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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Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
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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