Tax cuts – simple question simple answer

Written By: - Date published: 9:54 pm, September 7th, 2014 - 84 comments
Categories: bill english, election 2014, john key, national, tax - Tags: , ,

Duncan Garner just tweeted an simple question:

Question for tmrw – when we’ve just borrowed $55b over 6 years how on earth are tax cuts suddenly affordable? @RadioLIVENZ Drive 3-6pm

Here’s a simple answer. They aren’t.

Of course they aren’t affordable, none of National’s tax cuts have been affordable (see debt), they are election bribes pure and simple. Bill English knows it, but John Key gets to promise anything anyway. While Cunliffe gets hacked up in the media for confusion over a detail of a complex policy, and while Labour has all its policy fully costed on its web site, National gets away with this inconsistent, un-costed, unaffordable nonsense. Cut to picture of Key posing with an All Black…

84 comments on “Tax cuts – simple question simple answer ”

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  1. b waghorn 1
    7 September 2014 at 10:15 pm

    Please use my $4.95 to feed a kid

  2. Whateva next? 2
    7 September 2014 at 10:20 pm

    This trick akshully worked for That her for 11 long years

  3. Clemgeopin 3
    7 September 2014 at 10:26 pm

    It is not entirely National’s fault. It is the fault of the gullible good folk, the politically ignorant public that seem to like Key’s smile and slime. As per the polls (dodgy or not), there seem to be about 50% of them around! Go figure!

  4. Ant 4
    7 September 2014 at 10:50 pm

    I think McCaw costed it.

  5. Blue 5
    7 September 2014 at 11:04 pm

    Welcome to New Zealand, where sinking the country into massive debt, cutting some of the lowest taxes in the OECD even further and relying on an earthquake, milk powder and a prayer is considered good economic management.

  6. ScottGN 6
    7 September 2014 at 11:14 pm

    According to TV3 59% of National voters disapprove of tax cuts for low and medium income earners at this election. Well wouldn’t those fuckers, after all they got their tax cut six long years ago and they’ve been enjoying it ever since. The rest of us got an increase to GST and all the other tax hikes National has imposed over the years.

    • framu 6.1
      8 September 2014 at 8:07 am

      small point ScottGN – the cuts arent for low and middle earners, but for the lower and middle bands

      ie: everyone will get it

  7. cogito 7
    7 September 2014 at 11:27 pm

    One thing’s for sure – any money Key gives away in tax cuts he’ll get back by hiking up other charges like he did last time with higher gst, fuel tax, rucs etc, all of which impacted directly on ordinary folk.

    Hopefully David Cunliffe will absolutely hammer Key when they meet for their next debate. Key has to be stopped and rejected by the electorate.

  8. Kiwiri 8
    7 September 2014 at 11:30 pm

    Tax cuts???

    Come on, how about National reverse any or all of the 15 taxes they threw at us the past few years?

    1. GST increase from 12.5% to 15%
    2. Increased taxes on KiwiSaver
    3. Compulsory student loan payment increase from 10% to 12%
    4. Increased tertiary fees
    5. The 2012 ‘Paperboy’ tax
    6. Civil Aviation Authority fees rise
    7. Additional fuel tax increase of 9 cents with annual CPI increases locked in for perpetuity
    8. Road User Charges increased
    9. New annual student loan fees introduced
    10. Massive unnecessary ACC levy increases
    11. Prescription fees increased by 66%
    12. New online company filing fees imposed on businesses
    13. Creeping expansion of the scope of Fringe Benefit Taxes – National tried to tax car parks and plain-clothes police uniforms
    14. Lowering of Working for Families abatement threshold and increasing the abatement rate, taking money out of the pockets of families
    15. Imposing a $900 Family Court fee

    The info available as noted and provided by Labour – source:
    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1409/S00053/at-least-15-new-taxes-under-national.htm

    • cogito 8.1
      7 September 2014 at 11:48 pm

      DC needs to memorise this and hit Key hard with it. Key needs to be held accountable for his lies.

    • Bearded Git 8.2
      8 September 2014 at 12:32 pm

      Massive increase in fee to appeal to the Environment Court-from $55 to $511.

      This one of the Nats many assaults on democracy. One wonders why the Nats policy to gut the RMA is getting little airplay.

  9. Ad 9
    8 September 2014 at 6:05 am

    This is one moment for Labour to re-frame their Capital Gains Tax v Income Tax cuts.

    Labour could come out with a concrete program stating what it will buy New Zealand, versus what a little income tax cut will buy the average worker.

    National has been waiting until very late in this election to do this, for best electoral effect. Labour’s support will corrode further unless it has a strong and well rehearsed response that is simple, and good for ordinary people.

    • Draco T Bastard 9.1
      8 September 2014 at 7:00 am

      The tax cuts won’t be for the average worker. Same as last time they weren’t for the average worker but for the rich. National doesn’t care about the average worker – just the rich.

      • Ad 9.1.1
        8 September 2014 at 8:01 am

        You may well be right.

        But how will CGT benefit the average worker?
        That’s my point – go head to head.

        • KJT 9.1.1.1
          8 September 2014 at 12:27 pm

          By broadening the tax base and lessoning the economically disastrous effect of speculation, simply bidding up the price of existing assets.

          I don’t see why the “family home” should be excluded unless, maybe, they are under the value range possessed by the median New Zealander. I can see many families owning half a dozen, million dollar, “family homes!”.

    • Gosman 9.2
      8 September 2014 at 9:13 am

      Capital gains tax won’t buy anything for the average New Zealand. It is government revenue that will go in to the general fund and be spent by the government anyway they want.

      • Draco T Bastard 9.2.1
        8 September 2014 at 9:52 am

        So?

        I don’t have a problem with government being properly funded.

        Of course, if we were doing things properly government would never have a problem with funding. As it stands though taxes are used to limit government, to prevent it doing what is best for the majority.

      • framu 9.2.2
        8 September 2014 at 11:58 am

        well there you have it

        goose step doesnt see the govt as being something that is by and for the NZ public

      • KJT 9.2.3
        8 September 2014 at 12:30 pm

        Healthcare, infrastructure, transport links and education do not benefit the average New Zealander in the Gosman world. Planet Key.

  10. tc 10
    8 September 2014 at 7:27 am

    So the gooner bravely tweets the obvious, how about he and his spineless colleagues but this to key over and over again along with his use of sis documents and jason ede.

    so the TMRW gets to be the strawman now, hooten sets it up so the puppetts can all sing along with lead muppett duncan toeing the line as a good corporate shill does.

  11. Skinny 11
    8 September 2014 at 7:41 am

    It just goes to show Nationals internal polling shows they are losing this election, hence the switch to what is basically a tax cut bribe. Be interested to see what bracket gets the cut. Will it be the low income or the middle income earners, I predict it is the latter middle income earners as there are more votes in it for National.

  12. Dont worry. Be happy 12
    8 September 2014 at 7:55 am

    Just listened to a patsy interview on Nat Rad. Susie purring away in her delightful accent as if that’s enough when a Prime Minister signals he’s about to lie to what passes for the fourth estate these days by starting the lie with, “So…..”

    Susie, the Nats have not run surpluses, they have run the country headlong into debt….stop purring and check if you have any claws. Nows the time to use them. I’m presuming you already know the facts…..

  13. Gosman 13
    8 September 2014 at 8:04 am

    Funny how tax cuts are never affordable but increased government spending always is according to many lefties.

    • framu 13.1
      8 September 2014 at 8:10 am

      oh look – its you again – making stupid irrelevant and over simplified comments to suit an idiot agenda

      your painfully transparent

    • Kaplan 13.2
      8 September 2014 at 8:11 am

      Funny how, despite your myth repetition, Labour managed to keep us in surplus and with record low levels of debt.

      • dv 13.2.1
        8 September 2014 at 8:15 am

        Current debt

        86,880,443,802

        • infused 13.2.1.1
          8 September 2014 at 9:08 am

          Who gives a shit? Does it affect you? No. Has it kept this country running and people employed? Yes.

          Shut the fuck up about debt. It doesn’t matter.

          http://www.tradingeconomics.com/new-zealand/government-debt-to-gdp

          When this starts getting close to 70%, you may have some sort of point.

          • dv 13.2.1.1.1
            8 September 2014 at 9:34 am

            Huh
            ‘Shut the fuck up about debt. It doesn’t matter.

            Then you say THIS!!!,
            ‘Then this starts getting close to 70%, you may have some sort of point
            SO debt DOES matter!!!

            Yes – it does affect me.
            The interest (1.7 billion) alone will cost my household about $1200 pa from tax

            I do agree that the debt it has helped to keep people in work.
            BUT
            If there had not been the first tax cuts the debt would not have been as much debt.

            I do find it interesting that you want me to consider only my own position.

            AND
            That debt doesn’t matter!!!

            PS
            The debt is now
            NZ$ 86,881,080,046

          • Nic the NZer 13.2.1.1.2
            8 September 2014 at 1:41 pm

            Plenty of countries with 70% debt to gdp ratios and no problems (excluding Eurozone for obvious reasons). The Rogoff-Reinhardt paper was completely debunked. There is no problem near 70% either.

            • dv 13.2.1.1.2.1
              8 September 2014 at 1:55 pm

              Plenty is 20 out of 160 countries???

              At 70% debt my household interest cost becomes about $3000 per year.

              AND and the Nat bill becomes about 5 billion- or the asset sale return EVERY year.

              • Nic the NZer …
                8 September 2014 at 2:32 pm

                So with 16 countries like NZ over 70% debt to GDP surely on of them is in trouble? No? There is no issue with government debt for a country like New Zealand.

                • dv …
                  8 September 2014 at 2:40 pm

                  Well Nic we will not agree.
                  I can’t see paying 5bill interest bill per year as useful.

                  • Nic the NZer …
                    8 September 2014 at 6:55 pm

                    Its not the most useful thing the govt does by any means. The main reason its done is so the RBNZ can maintain the OCR above zero and control monetary policy. None of this causes any issue in terms of govt solvency however.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    8 September 2014 at 7:03 pm

                    It’s not useful but Nic is saying its not a problem. And the interest bill is more like $3B p.a.

                    And its not like we have to come up with the money. We just borrow more to pay the interest.

                    • dv …
                      8 September 2014 at 7:18 pm

                      My $5 Bill was on a 70% debt to gdp not the current debt.

                      “And its not like we have to come up with the money. We just borrow more to pay the interest.

                      Oh shit!!!

                    • Nic the NZer …
                      8 September 2014 at 7:29 pm

                      You appear to be suffering from a form of Arithmophobia dv. Oh shit doesnt quite cover it as an explanation for why govt debt is a problem however. You have 16 countries with over 70% debt to gdp and people are saying NZ is broke. Being broke doesn’t appear to be a problem or even different to not being broke in fact. There is no problem here that you can identify for us.

      • Gosman 13.2.2
        8 September 2014 at 8:22 am

        Funny how they left a structural deficit that was predicted to last around 10 years.

        • framu 13.2.2.1
          8 September 2014 at 9:31 am

          fuuuuuuccckkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          the prediction that was made before the GFC and hasnt been updated since so doesnt take into account a single thing that might have been done differently by anyone, anywhere

          why do you keep repeating such stupid arguments?

        • Draco T Bastard 13.2.2.2
          8 September 2014 at 9:55 am

          No they didn’t. That was a beat up by National. Just more dirty politics.

    • tricledrown 13.3
      8 September 2014 at 8:27 am

      Borrowing $60billion with a $5 billion a year cost to pay the debt back ,then Dairy and commodities are tanking goose you are full of it!
      National are spending virtually the same amount as Labour as well but the Media never question that!
      Act on .6% and going downhill Whyte is an idiot!

    • disturbed 13.4
      8 September 2014 at 12:10 pm

      Gosman your cronies increased taxes so many places.

      Fuel taxes the latest three in a row!!!

      As these are what a good Nat called a tax on a tax that Muldoon even disapproved of so don’t play “we don’t raise taxes” good guys. Stop lying to us all for once.

  14. philj 14
    8 September 2014 at 8:17 am

    The media has become the message. ( misquote from Marshall McLuhan). The left needs its own radio,tv internet network. Without the breadth of view, the demockary is dead.

    • Gosman 14.1
      8 September 2014 at 9:17 am

      Go on and set it up then or do you expect other people’s money (i.e. the Taxpayers) to help fund this for you?

      • Macro 14.1.1
        8 September 2014 at 11:01 am

        Now that’s a damn good idea!
        Wait a moment….. we supposedly already have a govt funded media! 🙁
        Which I suppose you NEVER watch.

        • Gosman 14.1.1.1
          8 September 2014 at 12:47 pm

          Let’s just get this clear, you are expecting the government to fund a left wing orientated media out of taxpayers money much of which come from wealthy people who tend to vote for parties on the right – Is that correct?

          • meconism 14.1.1.1.1
            9 September 2014 at 12:39 am

            No we are expecting the voters to fund a media out of voters money. This bullshit you do where you transpose government with taxpayers and then voters illustrates the deceit in your thinking and your discourse. If they are taxpayers they are always taxpayers to the end of your argument they cannot become the government halfway through your argument to suit whatever hypothesis you realise you suddenly need to defend. Or you could just fuck off and stop wasting everyone’s time.

  15. BM 15
    8 September 2014 at 8:21 am

    WFF is a tax cut.

    • framu 15.1
      8 September 2014 at 9:31 am

      no – its an employer subsidy

      • BM 15.1.1
        8 September 2014 at 9:52 am

        It’s all coming out of the same pot.

        • framu 15.1.1.1
          8 September 2014 at 11:59 am

          doesnt make it a tax cut though

          small hint – who gets WWF and why?

          • BM 15.1.1.1.1
            8 September 2014 at 12:10 pm

            People who can’t afford to breed or can’t afford the amount of kids they’ve decided to have.

            Initially to keep electing Labour.

            • Lanthanide 15.1.1.1.1.1
              8 September 2014 at 1:06 pm

              …because although they have stable, full-time jobs, they don’t get paid a fair wage by their employers”

              FTFY.

              You might want to read this story about Aroha, the girl that John Key used for a publicity stunt in 2007: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10468960/Aroha-of-McGehan-Close-flees-NZ

              She’s getting paid a wage that is not much less than my own, in a job that doesn’t sound particularly skilled or demanding, in Australia. Makes me wonder what I’d be worth over there.

              • BM …
                8 September 2014 at 1:13 pm

                It’s complete horse shit, she doesn’t get $38.00 an hour, Lots of Aussie posters pissing all over that claim, from what I’ve read it’s more likely $18.00 an hour.
                They reckon Coles is one of the most tightfisted employers in OZ.

                Just the reporter being a fuck wit and trying to stir up some anger.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  9 September 2014 at 12:49 am

                  $18/hr would be for standard time, $27/hr for weekends and $36/hr for stat days. Thereabouts. Unions and collective contracts are great.

  16. mike 16
    8 September 2014 at 8:26 am

    The answer to Garners question is not ‘they aren’t’ it’s ‘they’re not’.
    Much smoother with more punch.

  17. Nic the NZer 17
    8 September 2014 at 9:01 am

    Tax cuts are of course affordable. The problem is the government should give them now, not when the economy (maybe) returns to surplus. And to be fair the should be broad based, either lower GST or have a tax free income bracket.

    The problem is the National government is intending to return to surplus, wait for the effects of this negative stimulus to hit the economy and hope that the trade balance and housing bubble are still stimulating the economy enough to compensate for this. Better to stimulate the economy now as its still depressed.
    National debt is irrelevant thats why we have a reserve bank.

    • Lanthanide 17.1
      8 September 2014 at 9:04 am

      “Better to stimulate the economy now as its still depressed.”

      Not sure what reality you live in, given the economy is at its growth peak right now and predicted future growth is around 2%. That’s not “depressed”.

      • Nic the NZer 17.1.1
        8 September 2014 at 10:50 am

        Whats the unemployment rate? 5.6%. The economy is still depressed.

        • Lanthanide 17.1.1.1
          8 September 2014 at 11:07 am

          The economy is more than just employment.

          • Nic the NZer 17.1.1.1.1
            8 September 2014 at 12:43 pm

            I am not saying that a tax cut is my ideal economic policy (I would prefer some more social spending and a job guarantee) but I am saying its affordable and a priority should be made of reaching full employment (because of the effects of inequality, the wage share of income, savings rates). A small tax break might be the best National has to offer. Its also affordable.

            The left will be doing a great disservice to their constituants if it puts off a good policy on employment to try to get a perfect policy around taxation. Taxing the wealthy does nothing to help the poor in and of itself.

        • miravox 17.1.1.2
          8 September 2014 at 7:28 pm

          The rockstar is depressed?

          • Nic the NZer 17.1.1.2.1
            8 September 2014 at 9:04 pm

            Seems to happen to a lot of them actually.

            The unemployment rate has only fallen as far as 5.6% and all I am really saying is that that is not good enough when full employment is achieveable if the govt wants it.

            At least NZ is not the UK which tried for a double dip recession and got a tripple dip recession. That was of course self inflicted.

            • miravox 17.1.1.2.1.1
              9 September 2014 at 12:12 am

              I agree entirely with your second sentence.

              The point about it being a ‘rockstar economy’ and ‘depressed’ is that the government is spinning depending on what its trying to focus on. Lanth is correct that the ecoonomy is more than the employment rate.

              The focus of the current government on low cost exports is facillitating low waged precarious jobs, sustained unemployment and environment degradation to produce growth that is short-term and benefitting only a small group of New Zealanders.

    • dv 17.2
      8 September 2014 at 9:08 am

      ‘National debt is irrelevant thats why we have a reserve bank.

      Ha printing??

      • Nic the NZer 17.2.1
        8 September 2014 at 12:34 pm

        Yes, or more deficit spending which amounts to the same thing (as long as the reserve bank keeps controlling the OCR) in technical terms.

  18. Lanthanide 18
    8 September 2014 at 9:03 am

    It’s going to be a “chewing-gum tax-cut”. The only way it wouldn’t be, is if they lowered the threshold for the top tax band at the same time as increasing the bottom ones, to ensure that anyone earning in the top bracket does not receive a tax cut as a result of the changes. But I can’t see National doing that.

  19. wtl 19
    8 September 2014 at 9:12 am

    I thought they were going to restart contributions to the Cullen fund once the books were back in surplus? I guess that plan is gone – looks like the retirement age will end up going to 70 because National refuses to address the issue of Superannuation affordability.

    • Lanthanide 19.1
      8 September 2014 at 9:30 am

      I think you’re right. Key said this morning on the radio that they had 3 priorities:
      1. Grow the surplus
      2. Pay back debt
      3. Tax cuts

      Superannuation repayments didn’t get a mention.

      IIRC the last budget pushed the contributions back to 2020-2021?

  20. dave 20
    8 September 2014 at 10:01 am

    For those us in our early 40s this long term debt trend is very worrying .
    Tax cuts while growing the debt while selling the assets is leaving us nothing when we retire it looks bleak even house hold debt is staggering national is borrowing from the future again and i don’t think that is fair they stopped the Cullen fund gutted and taxed kiwi saver given us an insecure poorly paid work environment income cost ratios are screwed and they want to steal what is left of our retirements as well there total scum .

    • David H 20.1
      8 September 2014 at 11:25 am

      Is that what’s next I wonder . The country is in such a mess cant pay it’s bills so in come the Vampire’s to ‘fix things up with loans and other rorts’ Just like they did to Greece. But first they will take ALL our remaining assets including Kiwisaver and the Cullen fund. Is this TricKey’s Endgame? Just before he leaves for Hawaii and the praise of his bosses. NZ is broke and right for the pillaging.

      • Nic the NZer 20.1.1
        8 September 2014 at 1:11 pm

        New Zealand can not become like Greece. New Zealand issues its own currency. The IMF can’t issue NZ$ so the IMF can’t bail NZ out anyway though it will never have to. Greece is on the Euro and therefore the problems arise. There wouldn’t even be a problem for Greece if they were allowed a much larger than 3% deficit under Maastrict treaty rules with the ECB. Now you know the difference.

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    Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago

  • Nicola's Salad Days.
    I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    23 hours ago

  • Study sees climate change baking in 19% lower global income by 2050
    TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    24 hours ago

  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago

  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  The data is from February this ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 day ago

  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago

  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, TĂŒrkiye relationship focus of visit
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Taupƍ takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupƍ as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupƍ International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupƍ Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    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 - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
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