (not light) for moving our freight north as going from HB/Gisborne down through the 250km slog south first through the Manawatu gorge is a very long leg south and strips out any economic viability of moving freight north from our regions.
like PM Vogel planed back in 1880-90 to send rail north from Gisborne to Bay of plenty (through Taneatua near Whakatane ) we need to direct funding there now not build more truck roads for subsidising private road freight companies!!!
Labour is looking at re-opening mothballed rail lines like the Napier-Gisborne line, CleanGreen, if there is evidence that they are sustainable. In an announcement from Michael Wood Labour mP yesterday.
New Zealand landlord spokesman Andrew King resists Renters United list of goals that already exist in reasonable European social democracies. Does he not do his research?
GOAL ONE: All rental housing is warm, healthy and safe
GOAL TWO: All renters have affordable housing
GOAL THREE: Renters are secure. They can create homes and report problems without fear of eviction
GOAL FOUR: Renters can successfully challenge illegal behaviour by landlords.
GOAL FIVE: The ongoing situation for renters improves
No idea why he thinks good New Zealand landlords (including the State) are unable to manage providing descent homes and are all for supporting slumlords who fear being found out.
Miravox, a related question. Do you know from the various European systems, is there exemptions for people renting out the family home in terms of tenancy security? i.e. can those landlords stipulate that they can return or sell the house giving x amount of notice?
Germany, you can sell your house, but the tenants stays. You would have to proof that a. you would want to live there or that a child would want to live there in order to get rid of the tenant. Standard notice period in Germany is three month. For both the tenant of landlord. If the tenant wants to leave earlier, they can find a new tenant and present these to the landlord. The landlord can refuse, however must be reasonable while doing this. I.e. if I present 5 potentially good new tenants the landlord can not refuse all five.
In saying that, buying a house in Europe / even an appartment is something that is expensive and people don’t move as often as they do here. So frankly once someone buys a house they usually live in it till their death. OFten time a mortgage is not paid by one generation but started by the parents and is finsihed by the children. Its a generational thing. IF there is enough land, children might add to the buidling to provide a place for themselves.
Most rentals in Germany are not owned by private people but by Genossenschaften or Co-ops, Investment Companies etc. Private Homeownership is usally owner occupier and the left over is rentals. https://translate.google.co.nz/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genossenschaft&prev=search
I like the idea that TOP is floating about adopting the german system, you only have one problem. Housing in NZ is an asset to be sold and re-sold in order to extract a profit, Housing in Germany is an asset to be leased as longterm as possible to have as little work as possible and thus make a smaller profit but more often. Two competing capitalistic ideas really.
: “Eigentum verpflichtet. Sein Gebrauch soll zugleich dem Wohle der Allgemeinheit dienen.” “Private Ownership comes bound with duty. It’s use should also serve the public good.”
I don’t think declining population is a factor in providing secure rental housing at affordable prices.
Vienna’s* rental housing arrangements have strong similarities to the German system, but the Vienna has a growing population. Unlike New Zealand, though, the city has a whole housing research programme to actively plan ahead for this rise.
*Austria generally – but each province has it’s own variations in housing administration, so I generally say Vienna rather than Austria.
I think people renting out they family home is pretty common in NZ, so would like to see an exemption that is fair to tenants but allows home owners to keep doing that. Not sure what would happen otherwise, if people would still rent out their homes but do so illegally (e.g. a kind of black market), or if they would just stop doing it, thus taking all those houses out of the pool. It’s an interesting thing to consider because it seems very common in NZ and people do move around a lot or go away for periods of time. I’m intrigued about how home ownership happens in Germany.
is it when the family lives in it?
is it when it was lived in by the family but now is not?
is it when it is not lived in by the family but might be in the future?
In Germany don’t have the term ‘family home’ for owned properties. Our rented apartments are ‘family home’ and people live in them for decades.
a farm house that was build four centuries ago by a farmer is still in use by the same family.
a town house that has 6 apartments of which one is used by the owner, tow are rented to the children of the owner and the other three are rented to ‘others.
all these would be ‘family homes’. However a property might have been in the same family for centuries/decades.
i think really this is what needs to be defined. I now ‘own’ a house, but considering that where we have it i can’t work it will not be a ‘family home’ for me, but maybe for a local family who will rent it.
the term ‘family home’ needs to be redefined. Start with that and then expand the term to those that rent a house, apartment, dwelling, unit etc to make it a ‘family home’.
For me it’s a house that people have lived in or still live in and consider their home. It might be where they raised their kids, or where they lived the longest, and it’s a place they may want to come back to.
So no, a house that one hasn’t lived in isn’t a family home.
“the term ‘family home’ needs to be redefined. Start with that and then expand the term to those that rent a house, apartment, dwelling, unit etc to make it a ‘family home’.”
Yes, I agree with this. I support long term tenancy rights precisely for this reason, so that people who don’t own can still have a family home.
@Weka ……..so that people who don’t own can still have a family home.
see you are doing it again :).
First stop the assumption that a ‘rented/leased property is not a family home.
We all make/have family, we all need to live somewhere and where we live becomes our family home.
Even the least among us who lives in a hovel will call it the family home.
I am talking about an ingrained mindset that i find alien and that i believe to an extend is at the heart of the discussion.
And sadly in NZ, family home means owned home. Never mind that the majority in NZ does not own a house anymore and most likely never will.
I was not trying to offend or to ‘put words in your mouth’.
All good. I also believe that people make their homes in lots of different places and situations. One of the reasons ‘family home’ in NZ is often equated to owned home is because very few people have tenancy security. I have year long lease, which seems to be considered ‘long term’. I don’t consider this my ‘family home’, mainly because if I have to move at the end of each year, I will lose my garden, so it changes how I relate with the place I live in. I’m not saying that that’s true for everyone, just that that affects things for me.
I don’t like how many mobile NZers we have, because I think it destabilises communities and is tied into this whole thing about upward mobility and how you have to keep getting a ‘better’ house, car etc, and this is why we now have home ownership as investment rather than being primarily about having a home. This is why I like hearing the story about Germany, am intrigued to hear that some people still live in the same house for a long period of time.
My parents have been married 60 years and they’ve lived in 5 houses in that time. They flatted briefly, then built a house, then moved into a larger house to have more room for the kids, then after the kids left home they moved into a smaller house, then recently they moved into an even smaller house because they are elderly. I suspect that most people now over the course of their lives will live in far more houses than that.
There is something in that too about nuclear families and I compare it to Māori who are trying to get bylaw permission to build more homes on land for whānau but generally aren’t allowed to. So there’s a whole cultural thing there as well that means that people are forced to move whether renting or owning.
There are occassions when a family is required to move to another town for a while. In the Services if you stayed in one town for more than 2 years you were lucky. So In my case we had a home in wellington which we had for 7 years – but on being posted overseas and then to Auckland it was rented out. Had we returned to Wellington we would have returned to the house we originally bought because it was a house we loved.
Tenancy agreements need to be able to handle these sorts of situations because NZ’s population is one of the most mobile.
New Zealanders are becoming more mobile. In 2006, more than half (57.7 percent) of the
total usually resident population had changed their usual residence at least once in the
previous five years, and almost 1 in 4 people (24.8 percent) had moved within the past
year. In 2001, the corresponding proportions were 55.4 and 24.2 percent, respectively.
• Almost 1 in 10 people (9.7 percent) in 2006 had lived at their usual residence for 20 years
or more, compared with 10.7 percent in 2001.
The Jackal and Voxy plus NZ Herald telling how NZ state housing tenants were put out so the houses could be bulldozed and land sold to Chinese semi-government entity. That’s another problem with landlords, when government has no qualms about evicting.
Why did a Mt Albert Housing NZ development end up in the hands of a Chinese company?
“New Zealand First is asking questions as to why Housing NZ sold land in the Mt Albert electorate to a developer who under the Special Housing Areas (Hon Nick Smith’s plan) the developer received government and council housing incentives to provide accommodation for Auckland residents, which is exactly what didn’t happen,” says New Zealand First Leader and Member of Parliament for Northland, Rt Hon Winston Peters….
Winston Peters accused of ‘race-baiting’ attack on Chinese air crew
National list MP Melissa Lee, who is based in Mt Albert, said the statement was “typical Winston Peters race-baiting”.
“He doesn’t understand housing developments or special housing areas and is simply firing out ill-informed press releases when he sees the word ‘Chinese’,” she said.
Housing NZ confirmed that it sold the land in April 2013 to a private developer for a reported $8.76 million.
The property was given Special Housing Area status in May 2014, allowing fast-track consenting with a requirement that 10 per cent of the homes must be “affordable” – priced below 75 per cent of the median Auckland house price.
Auckland Council said at the time that 33 new homes would be built on the land, replacing 19 former state houses.
However the special housing areas were disestablished when the new Auckland Unitary Plan came into force last September….
None of those properties need to be “affordable” now because there’s no proper provision provided for that in the Auckland Unitary Plan. Instead, affordable housing is just listed as a challenge Auckland faces….
Which is the crux of the matter. National can scream until they’re blue in the face about racism but it doesn’t change the fact that they sold state owned land that was being used to house low income New Zealander’s, property that ended up belonging to a company that has ties to the Chinese government.
Hi weka, yes, there are two types of long-term lease and also an annual rollover lease for situations like the owner leaves town for a short period of time (or a long-term tenant – the tenant can also sublet if they have to move for a sort-term work contract etc). It also helps people like us, who are unsure of how long we need the lease (it’s 5 years fixed on the landlord side – with rollover, but after 12 months we can terminate at any time, with 3 months notice).
If they sell the house, the landlords cannot terminate the letting arrangement though. As with the German system outlined by Sabine, the tenant has the right to stay.
How can landlords adopt goal two that renters have affordable housing? That is not possible for them to guarantee, shouldn’t be in that list. If renters have the other four, good. Government get on and see that landlords are not over-charging and provides more good housing suitable for long-term and short-term renters at quarter to third of income.
Renters United is calling for a “national housing strategy (including a tax on “property speculation”) to ensure a long-term adequate supply of properties”.
The current provision of housing is chaotic, don’t you think?
I think it’s an essential that a national housing strategy happens and probably should be top of the list. The other points are irrelevant if people cannot afford to rent in the first place.
Andrew King, of course, sees this simply as an attack on property rights.
The Councils quote huge prices just for all the consents needed to build a new house.
They are just revenue grabbing organisations someone I no got quoted $120.000 K just for consents to build on land they owned I got advice from one person whom works in the housing development field and was told one does not approach the Councils when planning to build you get a architect to design the development of the property and they no all the rules. So the architect design the development to minermise the cost where as the Councils will maxsermise the consent cost this person said that going to the Council was like going to the cops. The person that was looking into building is old school and did not take my advice I had received.
Rachel Stewart, worth a read as always….my favourite sentence
“Labour, and its endless parade of leaders who shave, bored me to the point of paralysis and, when you believe they have no chance to be the Government, why bother?”
Amy Adams and Simon Bridges.
Bridges makes the cut because after John Key National Party leaders have a free hand to mangle words with impunity
Anything else involving senior members would be a freak show at present – though I would get a perverse thrill from seeing how Gerry Brownlee & Maggie Barry worked out. Gerry could push opponents down the stairs and Maggie bury them in the petunias.
Or Jonathan Coleman and Nick Smith (the “gingerfibbers”).
No doubt there is plausible talent lower down.
Anyone know how high BLiP’s list of Key lies got? Did it crack 1000 in his eight years? Twitterfinger J. Putinpussy got there in just 7 months. Eat your heart out, Slur John.
Mikey (Hosking) is getting really scared. He claims:
Labour had a CGT and it didn’t work so they dumped it.
Labour has never ‘had a CGT’. They’ve merely discussed the possibility. It’s such a blatant Nat. Party ad that the Electoral Commission should be looking very closely at it. I hope Labour is too because he’s outlined the precise nature of the Nats attack for the next 4 weeks. 🙂
Translation – 100,000 troops couldn’t do the job and after 17 years of failure we’re going to send another 3/4000 youngsters into the mincer, pin a tail on it and call our new strategy Not Losing!.
Tillerson: US's Afghanistan effort meant to tell Taliban "you will not win a battlefield victory. We may not win one, but neither will you." pic.twitter.com/8tE8uCe9pu— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 22, 2017
Trump’s got tired of needling North Korea and vice versa.
He now wants to have a go at anyone who criticses him. I believe that elsewhere in th world this hasn’t been allowed FTTT usually in oppressive societies!
Avaaz from 22/8
Danny Auron – Avaaz Trump is forcing a company to turn over the personal details of everyone who visited an anti-Trump website! He could do whatever he wants with this kind of power, like helping his dictator friends crack down on their citizens. Lawyers are taking him to court and if a million of us file a brief with the judge, it could have a huge impact on the case. Add your name and let’s stop Trump’s internet takeover!
sign here
Dear friends,
Trump is forcing an internet provider to turn over the personal details of 1.3 million people who visited an anti-Trump website! From anywhere in the world!
[lprent: Unsubstantiated allegations that we can’t easily check, verify, or even see any sources for simply aren’t something that you can leave here. They simply put this site into legal danger. If I see you doing it again, then you will not be able to comment here in the future. ]
sorry about that I don’t want that to happen this site is assume I am just trying to let people no What has happend to me and my family the authority’s new what happend to but they did not help us . I have emails to the employment courts to back these claims up.
we might have to have a private talk so this wont happen again sorry Iprent I would never want to jeopardise all your hard work regards
eco maori
Winston Peters said his party would cut company tax rates to 25 per cent over three years, starting from April 1 2019.
On that date its policy is for other changes including:
• An export tax rate of 20 per cent applied to export-generated income.
• For small and medium-sized businesses 100 per cent depreciation for business equipment worth up to $20,000 for each item.
• Introduce research and development tax credits.
Those changes would help businesses pay a minimum wage that NZ First has pledged to increase to $20 an hour over three years.
Not a word from Labour about their policy on Welfare. I can’t find anything online either. Do they have a policy in this area or will it be the same old ”bennie-bashing”?
Och aye McGrath is it your Scottish canniness showing or are you Oirish and begorrah.
Neither of those approaches is appropriate in NZ at the moment. If you see meanness and economic malpractice and ineffectiveness as delectable then I guess that’s why you think they are electable.
Aye blossom, I be Scottish with cuzzie bro for good measure. In the words of Billy T, half of me wants to get drunk and the other half doesn’t want to pay for it 🙂.
Yes I’m glad they’re leaving high bracket income tax alone. I pay enough tax in this bracket to fund a small army. If you had the power, what would you do with income tax?
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
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. ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
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Is Guyon Espiner biased?
Yes how else do you think he got the gig. National refocused RNZ years ago under Griffin and other dropped in manager types, TVNZ and mediawonks has its equivalents.
His disgraceful treatment of Turei and Little still rankle.
Truly it is National Radio between 6 and 9 am with him and the hapless Ferguson.
Can one of them go on holiday so we get Kim Hill for the election period?
Stop expecting anyone to be neutral. Especially journalists.
They are just writers. Sometimes they add facts.
It’s really hard it seems to stem Coleman’s baaarp baaarping. I suspect he has deafened himself with his croakery.
Guyon Espiner IS biased?
VERY FEW MSM PUNDITS AREN’T.
It is very sad that we no longer a media that represents us the 99%.
He seems willfully determined to avoid ever discussing policies.
Instead he chases the headline and the scalp.
Pitiful.
Good, shouldn’t be an issue removing him then for something closer to a journalist with such performances.
Most TV journalism now appears to be making the ‘journalist’ the actual story.
Narcissism gone wild after 35 years of neo-liberalism and the cult of the self.
Guyon sort of reminds me of a long pants Scots College boy or something. Even if he wasn’t. Gets a bit too sassy sometimes and annoys. Give it to him though……(repeatedly) “Prime Minister is it OK ?”.
http://oecdinsights.org/2016/09/08/air-pollution-tyres-and-brakes/
THIS IS A ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM THAT ROAD BUILDERS LIKE NATIONAL & THE GREEN PARTY DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
RAIL DONT USE TYRES –
SIMPLE THAT EH!!!
DO WHAT NZ FIRST & LABOUR WANT TO DO.
USE RAIL.
Air pollution: Tyre and brake fatigue compound an exhausting problem
8 SEPTEMBER 2016
tags: air pollution, road transport, rubber
by Guest author
Danger ahead
Shayne MacLachlan, OECD Environment Directorate
Anyone else feeling exhausted by all this drum humming about air pollution? Indeed it appears the fumes won’t be dissipating any time soon as we consider the extent to which tyre and brake rubbish exacerbate the problem. The European Commission says exhaust and non-exhaust sources may contribute almost equally to total traffic-related PM10 emissions. A few months ago, I was proposing (on this very Insights blog) that electric cars are essential in fighting filthy air pollution in urban areas because humans are unwilling to relinquish the comfort of their vehicles. Since then, I find myself mulling hard after this “alarmingly obvious” realisation that electric cars use tyres and brakes too! Even if they emit less of the harmful fine particles than conventional vehicles, please do feel free to file that blog in the “seemed like a good idea at the time” folder. And to turn insult to injury, I see that my own colleagues at the OECD have just published new data on PM2.5 emissions which did little to ease my blushes.
Fine particles vs coarse particles
A lot of non-exhaust pollution from tyres and brakes winds up in rivers, streams and lakes. They produce particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) which is more harmful for humans than gas pollutants like ozone and NO2. Fine particulate matter penetrates deep into your lungs and cardiovascular system. New research has even discovered tiny particles of pollution inside samples of brain tissue. The OECD is amongst a few international organisations proudly leading the fight against ambient air pollution. And rightly so, with 80% of the world population exposed to PM2.5. Outdoor air pollution causes 3.7 million premature deaths a year and 1 in 8 people die from filthy air. OECD Environment Director, Simon Upton recently stated that air pollution is not just an economic issue, but also a moral one. He urges governments to stop fussing over the costs of efforts to limit pollution and start worrying more about the even larger costs they will incur if they continue to allow it to go unchecked.
Airpollution 2016 deaths loss 7.9.16
Dead “tyred” but rolling on
Tyre rubbish is the 13th largest source of air pollution in Los Angeles, California, a city famous for its smog. A recent study showed links between PM2.5 particles and the daily death rate in 6 Californian counties. When the PM2.5 count was high, so was the death rate. Then there’s nanoparticles, ultrafine particles used in tyres. Manufacturers didn’t know it at the time but research now contends possible links to lung cancer from recycling some of the 1 billion dead tyres used in, for example, the surfaces of playgrounds. Some are calling it “the new asbestos”. The complexity of the problem is evident: there are over 1 billion cars on the road globally and on top of that just as many motorbikes and scooters. Add to that the pneumatic tyres used on trucks and public transport such as metro train systems and buses and we have a considerable source of road rubber. A road with 25,000 vehicles using it each day can produce up to nine kilograms of tyre dust per kilometre. That’s only ¼ of the 100,000 cars that use the Champs-Elysées each day so that makes at least 36 kilograms of tyre pollution a day on the world’s most famous street.
air-pollution-pm2.5-2016
Bliss ignorance until my tyre burst
When I think back 10 years, sharing my time between the “not so clean” cities of London and Paris, I really had no idea that the air in these places was so bad. I recall often emptying my nostrils of its black contents after using underground transport, but now learning about the added impact of tyre and brake rubbish, I’m not really sure being better informed is better—at least from a personal health standpoint. I have friends in Paris that actively avoid Châtelet and other central metro stations for a number of reasons, one of those being the eye-watering pollution. The metro trains’ brakes and tyres are contributing to this “perfect pollution storm in a subterranean teacup”. Sometimes you can find between 70-120 micrograms of PM10 per m3 down there with peaks at 1,000 micrograms per m3 trapped in the station. In comparison, the average concentration of PM10 outside is around 25-30 micrograms per m3.
So what can we do?
In an ideal world, we would ditch cars completely, but I’m not sure we’re ready to take that step yet. However, several cities are working on implementing policies that will ban or severely reduce the amount of cars. Oslo announced a plan to ban all cars from its city centre in 2019; and Norway is in the process of preparing a bill that would issue a nation-wide ban of the sale of petrol-powered cars. In places such as Tuscany, cars are banned in city centres except for residents. Others park their car just outside and then take public transport. This is common in the UK too. This means that when there are more people in the centre during the day, there are fewer cars, meaning fewer people are exposed. Hopefully, other cities and nations will be inspired by such drastic changes in transportation methods and follow suit. There are certainly enough reasons to do so.
Play the cards dealt and work towards a better hand
It’s hard not to feel we’ve exhausted our current options. I’ve gone through several cycles of choosing my methods of transportation and have ended up cycling—literally and figuratively. Do bicycle tyres contain rubber (though they emit precious little)? Yes; and so do bus and some metro train tyres, as well as motorbikes and scooters. We are left with only imperfect options. They won’t solve the problem, but they can reduce it and that’s something to be optimistic about. As with many actions that influence health and the environment, human behaviour and choices matter massively. Choosing the least damaging option of getting around your town means the bicycle is still a great option. It might also be worth trying to avoid times in which the pollution levels are the highest: 9h, 12h and 18h in many cities. But of course the exercise and associated heavy breathing whilst riding, exposes you to the risk, even though you are contributing least to the problem. So while the thought of all that damaging pollution is ever so “tyring”, it seems that the pollution, including from brakes and tyres itself might also leave you feeling worse for wear.
An international deal on air pollution
WHO guidelines indicate that by reducing PM10 pollution from 70 to 20 micrograms per m3, air pollution-related deaths could be reduced by roughly 15%. Staging a climate COP (Conference of the Parties) style conference to address air pollution emissions seems like a good start. Who could disagree that setting limits for polluting emissions from all sources is an absolute minimum requirement to give our lungs and environment a breather. Moving forward, it’s crucial we keep pushing governments to come up with innovations and policies that vigorously tackle air pollution issues. Governments also need to ensure that people are aware of the issues and help them make the best choices. In the meantime, we all have to play the cards we’re dealt and make a conscious effort to choose least polluting options.
Agree we do need a substantial shift to rail and light rail:
Mr/Ms capital letters said: THIS IS A ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM THAT ROAD BUILDERS LIKE NATIONAL & THE GREEN PARTY DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
RAIL DONT USE TYRES –
SIMPLE THAT EH!!!
DO WHAT NZ FIRST & LABOUR WANT TO DO.
What on earth are you on about in lying about the Green Party? The Labour Party latest transport policies, especially re-rail, have just taken over a lot of Green Party policies.
From the GP transport policy:
Green Party Auckland transport policy, includes a strong focus on light rail.
And they have policies for regional rail beginning with connecting Manawatū and Hawkes Bay.
Stop spreading mis-information about the Green Party in order to bash them.
Ahh just a point to consider re brake polution, electric cars produce almost none! This is because all braking under driving conditions is regenerative (the motor puts the energy back into the battery) brakes are for holding stationary and emergency only on an electric car.
Does still leave tyre and road particulates tho.
A good example of tyre polution is some of the paris underground runs on rubber, the ventelator shafts on those lines are gross!
But don’t electric cars cause more CO2 during the production process than they save over the life of a car?
EDIT: Ahh Googs what would we do without you…https://www.thegwpf.com/new-study-large-co2-emissions-from-batteries-of-electric-cars/
They certainly contribute to wear and tear on roads without paying tax like diesel and petrol (enjoy that while it lasts)
Note that the GWPF is a notorious collection of deniers and denialists, so anything from them should be treated with extreme suspicion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Warming_Policy_Foundation
In this particular instance, their critique is based around the sorry fact that the electrical power used for battery production is still primarily produced from fossil fuels. Thus it is primarily a criticism of current electricity production, and is not a valid criticism of electric vehicles.
I don’t buy that link AHW. they are drawing conclusions not supported by the study IMHO. Would you like to calculate the CO2 involved in getting oil out of the ground, refining it, and transporting it to the bowser ?
This is a better link IMHO
http://blog.ucsusa.org/rachael-nealer/gasoline-vs-electric-global-warming-emissions-953
Their graphs show that battery cars use 51-53% fewer emissions over the car’s lifetime than petrol cars, and that’s in the USA where a lot more electricity is generated using fossil fuels than in NZ.
So, while I’m not sure how credible these guys are (https://ecotricity.co.nz/cradle-to-grave-emissions/), they estimate that a battery powered car charged in New Zealand is 7-10 times more efficient over its lifetime than a petrol equivalent, including manufacturing costs
Also, Green Party transport policy: stuff report on GP policies announced on 24 May 2016:
The GP have been leading the way on rail travel with it’s many benefits, including better for the environment and climate. Good to see Labour and NZ First getting on board.
Very important to have this pollution of our “environment” aired and get some cut through into the press Caroyln & Xanthe.
The elephant in the room is “ROAD RUNOFF” OF VEHICLE BASED TRANSPORTATION INTO OUR STREAMS, RIVERS, LAKES AND OUR AQUIFERS AND DRINKING WATER.
Not even the green Party place “environment” on their policy plank now as they are only targeting CLIMATE CHANGE that is placing the pollution out of focus do you not understand this?
POLLUTION OF OUR ‘ENVIRONMENT’. = ‘CLIMATE CHANGE’ – IS ONLY ONE OF POLLUTION IMPACTS.
Better to also concentrate on pollution of our environment as this is also a massive public health issue now. Hence the issue of tyre dust pollution which no one talks about; – not even the Green party, so don’t back road transport please Greens.
[Please stop using all capitals in your comments. On the internet it’s considered shouting, which is rude and will get moderated. – weka]
No argument from me there, tyre/road runoff is very big problem as well as the environmental impact of roading itself. rail is a very much smaller impact for a very much greater capacity. Where possible Public transport should be provided and where possible that should be on rails. and where possible electric.
Not even the green Party place “environment” on their policy plank now as they are only targeting CLIMATE CHANGE that is placing the pollution out of focus do you not understand this?
Like Carolyn, I’d like to know why you are basically telling lies about the Green Party on this.
You said this the other day as well and I replied demonstrating the ways that the Green Party are working on environmental issues and how they still have the environment at the centre of what they do.
Here are their main policies for the election.
https://www.greens.org.nz/policy/environment-policies
And their overall Environment policy,
https://www.greens.org.nz/page/environmental-protection-policy
If you want to see what they work on most weeks of the year, follow their blog and news pages, their twitter and FB accounts, and what they do in parliament. The environment is core to it all.
Please see moderation note above.
Do you watch the policy releases in an election, or do you just live under a rock?
Yes I have read the issues about the tyres. The minim wage workers whom fit our tyres are 10 x more likely to get cancer just when they are ready to retire WTF. All the people close to these motorways have a higher chance of getting cancer. The tyre industry has not got any ideas on ways to deposes of tyres in a economical and environmentally sustainable way. And get most of the trucks off our roads
Some idiots in Australia decided to make a reef out of tyres to create a good surfing swell 15 years later and there is no marine life around these toxic reef and they had to spend millions to clean this shit up. I use the word shit a lot but it gets right to the point and a famous Man I admire used the word often. One can not keep shitting in your own back yard as he will eventually suffer the consequences.
There is a invention called the Twheel now this French invention will reduce waste and they are safer IE reduce hydro planing reduce rubber waste and we would save money.
But the powerful OIL Barron’s around our world wont let this Invention grow to its full potential We no this happens and we should not accept this behavior by the power full it is our world to.
As for brakes most electric car have a regenerative braking which reverses the polarity captures waste energy. NOW PEOPLE LETS COME UP WITH IDEAS TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS IN A SUSTAINABLE AND HUMAN WAY PLEASE
You mean, some other policy other than the largest rail development programme seen in this country since the 1930s? That’s what the Labour and Greens policies are.
Stop your histrionics.
Since when have the Green Party been road builders?
Over on TDB Dr. Wayne Hope makes a very pertinent point in a paragraph in a post, which bears repeating here:
“The arrival of neoliberalism in the mid 1980s triggered a breakdown of ethics at every level of society.
“The evidence is overwhelming – a rising prison population, thriving gangs, organised crime built upon the drug trade, crooked real estate agents laundering money, corporate tax evasion, law firms assisting clients to commit fraud, corrupt public servants, bribery from senior immigration officials, Ponzi schemes posing as finance companies – New Zealand has seen it all.”
How very true! Let’s get rid of the corrupt right in this fair land!
Late last night I watched a presentation video by Labour’s Nash on Tamati Coffey’s Facebook.
It was about starting a new NZ Forest Service to supply wood to be used in Govt builds.To be placed in Rotorua probably on the old FRI site.
Based on sustainability goals and meeting climate change goals, this would be huge for the region, in many ways involving the Waiariki Politech, the apprenticeships, the IT,and the general forestry infrastructure.
Worth a watch.
Nice one Patricia, thanks for the insight.
We in HB/Gisborne now need a heavy rail (not light) for moving our freight north as going from HB/Gisborne down through the 250km slog south first through the Manawatu gorge is a very long leg south and strips out any economic viability of moving freight north from our regions.
like PM Vogel planed back in 1880-90 to send rail north from Gisborne to Bay of plenty (through Taneatua near Whakatane ) we need to direct funding there now not build more truck roads for subsidising private road freight companies!!!
Labour is looking at re-opening mothballed rail lines like the Napier-Gisborne line, CleanGreen, if there is evidence that they are sustainable. In an announcement from Michael Wood Labour mP yesterday.
New Zealand landlord spokesman Andrew King resists Renters United list of goals that already exist in reasonable European social democracies. Does he not do his research?
GOAL ONE: All rental housing is warm, healthy and safe
GOAL TWO: All renters have affordable housing
GOAL THREE: Renters are secure. They can create homes and report problems without fear of eviction
GOAL FOUR: Renters can successfully challenge illegal behaviour by landlords.
GOAL FIVE: The ongoing situation for renters improves
No idea why he thinks good New Zealand landlords (including the State) are unable to manage providing descent homes and are all for supporting slumlords who fear being found out.
Disappointing.
I really like their idea of having landlords licensed.
Miravox, a related question. Do you know from the various European systems, is there exemptions for people renting out the family home in terms of tenancy security? i.e. can those landlords stipulate that they can return or sell the house giving x amount of notice?
Germany, you can sell your house, but the tenants stays. You would have to proof that a. you would want to live there or that a child would want to live there in order to get rid of the tenant. Standard notice period in Germany is three month. For both the tenant of landlord. If the tenant wants to leave earlier, they can find a new tenant and present these to the landlord. The landlord can refuse, however must be reasonable while doing this. I.e. if I present 5 potentially good new tenants the landlord can not refuse all five.
In saying that, buying a house in Europe / even an appartment is something that is expensive and people don’t move as often as they do here. So frankly once someone buys a house they usually live in it till their death. OFten time a mortgage is not paid by one generation but started by the parents and is finsihed by the children. Its a generational thing. IF there is enough land, children might add to the buidling to provide a place for themselves.
Most rentals in Germany are not owned by private people but by Genossenschaften or Co-ops, Investment Companies etc. Private Homeownership is usally owner occupier and the left over is rentals.
https://translate.google.co.nz/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genossenschaft&prev=search
this article gives you a good look at what happens when ownership changes, or something is rebuild/renovated.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/11417359/Germany-the-country-where-renting-is-a-dream.html
I like the idea that TOP is floating about adopting the german system, you only have one problem. Housing in NZ is an asset to be sold and re-sold in order to extract a profit, Housing in Germany is an asset to be leased as longterm as possible to have as little work as possible and thus make a smaller profit but more often. Two competing capitalistic ideas really.
: “Eigentum verpflichtet. Sein Gebrauch soll zugleich dem Wohle der Allgemeinheit dienen.” “Private Ownership comes bound with duty. It’s use should also serve the public good.”
The fact that population is declining in Germany but increasing quickly in New Zealand makes that whole market situation a bit different.
https://www.populationpyramid.net/germany/2016/
https://www.populationpyramid.net/new-zealand/2016/
Time to stabilise NZ’s population anyway.
Indeed. 5 million cap; it’s basically more than we can sustain long term anyway.
I don’t think declining population is a factor in providing secure rental housing at affordable prices.
Vienna’s* rental housing arrangements have strong similarities to the German system, but the Vienna has a growing population. Unlike New Zealand, though, the city has a whole housing research programme to actively plan ahead for this rise.
*Austria generally – but each province has it’s own variations in housing administration, so I generally say Vienna rather than Austria.
Thanks Sabine, that’s really helpful.
I think people renting out they family home is pretty common in NZ, so would like to see an exemption that is fair to tenants but allows home owners to keep doing that. Not sure what would happen otherwise, if people would still rent out their homes but do so illegally (e.g. a kind of black market), or if they would just stop doing it, thus taking all those houses out of the pool. It’s an interesting thing to consider because it seems very common in NZ and people do move around a lot or go away for periods of time. I’m intrigued about how home ownership happens in Germany.
define ‘family home’.
is it when the family lives in it?
is it when it was lived in by the family but now is not?
is it when it is not lived in by the family but might be in the future?
In Germany don’t have the term ‘family home’ for owned properties. Our rented apartments are ‘family home’ and people live in them for decades.
a farm house that was build four centuries ago by a farmer is still in use by the same family.
a town house that has 6 apartments of which one is used by the owner, tow are rented to the children of the owner and the other three are rented to ‘others.
all these would be ‘family homes’. However a property might have been in the same family for centuries/decades.
i think really this is what needs to be defined. I now ‘own’ a house, but considering that where we have it i can’t work it will not be a ‘family home’ for me, but maybe for a local family who will rent it.
the term ‘family home’ needs to be redefined. Start with that and then expand the term to those that rent a house, apartment, dwelling, unit etc to make it a ‘family home’.
For me it’s a house that people have lived in or still live in and consider their home. It might be where they raised their kids, or where they lived the longest, and it’s a place they may want to come back to.
So no, a house that one hasn’t lived in isn’t a family home.
“the term ‘family home’ needs to be redefined. Start with that and then expand the term to those that rent a house, apartment, dwelling, unit etc to make it a ‘family home’.”
Yes, I agree with this. I support long term tenancy rights precisely for this reason, so that people who don’t own can still have a family home.
@Weka ……..so that people who don’t own can still have a family home.
see you are doing it again :).
First stop the assumption that a ‘rented/leased property is not a family home.
We all make/have family, we all need to live somewhere and where we live becomes our family home.
Even the least among us who lives in a hovel will call it the family home.
I don’t assume that people that don’t own can’t have a family home. Please stop putting words in my mouth.
i don’t put words in your mouth. I never do.
I am talking about an ingrained mindset that i find alien and that i believe to an extend is at the heart of the discussion.
And sadly in NZ, family home means owned home. Never mind that the majority in NZ does not own a house anymore and most likely never will.
I was not trying to offend or to ‘put words in your mouth’.
All good. I also believe that people make their homes in lots of different places and situations. One of the reasons ‘family home’ in NZ is often equated to owned home is because very few people have tenancy security. I have year long lease, which seems to be considered ‘long term’. I don’t consider this my ‘family home’, mainly because if I have to move at the end of each year, I will lose my garden, so it changes how I relate with the place I live in. I’m not saying that that’s true for everyone, just that that affects things for me.
I don’t like how many mobile NZers we have, because I think it destabilises communities and is tied into this whole thing about upward mobility and how you have to keep getting a ‘better’ house, car etc, and this is why we now have home ownership as investment rather than being primarily about having a home. This is why I like hearing the story about Germany, am intrigued to hear that some people still live in the same house for a long period of time.
My parents have been married 60 years and they’ve lived in 5 houses in that time. They flatted briefly, then built a house, then moved into a larger house to have more room for the kids, then after the kids left home they moved into a smaller house, then recently they moved into an even smaller house because they are elderly. I suspect that most people now over the course of their lives will live in far more houses than that.
There is something in that too about nuclear families and I compare it to Māori who are trying to get bylaw permission to build more homes on land for whānau but generally aren’t allowed to. So there’s a whole cultural thing there as well that means that people are forced to move whether renting or owning.
There are occassions when a family is required to move to another town for a while. In the Services if you stayed in one town for more than 2 years you were lucky. So In my case we had a home in wellington which we had for 7 years – but on being posted overseas and then to Auckland it was rented out. Had we returned to Wellington we would have returned to the house we originally bought because it was a house we loved.
Tenancy agreements need to be able to handle these sorts of situations because NZ’s population is one of the most mobile.
http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/population-mobility.aspx see the pdf.
The Jackal and Voxy plus NZ Herald telling how NZ state housing tenants were put out so the houses could be bulldozed and land sold to Chinese semi-government entity. That’s another problem with landlords, when government has no qualms about evicting.
Winston’s on their track. And revealing that the Special Housing Accord or Areas system is being rorted by government.
http://thejackalman.blogspot.co.nz/2017/08/who-profits-from-state-evictions.html
Why did a Mt Albert Housing NZ development end up in the hands of a Chinese company?
“New Zealand First is asking questions as to why Housing NZ sold land in the Mt Albert electorate to a developer who under the Special Housing Areas (Hon Nick Smith’s plan) the developer received government and council housing incentives to provide accommodation for Auckland residents, which is exactly what didn’t happen,” says New Zealand First Leader and Member of Parliament for Northland, Rt Hon Winston Peters….
Winston Peters accused of ‘race-baiting’ attack on Chinese air crew
National list MP Melissa Lee, who is based in Mt Albert, said the statement was “typical Winston Peters race-baiting”.
“He doesn’t understand housing developments or special housing areas and is simply firing out ill-informed press releases when he sees the word ‘Chinese’,” she said.
Housing NZ confirmed that it sold the land in April 2013 to a private developer for a reported $8.76 million.
The property was given Special Housing Area status in May 2014, allowing fast-track consenting with a requirement that 10 per cent of the homes must be “affordable” – priced below 75 per cent of the median Auckland house price.
Auckland Council said at the time that 33 new homes would be built on the land, replacing 19 former state houses.
However the special housing areas were disestablished when the new Auckland Unitary Plan came into force last September….
None of those properties need to be “affordable” now because there’s no proper provision provided for that in the Auckland Unitary Plan. Instead, affordable housing is just listed as a challenge Auckland faces….
Which is the crux of the matter. National can scream until they’re blue in the face about racism but it doesn’t change the fact that they sold state owned land that was being used to house low income New Zealander’s, property that ended up belonging to a company that has ties to the Chinese government.
Hi weka, yes, there are two types of long-term lease and also an annual rollover lease for situations like the owner leaves town for a short period of time (or a long-term tenant – the tenant can also sublet if they have to move for a sort-term work contract etc). It also helps people like us, who are unsure of how long we need the lease (it’s 5 years fixed on the landlord side – with rollover, but after 12 months we can terminate at any time, with 3 months notice).
If they sell the house, the landlords cannot terminate the letting arrangement though. As with the German system outlined by Sabine, the tenant has the right to stay.
How can landlords adopt goal two that renters have affordable housing? That is not possible for them to guarantee, shouldn’t be in that list. If renters have the other four, good. Government get on and see that landlords are not over-charging and provides more good housing suitable for long-term and short-term renters at quarter to third of income.
Renters United is calling for a “national housing strategy (including a tax on “property speculation”) to ensure a long-term adequate supply of properties”.
The current provision of housing is chaotic, don’t you think?
I think it’s an essential that a national housing strategy happens and probably should be top of the list. The other points are irrelevant if people cannot afford to rent in the first place.
Andrew King, of course, sees this simply as an attack on property rights.
Party positions on the TPPA from Its Our Future:
https://itsourfuture.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/IOF-political-party-positions-Final-Copy.pdf
The Councils quote huge prices just for all the consents needed to build a new house.
They are just revenue grabbing organisations someone I no got quoted $120.000 K just for consents to build on land they owned I got advice from one person whom works in the housing development field and was told one does not approach the Councils when planning to build you get a architect to design the development of the property and they no all the rules. So the architect design the development to minermise the cost where as the Councils will maxsermise the consent cost this person said that going to the Council was like going to the cops. The person that was looking into building is old school and did not take my advice I had received.
Rachel Stewart, worth a read as always….my favourite sentence
“Labour, and its endless parade of leaders who shave, bored me to the point of paralysis and, when you believe they have no chance to be the Government, why bother?”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=11908712
High on New Car Smell.
… and the thought of the English car going off to the scrapyard. Crushed with Collins?
I have been wandering, what odds on the national party changing leadership before election?
A Judith/Paula ticket?
Paula/Gerry?
Judith/ jonathon?
The possibilities seem so limited.
Judith Collins and Paula Bennett will never lead the National Party. Way to much baggage to be even considered.
Jacinda Ardern has changed the rules of the game.
Amy Adams and Simon Bridges.
Bridges makes the cut because after John Key National Party leaders have a free hand to mangle words with impunity
Anything else involving senior members would be a freak show at present – though I would get a perverse thrill from seeing how Gerry Brownlee & Maggie Barry worked out. Gerry could push opponents down the stairs and Maggie bury them in the petunias.
Or Jonathan Coleman and Nick Smith (the “gingerfibbers”).
No doubt there is plausible talent lower down.
Ginger fibbers! Excellent ad.
You are prob right about Bridges/Adam’s.
A point I was making was the profound lack of talent available to the nats, probably Bill’s saving grace.
ab
+1 Haha
@Pete
No, crushed by Collins!
Isn’t she wonderful!
Anyone know how high BLiP’s list of Key lies got? Did it crack 1000 in his eight years? Twitterfinger J. Putinpussy got there in just 7 months. Eat your heart out, Slur John.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/96053304/us-president-donald-trumps-list-of-false-misleading-claims-tops-1000
Mikey (Hosking) is getting really scared. He claims:
Labour had a CGT and it didn’t work so they dumped it.
Labour has never ‘had a CGT’. They’ve merely discussed the possibility. It’s such a blatant Nat. Party ad that the Electoral Commission should be looking very closely at it. I hope Labour is too because he’s outlined the precise nature of the Nats attack for the next 4 weeks. 🙂
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1&gal_cid=1&gallery_id=180676
Translation – 100,000 troops couldn’t do the job and after 17 years of failure we’re going to send another 3/4000 youngsters into the mincer, pin a tail on it and call our new strategy Not Losing!.
https://twitter.com/ABCPolitics/status/900060739980767233/video/1
Informative, and funny. 15 min. Go at trump
Trump’s got tired of needling North Korea and vice versa.
He now wants to have a go at anyone who criticses him. I believe that elsewhere in th world this hasn’t been allowed FTTT usually in oppressive societies!
Avaaz from 22/8
Danny Auron – Avaaz
Trump is forcing a company to turn over the personal details of everyone who visited an anti-Trump website! He could do whatever he wants with this kind of power, like helping his dictator friends crack down on their citizens. Lawyers are taking him to court and if a million of us file a brief with the judge, it could have a huge impact on the case. Add your name and let’s stop Trump’s internet takeover!
sign here
Dear friends,
Trump is forcing an internet provider to turn over the personal details of 1.3 million people who visited an anti-Trump website! From anywhere in the world!
[deleted]
[lprent: Unsubstantiated allegations that we can’t easily check, verify, or even see any sources for simply aren’t something that you can leave here. They simply put this site into legal danger. If I see you doing it again, then you will not be able to comment here in the future. ]
sorry about that I don’t want that to happen this site is assume I am just trying to let people no What has happend to me and my family the authority’s new what happend to but they did not help us . I have emails to the employment courts to back these claims up.
we might have to have a private talk so this wont happen again sorry Iprent I would never want to jeopardise all your hard work regards
eco maori
From NZHerald today:
Winston Peters said his party would cut company tax rates to 25 per cent over three years, starting from April 1 2019.
On that date its policy is for other changes including:
• An export tax rate of 20 per cent applied to export-generated income.
• For small and medium-sized businesses 100 per cent depreciation for business equipment worth up to $20,000 for each item.
• Introduce research and development tax credits.
Those changes would help businesses pay a minimum wage that NZ First has pledged to increase to $20 an hour over three years.
He’s nothing if not clear.
Not a word from Labour about their policy on Welfare. I can’t find anything online either. Do they have a policy in this area or will it be the same old ”bennie-bashing”?
I see Labour has announced income tax will be left alone. This can only be a good thing and will make them more electable.
Och aye McGrath is it your Scottish canniness showing or are you Oirish and begorrah.
Neither of those approaches is appropriate in NZ at the moment. If you see meanness and economic malpractice and ineffectiveness as delectable then I guess that’s why you think they are electable.
Aye blossom, I be Scottish with cuzzie bro for good measure. In the words of Billy T, half of me wants to get drunk and the other half doesn’t want to pay for it 🙂.
Yes I’m glad they’re leaving high bracket income tax alone. I pay enough tax in this bracket to fund a small army. If you had the power, what would you do with income tax?