It concluded the agency was underperforming and not financially viable.
In response to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon saying Kāinga Ora had been "chronically underperforming" Moutter said he had no wish to disagree with Luxon.
HOWEVER…..
"It is an incredible achievement to have built that many new homes in this market over the last year and many thousands in the years prior."
A looming bleak future ..
Child Poverty Action Group's housing spokesperson, Alan Johnson, said it was no suprise about the lack of new housing from KO.
He predicted homelessness would start to increase due to the government "sitting on its hands".
It was "magical thinking" if the government believed community housing providers would fill the gaps.
And where to from here?
The government was allocating $200 million for 1500 new units over the next three years.
"The reality is that won't be enough … what we probably will see is the entry of private capital to fund those houses at some future cost to taxpayers so what we are seeing is the slow privatisation of the provision of state housing."
I think it is ridiculous that the chief executive gets six months salary to leave. He is not being made redundant. Should be a months notice. Some of these contracts are ridiculous.
My understanding is, from the press coverage, that he's claiming that the job now isn't the same as the job he signed up for (contract renewal last year) – "These changes are material to the chief executive role, reducing its scale and accountabilities significantly,"
Personally, I don't believe that this is the case. However, government departments have a long history of featherbedding the exit of their senior management team – whether that's months of gardening leave, or significant redundancy periods.
I think that anyone who signs up for a contract renewal, or accepts an appointment, in the year before an election – should have zero redundancy if they choose to leave after the new government's policies change. It's a risk you should evaluate before you accept the job.
Given the stoush there's been over the KO budget blowout (both during the previous Labour government, as well as the current one) – in a commercial organization he'd be at risk of being dismissed for cause.
However, government departments have a long history of featherbedding the exit of their senior management team…
Note that it's not only government departments. The outcomes of some contractual featherbedding in commercial organisations is eye-watering – because they're worth it?
Theo Spierings' Fonterra payout slammed [16 Aug 2019]
Former Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings is under fire for receiving a $4.6 million payout when he left the company last year.
Executive Remuneration – A Runaway Train?
In recent times we have also seen large packages paid to the departing heads of Fletcher Building ($2.94m on top of a $4.29m package) and Sky City (a total package including departure payments of $7.36m), in spite of performance issues at both businesses.
The End of Exorbitant CEO Exit Packages? Don’t Hold Your Breath
[18 July 2012]
Multimillion-dollar severance packages paid to exiting CEOs routinely make news — particularly when the leader’s tenure was universally panned or when the firm was in major cost-cutting mode. Such payouts have become the norm among large firms, observers say, and they have withstood both public outcry and legislative action. But when stakeholders believe an exit package represents a true injustice, it can have a profound impact on employee morale and a firm’s overall performance.
Jimmy-he is effectively being made redundant. He signed up to run KO as a social housing renter and BUILDER .
Despite the fact that KO has been highly successful in building state houses, including 3,500 last year, this government has made it absolutely clear that KO's role as a house builder is now ended. This was justified by the conclusions reached in the jacked-up report by Bill English.
Luxon and co. have made it plain that only private companies will build social housing in the future with a pathetic $200m in the budget to support this process. The need for the private companies to make significant profits in this process will mean rents will inevitably rise.
The billions saved by the government by KO not building social housing (thus increasing homelessness and the cost of putting homeless people up in motels) will be used to pay for tax cuts for the better off, which is what Key/English did over 9 years.
He has given eight years service. His contract was written under a National government. His job description has been totally changed. He has the right to be paid for 6 months as the Government triggered the move from building Social houses to just being a Landlord.
As with the ferries, Luxon's politics are costly and short sighted.
Yes. According to luxon, bishop & english KO is a real concern and underperforming. The chair of the KO board says the outgoing CEO has done a great job and made some real achievements. Wonder which of the 2 camps I would trust to be more accurate
While Labour were never going to build enough state houses and apartments for my liking–or the actual need–they did actually complete a few thousand some of which are “still in the pipeline” and will be finished.
In 2020 they should have gone for broke and done a massive flat pack/modular build from Euro and Chinese imports given the local developers basically going on strike re social housing. Pepperpotting houses including tiny houses for homeless and emergency housing in every provincial town would have seriously stuck it to the grasping landlords.
Just down the road from where I live KO, (to use CL's terminology) have replaced 2 very old state houses on 2 large and damp sections with 8 new and very attractive smaller homes for single parents. The sections are now well drained and attractively planted, the homes are well finished including curtaining and heat pumps. Doesn't sound like much, but I'll bet the new families living in them are very happy to be there.
I hold no brief for the design of these (I think they are ugly, and the blocks are crammed too close together) – they certainly fulfill the requirement to get as many homes as possible onto the site.
There is still KO development going on adjacent and across the road – building more of the same.
If you drive along Hendon Ave in Owairaka you can see an amazing transformation of the previous built environment. Gone are the old "State Houses", bult in the 1950's out of 6 varieties of tacky boarding and held together with thumb tacks. Houses where the biggest room was the kitchen, and the second bedroom was about 6m2 and expected to hold 3 children.
Now, there is a variety of modern, warm and dry homes – some duplexes, some town houses and some 3, 4 or 5 level apartment blocks. Almost finished is the big apartment building on the corner of Hendon Ave and Richmond Rd which uses modular construction just like the one being built for Seniors opposite to old Library building in Pt Chevalier.
Exactly what is possible with the political will. When I had the misfortune to live in Whangārei for several years we had a hell of battle to get a 37 dwelling state house development–mix of duplexes and smaller apartments etc–built in the ostensibly middle class suburb of Maunu.
But it did happen, despite Dr Reti immediately siding with the aggrieved white locals and lifestyle farmers miles away, not wanting dirty filthy state tenants in their neighbourhood driving down property values.
242 submissions to WDC against, and 6 including me for. An independent Commissioner against all odds decided the development was in line with the Council long term plan and stated social goals.
Well for the state homes to which I have been referring, the public transport passes by their front door so to speak – and the obliging driver will stop at any point to enable disabled, and mums with babies alight closest to their home. The bus stop is at most about 100 m away and the bus runs hourly and is $2 for adults and $1 for children 5 – 16, free for gold card and pre schoolers. There is also parking spaces for residents cars. The sections have also been tree planted (small natives, hebes, et al ) , fenced for individual privacy, and clothes lines, a small shed for bikes, etc as well.
Hendon Ave has been reworked with raised pedestrian crossings and a new "cross town" bus link that affords access to New North Rd for CBD buses and goes to Avondale and New Lynn.
There is some nice planting and there were already good street trees which have been retained to provide amenity,
The Northcote one does have a bus service to the CBD and to Takapuna. It isn't a very good bus service, but it does exist. It's also within walking distance (about 15-20 minutes) to the Northern busway interchange at Akoranga Station.
Bus, observationally, the vast majority of the tenants have cars, and the street parking in the surrounding streets and shopping centre is an ongoing issue.
"borrowed and spent billions" is a weird way to refer to building 22,000 homes through the government build programme. it's not like the money disappeared. most of the new homes are state houses or transitional housing that are assets on the government's books.
And from that link, reference to a huge amount of work that for many houses amounted to major renovations – this work was just as important as a new home to many previously suffering from poor quality state houses:
All public housing on track to meet Healthy Home Standards by July 2024
Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.
Let the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be as bold and fearless as we would like him to be. That is the majority’s message today.
Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.
This wouldn't phase me if Trump was unlikely to be President next year. But so long as Biden stays in the race, I can't see any alternative.
With Trump more than likely to be the next President this terrifies the hell out of me. It is now the most dangerous decision the Supreme Court has ever made.
What is to stop Trump now doing one of the things Sotomayor has highlighted?
I guess the immunity works both ways, Republican or Democrat president. Means the current President Joe Biden has immunity as well: There's a lot he could do between now and the election to "sort things out". He's probably not as scrupulous as the orange one.
Leaves one question: Did the Supreme Court members considered a potential threat to themselves with such an undemocratic judgement?
George Bush POTUS 43 gave an illegal order for the FBI to spy on Americans. A journalist was not able to publish his story about it (POTUS asked the NYT not to publish) and so wrote a book.
Ultimately because it was a security decision, Congress made it legal after the fact and no one was impeached.
POTUS Obama cynically said illegal spying had stopped (it is effectively no longer illegal, if it is on the grounds of security). Now it is to be presumed (Edward Snowden's walk away) and the numbers under watch by the Fusion "centers" is going up all the time.
Now SCOTUS has formally determined that authority to govern is more important than the peoples liberties and constitutional protections.
Congress last time, and now SCOTUS. All it needs is POTUS who wants to be a tyrant for a day (thousand year reich day), and replace government with his people.
"The head of the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital has accused Israel of torturing him and other detainees, following his release after seven months in Israeli prisons and detention facilities….he and other prisoners were subjected to “almost daily torture” while in detention in Israel. Mistreatment included assaults with batons and dogs, deprivation of food and medicine, as well as physical and psychological humiliation, Abu Salmiya said."
“The situation there is more horrific than anything we’ve heard about Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.” This is how Khaled Mahajneh describes the Sde Teiman detention center as the first lawyer to visit the facility. More than 4,000 Palestinians whom Israel arrested in Gaza have been held at the military base in the Naqab/Negev since October 7; some of them have subsequently been released, but most remain in Israeli detention.
[…]
‘To take revenge on whom?’
In recent months, international media outlets have published several testimonies of released prisoners as well as doctors who worked at Sde Teiman. For Israeli doctor Dr. Yoel Donchin, who spoke to the New York Times, it was unclear why Israeli soldiers had detained many of the people he treated, some of whom were “highly unlikely to have been combatants involved in the war” based on pre-existing physical ailments or disabilities.
The Times also reported that doctors at the facility were instructed not to write their names on official documents or address each other by name in the presence of patients, for fear of being later identified and charged with war crimes at the International Criminal Court.
“They stripped them down of anything that resembles human beings,” one witness who worked as a medic at the facility’s makeshift hospital told CNN. “[The beatings] were not done to gather intelligence. They were done out of revenge,” another witness said. “It was punishment for what they [the Palestinians] did on October 7 and punishment for behavior in the camp.”
Medicines-buying agency Pharmac says it believes it can soon fund devices that would remove the need for people with type 1 diabetes to prick a finger to check their blood sugar levels.
Pharmac announced on Tuesday it was seeking bids from suppliers of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps and pump accessories for people with type 1 diabetes.
For the past five years, Diabetes NZ has called on Pharmac to fund the devices, but Pharmac’s chief medical officer, Dr David Hughes, said the agency can only now consider the move following last year’s budget increase.
For the tens of thousands of New Zealanders living with type 1 diabetes, “having funded access to these devices would be life changing”, Hughes said.
The proposal that was going to start on July 1st didn't fund one of the insulin pumps that many type 1s are using. There was a lot of feedback about that, people not wanting to change away from a pump that they knew worked well. So, it all went ba ck to Pharmac for more consultation and the date has been pushed back to…..whenever….
It seems that Pharmac has bundled the funding of sensors and pumps in one package, so the hold up because of pumps is causing a delay which is also affecting the funding of sensors.
As a non pump user, currently paying over $55 a week for a sensor, I'm not happy with the delay.
Simeon Brown’s lethal draft speed-setting rule is open for public consultation until Thursday 11 July. We strongly encourage you to take a minute to add your voice. The simple online survey asks for your thoughts on seven key proposals (see page 4). You can also email your thoughts to speedrule@transport.govt.nz Scroll ...
Hi,Before I get sentimental and share some ridiculous videos from my old life as a TV news reporter, your comments about the presidential debate (all 362 of them) did make me feel more sane.I think Webworm reader Kevin said it best:“America’s political party system is like that cargo ship in ...
I really hate Culture War stuff on principle. The fact that it has pervaded so much of modern political discourse is yet another reason to find the 2020s an utterly depressing decade. But today, the artillery of Culture War has been sending shells near my particular trench… and thus I ...
There is surely a German word for the dismaying, frustrating, enraging feeling of watching a person being put in charge of our future and completely fucking it up.I am surrounded by Germans right now, perhaps I should ask.I expect they might reply: oh do you mean the Supreme Court justices ...
Oh dear. Not only has Judith Collins become an AI cultist - she thinks it can be used to answer OIA requests: But New Zealand has no specific AI regulation and Collins is keen to get productivity gains from extending its use across government, including using it to process ...
This is a collective post by several Greater Auckland authors. (The header image shows children trying to cross the road a few hundred metres from a school gate, at a location where a raised crossing was subsequently installed.) The final version of the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS) ...
Late Thursday night, around midday Friday here in New Zealand, we should finally, after fourteen years and five dismal Prime Ministers, see the Tories booted out of government in the UK.The Conservatives have produced a master class in what not to do in government. Be it strangling the economy with ...
In a move of breathtaking audacity, the Government agreed yesterday to have a Cabinet Minister preside over a media subsidy scheme. The Minister will decide which media entities will be eligible to receive the proceeds of a levy the Government proposes to impose on Facebook and Google. Communications Minister Paul ...
Regular readers might be surprised to not see another "At a glance" highlight for an updated rebuttal given that it's Tuesday when this blog post gets published and that we've done just that "regularly as clockwork" since February 2023. Please read on to find out why we are going on ...
That's the only way to describe today's US Supreme Court ruling that the US president is above the law. Oh, it officially applies only to "official acts", but reading the fine-print, that basically means everything - even apparently inciting a mob to storm Congress in an effort to disrupt the ...
Emmanuel Macron’s plan B involves a risky, rope-a-dope strategy. Deliberately, he has opened a corridor to power for the far right, in the belief they will fail to win a large enough parliamentary presence in the 577-seat National Assembly to pursue their policy agenda. Supposedly, this failure will have blunted ...
This is a guest post by Ed Clayton and Stu Farrant. It’s based on a talk delivered at the recent Transportation Group Conference in Nelson.The water street renders are by Tom Greer. Ed notes: “Tom is a freelance landscape architect with a background in ecology and environmental science. Hit him up ...
They choose the path where no-one goesThey hold no quarterThey hold no quarter“The Government I lead is one of action and we are already making meaningful changes that will keep Kiwis safe in their homes, workplaces and communities," said the Prime Minister yesterday, telling us he’d be “making Kiwis safer” ...
The Government may have attracted criticism from Greenpeace over its inquiry into farm methane emissions, but its proposal may have outwitted the Groundswell farmer protest movement. The inquiry panel includes some of the more high-profile critics of the blanket reduction approach to farming greenhouse gas emissions. But those critics are ...
Around the world we see political blocs crumbling in the face of the Right. You’ll notice the word “Left” is absent there. That’s because, by and large, the Left hasn’t necessarily crumbled. Many who adopt the moniker have. Ostensibly “Left” movements in the political sphere have been caught on ...
When Fiji finally began its most recent transition to democracy in 2013, the coup regime stacked the deck in their favour, with a draconian political parties decree intended to outlaw the opposition. Dictator Voreqe Bainimarama then founded his own political party, FijiFirst, which subsequently held power until 2022. So its ...
Back in 2021, as part of its discussion document on hate speech, the Ministry of Justice proposed finally amending the prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Human Rights Act to include gender including gender expression and gender identity. Labour famously chickened out on hate speech, referring the issue to the ...
My travelling companion Dick is a craftsman. In his spare time he has made water-going craft. Canoes, mostly, but he can also do you a dinghy or a boat. Also hot tubs. All with beautifully hand-crafted timber.As we've rolled through the villages and towns of Europe, he has looked at ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Across the world people are sweltering under the extreme heat of heat waves - whether under the heat dome in North ...
As you might recall from my last newsletter yesterday was a family celebration in the Rockel household, with our youngest lad Matty turning 16. He’s an enthusiastic cook, especially of steak, with plenty of garlic, rosemary, and far too much butter. So when asked what he’d like to do he ...
Anybody who went to Karangahape Road for Matariki last Thursday evening (27 June), would have seen it absolutely packed with people. From Queen Street ...
Completed reads for June: Aecerbot, a Field Blessing (poem) Against a Dwarf [remedy XCIIIb] (poem) Against a Wen (poem) The Nine Herbs Charm (poem) For a Sudden Stitch (poem) For the Loss of Cattle I (poem) For the Loss of Cattle II (poem) For the Loss of Cattle III ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, June 23, 2024 thru Sat, June 29, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is extreme weather juiced by our climate fumble creating an extreme start ...
YouTuber Jess of the Shire has put out a video, looking at Frodo’s failure to destroy the Ring: The Lord of the Rings would be a substantially weaker book had Frodo not failed, of course. We are dealing with the core of Tolkien’s themes ...
Problem Solved? When all other options are exhausted, the firing squad remains. As Joseph Stalin is said to have declared: “Eliminate the person, eliminate the problem.”THE BEST GUESS I can offer as to the author of the line is William Brandt. He wrote scripts for the 1990s New Zealand television crime ...
Good morning all, I hope you’re continuing to have a lovely long weekend without too many worries about the things we usually talk about. First things first, today is a special day in our family, the youngest member, our Matty, my Mister Man, turns 16.Public transport in Bangkok, 2016.I’ve mentioned ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by John Mason in collaboration with members from the Gigafact team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Does temperature have to rise before CO2 ...
TL;DR: Mānawatia a Matariki! It’s that time of the year for reflection and renewal so here’s our annual State of The Kākā Nation Report for 2024. Total subscribers grew 46% to 20,600 and paying subscribers grew 29% to 2,520 over the last year. Subscriber comments, ‘views’ and likes’ increased more ...
Can't stop believin' I'm the greatestHearts breaking 'til I know I made itI'll never know what second place isNo pain, no doubt'Til the lights go outMatariki feels like such a positive event. People around the country enjoying time with whānau and friends, trying new things or just relaxing and reflecting. ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on what you may have missed. Still on the move!ShareGreetings Jack Craw and Te Aka Music, love your work. Read more ...
Hi,When I started Webworm four years ago (four years! thanks for being here!) it was motivated by a world slowly falling into conspiratorial madness.Reality felt like it was slipping, and I wanted to document the chaos. That has never stopped, be it examining how huge chunks of society have retreated ...
Evaluating the impact of social policies will be very difficult but the government does not seem to be doing much real evaluation. A couple of terms that have recently become fashionable are ‘cost-benefit analysis’ (CBA) and ‘social-investment analysis’ (SIA), typically proposed by people who have never done either. They sound ...
Conspiracy theories attempt to explain events as the secretive plots of powerful people. While conspiracy theories are not typically supported by evidence, this doesn’t stop them from blossoming. Conspiracy theories damage society in a number of ways. To help minimise these harmful effects, The Conspiracy Theory Handbook, by Stephan Lewandowsky ...
Worst. Presidential. Debate Ever. President Joe Biden and former President have just squared off in the first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign and the rest of the world has watched in slack-jawed horror as democracy’s once “shining city on the hill” hit a new low.The hyperbole in that introduction ...
Sun is up, I'm a messGotta get out now, gotta run from thisHere comes the shame, here comes the shameYesterday Golriz Ghahraman’s fall from grace was complete. Convicted and sentenced, more harshly that I’d anticipated. In my view Golriz had suffered quite disproportionally already, considering the nature of her crime. ...
Open access notables Tipping point in ice-sheet grounding-zone melting due to ocean water intrusion, Bradley & Hewitt, Nature Geoscience:Here we develop a model to capture the feedback between intruded ocean water, the melting it induces and the resulting changes in ice geometry. We reveal a sensitive dependence of the ...
Some of the wilder things that have crossed our paths in the last couple of weeks:Wilder thing #1: A snake sunning itself on the hot asphalt as we came riding towards itDick was in front and was slowing down to take a picture, thinking it to be another carcass.But this ...
As part of its coalition agreement, the climate-change denier National government promised its climate-change denier coalition partners a review of our agricultural methane reduction target. Today they announced the members of their "independent" review, and released its terms of reference. I'm not familiar with the academic records of the panel, ...
And you can see it in the way they look at youFeel it in the way they treat youAlways the last to knowAlways the first to leaveJust let them walk all over youLaugh through the punches and the painLet the life-blood drain away from youThey're right, you're wrongOK, first things ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk Astrong majority of registered voters support certain policies aimed at tackling climate change, according to recent research by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (the publisher of this site) and the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason ...
Finally, Julian Assange is free after 12 years of confinement, much of it spent while under the threat of rendition to the US to face charges carrying a term of 175 years in prison. Yet ultimately, Assange has not been set free because the charges (of espionage and conspiracy to ...
A note to readers This satirical post is based on this document. Received from Auckland Transport under a LGOIMA request. the document reveals the ranking process used by the working group for the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP). It shows how the RLTP working group (Auckland Transport, KiwiRail, NZTA/Waka Kotahi, and ...
TL;DR: Six things from Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy I think are worth noting on the morning of Thursday, June 27:The NZIER has estimated almost a third of new spending in Budget 2024 will have worsened the Government’s Paris agreement climate liability, which Treasury has already estimated at up to $23.7 billion. ...
Hi,Four days ago New Zealand pop royalty Brooke Fraser broke yet another record — largest attendance for a Kiwi solo artist at her Spark Arena gig.She was joined on stage by the Auckland Philharmonia orchestra, Radio New Zealand gushing that it was “hard to pick a singular high point of ...
Whenever people make the perfectly sensible suggestion that the world could solve its problems by taxing billionaires, the latter's stooges flood the zone with claims it would never work. Apparently billionaires are so inherently criminal that they would evade such taxes, laundering their money and hiding it in criminal jurisdictions ...
Breathe.Inhale deeply through your nose, and hold it.Open your mouth slightly. Exhale slowly, feel the breath passing over your lips.Hear it. You’re alive.Statistically, if the last government hadn’t taken the actions it did, about twenty of you, even in my small audience, would be dead now. If I do a ...
TL;DR: Electricity affordability is a growing concern for households and small businesses, despite falling generation costs for solar and wind, a survey has found.Meanwhile, Stats NZ is forecasting more than a third of 19-29 year olds will stay living at home within the next two decades, no doubt because of ...
This is a guest post by Darren Davis, reposted with his kind permission. It originally appeared on his excellent blog Adventures in Transitland, which we warmly encourage you to check out.Aotearoa has one of the worst road safety records in the developed world. Australia is doing quite a bit ...
The audio in today’s newsletter contains a conversation I had last year with journalist Elizabeth Williamson, author of an incredibly moving book on Sandy Hook. We talked America, conspiracies, and Alex Jones. It’s been gathering dust for reasons we’ll get to, but I wanted to share our conversation today. ...
The anti Three Waters campaign which seemed so simple during the election campaign is now bogged down in a Select Committee as submitter after submitter raises issues with the replacement legislation. The so-called “Local Water Done Well” has now morphed into the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill, which ...
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 ...
On we go, at 20 kilometres an hour, truly the best pace for rolling through the world and breathing it all in.Fascinating to get to see two, four, twenty new places each day. Marvellous to get to see how very many different ways you can make it good for people ...
There's a couple of pieces about architect-of-our-constitution Geoffrey palmer's views on the current government doing the rounds today. The first, on Newsroom is an excerpt from a speech he gave to a Young Labour meeting last weekend, in which he says NZ an executive paradise, not democratic paradise. The Spinoff ...
The government just introduced its Education and Training Amendment Bill to the House. The name is deliberately obfuscatory, because what the bill actually does is reintroduce charter schools - effectively allowing National to privatise the education system. That's corrupt and it stinks, but to add insult to injury, National's new ...
Confidence about future job availability collapsed after Budget 2024 to lows last seen during the the Global Financial Crisis of 2008/09. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Employee confidence in more jobs being available in a year’s time collapsed in the first two weeks of June after the Budget, falling ...
Walking through the rooms in my headI came across your image,You looked at me with that sweet smile and saidSomething they won't let me repeatWe hurt the ones we love the mostIts a subtle form of complimentAfter you’ve watched Christopher Luxon for a while you think to yourself - that ...
The decision taken last December to cancel the contract for the two purpose-built Cook Strait ferries – without having a Plan B in mind, let alone in place – has been a calamity that’s going to haunt New Zealand for decades to come, long after the Luxon government has been ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meets again,so I’ve taken a look through the items on their public agenda to see what’s interesting. Musical Chairs The first item of note is another change to the make-up of the AT Board. The legislation that established Auckland Transport allows for Waka Kotahi to ...
How does France deal with opponents of its colonisation of the Pacific? Arrest them and deport them to France to face prosecution in a foreign court: A group of pro-independence leaders charged with allegedly organising protests that turned into violent unrest in New Caledonia last month was indicted on ...
On this edition of AVFA Selwyn Manning and I discuss post-pandemic economics and the rise of national populism. It seems that a post-pandemic turn to more nationalist economic policies may have encouraged the rise of populists who use xenophobia and … Continue reading → ...
Two weeks ago the climate denier government announced they would be giving farmers what they want and removing agriculture from the ETS. On Friday they introduced the bill for it to the House. Due to past efforts and backdowns, the Climate Change Response Act has a lot of inactive clauses ...
The Struggle Continues: Keith Locke belonged to a generation that still believed in a world that could be, through struggle, relieved of its chains. That struggle constituted the core of a life lived with purpose, courage and determination. MANY NEW ZEALANDERS would, no doubt, have been surprised to discover that Keith Locke was ...
A couple of my stories – A Breath Through Silver, and The Last Libation – have previously earned themselves reprints. Well, I am pleased to report that the nice people at Heroic Fantasy Quarterly (https://www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com/) have included my narrative horror-poem, The Night Before Yule, in their newly-compiled Best Of anthology. ...
TL;DR: Responding to the grounding of the Aratere over the weekend, the Government has signalled it will buy new replacement ferries, but only enough to replace existing freight capacity.That would effectively limit Aotearoa-NZ’s ability to handle any growth in population or the need to reduce emissions by shifting freight from ...
Hi, we’re Greater Auckland. We’ve been a part of the landscape for over 15 years now. Over that time, we’ve provided informed commentary, evidence-based analysis, and inspiring visions for the future of Tāmaki Makaurau. You might know us from such hits as: The Congestion-Free Network2013 (and its 2017 ...
Fancy, a fast carA bag full of lootI can nearly guaranteeYou'll end up with the bootThe Prime Minister arrived home, perhaps a bit surprised, maybe even secretly a little pleased at the diversion, to find the country falling apart. Things going more badly that even his c-list, self back-slapping, trip ...
The problems at KiwiRail go further and deeper than the maintenance issue, which caused the inter-island ferry Aratere to run aground on Saturday. The company is also the subject of a damning report published last week about the way it runs its rail operations from the Transport Accident Investigation Commission. ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, June 16, 2024 thru Sat, June 22, 2024. Stories we promoted this week, by publication date: Before June 16‘Unprecedented mass coral bleaching’ expected in 2024, says expert, ...
The People’s House:What would it be like to live in a country where a single sermon could prick the conscience of the comfortable? Where a journalist could rouse a whole city to action? Where the government could be made to respond to the people’s concerns? Where real change was possible? And ...
Good morn or evening friendsHere's your friendly announcerI have serious news to pass on to everybodyWhat I'm about to sayCould mean the world's disasterCould change your joy and laughter to tears and painIt's thatLove's in need of love todayDon't delaySend yours in right awayHate's goin' 'roundBreaking many heartsStop it pleaseBefore ...
I loved everything about my first Cook Strait ferry crossing: a day parked in the car in howling Wellington wind and driving Wellington rain, waiting to hear if they were going to sail or not; watching the huge black ministerial limousines come and go; listening to the adventures of Chicken ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by John Mason in collaboration with members from the Gigafact team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Was the Medieval Warm Period a global ...
Your face has fallen sad nowFor you know the time is nighWhen I must remove your wingsAnd you, you must try to flyCome sail your ships around meAnd burn your bridges downWe make a little history, babyEvery time you come aroundWhen I went to bed last night I thought the ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past somewhat interrupted week. Still on the move!Share Read more ...
Mema Paremata mō te Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi, says the government is subscribing the Rotorua Housing Crisis to a privatisation fast-track. The comments come after 100-homes have been placed on hold whilst Kāinga Ora conduct a review. “With a quick text message to one of their rich mates, this government has ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding that the Māori Development Minister move quickly to prevent a financial restructure announced by Whakaata Māori yesterday. "Minister Potaka must immediately intervene and recommit funding to Whakaata Māori. A 25% reduction is cutting Whakaata Māori at their knees; we cannot accept that," said broadcast spokesperson, ...
National has come up with yet another way to make driving a car more expensive – this time adding more costs to sit a driver licence, Labour transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
Correspondence released under the Official Information Act reveals the Government’s boot camp concept is not backed by the military that is expected to run it. ...
The Government is risking the wellbeing of vulnerable children across Aotearoa who benefit from services like counselling, intensive family support, parent programmes and early intervention, as they claw back funding. ...
Thousands of people have taken to the streets and voiced their concerns about National’s destructive and undemocratic Fast Track Approvals Bill. Add your voice and tell National why this legislation needs to be stopped in its tracks. ...
Celebrating Matariki as a public holiday over the past two years has made sure everyone gets to spend some extra time with friends and family, as well as the chance to learn more about what makes this time of year meaningful. ...
The Government needs to be transparent about the cuts they are making to hospital infrastructure, so that cities are clear on the health resources they will have into the future. ...
Our students deserve access to fresh, healthy food to fuel their busy school days and lives.That’s why Labour introduced the Ka Ora, Ka Ako healthy school lunch programme. Teachers, parents, principals and health experts all saw the benefits of it. ...
The new Covid-19 Inquiry we campaigned and fought for will start in November.The current Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 response will be divided into two phases. ‘Phase Two’ of the inquiry will start from November 2024 and will be the independent, full scale, and public inquiry we ...
“Today’s announcement is simply a repeat of the Government rejecting decades of evidence and expert advice, as they forcibly try to turn marketing slogans into policy,” said children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
“I am relieved Pharmac will be funded more to buy medicines for Kiwis. It is important that decisions on which drugs get funded remain independent from politics,” Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
The Green Party welcomes the announcement of more funding for cancer treatments and medicines, however, calls for more to be done to address the severe health inequities that come with cancer. ...
Frivolous check-ins with beneficiaries are the Government’s latest plan to find excuses to punish those on the Job Seeker allowance and add to the stigma they face. ...
The grounding of the Aratere Interislander Ferry is a wake-up call to the Coalition Government; they need to front up with a realistic long term solution to moving people and freight between our islands. ...
New Zealanders need and deserve a strong public health system. Throughout the country, we need to ensure hospitals, clinics and community providers have the resources needed to provide the best level of care. ...
Victims of family violence could fall through the gaps in New Zealand, as Police stop responding to some call outs and the Government chooses to prioritise other things. ...
The lack of bids at today’s ETS auction is a sad indictment on this Government's staggering indifference to the climate crisis and their lack of a plan. ...
“I am deeply disappointed in the National Party's budget. Their broken promises and cuts to essential services, including health, education, and support for vulnerable groups, will have long-lasting negative impacts” – Raymor, Auckland ...
Today marks the beginning of Schools Pride Week in New Zealand, an important calendar event largely run by rainbow rangitahi to advocate for safer, more inclusive school environments. ...
The Government’s announcement of a roadshow consultation on work health and safety is a smokescreen for its plan to throw out regulations which keep workers safe. ...
The Government has reportedly scrapped a policy that would have gone far to fix gender and ethnic pay gaps and instead is implementing a watered-down voluntary system. ...
The Government has marked a major milestone for rural connectivity at the official opening of the 500th RCG mobile tower in Anawhata today, Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Rural, rugged and remote, like many of the 500 towers delivered, RCG worked alongside community stakeholders to deliver better connectivity for Anawhata ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today released the updated Endeavour Fund Investment Plan – the Government’s $55 million per annum fund for science and research. “Endeavour is the Government’s largest contestable fund investing in science and research. It is crucial that this investment aligns with this Government’s priority ...
Work on a critical minerals list and a stocktake of New Zealand’s known mineral potential is underway and will be key to enabling a strategic, considered approach to developing the country’s resources and strengthening mineral resilience, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. Together, the list and the stocktake will identify the ...
The Government is providing a further $500,000 to the Wairoa Mayoral Relief Fund to help the community following flooding last week, Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced during a visit to the district today. “I have been back on the ground in Wairoa today to get a further ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will visit the United States from 9-12 July. Mr Luxon will begin his visit by building New Zealand’s profile with politicians in Washington DC, meeting members of the US Administration and of Congress. “The United States is the world’s largest economy and our second biggest trading partner. It ...
The Coalition Government is delivering consistency in student assessment, giving parents certainty on how their child’s doing at school, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Currently, the first glimpse at student achievement is when children sit NCEA. It’s far too late to learn in Year 10 or 11 if they have ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has confirmed that cervical screening will continue to be free for women with higher risk of cervical cancer. “Our Government is committed to achieving better cancer outcomes for New Zealanders, and screening programmes are critical to getting an early diagnosis and timely treatment,” says Dr ...
New Zealand and Solomon Islands are boosting their partnership in areas aimed at enhancing security and prosperity, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says. “Solomon Islands is a very important Pacific partner for New Zealand, and we are pleased to be findings ways to do more together for mutual benefit,” Mr ...
New Zealand today concluded a groundbreaking trade deal with Costa Rica, Iceland, and Switzerland, to remove tariffs on hundreds of products that benefit sustainability and the environment, Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. “The Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) opens up commercial opportunities for New Zealand businesses ...
New Zealand and Australia have highlighted their strong commitment to Solomon Islands aviation and economic development through the handover of the upgraded Seghe Airfield today. “The upgrade of the Seghe Airfield runway in Western Province will enable flights to operate under all weather conditions, making operations safer and more ...
The Government is rolling out changes to the driver licencing system to tackle the unacceptable wait times facing New Zealanders trying to sit their driver licence tests across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Since the previous government’s decision last year to remove re-sit fees for theory and practical ...
Around 11,000 singers from 40 countries will be taking to the stage in Auckland next week for the 13th World Choir Games, generating important economic and cultural benefits for the supercity, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “It’s the biggest choral competition and festival in the world, so I’m absolutely ...
A reservation over the Kermadec Arc preventing the granting or extending of minerals prospecting, exploration, and mining permits will be extended for 18 months from 5 July, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones’ declaration, enabled under the Crown Minerals Act 1991, will extend consecutive existing reservations, the latest of ...
The Government is taking immediate action to support New Zealand’s media and content production sectors, while it develops a long-term reform programme, Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Firstly, the Government will progress the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill with amendments, to support our local media companies to earn ...
Tākina Puanga, mānawatia a Matariki, mānawatia te huinga whetū! Congratulations to Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Puku o te Ika a Māui on winning this year’s national secondary schools kapa haka competition Te Huinga Whetū, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says. “It was great to hear the stage rumbling ...
The coalition Government's latest Action Plan will have a strong focus on making Kiwis safer and restoring law and order, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced. “The Government I lead is one of action and we are already making meaningful changes that will keep Kiwis safe in their homes, workplaces ...
A successful second quarter Action Plan shows the coalition Government has continued to build on the momentum of its first 100 days, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “Our Government Action Plan was laser-focused on rebuilding the economy and reducing the cost of living, restoring law and order, and delivering better ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour is glad to see the Natural Hazards Insurance Act come into force today, further protecting homeowners’ rights after a natural hazard event and seeing the Earthquake Commission (EQC) become the Natural Hazards Commission. “The Government is committed to ensuring Kiwis continue to get reliable insurance ...
Restoring the brightline test to two years will help increase the supply of residential property putting downward pressure on rent, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “From 1 July, the brightline test will replace the five and ten-year periods with a more balanced two-year period. “Every day, New Zealanders are struggling ...
Councils, iwi, businesses and community organisations with infrastructure projects that support regional priorities are invited to apply for funding from the Regional Infrastructure Fund, which opened today. “The Coalition Government is focused on growing the economy. We are doing everything we can to enable an export-led recovery, regional prosperity and ...
Kia ora koutou katoa – it’s a pleasure to join you here at Tōtara Haumaru on Auckland’s North Shore I would like to begin by acknowledging the many hands, over many years, that have been involved in the creation of this wonderful new facility Tōtara Haumaru, particularly those who are ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins will visit the Kingdom of Tonga to take part in the opening of a New Zealand-funded His Majesty’s Armed Forces Leadership Centre and to meet with counterparts. “New Zealand has a long, shared military history with Tonga and the development of this leadership centre is an ...
Today the Crown joined Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu at Papawai Marae to mark the return of Wairarapa Moana to iwi, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith and Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. “The legal transfer of the ownership of Wairarapa Moana is the final chapter in a fraught dispute between ...
Changes to the Land Transport (Clean Vehicle Standard) Act will enable changes to the emissions targets more easily with a review of the Clean Vehicle Standard currently underway, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Large changes in technology, fuel efficiency, and consumer trends and preferences means that the Clean Car Importer Standard ...
Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden has today announced that four members have been reappointed to the Fire and Emergency New Zealand [FENZ] board. “I am pleased to announce that Rebecca Keoghan has been reappointed as chair for a two-year term of office,” says Ms van Velden. Rebecca was appointed ...
The Government has taken further steps to providing better regulation for medicines, medical devices, and natural health products with the first reading of a bill to repeal the Therapeutic Products Act 2023. Repealing the Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) shows the Government is listening to the concerns of industry and consumers, says Associate ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says $343.5 million in lottery profits have been allocated to New Zealand communities across the country – an increase of around $29.8 million from previous years. “The distribution of lottery profits can have a significant and enduring impact on the lives of New ...
Civil Defence payments are now available for people affected by the severe weather in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti to help cover some emergency costs, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston has announced. “We want to make sure those communities that are doing it tough because of the latest severe ...
The coalition Government is progressing its commitment to reinstate livestock exports by sea, with public consultation set to start before September, Associate Minister of Agriculture Hon Andrew Hoggard says. Reinstating livestock exports by sea will require an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act 1999 and strengthened welfare standards will be ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today released his decisions on elements of Tauranga City Council’s Intensification Planning Instrument. Two recommendations were referred to the Minister after the Council rejected two of those made by the Independent Hearings Panel. “I was asked by the Tauranga City Council to reject two ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a high-level political delegation to Solomon Islands, Nauru and Niue next week. "New Zealand's relationships in the Pacific are fundamental to our foreign policy, and we are determined to continue strengthening them,” says Mr Peters. “We look forward to engaging with ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Health Minister Dr Shane Reti to officially open a new primary birthing unit in Wānaka today. Dr Reti says the event demonstrates the Government’s commitment to improving health infrastructure and is particularly special as it will support many families before birth and in the first ...
The final Government Policy Statement on land transport 2024 (GPS 2024) outlines the Government’s ambitious $22 billion transport plan to boost productivity and support economic growth, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Upon being elected, the Government was clear that we wanted to make good on our transport promises to New Zealanders ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointments of 19 King’s Counsel. Also known as a silk, in reference to a gown traditionally worn as part of their robes, the rank of King’s Counsel is awarded to barristers sole who have demonstrated excellence in their careers or, from time to time, ...
New crime data highlights how critical the Government’s plan is to restore law and order, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “The latest New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey data is shameful, with New Zealanders experiencing 1.88 million incidents of crime between November 2022 and October 2023. “There were 185,000 New ...
The Government is delivering on its promise to commence an independent review of the methane science and targets for consistency with no additional warming from agriculture emissions, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay say. “An independent panel announced today, will report back to the Government by ...
The Government today repealed legislation requiring the compulsory registration of log traders and forestry advisers. “The existing legislation fails to deliver outcomes and places unnecessary costs on forest businesses,” Forestry Minister Todd McClay says. “I am confident that voluntary registration through the New Zealand Institute of Forestry is a better ...
The Overseas Investment (Build To Rent and Similar Rental Developments) Amendment Bill has passed its first reading this evening, Housing and Associate Finance Minister Chris Bishop says.“We need to take every option available to increase the supply of housing in New Zealand, and Build to Rent is one of those ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown welcomes the opening of State Highway 1 through the Brynderwyn Hills from midnight tonight, following four months of closure to complete critical recovery and maintenance works. “Northlanders, local businesses, drivers, and freight operators will be relieved to have this important lifeline open. The Government thanks them ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today welcomed the release of the Parliamentary Counsel Office’s (PCO) Secondary Legislation Drafting Toolkit. "Both businesses and people tell us they find it hard to understand their obligations under secondary legislation,” Ms Collins says. “This toolkit, with its focus on design and content, will help with both ...
It’s been a while since Labour winning was a genuine possibility, let alone a likelihood, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The ...
Midway through last year, Michaela Sokolich-Beatson could barely walk; running made her cry. She’d just missed out on the Silver Ferns to play at the Netball World Cup in South Africa – after a remarkable comeback to the court from back-to-back Achilles ruptures – but there was something else going ...
Civil service mandarins Iona Holsted, Caralee McLiesh and Lil Anderson aren’t expected to have their contracts renewed, sources say. All three had been appointed on fixed term contracts that come up for renewal in coming months; none is expected to get another term. There had been plans for the acting ...
From restoring no-cause evictions and 90-day trials to failing to take climate change seriously, the government seems determined to exacerbate insecurity at every turn, argues Max Rashbrooke. Between their eighth and 12th birthdays, nearly half of all New Zealand children move house. A fifth of these displacements are involuntary, as ...
The management consultants had helped with the caucus – could they heal the Lange-Douglas rift?Quantum Leap, the fourth episode of Juggernaut: The Story of the Fourth Labour Government, is now available wherever you get your podcasts.In July 1982, Bill Rowling, Richard Prebble, Roger Douglas, David Lange and the ...
The first entry in Ian Wedde’s new collection of essays, art reviews, guest lectures and other assorted think pieces is more than 20 years old, and is looking back towards something much older again. The subject of the short piece is a photo by Peter Black, from Christchurch in 1987, ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 4 July appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: History shows how badly political parties – especially when they are in government – prepare for leadership change The post From success to succession appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Te Pāti Māori has issued a declaration – Te Ngākau o Te Iwi Māori – to establish an autonomous Parliament for Māori. This call follows the Government’s breathtaking hostility to Māori. “We now begin the process of establishing our own Parliament,” says co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer (Ngāti Ruanui). Anchored in tikanga, ...
It is an old landscape, a place of shadows and folded headlands on the southern coast of Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū (Banks Peninsula). Here, some time in the mid-1850s, Ngāti Irakehu kaumātua Heremaia Mautai, of the people of Wairewa (Little River), cut the belt of one of the first sawmills ...
Warning: this story mentions suicide This month, the Government will deliver on a campaign promise by launching a pilot ‘young offender military academy’ – a bootcamp – despite a raft of evidence that “scare them straight” programmes are unsuccessful. Minister for Children Karen Chhour says that this scheme will include ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Harris, Professor of Corporate Law, University of Sydney Australia’s corporate watchdog, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), should be broken up and replaced by new and more responsive regulatory agencies, a damning report has found. The Senate Economics References Committee ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Anthony Albanese has flagged he expects rebel Labor senator Fatima Payman to quit the Labor Party imminently. Answering a question in parliament from the opposition, the prime minister said: “I expect further announcements in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is taking a major political gamble with its nuclear power policy, which is facing criticism from a range of experts. The opposition has announced seven proposed sites for power stations but has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW Sydney A catastrophe involving large crowds at a religious gathering in northern India yesterday resulted in the deaths of over 100 people, with many more injured. The disaster, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Webb, Clinical Associate Professor and Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney Eszter Szadeczky-Kardoss/Shutterstock If you’re looking to escape the Australian winter for your next holiday, don’t forget where there’s warmth, there will also be mosquitoes. In turn, tropical destinations can ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney NadyaEugene/Shutterstock Photos of Australian children have been used without consent to train artificial intelligence (AI) models that generate images. A new report from the non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Muhammad Rizwan Azhar, Lecturer of Chemical Engineering, Sustainable Energy and Resources, Edith Cowan University ShutterstockMore Australians than ever are riding electric bikes – a fact you may have noticed on the streets of our cities and towns. Electric bikes, ...
Inflation is over – at least according to one business survey – so it’s time to celebrate! Shanti Mathias and Joel MacManus present a guide to hosting a no-more-inflation party. For many years (or since the end of 2020), inflation has been a scourge in the New Zealand economy. It ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sherine Al Shallah, Doctoral Researcher, Refugee Cultural Heritage and Connected Rights Protection | Affiliate, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law | Associate, Australian Human Rights Institute, UNSW Sydney Cultural heritage has long been targeted during conflict. This includes the destruction of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Markus Luczak-Roesch, Professor of Informatics and Chair in Complexity Science, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Getty Images New Zealand shifted closer towards digital credentials for access to online services this week with the launch of the Trust Framework ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Williamson, Senior Tutor in English, University of Canterbury Netflix A Family Affair is Netflix’s latest entry in the recently resuscitated rom-com genre. The streaming giant’s film execs have described the revival as a tactical decision to plug – and capitalise ...
A new book dissecting New Zealand’s 2020 general election concludes the “Team of Five Million” catchphrase may have helped mask existing social divisions but these divisions still very much influenced how we voted. ...
Thirty civilian coastwatchers who provided invaluable - and until now unrecognised - service during the Second World War as the eyes and ears for the Allied effort in the Pacific, have received a long-awaited act of recognition at Government House ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Toby Murray, Associate Professor of Cybersecurity, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne Jelena Stanojkovic/Shutterstock Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has announced she’s given the major tech platforms six months to develop enforceable codes for protecting children from online pornography ...
For four long years, Dunedin has been without a Kmart. Hera Lindsay Bird marks its return. When the Meridian Mall Kmart closed back in 2020, citing earthquake-strengthening requirements, a shadow fell across the city.It was a grim time for Dunedin. Two local tour guides even went so far as ...
How are we supposed to know how to ‘do’ conflict with people we care about? Has a single one of us been taught a healthy way to do it? In 1986, psychologist John M. Gottman built an apartment laboratory at the University of Washington that was later dubbed the “Love ...
New solutions can turn renting from a sickness-inducing experience into a mana-enhancing one. A brand new community exclusively for renters next to Sylvia Park in the vibrant suburb of Mount Wellington aims to usher in a new, better renting experience in our nation’s biggest city. Once I left the dry ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Manwaring, Associate Professor, Politics and Public Policy, Flinders University I T S/Shutterstock The United Kingdom heads to the polls on July 4, and the widely expected outcome is a defeat for the British Conservative Party after 14 years in power. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isabella Bower, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of South Australia Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, 1984.Museums Victoria, CC BY Can you remember your last in-person exam? You’re waiting outside the venue with your identification, pens and back-up pens. Everyone is nervously looking at ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Angela Smith, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Western Sydney University Rawpixel.com/ShutterstockMomentum is growing for the Australian government to provide universal early childhood education and care – free or very-low-cost childcare for all families. Access to quality, affordable childcare can help parents join ...
Last July it was determined the country’s public health service was in need of 4,800 more nurses. In June, Te Whatu Ora gave an update, saying the hospitals are 2,000 nurses ‘ahead’. Nurses and their union disagree. “I used to leave work and sit in my car and just sob ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University vectorfusionart/Shutterstock Australia’s mental health-care system is struggling to cope with the demand. But more money won’t necessarily mean everyone gets the care they need. As we outline ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phoebe Macrossan, Lecturer in Screen Media, University of the Sunshine Coast Ground Picture/Shutterstock Australian teenagers have grown up with abundant choices in digital screen entertainment including social media, gaming and streaming video. However, the viewing habits of Australian teens are often ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melissa L. Gould, Senior Lecturer in Critical Media Studies, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images The astounding rise in social media use in the past few years is seeing policy responses come to a head, both internationally and in Aotearoa New ...
*Warning: this article contains details of sexual and physical abuse of children It was Christmas Day more than 14 years ago when Aaron Smale received a phone call from a woman claiming to be his long-lost sibling. “I didn’t recognise her voice. She says ‘Hi I’m Tanya and I ...
In today’s extract from The Bulletin by Stewart Sowman-Lund: Why the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill has split the coalition. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A surprise announcement Relief for ...
Artificial Intelligence has a big future with tasks like helping kids to learn and assessing medical results, says Cabinet Minister Judith Collins. ...
No plans for relocation are set in stone yet, and eight months after council buyouts of other homes began, marae representatives say the process has been too slow. ...
A view from the Philippines on heightened disputes in the South China Sea and risks of the country getting caught up in a great powers battle. Perched precariously, cinematically, on shallow ground in the South China Sea – or West Philippine Sea – is the second world war ship BRP ...
Five crucial questions about an epochal day for news media in Aotearoa, asked and answered by Duncan Greive.What just happened?Yesterday might just prove one of the most momentous days in the history of news media in New Zealand. A little after 9am, National switched from a policy of ...
It’s almost 70 years since Yvonne Willering left the Netherlands with her family, landing in New Zealand on a ship stricken with typhoid. She’s played netball for New Zealand, coached the Silver Ferns, and received an impressive list of national accolades recognising all she’s done for the sport. And yet ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 3 July appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The number of displaced people around the world keeps going up and up – it’s nearly doubled in the past decade. And yet New Zealand’s contribution towards turning the dire numbers around is still minimal. We’re not doing our bit, according to anyone with skin in the game – and ...
Opinion: It was with a strong sense of déjà vu that I watched Rishi Sunak announce that if re-elected, he would introduce compulsory national service for all 18-year-olds. I remember an equally embattled former National Party Prime Minister Jenny Shipley making the same outlandish promise during the 1999 election campaign. ...
A new anthology that gathers the experiences of mixed-heritage creatives in Aotearoa expands on what’s come before and stirs a hunger for more. Everything That Moves, Moves Through Another is an anthology of work by mixed-heritage creatives across Aotearoa, edited by Rat World founder Jennifer Cheuk, and published by underground ...
HOWEVER…..
A looming bleak future ..
And where to from here?
Privatisation. Where the NActFirst scumbags were always heading…..
I think it is ridiculous that the chief executive gets six months salary to leave. He is not being made redundant. Should be a months notice. Some of these contracts are ridiculous.
My understanding is, from the press coverage, that he's claiming that the job now isn't the same as the job he signed up for (contract renewal last year) – "These changes are material to the chief executive role, reducing its scale and accountabilities significantly,"
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/520986/kainga-ora-ceo-andrew-mckenzie-quits-over-government-changes
Personally, I don't believe that this is the case. However, government departments have a long history of featherbedding the exit of their senior management team – whether that's months of gardening leave, or significant redundancy periods.
I think that anyone who signs up for a contract renewal, or accepts an appointment, in the year before an election – should have zero redundancy if they choose to leave after the new government's policies change. It's a risk you should evaluate before you accept the job.
Given the stoush there's been over the KO budget blowout (both during the previous Labour government, as well as the current one) – in a commercial organization he'd be at risk of being dismissed for cause.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/government-faces-60-year-debt-blowout-after-building-costs-explode/R7L54GYHNIEJD3Z6TQDFOYRJMI/
Note that it's not only government departments. The outcomes of some contractual featherbedding in commercial organisations is eye-watering – because they're worth it?
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-companies-pay-CEOs-so-much-to-leave
That's debatable
You should try it.
Jimmy-he is effectively being made redundant. He signed up to run KO as a social housing renter and BUILDER .
Despite the fact that KO has been highly successful in building state houses, including 3,500 last year, this government has made it absolutely clear that KO's role as a house builder is now ended. This was justified by the conclusions reached in the jacked-up report by Bill English.
Luxon and co. have made it plain that only private companies will build social housing in the future with a pathetic $200m in the budget to support this process. The need for the private companies to make significant profits in this process will mean rents will inevitably rise.
The billions saved by the government by KO not building social housing (thus increasing homelessness and the cost of putting homeless people up in motels) will be used to pay for tax cuts for the better off, which is what Key/English did over 9 years.
To end this farce vote Labour or Green in 2026.
To end this farce vote Labour or Green in 2026.
👍👍👍
"To end this farce vote Labour or Green in 2026."
..or Te Pati Maori for a less neo-liberal option.
fair call gsays
It is called colloquially "buying out a contract".
If they want him gone early then they have to make it worth it for him.
The government must REALLY want him gone if they are prepared to pay that.
I bet you would take the money if you were in his position, Jimmy.
He has given eight years service. His contract was written under a National government. His job description has been totally changed. He has the right to be paid for 6 months as the Government triggered the move from building Social houses to just being a Landlord.
As with the ferries, Luxon's politics are costly and short sighted.![angry angry](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/angry_smile.png)
Vote Green or Labour Or Te Parti Maori in’26
It's effectively a constructive dismissal.
Yes. According to luxon, bishop & english KO is a real concern and underperforming. The chair of the KO board says the outgoing CEO has done a great job and made some real achievements. Wonder which of the 2 camps I would trust to be more accurate
While Labour were never going to build enough state houses and apartments for my liking–or the actual need–they did actually complete a few thousand some of which are “still in the pipeline” and will be finished.
In 2020 they should have gone for broke and done a massive flat pack/modular build from Euro and Chinese imports given the local developers basically going on strike re social housing. Pepperpotting houses including tiny houses for homeless and emergency housing in every provincial town would have seriously stuck it to the grasping landlords.
Just down the road from where I live KO, (to use CL's terminology) have replaced 2 very old state houses on 2 large and damp sections with 8 new and very attractive smaller homes for single parents. The sections are now well drained and attractively planted, the homes are well finished including curtaining and heat pumps. Doesn't sound like much, but I'll bet the new families living in them are very happy to be there.
I think that that's been the case for the majority of the KO developments – replacing older homes on largish sections, with apartment blocks.
This is the one just down the road from me. 9 old homes replaced with 85 apartments.
https://kaingaora.govt.nz/en_NZ/news/northcote-development-celebrates-opening-85-new-public-homes-at-ngahuripoke/
I hold no brief for the design of these (I think they are ugly, and the blocks are crammed too close together) – they certainly fulfill the requirement to get as many homes as possible onto the site.
There is still KO development going on adjacent and across the road – building more of the same.
If you drive along Hendon Ave in Owairaka you can see an amazing transformation of the previous built environment. Gone are the old "State Houses", bult in the 1950's out of 6 varieties of tacky boarding and held together with thumb tacks. Houses where the biggest room was the kitchen, and the second bedroom was about 6m2 and expected to hold 3 children.
Now, there is a variety of modern, warm and dry homes – some duplexes, some town houses and some 3, 4 or 5 level apartment blocks. Almost finished is the big apartment building on the corner of Hendon Ave and Richmond Rd which uses modular construction just like the one being built for Seniors opposite to old Library building in Pt Chevalier.
Exactly what is possible with the political will. When I had the misfortune to live in Whangārei for several years we had a hell of battle to get a 37 dwelling state house development–mix of duplexes and smaller apartments etc–built in the ostensibly middle class suburb of Maunu.
But it did happen, despite Dr Reti immediately siding with the aggrieved white locals and lifestyle farmers miles away, not wanting dirty filthy state tenants in their neighbourhood driving down property values.
242 submissions to WDC against, and 6 including me for. An independent Commissioner against all odds decided the development was in line with the Council long term plan and stated social goals.
Not a word about transport links, as far as I was able to see. With what looks like little or no car-parking space, that's going to be crucial.
Well for the state homes to which I have been referring, the public transport passes by their front door so to speak – and the obliging driver will stop at any point to enable disabled, and mums with babies alight closest to their home. The bus stop is at most about 100 m away and the bus runs hourly and is $2 for adults and $1 for children 5 – 16, free for gold card and pre schoolers. There is also parking spaces for residents cars. The sections have also been tree planted (small natives, hebes, et al ) , fenced for individual privacy, and clothes lines, a small shed for bikes, etc as well.
Hendon Ave has been reworked with raised pedestrian crossings and a new "cross town" bus link that affords access to New North Rd for CBD buses and goes to Avondale and New Lynn.
There is some nice planting and there were already good street trees which have been retained to provide amenity,
The Northcote one does have a bus service to the CBD and to Takapuna. It isn't a very good bus service, but it does exist. It's also within walking distance (about 15-20 minutes) to the Northern busway interchange at Akoranga Station.
Bus, observationally, the vast majority of the tenants have cars, and the street parking in the surrounding streets and shopping centre is an ongoing issue.
Have you crossed the road to ask them Belladonna?
Asked them what?
I have seen a large number of impressively designed state houses built recently in Epuni, a few hundred metres from where one of my sons lives.
"a few thousand" Tiger Mountain?
Clint Smith @ClintVSmith
"borrowed and spent billions" is a weird way to refer to building 22,000 homes through the government build programme. it's not like the money disappeared. most of the new homes are state houses or transitional housing that are assets on the government's books.
Quote
Newsroom @NewsroomNZ ·
May 27
Directors of Kāinga Ora stand accused of inadequately governing the agency as it borrowed and spent billions Govt suggests board's been asleep at the wheel https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/05/27/govt-targets-a-board-asleep-at-the-wheel/…
8:00 AM · May 27, 2024
https://x.com/ClintVSmith/status/1794820867261960449
You can pull your head in too…
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/labour-delivers-12000-more-public-homes
That proves your initial post incorrect. It's you that should pull your head in, Tiger Mountain.
Clint Smith @ClintVSmith
National's killed the government build programme, which has been building 6,000 homes a year. gotta pay for them landlord tax cuts. https://x.com/dan_brunskill//dan_brunskill/status/1807857976138780800…
This post is unavailable.
7:37 AM · Jul 2, 2024
https://x.com/ClintVSmith/status/1807861188585517486
And from that link, reference to a huge amount of work that for many houses amounted to major renovations – this work was just as important as a new home to many previously suffering from poor quality state houses:
From Sotomayor's dissent:
Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.
Let the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be as bold and fearless as we would like him to be. That is the majority’s message today.
Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf
This wouldn't phase me if Trump was unlikely to be President next year. But so long as Biden stays in the race, I can't see any alternative.
With Trump more than likely to be the next President this terrifies the hell out of me. It is now the most dangerous decision the Supreme Court has ever made.
What is to stop Trump now doing one of the things Sotomayor has highlighted?
Probably nothing. The court has handed over the keys.
@nycsouthpaw
Chief Justice Roberts decrees the end of DOJ independence in an offhanded sentence on page 20.
https://x.com/nycsouthpaw/status/1807796392858939783
The SCOTUS keeps delivering for the republicans.
The repugnants were the ones who appointed most of them so what more could the US expect?
As for the most dangerous decision – the overturning of Wade vs Roe has placed thousands if not millions of women in the States in mortal danger.
https://newrepublic.com/post/183331/john-roberts-supreme-court-obliterates-independent-justice-department
SCOTUS is declaring its support for Project 2025.
Taking on the role of the German Centre Party in 1933.
I guess the immunity works both ways, Republican or Democrat president. Means the current President Joe Biden has immunity as well: There's a lot he could do between now and the election to "sort things out". He's probably not as scrupulous as the orange one.
Leaves one question: Did the Supreme Court members considered a potential threat to themselves with such an undemocratic judgement?
The Federalist society only gives a rats about it’s own version of democracy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Society
Could this decision backfire with some voters deciding that Trump should never be let loose with that much unaccountable power?
It’s a nice thought, although most Trump supporters seem possessed by an unshakeable and shameless faith: 'In Trump we trust' to MAGA.
https://urcmade.com/products/dth-in-trump-we-trust-gun-are-just-backup-shirt-t286-62457
George Bush POTUS 43 gave an illegal order for the FBI to spy on Americans. A journalist was not able to publish his story about it (POTUS asked the NYT not to publish) and so wrote a book.
Ultimately because it was a security decision, Congress made it legal after the fact and no one was impeached.
POTUS Obama cynically said illegal spying had stopped (it is effectively no longer illegal, if it is on the grounds of security). Now it is to be presumed (Edward Snowden's walk away) and the numbers under watch by the Fusion "centers" is going up all the time.
Now SCOTUS has formally determined that authority to govern is more important than the peoples liberties and constitutional protections.
Congress last time, and now SCOTUS. All it needs is POTUS who wants to be a tyrant for a day (thousand year reich day), and replace government with his people.
Project 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025
The end of the Weimar Republic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enabling_Act_of_1933
Israel torture of civilian Gazan prisoners reported in The Guardian.
"The head of the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital has accused Israel of torturing him and other detainees, following his release after seven months in Israeli prisons and detention facilities….he and other prisoners were subjected to “almost daily torture” while in detention in Israel. Mistreatment included assaults with batons and dogs, deprivation of food and medicine, as well as physical and psychological humiliation, Abu Salmiya said."
The world's most moral army.
/
“The situation there is more horrific than anything we’ve heard about Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.” This is how Khaled Mahajneh describes the Sde Teiman detention center as the first lawyer to visit the facility. More than 4,000 Palestinians whom Israel arrested in Gaza have been held at the military base in the Naqab/Negev since October 7; some of them have subsequently been released, but most remain in Israeli detention.
[…]
‘To take revenge on whom?’
In recent months, international media outlets have published several testimonies of released prisoners as well as doctors who worked at Sde Teiman. For Israeli doctor Dr. Yoel Donchin, who spoke to the New York Times, it was unclear why Israeli soldiers had detained many of the people he treated, some of whom were “highly unlikely to have been combatants involved in the war” based on pre-existing physical ailments or disabilities.
The Times also reported that doctors at the facility were instructed not to write their names on official documents or address each other by name in the presence of patients, for fear of being later identified and charged with war crimes at the International Criminal Court.
“They stripped them down of anything that resembles human beings,” one witness who worked as a medic at the facility’s makeshift hospital told CNN. “[The beatings] were not done to gather intelligence. They were done out of revenge,” another witness said. “It was punishment for what they [the Palestinians] did on October 7 and punishment for behavior in the camp.”
https://www.972mag.com/sde-teiman-prisoners-lawyer-mahajneh/
Hearing from a family member their diabetes sensors that were to be fully funded from 1/7 are now not being funded.
Very late notice, going to cost hundreds per month. Thought Frontline health wasn't to be impacted ?
Media asleep on this?
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….
Medicines-buying agency Pharmac says it believes it can soon fund devices that would remove the need for people with type 1 diabetes to prick a finger to check their blood sugar levels.
Pharmac announced on Tuesday it was seeking bids from suppliers of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps and pump accessories for people with type 1 diabetes.
For the past five years, Diabetes NZ has called on Pharmac to fund the devices, but Pharmac’s chief medical officer, Dr David Hughes, said the agency can only now consider the move following last year’s budget increase.
For the tens of thousands of New Zealanders living with type 1 diabetes, “having funded access to these devices would be life changing”, Hughes said.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/300925375/pharmac-looks-set-to-fund-lifechanging-diabetes-devices
The proposal that was going to start on July 1st didn't fund one of the insulin pumps that many type 1s are using. There was a lot of feedback about that, people not wanting to change away from a pump that they knew worked well. So, it all went ba ck to Pharmac for more consultation and the date has been pushed back to…..whenever….
A lot of frustration on the Type 1 FB pages
I was aware of that but the issue TC raised was about the funding of sensors rather than the defunding of one pump brand.
Its caused financial stress as it was all good to go but appears to have made way for tax cut funding at the 11th hour.
Cruel and needless as we give more to the already well off, how very national.
Quite a list:
https://mountaintuihere.substack.com/p/achievements-of-the-coalition-government
Thanks r0b trust you are well.
That is a really impressive list.
I tried to compile a list a few months ago. It had more swearing.
https://thestandard.org.nz/back-on-track/
It is clear that the current Government is engaging in a blitzkrieg of change,
Great work and a great resource in its own right Mountaintuihere
It seems that Pharmac has bundled the funding of sensors and pumps in one package, so the hold up because of pumps is causing a delay which is also affecting the funding of sensors.
As a non pump user, currently paying over $55 a week for a sensor, I'm not happy with the delay.