Why does David Cunliffe support Deep Sea Oil Drilling?
Typhoon Haiyan which struck the Philippines in November is the most powerful storm ever recorded, it was preceded by Hurricane Bopha and Hurricane Sandy all unprecedented record breaking Superstorms. Australia has suffered two, hottest ever, record breaking heatwaves in a row. Low lying Pacific Atoll nations are at risk of becoming uninhabitable due to storm surges from Superstorms and the slow but relentless rise in sea level.
Climate Change is a near and present danger.
We must convince David Cunliffe to change his mind over deep sea oil.
Climate scientists say, that we must halt all unconventional oil extraction, like fracking, like deep sea and Arctic drilling, like tar sands and shale oil.
As well as the threat of oil spills, Green Party politicians say that Deep Sea Oil Drilling must be opposed on climate change grounds.
An election in the American Coal State of Virginia, was decided on climate change issues. But not in the way you might expect. Democrat Terry McAuliffe beat, Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the race for Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe was critical of the coal industry saying that he hoped never to see another coal fired power plant ever opened in the state. Cuccinelli argued on behalf of the coal industry and jobs.
“McAuliffe beat Cucinelli”
McAuliffe’s victory over Cucinelli came as a surprise to US politicians who deny the science, or who repeat the oil industry’s lies out of fear. This result also took many of the main stream US media pundits who pit the environment against job creation by surprise.
A recent poll taken in the state found that over 60% of voters in Virginia believe that human activity is driving climate change.
There are hardly any polls taken of New Zealanders views on climate change.
But this figure of 60% is similar to that found by a 2012 Horizon poll of 2829 New Zealanders aged over 18 with a 95% confidence of plus or minus 1.8% accuracy.
64.4 per cent wanted Parliament to do more
60.6 per cent wanted the Prime Minister to do more
(This poll was taken before Sandy, before Bopha, before Haiyan, and before the Australian Heatwaves)
A new political dynamic is emerging. Climate Change is an election winner, not a loser.
If you are a Labour Party member, or supporter concerned about the environment, and you want your party to win the election, tell your leader David Cunliffe to rethink his support for Deep Sea Oil Drilling.
Like the citizens of the US Coal State of Virginia we must see the climate change elephant in the room.
I disagree, the mistake of the last election (lost by just 10,000) was the lack of space between the Greens and Labour (asset sales). It was correct to attack asset sales, still is. It was also good that lots more people split their vote and gave Greens a go. Cunliffe has obvious seen the need to differentiate, not only for Labours interests. Voting Green just gives the partnership an idea how far they can go or not. If you like Green policy split your vote. If not, vote Labour, either way you win and you get more say. National voters can vote Labour in the knowledge they will de-emphasis the Greens, while they know its risky giving Key their vote, he may lose, or worse win with the five head monster with a untried baby head. Its not like Labour is that different from the socialist left leaning Key.
…and Climategate laid bare the methods used by the AGW extremists to shut that debate down eh? Even now we see argument that “democracy should be suspended”, that “deniers should be jailed” and bizarrely that “China has the best political system to combat AGW”. Attempts made to hound academics who don’t enthusiastically join in the group think out of their jobs., attempts (often succesful) to impose censorship on media.
Free and honest debate is essential to science, that is what Partridge is pointing out.
If you were interested in the ruminations of open minds, you would not be reading The Quadrant. The minds that dribble there are closed tighter than a steel trap.
..and of course any ‘evidence’ must be considered in the context from which it comes.
..(as in i was able to present with some confidence..the evidence of meat/dairy causing cancer..’cos it was published in a reputable peer-reviewed academic-journal…
..whereas this is a far-right-rag..end-of-story..)
..the language on that homepage is table-leg-chewing in the extreme..
..i wouldn’t trust them to tell me the time of fucken day..
..eh..?
..and that you ask/expect us to read this swill..
..really does yrslf no favours..
..eh..?
..and for some more laffs..why don’t you tell us..grumpy..
..how tyou reckon those 95% of climate-scientists are able to keep that omerta so tight..eh..?
..death-threats..?..d’yareckon..?
..i’d be fascinated to hear yr theories on this..there..grumpy..
So the mantra of Global Warming lives on in the halls of the ignorant and illiterate. Certainly appears that way. Face it, the AGW crowd have become the flat earthers, the brief fad joins the ranks of the Y2K idiots.
grumpy, is science not more of a spectrum than a never-over argument. For example, “the earth is not flat” is something that would be at the settled end of the spectrum, whereas “black holes are full of jelly beans” is at the unsettled end of the spectrum.
Y2K was a serious issue caused by shortsightedness of some programmers – and it was the concerted efforts of programmers that made the millenial roll-over a non-catastrophe. If only AGW could be so easily fixed…
You add nothing but bigotry. Stop wasting our space.
The whole purpose of Y2K was to scare businesses into upgrading their computer systems, wouldn’t surprise me if Microsoft wasn’t behind the whole thing.
Y2K was something; but not what reported on the news – journalists trying to make a story out of a coding error. But the point is that AGW is real and not something we can easily patchup.
We might agree that “climate change” is real but there has been no warming for 17 years and some scientists are even predicting a cooling phase. Even if we were to agree that “climate change” is real, there is a whole new argument as to whether it is man-made or even if it can be halted or controlled by man.
Climate always changes (well at least for the last few million years).
Y2K wasn’t a coding error, and neither is it fair to describe it as “shortsightedness of some programmers”.
Many of the systems concerned were originally developed in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
They were designed to run on computers that were tiny compared to today’s systems and an extra byte of storage to hold the two digits of the century in every date field was very hard to justify, particularly as the typical life of a computer system developed in the 1960’s was probably less that 10 years.
Do most people involved in the industry today really understand how small mainframe systems were?
A typical computer system for a New Zealand company in the late 1960s was, say, an IBM 360, model 30 with tape drives and 3 2311 disc drives.
It had 64k of memory. That is 64 THOUSAND bytes. A disc held 7.25 megabytes so the whole system had 21.75 MILLION bytes of disc.
Today a typical PC probably has 2 gigabytes of memory and a terabyte of disc. That is about 32,000 times the memory and 45,000 times the disc. An extra byte for the century simply wasn’t feasible. Remember this is a PC and the old machine was a mainframe.
They decision not to allow for it was not shortsighted. It was completely rational and sensible considering how sparse was the memory and disc available, and considering that the systems were expected to be replaced within a decade.
“Y2K was something; but not what reported on the news – journalists trying to make a story out of a coding error. But the point is that AGW is real and not something we can easily patchup.”
Face it, the AGW crowd have become the flat earthers
Interesting that Paltridge’s paper proves nothing. All it does is raise some concerns about whether or not man made global warming has been conclusively proved. Yet Grumpy falls in the trap of confusing slight doubt that something is happening for conclusive proof that it is not …
….but Mickey…..”the science is settled”!
I agree Paltridge’s paper does not disprove AGW, that is not what I claimed. It certainly casts considerable doubt on the motives of those pushing it and the probable overstatement of it’s effects.
It does nothing of the sort. You are conflating a statistical possibility that something may not actually be occurring with proof that it is not occurring.
I read the article before I commented. That’s how I know it confirms AGW. Attribution of individual weather events is notoriously difficult, this is not new information. Pall et al and Min et al (both published in Nature 2012) are two examples. Hansen Sato & Ruedi 2012 also provides an overview.
FFS – it is Nature Magazine!!! Of course it does not prove AGW is not happening but it does throw considerable doubt (from a warmist source” that the link to “Extreme Weather” which is so abused by media and politicians, is, at best, dubious.
The answer to the oft-asked question of whether an event is caused by climate change is that it is the wrong question. All weather events are affected by climate change because the environment in which they occur is warmer and moister than it used to be.
You know grumpy, if you posted an article saying the same thing but written by someone with no connections to Monckton and the oil industry I’d read it. But Garth Paltridge , no thanks.
This bit from Trevett’s Herald piece (reprinted in ODT) is wonderfully manipulative:
“Ms Turei was critical of the National Party’s education announcement last week. That policy rewarded good teachers and principals and set up a system for them to share their skills and knowledge across other schools. Ms Turei said it did nothing to address the primary cause of under-achievement which was poverty.”
That’s some impressive skill with which she (Claire T) implies that Turei said that Nat’s scheme; “rewarded good teachers and principals and set up a system for them to share their skills and knowledge”, when she (Turei) said no such thing.
Skill, Pasu? Simple re-hashing of dubious tory propaganda more like. Dubious in it’s entirety actually, because no matter how highly parents may rate their current principal, the waving of large amounts of cash to entice them to piss off and interfere with the BOT from the school down the road is not terribly thrilling. Bash all teachers one day, reward hand-picked individuals – prior to any performance at all – the next? Try harder John.
Radio NZ National
First item on the news bulletin is an opinion from Richard Prebble on what he thinks about the Labour leaders timing of a State of the Nation speech.
What got me was the introduction to the news item where a ‘former Labour MP’ was critical of Cunliffe. While it is true that Prebble is a former Labour MP, I am sure even he would prefer the characterisation that the item then gave, of ‘former ACT leader’. The former Labour MP tag was an attention grabber, and misleading, as I then expected a criticism from within the Labour Party.
So the lead off item was that a former ACT leader was criticising Cunliffe. Big deal? Worthy of lead off item? Honest portrayal of Prebble’s status?
I see Hekia’s comment “inequality only equates to 18 percent of underachievement.” has been removed from the TV3 article http://www.3news.co.nz/Green-Party-in-denial-over-inequality—Parata/tabid/423/articleID/329814/Default.aspx. The same has happened on “Stuff’s” online site although it was printed in the DomPost’ “Inequality was a driver of under-achievment but accounted for only 18 per cent of the difference between students who were disadvantaged and those who were not” she said. “The other 82 per cent was the result of the quality of teaching and school leadership and the expectations of parents and communities”
Said another way Hekia’s bullshit, i figure she pulled such figures from an orifice which shall go unmentioned, says that under a National Government happily tossing 300+ million bucks into the pot in what looks like an effort to get teachers and principles fighting among each other for a slice of the filthy lucre, there will be a failure rate across the education spectrum of 18%…
But, but, but… “quality of teaching” and “principals/school leaders” are well below “socioeconomic status” on the Hattie Index! Surely David Farrar will be calling her a liar any minute now.
But Prebble is only famous because the Stake thru the heart didn’t work, and he was rejuvenated. Sooner or later this old Vampire will shrivel up and turn to dust.
However what he says should be taken with a pound of salt!
Much mirth was generated last night while watching Prime News coverage of Metiria Turei’s speech on the Green Party’s education policy for deprived kids,
A couple of items later and cut to the Ads and here’s the Meridian Energy ad which also promotes ‘food in schools’ telling everybody that 1 in 4 Kiwi Kids are going to school hungry,
To rub salt into wounded ‘wing-nuts’ everywhere, Prime repeated the ad after the news…
Posted this as a belated response to mdxxkea on Open Mike yesterday, but am reposting here (if it is allowed) to generate discussion – and solutions – on today’s thread:
“I’m all for the educational/community hubs – just a couple of points about having them at schools.
1. Many of the disengaged have had disastrous experiences at schools – and will be loathe to return to them in a positive way later on in their lives. You may miss out on reaching those who have the most to benefit – just because of the choice of venue.
2. Schools are already underresourced and overcrowded – where are the facilities and capacity that will allow this to happen without capital investment?
3. You are introducing the community – many of whom are unknown individuals – into the school environment – how do you then ensure safety for both those individuals and the students of that school?
4. Future governments – using the MoE – can destroy these programmes even if they are successful by claiming they are focusing on “getting back to basics”
Alternatives:
1. Adjust the stated policy to deal with these potential problems and ensure that the continuation of these programmes is strengthened.
2. Create community hubs in local community facilities that are underutilised – obvious choice is to use local sports facilities that are not in use during the weekdays. Ensure cooperation between schools and hubs but try to set up hubs so that the communities own them – makes it more likely to survive long-term.”
Interesting!!!, $11,000 sleepouts snapped up for offices, so says the Herald online in what looks suspiciously like an advertisement dressed up as news,
The attached article goes on to say the the Chinese manufacturer of these ‘flat-pack’ buildings can supply ‘complete’ 2 bedroom units for $40,000,(i assume that the 40 grand price tag includes the ‘ticket’ having been ‘clipped’ substantially by the Auckland suppliers featured in the article),
i have to wonder just how robust these 2 bedroom units are and whether they will stand the test of time, along with a question mark surrounding the term ‘complete’, the question being does this include kitchen/shower/laundry,
Considering that a NZ supplier was quoted in the same article claiming to be able to supply a similar sleepout to the one featured for 5 or 6 thousand dollars there is probably room for movement in the cost of a complete 2 bedroom unit,(but even 40 thousand is cheap),
Are these ‘flat pack’ factory built housing units the answer to the gross shortage of HousingNZ rental property, my initial view if the questions posed above were answered positively would have to be Yes,
Having had a good look at a couple of village type housing complexes purpose built onsite for HousingNZ which cost millions of dollars i would in conclusion say that while these village type clusters were well built, some with garages some without,all with a reasonable sized garden/lawn area and well fenced to provide a sense of privacy the multi-million dollar cost of such ‘excellent’ use of scarce space could be trimmed substantially with the use of such flat pack factory built housing…
Yep, very interesting. Home ownership without having to own land brings the cost down massively, as does owner/builder, no building consents, and use of recycled/reused/upcycled materials.
Jay Shafer – a long time US proponent of tiny houses – talks about the politics of this movement. Pretty long at 24 min – but some salient points about the political aspect – in addition to the usual economical and ecological reasons.
But as much as he enjoys talking about design, what he really wanted to talk about was the politics of tiny houses. Why building and zoning codes are stacked against tiny houses, how the costs of purchase and upkeep compare to the big houses he calls “debtors’ prisons”, and why, when the Big One shakes the land around San Francisco Bay, he’d rather be in his tiny house than anywhere else.
The tiny house movement in the States is primarly a middle class one, and it’s no coincidence that it’s grown so much at the same time as the recession and home-owning/mortgage issues there have affected the middle classes. But it has the potential to reach beyond that, particularly where skills are taught/shared and people form groups to help each other build. Unfortunately such alt middle class groups don’t have a good history of expanding to including people affected by poverty. Still, in NZ perhaps some of the middle classes could move into tiny homes, freeing up regular houses for low income people.
The consent issues in NZ are different than the US too, it’s much easier here at the moment. That would need to be safeguarded if a movement here arises. Already I hear that the minimum size building for which consents apply has shrunk (presumably to prevent people from living in small, cheap dwellings).
Shipping container conversion is the other area that bears potential. We have plenty, and as they are moveable rather than permanent buildings I suspect that the consent issues are different, which would keep costs down.
Small housing is also important in a resource depleted future, esp when it comes to energy (it’s way easier to heat a small space than a large one), and being able to move the building in response to the environment.
NZFemme, nice little homes, reminds me of the ‘homes’ i had the pleasure to see at one of the ‘Ohu’ set up under the auspices of Norm Kirk’s Labour Government,
Although far more primitive in nature, these little houses, some built with actual trees growing through their center put Peter Jackson’s Hobbit-town to shame,
i fear tho, while a great way for the individual to build their own home the concept might be a little ‘too far out there’ for the provision of a mass of low cost rental accommodation which is my main area of interest,
If the state wanted to go ‘trailer homes’ with all the negative connotations ascribed to such housing i would suggest that for 40-60,000 luxury 5th wheeler caravans set up on a properly serviced site would be a far better fit,(obviously for single people)…
The benefit of these ‘trailer’ homes is that they require no building consent and can move, if job or life situations change. I also believe there are issues with toxicity with traditional/luxury trailers.
So, for low income families/young people the initial financial layout can reduce the costs of renting and/or eliminate them if you find someone who is willing to have you on site.
Agreed on toxicity issues (which I think might be a problem with the Chinese import housing too). And the $50,000 range of mobile homes aren’t the luxury ones (think over 100 grand), and they’re not that big. Tinyhomes are built out to max size, I think in NZ for towing that’s something like 11 metres? A quick look at the mobile homes online, $50,000 gets you 6 or 7 metres.
Plenty of couples live in tiny housing (sometimes even with kids). Not for everyone granted.
There are companies starting to build too, so it’s not just for owner/builders. Tiny houses, container conversions etc.
I do agree that immediate or even medium solutions for mass low cost housing aren’t going to come from the tiny house movement though.
Again, is there any link to this ‘toxicity’ in 5th wheeler or flat-pack housing, with regards to the flat-pack housing such toxicity would be a matter of materials used and in a New Zealand situation,(the NZ supplier in the original Herald online article pointed out that using timber construction they can still produce at least the featured sleep-out for far less than the imported one featured),such toxic materials could be designed out of such housing,
How that would effect cost i have no means of calculating…
Hi bad12, sorry for the delay was AFK for a few hours.
From recollection I saw this mentioned in a couple of documentaries – but for the life of me I can’t remember which ones. However, googled outgassing motorhomes and came up with a blog ref to EPA RV’s outgassing Archives. Bit old though.
But as you say, this can be fixed with alternative materials – and along with design – that is what tiny trailer homes are.
Molly a link to this suggested toxicity of trailer homes/caravans would have been nice,(not a must i will have a Google later and see what i can find),
An excellent link to the ‘serviced site’, exactly what i would envisage and much the same as the two HousingNZ villages i have had a good look at previously, i would suggest tho that more space or fencing is needed with the picture showing the housing a little ‘too close for comfort’ in the front on aspect,
Pity the site didn’t include the actual cost, flat-pack housing on a suitably serviced site while not ‘as pretty’ as that shown might be found to be a more economical solution in the same vein when looking for mass housing suitable for the HousingNZ estate much of which features two properties to the acre…
As a post-script it appears that HousingNZ after nine months of ‘thinking’ have decided to sell the Gordon Wilson apartment complex in central Wellington, meanwhile, as plans go ahead to flick off this valuable property located on the Terrace which can accommodate 100+ tenants 100 people wait,and wait,and wait on HousingNZ’s urgent housing list, a small sample of those with dire housing needs as National’s housing criteria denies most applicants even the luxury of the long wait,
This is more of Nick Smith and National’s unspoken of Asset Sales, with the HousingNZ estate said to be worth 50 billion dollars and Smith along with the HousingNZ CEO making statements in the vein of ”i plan for HousingNZ to provide 20% less of the social housing and NGO’s to pick up the shortfall”, and, ”If a property is worth $750,000 and is empty it will be sold” it is easy to see the looming cluster-f**k that this will cause in the supply of affordable rental accommodation to those on the lowest incomes…
Agree on the State Housing – and Labour need to step up to the plate.
But they also need to proof it from further meddling: ie. pick some model that will share ownership with local community trusts or similar. Else the next right wing government will sell it all off again.
Neolibs are good at death by a thousand cuts. They chip away at long-term programmes in order to crow about short term benefits.
Along with finding solutions – the left need to design methods of tamper-proofing. If communities own 51% of the State Housing in an area, then a national government cannot sell it without their say so.
As for the Gordon Wilson sale, – words fail me. That sounds like exactly the type of housing they should be keeping – but HNZ in National hands is not about providing housing is it?
Yes there’s two tragedies occurring at the same time, the ransacking of the HousingNZ estate is not only a social catastrophe,(a cynic would suggest deliberate engineering to keep property prices going up along with the data on ‘economic growth’),and an Asset Sale that will in fact dwarf in monetary terms the selling of the Power generators,
Across the country Smith has been gleefully selling property as fast as He can, Hamilton 123 homes sold with 120 on the urgent waiting list,(remembering all the time that this is National’s criteria a far tighter regime than that of Labour),
Auckland while Paula Bennett holds a public meeting to decry the $30,000 a week provided to the owner of a ‘holiday park’ via His 300 rack rented tenants, most of whom are beneficiaries Nick Smith has ripped out at least 300 state houses from the area or simply sold them to the speculators, and on it goes,
Yes i agree with you on the ‘future proofing’ of State Housing, my little thought on this is Yes to housing trusts, the actual property should be vested in such trusts who would have a management overview, perhaps there need be a partnership with HousingNZ and such trusts where rents are still paid directly to HousingNZ while management passes to such housing trusts with the trust management being able to draw down on rents that have been paid plus the government subsidy to address maintainence issues,
That sounds a little complicated but with the actual ownership in Housing Trusts while finances are held by HousingNZ who could/would have a representative as a trust member the security of public ownership could be maintained even in the face of a Tory government and financial security of such housing trusts could be maintained by both having a HousingNZ rep on the trust as a liason while having HousingNZ in the role of accounting for spending to keep such trusts solvent…
Housing Trust idea sounds like a pretty good start. Let’s hope Labour picks it up… Long term tenancy allows people to make roots in a place and build community networks.
I believe there is more to housing than just putting a roof over peoples heads.
If HNZ can build healthy and safe communities as part of their stock – the social benefits of this are considerable and increase with time.
I nearly puked this morning when I heard richard preeble poormouthing David Cunliffe on RadioNew Zealand this morning. Is this news or are RNZ turning into shills for the tories?
Does RadioNew Zealand have any standards at all?
And I’m getting really pissed off with grumpy for posting links all the time.
why dont you say what you have to say instead of tying people up in fruitless searches for your bullshit!
And its official: wail boil is an addict.
Reliable sources report that he spends at least 15 minutes every morning when he wakes up looking in the mirror, he has a picture of himself as his screen saver and mirrors all around his workstation.
Time for him to join the noo noo heads, nitwits and narcississts 12 step programme.
I’ve been looking at service provision by governments as a general topic and got some interesting threads that I’ll put in here as I’m not sure what is the best current place for them.
Australian ideas on government – good to find what they are thinking. It should be enlightened. http://www.apsc.gov.au/publications-and-media/archive/publications-archive/devolved-government
and http://www.opengovguide.com/about-this-guide/
Information about Open Government Guide – I was interested as to who was behind this outfit so am showing the names of those involved. Who has the Guide been developed by?
The Guide was first published as a report by the Transparency and Accountability Initiative (T/AI) in 2011 and has been updated as an online resource in 2013. T/A I is a donor collaborative that aims to seize momentum and expand the impact breadth and coordination of funding and activity in the transparency and accountability filed as well as to explore applications of this work in new areas.
The collaborative includes the Ford Foundation, Hivos, the International Budget Partnership, the Omidyar Network, the Open Society Foundations (OSF), the Revenue Watech Institute, the UK Department for International Development and the William and Flora Hewett Foundation.
Note in the University of Birmingham link you will need to put voucher in the search space and that should give you 21 papers on their use. Which should be interesting.
Don’t know what happened but some of the links above don’t work.
The nlgn.org.uk -Choice one – no.
At the bottom the bhutan studies – no.
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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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
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Why does David Cunliffe support Deep Sea Oil Drilling?
Typhoon Haiyan which struck the Philippines in November is the most powerful storm ever recorded, it was preceded by Hurricane Bopha and Hurricane Sandy all unprecedented record breaking Superstorms. Australia has suffered two, hottest ever, record breaking heatwaves in a row. Low lying Pacific Atoll nations are at risk of becoming uninhabitable due to storm surges from Superstorms and the slow but relentless rise in sea level.
Climate Change is a near and present danger.
We must convince David Cunliffe to change his mind over deep sea oil.
Climate scientists say, that we must halt all unconventional oil extraction, like fracking, like deep sea and Arctic drilling, like tar sands and shale oil.
As well as the threat of oil spills, Green Party politicians say that Deep Sea Oil Drilling must be opposed on climate change grounds.
An election in the American Coal State of Virginia, was decided on climate change issues. But not in the way you might expect. Democrat Terry McAuliffe beat, Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the race for Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe was critical of the coal industry saying that he hoped never to see another coal fired power plant ever opened in the state. Cuccinelli argued on behalf of the coal industry and jobs.
“McAuliffe beat Cucinelli”
McAuliffe’s victory over Cucinelli came as a surprise to US politicians who deny the science, or who repeat the oil industry’s lies out of fear. This result also took many of the main stream US media pundits who pit the environment against job creation by surprise.
A recent poll taken in the state found that over 60% of voters in Virginia believe that human activity is driving climate change.
There are hardly any polls taken of New Zealanders views on climate change.
But this figure of 60% is similar to that found by a 2012 Horizon poll of 2829 New Zealanders aged over 18 with a 95% confidence of plus or minus 1.8% accuracy.
64.4 per cent wanted Parliament to do more
60.6 per cent wanted the Prime Minister to do more
(This poll was taken before Sandy, before Bopha, before Haiyan, and before the Australian Heatwaves)
A new political dynamic is emerging. Climate Change is an election winner, not a loser.
If you are a Labour Party member, or supporter concerned about the environment, and you want your party to win the election, tell your leader David Cunliffe to rethink his support for Deep Sea Oil Drilling.
Like the citizens of the US Coal State of Virginia we must see the climate change elephant in the room.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLZJOMX-TSk
“A new political dynamic is emerging. Climate Change is an election winner, not a loser.
Nah, don’t think so. There are lots of people who say they want more action on climate change, as long as it doesn’t adversely impact on them.
I disagree, the mistake of the last election (lost by just 10,000) was the lack of space between the Greens and Labour (asset sales). It was correct to attack asset sales, still is. It was also good that lots more people split their vote and gave Greens a go. Cunliffe has obvious seen the need to differentiate, not only for Labours interests. Voting Green just gives the partnership an idea how far they can go or not. If you like Green policy split your vote. If not, vote Labour, either way you win and you get more say. National voters can vote Labour in the knowledge they will de-emphasis the Greens, while they know its risky giving Key their vote, he may lose, or worse win with the five head monster with a untried baby head. Its not like Labour is that different from the socialist left leaning Key.
another lab/grns..coalition-song..
..(this for maybe later in the relationship..?.
..’whispered words i don’t believe..
..i’ve got teeth you cannot see..’..?..)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhyIV-XLgPo
(and a great/classic kee-wee track too..
..whoar..!..
..it’s a ‘grinder’…eh..?..it wears you down..)
phillip ure
key-quote..(this morn..)
“..i’m very suspect..”
phillip ure..
Doing my bit to bring common sense to the argument.
https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2014/01-02/fundamental-uncertainties-climate-change/
Don’t think you can disregard the author but no doubt the response will be critical of where it is published…….
Hey, Grumpy, are you ok with your name being known? And, as to the post, the argument is over, so best we just move on to doing something about it.
That’s the thing about science, the argument is never over……an open mind is a pre-requisite for science.
@ grumpy..
‘..the argument is never over..’
(said in ponderous tones..?..no doubt..?..
..and..a cliche-award for that person..!..)
..but..yes it is..grumpy..
..haven’t you heard..?
..we are now pretty certain the earth isn’t flat…eh..?
..why don’t you take it from there..?
..and work yr way forward..
..mm??
phillip ure..
That’s the thing about science, the argument occurs in peer-reviewed journals. FIFY
…and Climategate laid bare the methods used by the AGW extremists to shut that debate down eh? Even now we see argument that “democracy should be suspended”, that “deniers should be jailed” and bizarrely that “China has the best political system to combat AGW”. Attempts made to hound academics who don’t enthusiastically join in the group think out of their jobs., attempts (often succesful) to impose censorship on media.
Free and honest debate is essential to science, that is what Partridge is pointing out.
What’s his next shattering revelation going to be? The Sun is hot? Water is wet?
I look forward to your citing the peer-reviewed research that calls for a suspension of democracy.
If you were interested in the ruminations of open minds, you would not be reading The Quadrant. The minds that dribble there are closed tighter than a steel trap.
@ grumpy..
“..no doubt the response will be critical of where it is published..”
..well..yes..grumpy..
..seeing as the home-page of yr link reveals it to be a cess-pit of rightwing conspiracy-theories..
..them arguing that 95% of the worlds’ climate-scientists are involved in this massive conspiracy..
..(and that none of these conspiracy-scientists..has yet has ‘blown the whistle’ on this conspiracy..eh..?
..imagine the payday they would get from the kochs’..eh..?
..if they could produce ‘conspiracy-evidence’..eh..?
..but..nah..!
..tighter than the fucken mafia..those conspiring climate-scientists..eh..?
..and 95% of them ‘in on it’..eh..?
..absolutely – fucken – barking..!
..thanks for the laffs..there..grumpy..
..phillip ure..
Clearly another knee jerk reaction without reading the link, thought so…..
@ grumpy..
..if it looks like a duck..
..walks like a duck..
..and ..as in this case..quacks like a duck..
..it probably is a duck..
..eh..?
..and of course any ‘evidence’ must be considered in the context from which it comes.
..(as in i was able to present with some confidence..the evidence of meat/dairy causing cancer..’cos it was published in a reputable peer-reviewed academic-journal…
..whereas this is a far-right-rag..end-of-story..)
..the language on that homepage is table-leg-chewing in the extreme..
..i wouldn’t trust them to tell me the time of fucken day..
..eh..?
..and that you ask/expect us to read this swill..
..really does yrslf no favours..
..eh..?
..and for some more laffs..why don’t you tell us..grumpy..
..how tyou reckon those 95% of climate-scientists are able to keep that omerta so tight..eh..?
..death-threats..?..d’yareckon..?
..i’d be fascinated to hear yr theories on this..there..grumpy..
..eh..?
…do tell..!
..phillip ure..
So the mantra of Global Warming lives on in the halls of the ignorant and illiterate. Certainly appears that way. Face it, the AGW crowd have become the flat earthers, the brief fad joins the ranks of the Y2K idiots.
grumpy, is science not more of a spectrum than a never-over argument. For example, “the earth is not flat” is something that would be at the settled end of the spectrum, whereas “black holes are full of jelly beans” is at the unsettled end of the spectrum.
Where does AGW fit on that spectrum do you think?
Grumpy Idiot
Y2K was a serious issue caused by shortsightedness of some programmers – and it was the concerted efforts of programmers that made the millenial roll-over a non-catastrophe. If only AGW could be so easily fixed…
You add nothing but bigotry. Stop wasting our space.
Y2K was a complete con.
The whole purpose of Y2K was to scare businesses into upgrading their computer systems, wouldn’t surprise me if Microsoft wasn’t behind the whole thing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2000_problem#Opposing_view
BM
Y2K was something; but not what reported on the news – journalists trying to make a story out of a coding error. But the point is that AGW is real and not something we can easily patchup.
We might agree that “climate change” is real but there has been no warming for 17 years and some scientists are even predicting a cooling phase. Even if we were to agree that “climate change” is real, there is a whole new argument as to whether it is man-made or even if it can be halted or controlled by man.
Climate always changes (well at least for the last few million years).
Yawn. Can’t you do better than this sorry-assed collection of feeble zombies?
You are doing your best to look like an idiot or a liar, as this graphic demonstrates.
Lift your game, you boring tr*ll.
Y2K wasn’t a coding error, and neither is it fair to describe it as “shortsightedness of some programmers”.
Many of the systems concerned were originally developed in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
They were designed to run on computers that were tiny compared to today’s systems and an extra byte of storage to hold the two digits of the century in every date field was very hard to justify, particularly as the typical life of a computer system developed in the 1960’s was probably less that 10 years.
Do most people involved in the industry today really understand how small mainframe systems were?
A typical computer system for a New Zealand company in the late 1960s was, say, an IBM 360, model 30 with tape drives and 3 2311 disc drives.
It had 64k of memory. That is 64 THOUSAND bytes. A disc held 7.25 megabytes so the whole system had 21.75 MILLION bytes of disc.
Today a typical PC probably has 2 gigabytes of memory and a terabyte of disc. That is about 32,000 times the memory and 45,000 times the disc. An extra byte for the century simply wasn’t feasible. Remember this is a PC and the old machine was a mainframe.
They decision not to allow for it was not shortsighted. It was completely rational and sensible considering how sparse was the memory and disc available, and considering that the systems were expected to be replaced within a decade.
Here endeth an oldtimers rant.
“Y2K was something; but not what reported on the news – journalists trying to make a story out of a coding error. But the point is that AGW is real and not something we can easily patchup.”
What was it then?
Weka
Read alwyn above (seems a strange thing for my fingers to type – haven’t put my fingers in that pattern before). “Coding error” was quicker to type.
Bullshit.
(heh..!..)..
..silly..silly..grumpy…eh..?
..leaping from rock to rock..(‘y2k’..?..whoar..!..)
..and no answer to that ‘how do they do it?’-question..?
..mm..??
..just ignoring that elephant in yer room..eh..?
..heh..!
..phillip ure..
Face it, the AGW crowd have become the flat earthers
Interesting that Paltridge’s paper proves nothing. All it does is raise some concerns about whether or not man made global warming has been conclusively proved. Yet Grumpy falls in the trap of confusing slight doubt that something is happening for conclusive proof that it is not …
….but Mickey…..”the science is settled”!
I agree Paltridge’s paper does not disprove AGW, that is not what I claimed. It certainly casts considerable doubt on the motives of those pushing it and the probable overstatement of it’s effects.
It does nothing of the sort. You are conflating a statistical possibility that something may not actually be occurring with proof that it is not occurring.
….or, more exactly, a reality that does not match the predictions by the models used to scare the shit out of us.
Bullshit.
The Arctic has warmed more than the Antarctic – predicted by a model.
Nights have warmed more than days – predicted by a model.
Winter has warmed more than summer – predicted by a model.
The amount and pace of warming – predicted by a model.
Changes in migration patterns – predicted by a model.
Changes to the treeline – predicted by a model.
Increased insurance claims due to weather events – predicted by multiple models.
You are completely shit at this stupid game you’ve invented. Embarrassing.
:..lives on in Nature, NASA, and all of the academies of science. FIFY
I presume you mean THIS Nature.
http://www.nature.com/news/extreme-weather-1.11428
…also casts doubt on some of the wilder unsubstantiated claims made by warmists.
Denies AGW. Links to an article that affirms AGW.
Sad.
Read the article. It is critical of claims being made linking extreme weather with climate change and points out gaps in the models.
“Better models are needed before exceptional events can be reliably linked to global warming.”
So how does this prove that man made climate change is not happening? All it shows is that one scientist is not convinced.
I read the article before I commented. That’s how I know it confirms AGW. Attribution of individual weather events is notoriously difficult, this is not new information. Pall et al and Min et al (both published in Nature 2012) are two examples. Hansen Sato & Ruedi 2012 also provides an overview.
FFS – it is Nature Magazine!!! Of course it does not prove AGW is not happening but it does throw considerable doubt (from a warmist source” that the link to “Extreme Weather” which is so abused by media and politicians, is, at best, dubious.
For more comment on the “Nature” article;
http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/my-comment-on-the-nature-article-extreme-weather-better-models-are-needed-before-exceptional-events-can-be-reliably-linked-to-global-warming/
Trenberth 2012, Journal of Climatic Change.
Oh? THAT Trenberth…….
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100119442/climategate-2-0-the-most-damning-email-of-them-all/
Hell Grumpy don’t ya think you could have gotten something a little less Head in the sand deniers?
well..that’s grumpy done and dusted for the day..
.eh..?
..phillip ure..
You know grumpy, if you posted an article saying the same thing but written by someone with no connections to Monckton and the oil industry I’d read it. But Garth Paltridge , no thanks.
Where is a link or post to the greens state of the nation speech? Third biggest party and all that? Perhaps karol is working on one.
Anyway stuff and herald have nothing on online first headlines. Herald has editorial on it but brown ranks a headline.
Third biggest party but this has less coverage than colin craig who is not in Parliament. Media influencing not reflecting again?
Grumpy there is far more evidence to support the theory of man influence climate change than the flat earthers ever had.
Do you believe that since industrialisation and human population growth man has had no negative impact on his ecosystem and environment?
Tracy
Speech: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1401/S00139/reclaiming-our-childrens-birth-right.htm
Press Release: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1401/S00138/green-party-launch-policy-to-tackle-inequality-on-education.htm
This bit from Trevett’s Herald piece (reprinted in ODT) is wonderfully manipulative:
“Ms Turei was critical of the National Party’s education announcement last week. That policy rewarded good teachers and principals and set up a system for them to share their skills and knowledge across other schools. Ms Turei said it did nothing to address the primary cause of under-achievement which was poverty.”
That’s some impressive skill with which she (Claire T) implies that Turei said that Nat’s scheme; “rewarded good teachers and principals and set up a system for them to share their skills and knowledge”, when she (Turei) said no such thing.
Skill, Pasu? Simple re-hashing of dubious tory propaganda more like. Dubious in it’s entirety actually, because no matter how highly parents may rate their current principal, the waving of large amounts of cash to entice them to piss off and interfere with the BOT from the school down the road is not terribly thrilling. Bash all teachers one day, reward hand-picked individuals – prior to any performance at all – the next? Try harder John.
@ tracey..
..and while conceding the eyewatering differences between blanket coverage of chem-trail col’s every brain-fart/arse-scratch..
..and the general ignoring of most others..by that corporate/access-media..
..and tho’ i am all for giving them a rark-up..most of the time..
..you are factually incorrect..as this morn i have seen coverage on both the herald and stuff websites..
..so i dunno where yr ‘no-coverage’ claims come from..
..but you’d hafta ask..
..just how up for/to the job are the green party media-team..?
..i dunno who they are..
..but they don’t seem too crash-hot at their job..
..there was no pre-publicity for the speech..
..(i kinda carry the conceit i keep an eye on things..and i didn’t know..hadn’t heard..and had actually wondered..)
..phillip ure..
This help?
https://www.greens.org.nz/press-releases/green-party-launch-major-policy-tackle-impact-growing-inequality-education
Radio NZ National
First item on the news bulletin is an opinion from Richard Prebble on what he thinks about the Labour leaders timing of a State of the Nation speech.
WTF.
Yep and he had a line of spin that since David’s speech was last he has missed the boat. Prebble had written it off even before the speech was given …
I wish they had a rule of refusing comment from clearly partisan commentators …
Yeah, it’s pretty stupid. Lets come up with a news piece whose longevity will span this morning only, from someone clearly partisan.
What got me was the introduction to the news item where a ‘former Labour MP’ was critical of Cunliffe. While it is true that Prebble is a former Labour MP, I am sure even he would prefer the characterisation that the item then gave, of ‘former ACT leader’. The former Labour MP tag was an attention grabber, and misleading, as I then expected a criticism from within the Labour Party.
So the lead off item was that a former ACT leader was criticising Cunliffe. Big deal? Worthy of lead off item? Honest portrayal of Prebble’s status?
I see Hekia’s comment “inequality only equates to 18 percent of underachievement.” has been removed from the TV3 article http://www.3news.co.nz/Green-Party-in-denial-over-inequality—Parata/tabid/423/articleID/329814/Default.aspx. The same has happened on “Stuff’s” online site although it was printed in the DomPost’ “Inequality was a driver of under-achievment but accounted for only 18 per cent of the difference between students who were disadvantaged and those who were not” she said. “The other 82 per cent was the result of the quality of teaching and school leadership and the expectations of parents and communities”
Wow and TV3 let your comment through, without editing it seems.
Said another way Hekia’s bullshit, i figure she pulled such figures from an orifice which shall go unmentioned, says that under a National Government happily tossing 300+ million bucks into the pot in what looks like an effort to get teachers and principles fighting among each other for a slice of the filthy lucre, there will be a failure rate across the education spectrum of 18%…
But, but, but… “quality of teaching” and “principals/school leaders” are well below “socioeconomic status” on the Hattie Index! Surely David Farrar will be calling her a liar any minute now.
But Prebble is only famous because the Stake thru the heart didn’t work, and he was rejuvenated. Sooner or later this old Vampire will shrivel up and turn to dust.
However what he says should be taken with a pound of salt!
Much mirth was generated last night while watching Prime News coverage of Metiria Turei’s speech on the Green Party’s education policy for deprived kids,
A couple of items later and cut to the Ads and here’s the Meridian Energy ad which also promotes ‘food in schools’ telling everybody that 1 in 4 Kiwi Kids are going to school hungry,
To rub salt into wounded ‘wing-nuts’ everywhere, Prime repeated the ad after the news…
Posted this as a belated response to mdxxkea on Open Mike yesterday, but am reposting here (if it is allowed) to generate discussion – and solutions – on today’s thread:
“I’m all for the educational/community hubs – just a couple of points about having them at schools.
1. Many of the disengaged have had disastrous experiences at schools – and will be loathe to return to them in a positive way later on in their lives. You may miss out on reaching those who have the most to benefit – just because of the choice of venue.
2. Schools are already underresourced and overcrowded – where are the facilities and capacity that will allow this to happen without capital investment?
3. You are introducing the community – many of whom are unknown individuals – into the school environment – how do you then ensure safety for both those individuals and the students of that school?
4. Future governments – using the MoE – can destroy these programmes even if they are successful by claiming they are focusing on “getting back to basics”
Alternatives:
1. Adjust the stated policy to deal with these potential problems and ensure that the continuation of these programmes is strengthened.
2. Create community hubs in local community facilities that are underutilised – obvious choice is to use local sports facilities that are not in use during the weekdays. Ensure cooperation between schools and hubs but try to set up hubs so that the communities own them – makes it more likely to survive long-term.”
Interesting!!!, $11,000 sleepouts snapped up for offices, so says the Herald online in what looks suspiciously like an advertisement dressed up as news,
The attached article goes on to say the the Chinese manufacturer of these ‘flat-pack’ buildings can supply ‘complete’ 2 bedroom units for $40,000,(i assume that the 40 grand price tag includes the ‘ticket’ having been ‘clipped’ substantially by the Auckland suppliers featured in the article),
i have to wonder just how robust these 2 bedroom units are and whether they will stand the test of time, along with a question mark surrounding the term ‘complete’, the question being does this include kitchen/shower/laundry,
Considering that a NZ supplier was quoted in the same article claiming to be able to supply a similar sleepout to the one featured for 5 or 6 thousand dollars there is probably room for movement in the cost of a complete 2 bedroom unit,(but even 40 thousand is cheap),
Are these ‘flat pack’ factory built housing units the answer to the gross shortage of HousingNZ rental property, my initial view if the questions posed above were answered positively would have to be Yes,
Having had a good look at a couple of village type housing complexes purpose built onsite for HousingNZ which cost millions of dollars i would in conclusion say that while these village type clusters were well built, some with garages some without,all with a reasonable sized garden/lawn area and well fenced to provide a sense of privacy the multi-million dollar cost of such ‘excellent’ use of scarce space could be trimmed substantially with the use of such flat pack factory built housing…
There’s a growing Tiny House movement in NZ that’s really captured my attention in the last month. A few links:
http://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/
http://www.tinyhouseliving.com/tag/new-zealand/
Really innovative stuff going on.
Yep, very interesting. Home ownership without having to own land brings the cost down massively, as does owner/builder, no building consents, and use of recycled/reused/upcycled materials.
Jay Shafer – a long time US proponent of tiny houses – talks about the politics of this movement. Pretty long at 24 min – but some salient points about the political aspect – in addition to the usual economical and ecological reasons.
Thanks, I hadn’t seen that. Will have a look.
But as much as he enjoys talking about design, what he really wanted to talk about was the politics of tiny houses. Why building and zoning codes are stacked against tiny houses, how the costs of purchase and upkeep compare to the big houses he calls “debtors’ prisons”, and why, when the Big One shakes the land around San Francisco Bay, he’d rather be in his tiny house than anywhere else.
The tiny house movement in the States is primarly a middle class one, and it’s no coincidence that it’s grown so much at the same time as the recession and home-owning/mortgage issues there have affected the middle classes. But it has the potential to reach beyond that, particularly where skills are taught/shared and people form groups to help each other build. Unfortunately such alt middle class groups don’t have a good history of expanding to including people affected by poverty. Still, in NZ perhaps some of the middle classes could move into tiny homes, freeing up regular houses for low income people.
The consent issues in NZ are different than the US too, it’s much easier here at the moment. That would need to be safeguarded if a movement here arises. Already I hear that the minimum size building for which consents apply has shrunk (presumably to prevent people from living in small, cheap dwellings).
Shipping container conversion is the other area that bears potential. We have plenty, and as they are moveable rather than permanent buildings I suspect that the consent issues are different, which would keep costs down.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/home-living/house-of-the-week/8179960/House-of-the-week-Wairarapa
Small housing is also important in a resource depleted future, esp when it comes to energy (it’s way easier to heat a small space than a large one), and being able to move the building in response to the environment.
Shafer: “mandatory consumption laws”, that’s good.
NZFemme, nice little homes, reminds me of the ‘homes’ i had the pleasure to see at one of the ‘Ohu’ set up under the auspices of Norm Kirk’s Labour Government,
Although far more primitive in nature, these little houses, some built with actual trees growing through their center put Peter Jackson’s Hobbit-town to shame,
i fear tho, while a great way for the individual to build their own home the concept might be a little ‘too far out there’ for the provision of a mass of low cost rental accommodation which is my main area of interest,
If the state wanted to go ‘trailer homes’ with all the negative connotations ascribed to such housing i would suggest that for 40-60,000 luxury 5th wheeler caravans set up on a properly serviced site would be a far better fit,(obviously for single people)…
The benefit of these ‘trailer’ homes is that they require no building consent and can move, if job or life situations change. I also believe there are issues with toxicity with traditional/luxury trailers.
So, for low income families/young people the initial financial layout can reduce the costs of renting and/or eliminate them if you find someone who is willing to have you on site.
For the more stuff-accumulative – scale up a bit to something like the cottages on the Tumbleweed house site.
As for your suggestion re the properly serviced site – something along the lines of this?
Agreed on toxicity issues (which I think might be a problem with the Chinese import housing too). And the $50,000 range of mobile homes aren’t the luxury ones (think over 100 grand), and they’re not that big. Tinyhomes are built out to max size, I think in NZ for towing that’s something like 11 metres? A quick look at the mobile homes online, $50,000 gets you 6 or 7 metres.
Plenty of couples live in tiny housing (sometimes even with kids). Not for everyone granted.
There are companies starting to build too, so it’s not just for owner/builders. Tiny houses, container conversions etc.
I do agree that immediate or even medium solutions for mass low cost housing aren’t going to come from the tiny house movement though.
Again, is there any link to this ‘toxicity’ in 5th wheeler or flat-pack housing, with regards to the flat-pack housing such toxicity would be a matter of materials used and in a New Zealand situation,(the NZ supplier in the original Herald online article pointed out that using timber construction they can still produce at least the featured sleep-out for far less than the imported one featured),such toxic materials could be designed out of such housing,
How that would effect cost i have no means of calculating…
Hi bad12, sorry for the delay was AFK for a few hours.
From recollection I saw this mentioned in a couple of documentaries – but for the life of me I can’t remember which ones. However, googled outgassing motorhomes and came up with a blog ref to EPA RV’s outgassing Archives. Bit old though.
But as you say, this can be fixed with alternative materials – and along with design – that is what tiny trailer homes are.
Molly a link to this suggested toxicity of trailer homes/caravans would have been nice,(not a must i will have a Google later and see what i can find),
An excellent link to the ‘serviced site’, exactly what i would envisage and much the same as the two HousingNZ villages i have had a good look at previously, i would suggest tho that more space or fencing is needed with the picture showing the housing a little ‘too close for comfort’ in the front on aspect,
Pity the site didn’t include the actual cost, flat-pack housing on a suitably serviced site while not ‘as pretty’ as that shown might be found to be a more economical solution in the same vein when looking for mass housing suitable for the HousingNZ estate much of which features two properties to the acre…
As a post-script it appears that HousingNZ after nine months of ‘thinking’ have decided to sell the Gordon Wilson apartment complex in central Wellington, meanwhile, as plans go ahead to flick off this valuable property located on the Terrace which can accommodate 100+ tenants 100 people wait,and wait,and wait on HousingNZ’s urgent housing list, a small sample of those with dire housing needs as National’s housing criteria denies most applicants even the luxury of the long wait,
This is more of Nick Smith and National’s unspoken of Asset Sales, with the HousingNZ estate said to be worth 50 billion dollars and Smith along with the HousingNZ CEO making statements in the vein of ”i plan for HousingNZ to provide 20% less of the social housing and NGO’s to pick up the shortfall”, and, ”If a property is worth $750,000 and is empty it will be sold” it is easy to see the looming cluster-f**k that this will cause in the supply of affordable rental accommodation to those on the lowest incomes…
Agree on the State Housing – and Labour need to step up to the plate.
But they also need to proof it from further meddling: ie. pick some model that will share ownership with local community trusts or similar. Else the next right wing government will sell it all off again.
Neolibs are good at death by a thousand cuts. They chip away at long-term programmes in order to crow about short term benefits.
Along with finding solutions – the left need to design methods of tamper-proofing. If communities own 51% of the State Housing in an area, then a national government cannot sell it without their say so.
As for the Gordon Wilson sale, – words fail me. That sounds like exactly the type of housing they should be keeping – but HNZ in National hands is not about providing housing is it?
Yes there’s two tragedies occurring at the same time, the ransacking of the HousingNZ estate is not only a social catastrophe,(a cynic would suggest deliberate engineering to keep property prices going up along with the data on ‘economic growth’),and an Asset Sale that will in fact dwarf in monetary terms the selling of the Power generators,
Across the country Smith has been gleefully selling property as fast as He can, Hamilton 123 homes sold with 120 on the urgent waiting list,(remembering all the time that this is National’s criteria a far tighter regime than that of Labour),
Auckland while Paula Bennett holds a public meeting to decry the $30,000 a week provided to the owner of a ‘holiday park’ via His 300 rack rented tenants, most of whom are beneficiaries Nick Smith has ripped out at least 300 state houses from the area or simply sold them to the speculators, and on it goes,
Yes i agree with you on the ‘future proofing’ of State Housing, my little thought on this is Yes to housing trusts, the actual property should be vested in such trusts who would have a management overview, perhaps there need be a partnership with HousingNZ and such trusts where rents are still paid directly to HousingNZ while management passes to such housing trusts with the trust management being able to draw down on rents that have been paid plus the government subsidy to address maintainence issues,
That sounds a little complicated but with the actual ownership in Housing Trusts while finances are held by HousingNZ who could/would have a representative as a trust member the security of public ownership could be maintained even in the face of a Tory government and financial security of such housing trusts could be maintained by both having a HousingNZ rep on the trust as a liason while having HousingNZ in the role of accounting for spending to keep such trusts solvent…
Housing Trust idea sounds like a pretty good start. Let’s hope Labour picks it up… Long term tenancy allows people to make roots in a place and build community networks.
I believe there is more to housing than just putting a roof over peoples heads.
If HNZ can build healthy and safe communities as part of their stock – the social benefits of this are considerable and increase with time.
On National Radio, the Green policy on education was a welcome add on to the weak labour response to Hekia and JK on education.
What is or should be the purpose of ‘The System’ in your view?
Who should the System be for?
And by system I’m not referring to the political system, I am instead referring to the all pervasive one that we all live under and are subjected too.
Phillip ure
Reading is a skill. I did not say the online had no articles. I said
” Anyway stuff and herald have nothing on online first headlines. Herald has editorial on it but brown ranks a headline.”
I nearly puked this morning when I heard richard preeble poormouthing David Cunliffe on RadioNew Zealand this morning. Is this news or are RNZ turning into shills for the tories?
Does RadioNew Zealand have any standards at all?
And I’m getting really pissed off with grumpy for posting links all the time.
why dont you say what you have to say instead of tying people up in fruitless searches for your bullshit!
And its official: wail boil is an addict.
Reliable sources report that he spends at least 15 minutes every morning when he wakes up looking in the mirror, he has a picture of himself as his screen saver and mirrors all around his workstation.
Time for him to join the noo noo heads, nitwits and narcississts 12 step programme.
I’ve been looking at service provision by governments as a general topic and got some interesting threads that I’ll put in here as I’m not sure what is the best current place for them.
Australian ideas on government – good to find what they are thinking. It should be enlightened.
http://www.apsc.gov.au/publications-and-media/archive/publications-archive/devolved-government
and
http://www.opengovguide.com/about-this-guide/
Information about Open Government Guide – I was interested as to who was behind this outfit so am showing the names of those involved.
Who has the Guide been developed by?
The Guide was first published as a report by the Transparency and Accountability Initiative (T/AI) in 2011 and has been updated as an online resource in 2013. T/A I is a donor collaborative that aims to seize momentum and expand the impact breadth and coordination of funding and activity in the transparency and accountability filed as well as to explore applications of this work in new areas.
The collaborative includes the Ford Foundation, Hivos, the International Budget Partnership, the Omidyar Network, the Open Society Foundations (OSF), the Revenue Watech Institute, the UK Department for International Development and the William and Flora Hewett Foundation.
and getting background on government voucher use by citizens –
University of Birmingham listing of sources and info on voucher use
http://www.gsdrc.org/index.cfm?objectid=BC43B4A1-423B-4047-ACB9ED3D0A3A9BDC
and
http://www.nlgn.org.uk/pdfs/upload/Choice%20and%20local%20services.pdf
and
an interesting economist that seems to have a heart plus practicality –
About Nobel laureate Indian Economist Amartya Sen –
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/amartya-sen-the-taste-of-true-freedom-8688089.html
and
Public Choice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_choice
and
Interesting sounding info on economics –
[PDF]
Public Opinion, Happiness, and the Will of the People – Centre for ..
and
http://www.bhutanstudies.org.bt/publicationFiles/…/01Public
OpinionsbyRichar…
Note in the University of Birmingham link you will need to put voucher in the search space and that should give you 21 papers on their use. Which should be interesting.
Don’t know what happened but some of the links above don’t work.
The nlgn.org.uk -Choice one – no.
At the bottom the bhutan studies – no.
Choice and local services – it had a hidden character on the end of it.
Public Opinion, Happiness, and the Will of the People: Policy-making in a Democracy