Once upon a time, tertiary education was recognised as a public good. Students were supported to study, because their education was our education; their success was the progress of our country. Those who ended up making more money on the other side paid it back through higher tax settings, in turn investing in education and support for those who came after them to flourish.
All of this changed through the "personal responsibility" era of slash and burn economic reforms, intent on instilling corporate sensibility and cost-cutting in our supposedly public institutions through the 1980s and 1990s. These were political decisions. Political decisions can change this system once again.
Yep. Those who instigated and implemented the demise of NZ free University Education….had already had theirs. (Lockjaw Smith ! )
Of course I do not absolve some of Labour…..the rogernomes were in boots and all…
However….it seems to me that we COULD have free Uni again….and I suggest maybe some means of IF you get it..agree to stay and work for the Betterment of us all in NZ ?
"Of course I do not absolve some of Labour…..the rogernomes were in boots and all…"
You know Labour is still a Third Way, Free Market political party today right?
There ain't no free Universities coming from that type of "Labour" Party any time soon…the best we can hope for is some sort of student debt relief, when the mountains of debt piled upon anyone one wanting to get further education starts effecting their own class and the economy too adversely…
Adrian…of course Labour was…and still is to an extent that way. And I proactively fight to get change. I'd like to know what do you do? I certainly see your comments. And agree with quite a few.
The problem I see is that for some….Labour is a target…for whatever reasons. But….I absolutely see national and act as a worse option.
We would be back to the 90's shit before….you could protest.
@PsyclingLeft.Always, " I'd like to know what do you do?"…I do plenty don't you worry…we (Siobhan and I) have had a bookshop in Hastings for about a decade, The Little Red Bookshop, that is a well known spot locally for political debate and conversation…and not just with Lefties I might add.
The various bands I am in nearly always have a political message either tucked into the show or for some shows are the centre piece of the show…and various other direction action methods, which I probably shouldn't go into on a public forum…
"The problem I see is that for some….Labour is a target…for whatever reasons. But….I absolutely see national and act as a worse option"
Fuck National, who cares or gives a shit about them, they do what they do, and have the right to do so…the only concern and any political energy spent by any Leftie should solely be directed at our party (Labour/Greens) and what they do…or as more often the case, don't do…Labour should be the target of our critiques, and they should hear them….loudly and relentlessly, until they start acting like an actual Labour party that we can all be proud of supporting…which isn’t this outfit today that’s for sure.
Agree with PsyclingLeftAlways. What are the results of the political debate and conversation in a bookshop? Does it lead to constructive, meaningful actions? How does this political messaging help turn Labour left? Have you joined the party to talk about your ideas to influence it's direction? You should care about what National are proposing, NZ politics is cyclic, National will ultimately gain power again at some stage in the future, but it does appear that Labour is often the target of critique, even when National are in govt.
Hi Adrian. I have given thought to your reply. As initially…it seemed as a bit of a lecture (admonishment ?)
Anyway, thinking…I did look up the Little Red Bookshop. moving quickly past the facebook one at St Pius X Catholic High school (Atlanta USA : ) and I found your one.
First …I liked that your home page Quote was Neil Gaiman !
Second. ..The Bicycle Pages….and the Shop Bike ! Is that still running? Who built ? Very cool.
I agree Labour could be more Left. And I appreciate your efforts re same. Be assured I am also trying. ( I contact Ministers…MP's etc.) And I engage with Voters potential (and disaffected others)
And with student loan relieve, some medical debt relieve for our beneficiaries, some 'winz' housing debt relieve for the homeless that were settled iwth motel housing costs under N (L charges takes 25% of bene directly to pay for that emergency housing) and so on and so forth.
Article was from February 2022 – so hardly hot news.
Basically, he (or companies under his corporate umbrella) are buying up run-down houses in lower-cost areas like Mt Wellington, on large parcels of land. The implication is that these are potential multi-unit developments (following the changes in Auckland's unitary plan opening the doors for this).
Each one has been set up as an individual company – which is pretty standard practice for developers – it ring-fences their costs – and limits their responsibility for things like leaky building (since they wind up the company, once the development is complete) [I don't agree with this, but it's standard practice – and no one is looking at changing the law]
The article implies fairly heavily that he's buying with the intention of developing multi-unit sites on the properties.
By October 2021 (when he did the buying) – it's pretty unlikely he's buying with the intention of flipping quickly for capital gain (he'd missed the boat on that one).
Why is this a bad thing?
Do you have evidence that the houses are currently sitting un-tenanted? Because the article doesn't say that. If he's planning on developing – then the tenancies might be short-term – but he's unlikely to forgo the passive revenue stream.
Stats NZ also has figures from census night. I'm guessing this is where the 40,000 figure comes from, in this table it's 39,393 for the Regional Council area that surrounds Auckland. I think somewhere they have smaller area stats? Rough and ready, and it's from 2018, but still an actual count of the night.
I like the electricity connected idea, but suspect there are barriers to that data eg privacy and it's nothing to do with councils so they won't have easy access to the data. Another small reason to nationalise power supply.
You'd think someone had done this analysis before, but I guess it ruins a good story. 'Unoccupied private dwellings' will have a specific definition for the purposes of the census. eg I don't know if it counts houses that have just been built. Obviously it counts houses where people are away for the night. Or on holiday.
An private unoccupied dwelling is one that doesn't have anyone in it at midnight on census night and for 12 hours afterwards. So census was Tuesday March 6th 2018.
Doesn't include houses under construction. However it does include houses being renovated or having remedial building with the occupants in other accommodation.
Does include all of the baches in places like Sandspit, Manakau heads, Piha, etc. There are a lot of those. You can drill down and find that there are a lot of unoccupied housing on a weekday in those kinds of areas. Generally these types of homes are useless for housing people short of housing. They are too far from work, services, and shopping.
Also includes houses on 10 acre blocks where the people live in town for work and weekend (the Auckland region has a lot of lifestyle blocks). Same high proportion of unoccupied housing in those areas as well. Ditto. Not to mention that these are usually used during weekends.
Includes flats and houses that have had tenants leave and haven't been rented yet. Most landlords expect on average a number of weeks of that happening per year. Typically about 2-3 weeks every year on average as people buy places or move suburbs, cities or countries.
So when you drill down, you find areas with large amounts of rental accommodation have higher unoccupied private dwellings – just like the areas with baches.
Includes places whose occupants who are out of town, on holiday, working at the time (think truck drivers, taxi drivers, night shift workers, etc).
What you really have to look at is the percentages and trends over time.
In the 2001 census the unoccupied private dwellings was 7.0% in the Auckland region.
in the 2006 census the unoccupied private dwellings was 7.6% in the Auckland region.
In the 2013 census the unoccupied private dwellings was 7.0% in the Auckland region. A symptom of the unfettered immigration.
And I'd put the caveat on 2018. That was probably the most poorly run census for the last century. National sliced the funding by about 50% in the 8 years after the aborted 2010 census. They wanted to have tax cuts for the already wealthy – so they cut critical services like the census.
It has been acknowledged that the 2018 census missed a lot, and much of it is conservative estimates rather the solid data. The census collection rate was well down on the 2013 census even after they rectified with post-census work. So a conservative stats approach would tend to say that a house was unoccupied rather than guess if it was occupied on census night.
But in other words this is a bouncing percentage for the Auckland region. It depends on a lot.
Going by a raw number is ridiculous stupidity and daft propaganda. Sure it is only ~12,000 private dwellings less that the total number in the Dunedin City Council – our 7th most populous urban area. But absolute numbers simply aren't that useful.
And if you look at the 2018 census for Dunedin City, the unoccupied private dwelling percentage in the 2018 census was 7.4%. Right in the normal urban range.
BTW I think that you have go back quite a while before it goes out of the 7-8% band.
I do wish people would think about 40k over 500k private dwellings actually means.
Australia came out with similar figure in 2021,there was also the point that it was when the majority of Australians were in lockdown.
Their analysis is it is with second homes in holiday areas,and empty homes in harvest areas,along with an increased availability for short term rentals (air bnb etc)
essentially its a bipartisan failure to a. capture the amount of empty houses in NZ to their full extend – i.e. how many, where, and why? and then rule/regulate/intensivice owners to open up these homes either to tenants or to new owners. Such as Gareth Morgan who a few years ago was quite open about the fact that he owned multiple homes but does not rent them.
Empty 'homes' are a manifestation of a real blight on society – inequality.
'TINA types' at the top of the table may be oblivious to the many downsides of poverty, but it's not their fault – they're dealing with a lot too.
The Side Eye’s Two New Zealands: The Table [16 August 2022]
The point is, we can improve. And the starting point for that is to get over the awkwardness and start acknowledging the problem.
Those 40,000 empty homes in Auckland need urgent attention.
Which empty homes? 40,000 is the number of unoccupied dwellings in Auckland on the night of the 2018 census. It's not the number of houses that are empty.
The Census captures information about unoccupied dwellings on Census night.
There were 191,649 unoccupied private dwellings as at Census 2018. “Unoccupied dwellings” is often misreported in the media and represented as empty homes. That's incorrect.
"Unoccupied dwellings" contains a significant number of properties where residents were temporarily away on Census night. They might have been staying with friends/family, away for business, or on vacation. To report these as empty homes is misleading as it includes a large number of properties that are usually occupied.
…
The Census further classifies “Unoccupied dwellings” into two sub-categories:
Residents away
Includes homes that were known to be temporarily unoccupied on Census night. They are not considered to be empty.
Empty dwellings
Includes properties that are determined to be empty by using both Census responses and other administrative data and processes used by StatsNZ.
Were there really 40,000 ghost houses in Auckland at the last Census?
No. Auckland is often the focus of media coverage when reporting on empty homes. It has been reported that there are nearly 40,000 “unoccupied dwellings” (or 'ghost houses') in Auckland. Claims are made that the number of empty homes are increasing.
Whilst it's true “unoccupied dwellings” is increasing, a closer look at the sub-categories tells a very different story when it comes to "empty dwellings".
Click on the link to see actual figures for empty houses in the last three census. In 2018 it was 17,130. Now take into account houses that have just been built, houses that are rentals and between tenants, houses about to be demolished. Not sure which category holiday houses fit
Grant Robertson: “It's a social democratic party, the Labour party and that social democratic tradition acknowledges obviously the role of the market, that's part of it, but it also acknowledges the role of the state, particularly where there is market failure where we do need to improve equity where we should drive towards equity and the state playing an enabling role. I think that there isn't a great internal dispute in the Labout party about that vision anymore. I think Covid shown us that the state has got an absolutely critical role when a crisis comes along but it's equally got a critical role being an enabler of innovation and a supporter of that and people like Mariana Mazzucato and the work she's done around the mission economy and those sorts of concepts. That to me is a social democratic party in the modern world, the state playing, that enabling innovating role as well as the protecting and supporting role. So I think that's a social democratic tradition and you're absolutely right, on any given announcement I will be attacked from further to my left on not having gone far enough and on the right I'm being on the path to socialism and that probably points us to the fact that we are in about the right place”
Labour has a lot of catching up to do – we have been going backwards for decades.
I will be attacked from further to my left on not having gone far enough and on the right I'm being on the path to socialism and that probably points us to the fact that we are in about the right place
NZ has stampeded to the right over the past few decades, without any popular movement to that effect, and without producing any of the promised social goods with which Labour's moral decay was ostensibly justified.
This made Labour unelectable for the whole of the 90s, and even today their grassroots support remains seriously eroded. When a party of the left finds itself level-pegging with a party as lacking in plausible policy and human qualities as National they need to ask themselves some very serious questions.
Your opinion implies the only reason "NZ has stampeded to the right over the past few decades" and voters have elected National govts is entirely the fault of the Labour party, which I doubt that is the only reason. Frankly, with the level of misinformation and hysterical anti govt rhetoric, I'm surprised Labour isn't doing worse in the opinion polls. A recent Curia poll had Labour inching ahead.
When one compares the relative effectuality of the major parties, Labour's problems seem much more likely to be self-inflicted than the result of unwonted outbreaks of Svengalian cleverness on the part of the opposition.
Like I said, there's a lot of misinformation and hysterical anti govt rhetoric, which is right up National's alley
"More importantly, by refusing to rule out working with them in the next parliament, National Party leader Christopher Luxon has potentially given Tamaki and his fellow travellers a sniff of credibility"
There's a good reason it's been removed. It was fake.
Not for the first time, those who seek confirmation bias from the Daily Mail, Spectator and other right-wing media, end up looking like fools. Inevitable result: undermining any legitimate point in the ongoing debate.
It's Open Mike, I can't/won't tell anyone what stories to try and spread here. But if you don't want to score spectacular own goals, maybe do a little homework first?
That is the great thing about Gender Identity ideology. Because it is just that – an ideology – just like a religious ideology, you can make up anything you like. There are about 6000 "gods" currently on offer around the world (and that is without an exhaustive dive into the Hindu pantheon. And soon there will be that sort of numbers of gender identities.
There will of course, still only be 2 sexes in mammals (which includes human beings.)
Fortunately, thanks to the enlightenment and the separation of Church and State, in civilised countries, people cannot be forced to believe in any one of these identities, or the whole ideology that supports them.
Well…..I was just humorously thinking..they finally done it. Went full mettle sheeple : )
Anyway…agree re gods. (gods noted). Neil Gaiman is a pretty amazing Story maker/recounter. "American Gods"…"Sandman" etc.
gods..are absolutely fictional…but still..the Idea? Very Interesting : ) And how Humans have Imagined…re-purposed and at times twisted..beyond all recognition, the original intent.
Absolutely agree re the Enlightenment . Going to burn Galileo? Monsters.!
And also with you on separation of church and State. Always.
The Gender thing..I have stayed well clear of ! As the extreme views on both sides…not something I want.
Oh and re Mr Trotter and his …"the Red Flag"….i had the luck to never hear live ! (that would maybe need therapy?) But had seen on TV. Was akin to some terrible event..which you were struggling to process. I sometimes replay (rarely mind ) …when hearing of his latest utterances.
The military angle is important. You have to have poor, uneducated soldiers go away to war to protect the wealth of the rich. Those that survive can then come home and be entertained by Republicans who voted against a bill boosting healthcare for veterans exposed to toxins during war.
Let's not call it public service, he has been very well remunerated for his work.
Some gongs are deserved, others not so much, and some don't want them anyway.
No-siree! Silence reigns over gong-refusal [19 February 2013]
The Star-Times, in its request, did not ask for the reasons given for the refusals, but many of those who have publicly declined an honour did not agree with the imperial or "titular" system – where recipients are called "Sir" and "Lady" – which was scrapped by Helen Clark's Government in 2000 and then reinstated by John Key's in 2009.
…
Bolger, a well-known republican, declined because he "didn't believe in knighthoods".
Chop off the top of the honours list. They don't need any more rewards
[31 December 2021]
The so-called lower reaches of the honours list, though – the Queen’s Service Order (QSO) and Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) – are a different story. Far and away my favourite part of the system, they actually do something useful, recognising people whose achievements would otherwise genuinely go unacknowledged. Most of them are awarded for services to the community in some form or other.
…
So much depends on unsung backroom heroes. I’m thinking here of stage managers, age-grade sports coaches, office managers who hold entire organisations together. They deserve greater accolades. Let’s celebrate not the politicians, so often in the spotlight, but the submission-makers; the roadies rather than the rock stars. Some people labour all their lives with very little light shone their way.
Let’s recognise them.
And some recipients turn out to be a mixed bag at best.
Basically committed the crime of having a different point of view on the jab. Misinformation or healthy scepticism? A healthy democracy allows healthy scepticism in my view.
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Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
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. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
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 ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Prime Minister and state and territory leaders met on Wednesday as the national cabinet to discuss a crisis gripping Australia – the horrific number of women murdered this year. The killings have shocked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Radhika Raghav, Teaching Fellow, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Otago Netflix Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his big-budget Bollywood production, featuring grand sets, star casts, meticulously choreographed dance sequences and lavish costumes, jewellery and furnishings. ...
Sir Robert devoted his life to disability rights after living in institutions in his younger years, says Kaihautū Tika Hauātanga | Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University Violence against women is not a women’s problem to solve, it is a whole of society problem to solve; and men in particular have to take responsibility. Those were the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Allen, Senior Lecturer in Chemical and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Newcastle Snapshot freddy/ShutterstockPlans to revive an old coal-fired power station using bioenergy are being considered in the Hunter region of New South Wales. Similar plans for the station ...
Responding to the long-awaited release of judges’ special allowances, including free air travel and hotels for spouses, generous sabbaticals, and access to limousines, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Alex Murphy said: “In what world does your employer ...
Analysis - The United States has unveiled plans to boost the weapons trade with Australia and the UK, on the same day that Winston Peters is expected to sketch NZ's position on AUKUS. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Carson, Professor of Political Communication, Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy, La Trobe University Since Australia’s First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum in October 2023, diverse commentaries have sought to explain why it failed. But what does an analysis of media ...
Lawyers representing two iwi as well as the Māori Women’s Welfare League on Wednesday asked the Court of Appeal to overturn last week’s High Court decision on the Waitangi Tribunal’s decision to summons Children’s Minister Karen Chhour. The Tribunal is currently investigating the Government’s decision to repeal section 7AA of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will introduce legislation to ban deepfake pornography and provide more funding for the eSafety Commission to pilot age-assurance technologies. The contribution of internet sites to gender-based violence was one major issue ...
Average ordinary time hourly earnings, as measured by the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES), increased 5.2 percent in the year to the March 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. Annual wage cost inflation, as measured by the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitrios Salampasis, FinTech Capability Lead | Senior Lecturer, Emerging Technologies and FinTech, Swinburne University of Technology Clem Onojeghuo/Unsplash In the digital era, the job market is increasingly becoming a minefield – demanding and difficult to navigate. According to the Australian Bureau ...
As of the March 2024 quarter, we can now look back on 20 years of data related to youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET), as collected by the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS), according to figures released by Stats NZ today. "The ...
Thousands of workers attended public events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch today to celebrate International Workers’ Day (May Day), but union representatives are urging caution and vigilance over the Government’s blatantly "anti-worker" ...
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in the March 2024 quarter, compared with 4.0 percent in the previous quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
The PSA is warning the Government that the sensitive information of New Zealanders held by various agencies will fall into the wrong hands if the latest round of proposed cuts goes ahead. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Talitha Best, Professor of Psychology, CQUniversity Australia Victoria Rodriguez/Unsplash How do sugar rushes work? – W.H, age nine, from Canberra What a terrific question W.H! Let’s explore this, starting with some of the basics. What is sugar? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karinna Saxby, Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne MART PRODUCTION/Pexels Increasing income support could help keep women and children safe according to new work demonstrating strong links between financial insecurity and domestic violence. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark A Gregory, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, RMIT University The telecommunications industry faces a major shakeup following the release of the post-incident report on last November’s 12-hour Optus outage. Telecommunications companies will have to share more information with customers during future ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Eden Denyer, bookseller at Unity Books Auckland.Weirdest question/request you’ve had on the shop floorA mother came in looking for anything we might have on Alaskan bison as that was her little boy’s ...
NZCTU Economist Craig Renney said new data released by Statistics New Zealand shows the need for Government to act now, with unemployment rising from 3.4% to 4.3%. ...
The outpouring of anger over Maiki Sherman’s hyperbolic presentation of this week’s ‘nightmare’ poll is itself an overreaction, argues Stewart Sowman-Lund. Politicians love nothing more than to pretend they don’t care about polls. This week, deputy prime minister Winston Peters said he didn’t give a “rat’s derriere” about a TVNZ ...
Asia Pacific Report Ngāti Kahungunu in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay region has become the first indigenous Māori iwi (tribe) to sign a resolution calling for a “ceasefire in Palestine”, reports Te Ao Māori News. Reporter Te Aniwaniwa Paterson talked to Te Otāne Huata, who has been organising peace rallies ...
By Dale Luma in Port Moresby “We want grants and not concessional loans,” is the crisp message from Papua New Guinea businesses directly affected by the Black Wednesday looting four months ago. The businesses, which lost millions after the January 10 rioting and looting, say they need grants as part ...
Happy May Day. Join a union. Q: What’s worse than a staff break room where the only place to sit and have a cup of tea is on a teetering stack of old pornography magazines? A: Your boss replacing the magazine stacks with chairs that are “heartily encrusted with ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Former opposition leader Matthew Wale has been announced as the second prime ministerial candidate ahead of the election in Solomon Islands tomorrow. He will face off against former foreign affairs minister Jeremiah Manele, who was announced by the Coalition for National Unity and Transformation ...
We get but one birthday a year – why not make it last as long as possible by scheduling as many meals with friends and family as you can? This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. How do you celebrate your birthday? Do you celebrate at ...
A Koi Tū discussion paper released today proposes sweeping changes to New Zealand’s media industry. The principal’s key author, Gavin Ellis, explains how journalists have a key role to play in making others value their role in society. This is an abridged version of a piece first published on knightlyviews.com ...
The Government’s spending cuts are again targeting support for Māori with proposed reform of the agency charged with advising on Māori wellbeing and development. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Douglas, Honorary Senior Lecturer, UNSW Aviation., UNSW Sydney The history of budget jet airlines in Australia is a long road littered with broken dreams. New entrants have consistently struggled to get a foothold. Low-cost carrier Bonza has just become the industry’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rosalind Dixon, Director, Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, UNSW Sydney Australia is finally having a sustained conversation about violence against women and what we can do about it. It is more than time. Australian women and girls continue to experience ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne stockfour/Shutterstock Preliminary bulk billing data released this week shows a 2.1% rise in bulk billing up to March. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Schulz, Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide Australia is once again grappling with how we can stop gendered violence in our country. Protests over the weekend show there is enormous community anger over the number of women who are dying and National ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University AnastasiaDudka/Shutterstock What if the government was doing everything it could to stop thieves making off with our money, except the one thing that could really work? That’s how it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury The Conversation It seems to be a time of old favourites. This month our experts have recommended two new seasons – the second season of Alone Australia (although ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland A bright Eta Aquariid meteor photobombed this photo of comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) in May 2020.Jonti Horner Meteors – commonly known as shooting stars – can be seen on any night of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Flannery, Honorary fellow, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Current concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in Earth’s atmosphere are unprecedented in human history. But CO₂ levels today, and those that might occur in coming decades, did occur millions of years ago. ...
Winston Peters has been keen to dismiss speculation on our involvement in Aukus but will give a speech tonight on the direction of our foreign policy, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Usmar, Lecturer in Critical Media Literacies, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images With the coalition government’s ban of student mobile phones in New Zealand schools coming into effect this week, reaction has ranged from the sceptical (kids will just get ...
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Yep. Those who instigated and implemented the demise of NZ free University Education….had already had theirs. (Lockjaw Smith ! )
Of course I do not absolve some of Labour…..the rogernomes were in boots and all…
However….it seems to me that we COULD have free Uni again….and I suggest maybe some means of IF you get it..agree to stay and work for the Betterment of us all in NZ ?
"Of course I do not absolve some of Labour…..the rogernomes were in boots and all…"
You know Labour is still a Third Way, Free Market political party today right?
There ain't no free Universities coming from that type of "Labour" Party any time soon…the best we can hope for is some sort of student debt relief, when the mountains of debt piled upon anyone one wanting to get further education starts effecting their own class and the economy too adversely…
Turn Labour Left!
Adrian…of course Labour was…and still is to an extent that way. And I proactively fight to get change. I'd like to know what do you do? I certainly see your comments. And agree with quite a few.
The problem I see is that for some….Labour is a target…for whatever reasons. But….I absolutely see national and act as a worse option.
We would be back to the 90's shit before….you could protest.
I did give Chloe Swarbricks comment precedence….
@PsyclingLeft.Always, " I'd like to know what do you do?"…I do plenty don't you worry…we (Siobhan and I) have had a bookshop in Hastings for about a decade, The Little Red Bookshop, that is a well known spot locally for political debate and conversation…and not just with Lefties I might add.
The various bands I am in nearly always have a political message either tucked into the show or for some shows are the centre piece of the show…and various other direction action methods, which I probably shouldn't go into on a public forum…
"The problem I see is that for some….Labour is a target…for whatever reasons. But….I absolutely see national and act as a worse option"
Fuck National, who cares or gives a shit about them, they do what they do, and have the right to do so…the only concern and any political energy spent by any Leftie should solely be directed at our party (Labour/Greens) and what they do…or as more often the case, don't do…Labour should be the target of our critiques, and they should hear them….loudly and relentlessly, until they start acting like an actual Labour party that we can all be proud of supporting…which isn’t this outfit today that’s for sure.
Turn Labour Left!
Agree with PsyclingLeftAlways. What are the results of the political debate and conversation in a bookshop? Does it lead to constructive, meaningful actions? How does this political messaging help turn Labour left? Have you joined the party to talk about your ideas to influence it's direction? You should care about what National are proposing, NZ politics is cyclic, National will ultimately gain power again at some stage in the future, but it does appear that Labour is often the target of critique, even when National are in govt.
New Zealand Labour Party policy process summary
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Afr-q3ey5dg6ZtDGOcQfjtaeJGjItFeZ/view
Hi Adrian. I have given thought to your reply. As initially…it seemed as a bit of a lecture (admonishment ?)
Anyway, thinking…I did look up the Little Red Bookshop. moving quickly past the facebook one at St Pius X Catholic High school (Atlanta USA : ) and I found your one.
First …I liked that your home page Quote was Neil Gaiman !
Second. ..The Bicycle Pages….and the Shop Bike ! Is that still running? Who built ? Very cool.
Have you read this? Kennet Bros : )
https://www.kennett.co.nz/product/the-bikes-we-built
Have you heard of RAD Bikes ?
https://www.radbikes.co.nz/
I agree Labour could be more Left. And I appreciate your efforts re same. Be assured I am also trying. ( I contact Ministers…MP's etc.) And I engage with Voters potential (and disaffected others)
Best wishes Shop..and If Biking..Keep Upright : )
And with student loan relieve, some medical debt relieve for our beneficiaries, some 'winz' housing debt relieve for the homeless that were settled iwth motel housing costs under N (L charges takes 25% of bene directly to pay for that emergency housing) and so on and so forth.
Anyone saying anything about that? June 2022
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/06/10/beneficiaries-owe-record-21b-to-govt-as-cost-of-living-soars/
Or is that not sexy enough?
2.1 billion is enough to buy thousands of houses.
Those 40,000 empty homes in Auckland need urgent attention.
'Lockdown project': NZ's richest man Graeme Hart starts on Auckland house-buying spree – NZ Herald
Hi, sadly that link is paywalled… can you give a heads up what was in it?
Oh re Mr Hart….he's under the radar. Well kind of.
Article was from February 2022 – so hardly hot news.
Basically, he (or companies under his corporate umbrella) are buying up run-down houses in lower-cost areas like Mt Wellington, on large parcels of land. The implication is that these are potential multi-unit developments (following the changes in Auckland's unitary plan opening the doors for this).
Each one has been set up as an individual company – which is pretty standard practice for developers – it ring-fences their costs – and limits their responsibility for things like leaky building (since they wind up the company, once the development is complete) [I don't agree with this, but it's standard practice – and no one is looking at changing the law]
Not really seeing the downside here….
The article implies fairly heavily that he's buying with the intention of developing multi-unit sites on the properties.
By October 2021 (when he did the buying) – it's pretty unlikely he's buying with the intention of flipping quickly for capital gain (he'd missed the boat on that one).
Why is this a bad thing?
Do you have evidence that the houses are currently sitting un-tenanted? Because the article doesn't say that. If he's planning on developing – then the tenancies might be short-term – but he's unlikely to forgo the passive revenue stream.
I don't know where to go for the figures but I thought a good proxy for empty houses would be:
Number of dwellings – number of dwellings connected to grid = empty houses.
We might miss a few that have gone off grid – but the city should have those figures too?
Stats NZ also has figures from census night. I'm guessing this is where the 40,000 figure comes from, in this table it's 39,393 for the Regional Council area that surrounds Auckland. I think somewhere they have smaller area stats? Rough and ready, and it's from 2018, but still an actual count of the night.
https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/layer/103904-2018-census-occupied-and-unoccupied-private-dwellings-by-regional-council/
I like the electricity connected idea, but suspect there are barriers to that data eg privacy and it's nothing to do with councils so they won't have easy access to the data. Another small reason to nationalise power supply.
You'd think someone had done this analysis before, but I guess it ruins a good story. 'Unoccupied private dwellings' will have a specific definition for the purposes of the census. eg I don't know if it counts houses that have just been built. Obviously it counts houses where people are away for the night. Or on holiday.
ah, some good people have indeed done this work.
https://emptyhomes.co.nz/Numbers
An private unoccupied dwelling is one that doesn't have anyone in it at midnight on census night and for 12 hours afterwards. So census was Tuesday March 6th 2018.
Doesn't include houses under construction. However it does include houses being renovated or having remedial building with the occupants in other accommodation.
Does include all of the baches in places like Sandspit, Manakau heads, Piha, etc. There are a lot of those. You can drill down and find that there are a lot of unoccupied housing on a weekday in those kinds of areas. Generally these types of homes are useless for housing people short of housing. They are too far from work, services, and shopping.
Also includes houses on 10 acre blocks where the people live in town for work and weekend (the Auckland region has a lot of lifestyle blocks). Same high proportion of unoccupied housing in those areas as well. Ditto. Not to mention that these are usually used during weekends.
Includes flats and houses that have had tenants leave and haven't been rented yet. Most landlords expect on average a number of weeks of that happening per year. Typically about 2-3 weeks every year on average as people buy places or move suburbs, cities or countries.
So when you drill down, you find areas with large amounts of rental accommodation have higher unoccupied private dwellings – just like the areas with baches.
Includes places whose occupants who are out of town, on holiday, working at the time (think truck drivers, taxi drivers, night shift workers, etc).
What you really have to look at is the percentages and trends over time.
In the 2001 census the unoccupied private dwellings was 7.0% in the Auckland region.
in the 2006 census the unoccupied private dwellings was 7.6% in the Auckland region.
In the 2013 census the unoccupied private dwellings was 7.0% in the Auckland region. A symptom of the unfettered immigration.
In the 2018 census it was 7.9%.
And I'd put the caveat on 2018. That was probably the most poorly run census for the last century. National sliced the funding by about 50% in the 8 years after the aborted 2010 census. They wanted to have tax cuts for the already wealthy – so they cut critical services like the census.
It has been acknowledged that the 2018 census missed a lot, and much of it is conservative estimates rather the solid data. The census collection rate was well down on the 2013 census even after they rectified with post-census work. So a conservative stats approach would tend to say that a house was unoccupied rather than guess if it was occupied on census night.
But in other words this is a bouncing percentage for the Auckland region. It depends on a lot.
Going by a raw number is ridiculous stupidity and daft propaganda. Sure it is only ~12,000 private dwellings less that the total number in the Dunedin City Council – our 7th most populous urban area. But absolute numbers simply aren't that useful.
And if you look at the 2018 census for Dunedin City, the unoccupied private dwelling percentage in the 2018 census was 7.4%. Right in the normal urban range.
BTW I think that you have go back quite a while before it goes out of the 7-8% band.
I do wish people would think about 40k over 500k private dwellings actually means.
Australia came out with similar figure in 2021,there was also the point that it was when the majority of Australians were in lockdown.
Their analysis is it is with second homes in holiday areas,and empty homes in harvest areas,along with an increased availability for short term rentals (air bnb etc)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-29/census-finds-1-million-empty-houses-amid-affordability-crisis/101190794
Some solutions.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-20/homeless-crisis-million-homes-vacant-in-australia/101234424
at what point does a newly built house become an unoccupied dwelling in the census?
there's this too,
.https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-26-08-2022/#comment-1907764
They reckon the rate of empty houses (as distinct from unoccupied on census night) has been decreasing.
They have been around for a while now.
from 2016 https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/rise-of-the-ghost-homes-more-than-33000-auckland-dwellings-officially-classified-empty/3JXSEQNUK36SBG7UBQMJ3VUPGU/
from 2015 https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2015/05/28/are-vacant-homes-adding-to-aucklands-housing-shortage/
here is Phil Twyford 2018
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/latest/103962397/minister-of-housing-blames-national-for-empty-ghost-houses
essentially its a bipartisan failure to a. capture the amount of empty houses in NZ to their full extend – i.e. how many, where, and why? and then rule/regulate/intensivice owners to open up these homes either to tenants or to new owners. Such as Gareth Morgan who a few years ago was quite open about the fact that he owned multiple homes but does not rent them.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/04/19/gareth-morgan-and-multiple-empty-houses/
Whether its 40,000 or 25,000…this is how you deal with it.
'Properties deemed or declared empty in the 2021 reference year will be subject to a tax of 3% of the property’s 2021 assessed taxable value. '
Empty Homes Tax | City of Vancouver
Vancouver real estate: Impact of tripled empty homes tax | CTV News
Vancouver mayor proposes hiking Empty Homes Tax to 5% of property value | Urbanized (dailyhive.com)
'implied'…indeed!
That buying residential properties and leaving them vacant was a viable ,rational exercise has been proven over the last 5 years.
I have been past two of his properties recently-Kawiti Ave and Elstree Ave…no sign of development.
But were they vacant?
Really, it seems as though this was a poor article to choose to support your claim that there are vast numbers of Auckland properties sitting vacant.
People have provided links to support the fact.
Those 2 looked' vacant…did not stop and knock on the door.
Empty 'homes' are a manifestation of a real blight on society – inequality.
'TINA types' at the top of the table may be oblivious to the many downsides of poverty, but it's not their fault – they're dealing with a lot too.
Which empty homes? 40,000 is the number of unoccupied dwellings in Auckland on the night of the 2018 census. It's not the number of houses that are empty.
https://emptyhomes.co.nz/Numbers
Click on the link to see actual figures for empty houses in the last three census. In 2018 it was 17,130. Now take into account houses that have just been built, houses that are rentals and between tenants, houses about to be demolished. Not sure which category holiday houses fit
Census haha. Why on earth didn't I think of that.
By the trend the real number (of vacant but habitable [sic] dwellings in Auckland) is likely between 10 – 15K.
These are not the headlines we was looking for!
Still, even 10K more houses in the rental market would help a great deal. Could help, by my calculations, up to 10K households.
Grant Robertson: “It's a social democratic party, the Labour party and that social democratic tradition acknowledges obviously the role of the market, that's part of it, but it also acknowledges the role of the state, particularly where there is market failure where we do need to improve equity where we should drive towards equity and the state playing an enabling role. I think that there isn't a great internal dispute in the Labout party about that vision anymore. I think Covid shown us that the state has got an absolutely critical role when a crisis comes along but it's equally got a critical role being an enabler of innovation and a supporter of that and people like Mariana Mazzucato and the work she's done around the mission economy and those sorts of concepts. That to me is a social democratic party in the modern world, the state playing, that enabling innovating role as well as the protecting and supporting role. So I think that's a social democratic tradition and you're absolutely right, on any given announcement I will be attacked from further to my left on not having gone far enough and on the right I'm being on the path to socialism and that probably points us to the fact that we are in about the right place”
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1049-money-talks-75256600/episode/grant-robertson-money-plays-such-a-99858530/?keyid%5B0%5D=Money%20Talks&keyid%5B1%5D=Grant%20Robertson%3A%20%27Money%20plays%20such%20a%20big%20role%20in%20the%20way%20we%20live%20our%20lives%27&sc=podcast_widget
Complacency is a pretty poor argument when you've built the fastest growing inequality in the OECD.
I didnt see Grant's view on the Labour party as being complacent at all.
Labour has a lot of catching up to do – we have been going backwards for decades.
I will be attacked from further to my left on not having gone far enough and on the right I'm being on the path to socialism and that probably points us to the fact that we are in about the right place
NZ has stampeded to the right over the past few decades, without any popular movement to that effect, and without producing any of the promised social goods with which Labour's moral decay was ostensibly justified.
This made Labour unelectable for the whole of the 90s, and even today their grassroots support remains seriously eroded. When a party of the left finds itself level-pegging with a party as lacking in plausible policy and human qualities as National they need to ask themselves some very serious questions.
Your opinion implies the only reason "NZ has stampeded to the right over the past few decades" and voters have elected National govts is entirely the fault of the Labour party, which I doubt that is the only reason. Frankly, with the level of misinformation and hysterical anti govt rhetoric, I'm surprised Labour isn't doing worse in the opinion polls. A recent Curia poll had Labour inching ahead.
entirely the fault of the Labour party
When one compares the relative effectuality of the major parties, Labour's problems seem much more likely to be self-inflicted than the result of unwonted outbreaks of Svengalian cleverness on the part of the opposition.
"problems seem much more likely to be self-inflicted" But you could easily say the same about National.
National have indeed got the proverbial 99 problems.
So why aren't Labour eating them alive? I can think of a few reasons.
Like I said, there's a lot of misinformation and hysterical anti govt rhetoric, which is right up National's alley
"More importantly, by refusing to rule out working with them in the next parliament, National Party leader Christopher Luxon has potentially given Tamaki and his fellow travellers a sniff of credibility"
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/473596/refusing-to-rule-out-working-with-brian-tamaki-luxon-gives-nz-s-populist-right-a-sniff-of-credibility
Three days ago on Open Mike. there was a link to a story about a girl identifying as a "cat" in Australia. The story was picked up by the NZ Herald:
Here is that story now:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/year-8-girl-identifying-as-cat-at-school-in-melbourne/7P32HKJLU6KI4RKYAX2JSSCYUU/
There's a good reason it's been removed. It was fake.
Not for the first time, those who seek confirmation bias from the Daily Mail, Spectator and other right-wing media, end up looking like fools. Inevitable result: undermining any legitimate point in the ongoing debate.
It's Open Mike, I can't/won't tell anyone what stories to try and spread here. But if you don't want to score spectacular own goals, maybe do a little homework first?
https://twitter.com/davidfarrier/status/1562865811827539970
also the Herald.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/year-8-girl-identifying-as-cat-at-school-in-melbourne/7P32HKJLU6KI4RKYAX2JSSCYUU/
story deleted lol.
It is so hard to tell truth from satire these days. Is Pizza a gender?
https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Pizzagender
Not always hard. Good faith helps. Not having an agenda helps.
If you want to believe something because it fits your prejudices, you probably will.
Try the link I provided. A lot more useful than yours.
Wait until they hear about these people.
https://twitter.com/emikusano/status/1561333918858887168
🙄
OMG..its the actual sheeple !
That is the great thing about Gender Identity ideology. Because it is just that – an ideology – just like a religious ideology, you can make up anything you like. There are about 6000 "gods" currently on offer around the world (and that is without an exhaustive dive into the Hindu pantheon. And soon there will be that sort of numbers of gender identities.
There will of course, still only be 2 sexes in mammals (which includes human beings.)
Fortunately, thanks to the enlightenment and the separation of Church and State, in civilised countries, people cannot be forced to believe in any one of these identities, or the whole ideology that supports them.
Well…..I was just humorously thinking..they finally done it. Went full mettle sheeple : )
Anyway…agree re gods. (gods noted). Neil Gaiman is a pretty amazing Story maker/recounter. "American Gods"…"Sandman" etc.
gods..are absolutely fictional…but still..the Idea? Very Interesting : ) And how Humans have Imagined…re-purposed and at times twisted..beyond all recognition, the original intent.
Absolutely agree re the Enlightenment . Going to burn Galileo? Monsters.!
And also with you on separation of church and State. Always.
The Gender thing..I have stayed well clear of ! As the extreme views on both sides…not something I want.
Oh and re Mr Trotter and his …"the Red Flag"….i had the luck to never hear live ! (that would maybe need therapy?) But had seen on TV. Was akin to some terrible event..which you were struggling to process. I sometimes replay (rarely mind ) …when hearing of his latest utterances.
Gives a perspective : ) …
I posted that link…..from news.com.au-'Australia's leading news source'.
I suggest you contact them with your …advice.
"Australia's leading news source" is how the Murdoch press describes itself.
"Fair and balanced" is how Fox News describes itself. Again, it's Murdoch.
It's up to each of us to decide if we want to treat them as credible sources of information. Not a difficult choice for me.
Hardly a 'spectacular home goal'….anyway keep doing your…homework.
I won't quote the definition of 'hyperbole'…you may not like the…source.
Those complaining about student debt forgiveness in the US curiously silent on PPP loan forgiveness:
https://twitter.com/CAPAction/status/1562509000494968832
Sanders remains a voice of reason:
https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1562166080365334528
Perhaps there’s another reason for their complaints?
https://twitter.com/GravelInstitute/status/1562929280132255744
The military angle is important. You have to have poor, uneducated soldiers go away to war to protect the wealth of the rich. Those that survive can then come home and be entertained by Republicans who voted against a bill boosting healthcare for veterans exposed to toxins during war.
Meet Teddy-boy Greg. He likes Russia.
https://twitter.com/letmetakectrl/status/1562853616951906307
Re: Trevor Mallard
The opposition are graceless bunch of pricks.
Mallard has given over 40 to public service. First as a teacher and then as a politician. If anyone deserves a gong, Mallard does.
National MP Sir David Carter got his gong and he was the most biased Speaker I have seen.
Ol' Sir Lockjaw Smith certainly had his moments…. And really whats that list that has Sir Key's lies ? Quite a few…
Let's not call it public service, he has been very well remunerated for his work.
He's also at times behaved extremely poorly
Some gongs are deserved, others not so much, and some don't want them anyway.
And some recipients turn out to be a mixed bag at best.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Shipley#Life_after_politics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Abbott
If Brisbane flood-risked towns can do quick and effective 'managed retreat', so can we.
Relocation should be considered for flood-prone towns – environmental engineer | RNZ
Te Hapua. Kaeo. Awanui. Rangiputa.
Thames. Paeroa.
Ashburton. Rakaia.
Aranui and New Brighton. Waikuku Beach.
Kairaki. Kaitangata.
Dargaville.
Westport. Fox Glacier.
South Dunedin. Henley.
Coastal Nelson. Otatara.
Northern Napier.
Coastal Tauranga and The Mount.
Auckland such as Parakai and Helensville, and Clevedon.
Heads up Tauranga – Jabfree Jesus is here to save you!
"said she helped a woman who had failed to conceive with IVF become pregnant through meditation"
OMMMM, or is it UMMMMM?
I have questions!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/bay-of-plenty/300671598/mayoral-hopeful-spread-false-medical-claims-lied-about-emmy-award
Basically committed the crime of having a different point of view on the jab. Misinformation or healthy scepticism? A healthy democracy allows healthy scepticism in my view.
You selectively read very often?