Aquifer recharge

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, October 31st, 2017 - 44 comments
Categories: disaster, Environment, farming, water - Tags: , , ,

This Guest Post is by John Hodgson, a long time angler, and active member of the NZ Salmon Anglers Association. 

___________________________________________________________

The fol­low­ing is a sim­ple demon­stra­tion to help peo­ple un­der­stand “Na­tures pro­cesses” for wa­ter re­newal of the Can­ter­bury Plains. Put wa­ter in the sink to near the top. Then us­ing a veg­etable drain­ing colan­der im­merse in the wa­ter and watch how quickly the in­com­ing wa­ter fills the colan­der. Next, lift up and ob­serve how fast the wa­ter drains. What you are see­ing is how na­ture’s plumb­ing sys­tem works in re­gards to aquafier wa­ter recharge.

This is the sys­tem of the Can­ter­bury plains and has worked sat­is­fac­to­rily for man and beast etc., and has had suf­fi­cient un­der­ground reserves of wa­ter along the foot hills of the Alps to main­tain a flow for the Aquafiers for sev­eral years when rain­fall and snow is at a low ebb. The po­si­tion now is that there are hun­dreds of deep bore wells, that have over 10 or more years drained the nat­u­ral reserves of wa­ter so the sink is empty. The con­se­quence of this is go­ing to be a mas­sive disas­ter.

The first be­ing no drink­able non-treated wa­ter and each year be­com­ing worse. It is false in­for­ma­tion that the rivers are dry be­cause of low rain­fall. The cause is ex­ces­sive draw off of the nat­u­ral wa­ter reserves by the dairy cow in­dus­try. (Ir­ri­ga­tion for agri­cul­ture is not a prob­lem, it is sea­sonal.)

Of the many opin­ions ex­pressed just lately about our wa­ter and no mat­ter how cor­rect and gen­uine they are, no change to the cur­rent sit­u­a­tion is pos­si­ble un­til the deep well own­ers are re­quired to lift their pumps three me­tres per year un­til equi­lib­rium is reached. It has taken less than ten years to get to this very se­ri­ous state of af­fairs and will take at least fif­teen years to start re­cov­er­ing.

The laugh­able side of the sit­u­a­tion is that the present Na­tional Gov­ern­ment col­lapsed the En­vi­ron­men­tal Coun­cil. They put in Com­mis­sion­ers to al­lo­cate wa­ter fairly, and have failed in their re­spon­si­bil­ity. We are now back to the ear­lier Coun­cil’s dis­cus­sion that the wa­ter takes are all over al­lo­cated. The sad side is that many farm­ers to­wards the coast­line who at­tended the many zone com­mit­tee meet­ings are go­ing to be dis­ad­van­taged to have enough wa­ter to run their farms and they will be fight­ing the up­land wa­ter tak­ers.

The se­ri­ous side is that as the mean wa­ter ta­ble drops, the over­load of pol­lu­tants from dairy­ing will con­tam­i­nate pro­gres­sively the wa­ter sup­ply for many com­mu­ni­ties un­til it reaches Christchurch proper. The Christchurch City Coun­cil has knowl­edge of this, and since the earth­quake era has been re­plac­ing dam­aged bores, but they are go­ing much deeper so the pol­lu­tion fac­tor will not show as early as with the shal­lower wells. The wa­ter bot­tling com­pa­nies need to be aware that the present pu­rity of sup­ply is in jeop­ardy.

In all of 70 years of be­ing able to vote in a gen­eral elec­tion I don’t re­call such a bad sit­u­a­tion as that which we have at the present time. Even the 1951 strike ac­tion and the Hol­land Gov­ern­ment re­sponse was tame com­pared to the present time. We are now deal­ing with the sur­vival of Can­ter­bury.

The cause of this se­ri­ous sit­u­a­tion is sim­ply the present Gov­ern­ment*, the Over­seas In­vest­ment Of­fice and the Banks that urged farm­ers to go into a very large debt re­pay­ment sys­tem with the prom­ise of an abun­dant wa­ter sup­ply. The Gov­ern­ment used in­ad­e­quate wa­ter sci­ence to start with and is fail­ing to recog­nise that many farm­ing units are go­ing to fail be­cause of debt re­pay­ment. It will be the Gov­ern­ment’s re­spon­si­bil­ity to ac­cept the debt of failed farms and pay the money­len­ders. It is also ironic the Gov­ern­ment is giv­ing mil­lions of dol­lars to­wards the re­build of Christchurch city, but ig­nores the on­com­ing disas­ter that has al­ready started by the de­struc­tion of our once fa­mous arte­sian wa­ters.

Update:

What Needs To Be Done Immediately.

1. No deepening of any bore wells without authority. This covers many shallow wells of less than 70 metres.

2. Instructions to the deep bore well’s owners to start lifting their pumps.

3. Extensive and accurate assessments of recording factors, and public recognition of the bore well holders of consents that they are doing what is required.

4. A statement from the Christchurch Council and the District Councils of how they will supply potable water for use by the public when the water becomes contaminated.

5. Will the councils confiscate the Canterbury Water scheme to supply what is needed?

6. What is the emergency profile for the Canterbury Health Board?

7. Fire fighting is able to use any water, (polluted or otherwise) as long as it is water.

8. So that people will be able to come to terms with the diminishing water flows, a cross section map showing bore depth relative to mean sea level starting from the foothills to the sea. The public are entitled to know because it is their water resource as well as private enterprise.”

* this post was written before the change of government in October 2017.

44 comments on “Aquifer recharge ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Antoine 1
    30 October 2017 at 8:11 am

    Well spoken

  2. Robert Guyton 2
    30 October 2017 at 9:15 am

    In Southland, aquifers and rivers are interconnected and water moves to and fro, backwards and forwards from one to the other, unseen. It’s worth picturing that when thinking about “green stream” events and other visible degradation in the surface waters.

    • ianmac 2.1
      31 October 2017 at 12:04 pm

      Robert, Little is known about the shift between rivers in mid-Canterbury but the movement is critical for Canterbury water viability for town and irrigation. It is a vital area which should be researched.

  3. Ad 3
    30 October 2017 at 9:15 am

    “The sad side is that many farm­ers to­wards the coast­line who at­tended the many zone com­mit­tee meet­ings are go­ing to be dis­ad­van­taged to have enough wa­ter to run their farms and they will be fight­ing the up­land wa­ter tak­ers.”

    I’m not sure why this is sad. Farmers need to have this debate with each other – and that includes with Federated Farmers Canterbury. Farmers also need to determine whether the entire cycle of water in Canterbury is failing them enough to act.

    But I have a question:
    I have heard that the 2017 winter and spring in central and northern Canterbury has recharged the whole water system.

    Do you see that this is the case?

    • tracey 3.1
      31 October 2017 at 12:34 pm

      I was wondering if it is sad cos the farmers closer to coast genuinely engaged in the process while others just went through lobbyists to get water for their dairy? Or sad cos the coastal farmers are not dairying but will get burdened with dairy excesses?

      • weka 3.1.1
        31 October 2017 at 12:53 pm

        Also sad is that Ecan and the govt manage the commons so that farmers end up fighting each other over water.

  4. Gristle 4
    30 October 2017 at 9:36 am

    In North Otago/South Canterbury there is a substantial amount of water flowing underground. Holes that are dug for power poles (and the like) are regularly going down 2 or 3 meters into the alluvial gravels on the plains. Nowadays you will often see a green tide mark at the top of water table, and before you see it, you can smell it. The older/experienced hands say that this did not occur 15 years ago.

    You know how the ground filters out some of the shit and some of the chemicals. Well, maybe this is were it is occurring and being overloaded.

    • weka 4.1
      30 October 2017 at 11:15 am

      Yikes.

      Makes sense though. If you look at somewhere like Waimate, it’s basically all old wetland and river/creek systems.

      We are idiots in the extreme.

  5. garibaldi 5
    30 October 2017 at 11:09 am

    No excuses, the science has been there for a long time. It’s just another example of greed by pig headed capitalists ie Federated Farmers. They don’t even milk their poorly placed herds, they need slaves from the Philippines to do that because they have ruined the once great sharemilking ladder with their greed for intensive dairying/large herds. You would have to be nuts to try and get into farm ownership from scratch now. Why would young NZers bother, unless Daddy owns a farm?

    • Johan 5.1
      31 October 2017 at 12:48 pm

      How many of our dairy farmers make an adequate living to sustain themselves and their family?

    • greywarshark 5.2
      31 October 2017 at 5:20 pm

      That sharemilking system was of great benefit. But I will never forget the hard working bloke running sharemilking with his wife who said that the owner just kept piling stock onto the farm till it was at capacity and he didn’t have room or feed for the herd they were building and trying to develop. He died, and she said that the way the owner developed the farm was the reason, she said that he was working night and day to make it work. It was some decades ago, I thought how sad, the real farmers we wanted on the land in this country are being ousted by all sorts people like the Crafurs and so on. Getting every big lots, and then not even farming themselves, getting managers and imported labour in.

  6. ianmac 6
    30 October 2017 at 6:07 pm

    Thanks for posting the above Weka. I have been off-line since Friday and John Hodgson has added to the above in the NZ Salmon Anglers Association. As an 87 year old John is very concerned about water in Canterbury.

    “What Needs To Be Done Immediately.
    1. No deepening of any bore wells without authority. This covers many shallow wells of less than 70 metres.
    2. Instructions to the deep bore well’s owners to start lifting their pumps.
    3. Extensive and accurate assessments of recording factors and public recognition of the bore well holders of consents that they are doing what is required.
    4. A statement from the Christchurch Council and the District Councils of how they will supply potable water for use by the public when the water becomes contaminated.
    5. Will the councils confiscate the Canterbury Water scheme to supply what is needed.
    6. What is the emergency profile for the Canterbury Health Board.
    7. Fire fighting is able to use any water, (polluted or otherwise) as long as it is water.
    8. So that people will be able to come to terms with the diminishing water flows, a cross section map showing bore depth relative to mean sea level starting from the foothills to the sea. The public are entitled to know because it is their water resource as well as private enterprise.”

  7. Mad Plumber 7
    30 October 2017 at 10:56 pm

    The other issue is Ecans approach to Backflow prevention of bores. At one stage they were letting the use of a non testable device known as a Chemcheck valve which Irrigation NZ was promoting (they are cheaper).
    We do a lot of testing of on farm bores for house supplies and common thread in all the results is the high nitrate levels and it is quite surprising that coliforms (shit) does not occur more frequently.
    The installation of the filtration units are not cheap and the moans over the cost are amusing. We do not say well you shit in your own back yard———

    • ianmac 7.1
      31 October 2017 at 9:34 am

      John Hodgson reckons that of the deep bores “the deep well own­ers are re­quired to lift their pumps three me­tres per year un­til equi­lib­rium is reached.”
      What do you think Mad Plumber?

      • Mad Plumber 7.1.1
        31 October 2017 at 11:01 pm

        I am just a simple plumber and to comment about that is out of my depth.But I have been lead to believe that when irrigation first started that in measuring the amount of water used ECAN relied on the rated capacity of the pumps and it was not until they made meters compulsory that they found how wrong they were.
        We were working on a new dairy shed on the plains and the effluent pond was dug out and left for a week or so before the liner was installed. Then there was a rain storm in the hills and a day later water started to leak in to the pond.

  8. Exkiwiforces 8
    31 October 2017 at 12:41 am

    Yikes, sounds like a few chickens are slowly coming home to roost.

    I can remember from my 1st year as a farm cadet at CHCH Polytech back 91, when our tutor Hamish talked about chemical leaching on the Canterbury Plains and especially on the outer suburbs of Christchurch when Applefields was going dambusters with it orchards at the time and possible long term affects of chemical leaching on the shallow aquaifers around CHCH.

    On a field trip around the plains looking and understanding the various soils and hydrology of the Canterbury Plains we had a member from DSIR who was then based out of the Lincoln University explaining why most of the then Canterbury Plains was mixed cropping with sheep and cattle as it due to the poor soils, the harsh winters/ summers and the water issues. It was one of the reasons dairy farms, horticulture areas were around the the outer suburbs of the main centres or the foot hills/ port hills. A question was asked if dairy were to take off and the answer was if it wasn’t managed a careful managed in a sustaining/ regulatory way with the proper check and balances. The long term effects will be huge to the water and soils, but short to medium effects of dairying well depend on the various catchments and soils as some areas will be more notable than in some areas as previous mention on soil and water.

    The out laying areas and region centres of the plains will see possible signs of leaching before CHCH will, but once it reaches CHCH it would have reached its Point of No Return (PNR) again what be the ongoing cost for water treatment for potable water? The other elephant in the room is what damage/ ongoing damage to aquaifers had after the earthquakes in the Canterbury region and bearing in mind the we haven’t had the Alpine faultline rupture before white settlement began and a unknown question there of the possible effects.

    As I’ve said before the dairy farming in NZ has become one great big Ponzi scheme and its bubble will burst with lasting effects from the big end of town to the small end of town!

    • ianmac 8.1
      31 October 2017 at 9:29 am

      A bit scary Exkiwiforces that as far back as 91 so much was known of the risks and yet the policy of denser farming at all costs went ahead anyway with the connivance of a political ECan. Wasn’t it Smith who justified the dismantling of an elected ECan by claiming that the elected body was making the “wrong” decisions? And yet the elected ECan had been working steadily and carefully to avoid over allocation.

      • Exkiwiforces 8.1.1
        31 October 2017 at 2:24 pm

        I can remember Hamish and two other gentlemen saying that chemical leaching was only a theory to about the 70’s or it may have been a wee bit earlier. It was only when they started research into Agriculture and Horticulture practices on the Canterbury Plains after the big droughts of the late 70’s in looking at recharging the aquifers that they found Agriculture and Horticulture chemical traces in some of the wells which started to get the Agriculture and Horticulture researchers thinking not only in water allocation, but also the long term effects of chemical leaching be it man made or by animals/ Agriculture and Horticulture current practises.

        I think Nick Smith who sack the ECAN councillor’s , Ruth Richardson, Jenny Shipley and others who pushing for dairy farms on the plains at the time need to be questioned.

        My dad is good mates with the Deans family and Rob Cope- Williams along with a few other farmers who are still doing mix cropping still can’t their head around Dairy Farming on the Plains.

        Also Dad was saying they now Dairy Farming in the McKenzie Basin and in the Manatoto basin in Central Otago and my response was WTBF are they doing that? Weather there is the most extreme anywhere in the country be it summertime or winter from my army days with 1st Recce SQN NZ Scots RNZAC and its just plain nuts where they are now dairy farming.

        And I’ll keep saying is again this till the cow’s come home, dairy farming in NZ has become one great big Ponzi scheme and its bubble will burst with lasting effects from the big end of town to the small end of town!

        • Sam aka clump 8.1.1.1
          31 October 2017 at 2:42 pm

          It’s actually really difficult for Fuana to evolve to a point of sustaining complex life because of a particular type of rock called dunnite. Dunnite makes up most of the Cantabury plains and the reason why water just disappears.

          • Exkiwiforces 8.1.1.1.1
            31 October 2017 at 3:21 pm

            I’ve never heard of “Dunnite rock” as i’m at work, I don’t have access to GNS books to confirm “Dunnite rock” makes up the Canterbury plains as most of the Canterbury plains is made up of Greyweck and rocks/ sediment aka erosion from the Southern Alps (if it wasn’t for the rate of erosion of the Southern Alps the Alps would higher than the Himalayas. Unless you are talking the Mt Dunn ore belt which is behind Nelson which has it origins in Southland.

              • Exkiwiforces …
                31 October 2017 at 4:15 pm

                Cheers for DTB, Heard of Dunite from exploring as a kid with my late grandfather in the Nelson region many moons ago, but the Canterbury Plains are mainly up the Greywacke rock and rocks/ sediment aka erosion from the Southern Alps.

                • Sam aka clump …
                  31 October 2017 at 4:35 pm

                  It’s traditional for Geo’s who discover an ore body to name it after themselves.

                  • Exkiwiforces …
                    31 October 2017 at 8:27 pm

                    It was the spelling that got all twisted like the bowl of the century by a young Shane Warne to Mike Gatting and poor old Mike is still confuse as to what happen that day.

                    I may still have a piece of Dunite from Mt Dunn at my Mum and Dad’s with a heap of rocks from the Hill and other places from NZ like a chunk of Coal from the old family Coal Mine at Blackball.

          • Exkiwiforces 8.1.1.1.2
            31 October 2017 at 8:20 pm

            The Canterbury Plains were during Otira Glaciation through erosion of the Southern Alps and it foothill. Pg7

            The Canterbury Plains are made up to a kilometre of Quaternary alluvial sediments blanket sedimentary and volcanic rocks. As we all know the Christchurch is built on former river channels with a shallow water table with underlying silts. Pg197.

            New Zealand’s major groundwater resources are held in flood plain aquifers on the eastern side of the main mountain ranges aka the Canterbury Plains. Groundwater is the major source (82%) of water for agriculture and is also important in some urban areas such as CHCH. About 3 billion cubic meters of freshwater falls on NZ as rainfall or snow each yr, but quickly flows to the coast. Therefore, potential to capture more of this water, once the Hydrology of each aquifer system is better understood. pg301

            The central Canterbury Plains is a 2000sq km area that lies between the Waimakariri and Rakaia rivers, which both flow 50km from the foothills of the Alps to the coast. This section goes on about leaching in the aquifers worth reading pg 322 to 325

            All references quoted are from the book “A Continent on the Move, New Zealand Geoscience Revealed, 2nd Edition” wonderful tool for amateur rock kicker or someone into Natural history like me. Also these books are useful for a detail understanding in your area.

            http://shop.gns.cri.nz/mqm15/
            http://shop.gns.cri.nz/mqm16/
            http://shop.gns.cri.nz/mqm13/
            http://shop.gns.cri.nz/mqm19/

        • ianmac 8.1.1.2
          31 October 2017 at 3:27 pm

          Exkiwiforces you might remember the Snowy River Irrigation Disaster. The chemicals, often natural salts, drained back across the soils and again and again back into the river system. The end result was that the chemical loading of the irrigation poisoned the land.
          So the “…saying that chemical leaching was only a theory to about the 70’s,” was a very important warning which has gone unheeded by farmers who should know better. Mind you, owners of dairy farms are no longer the local cocky making good but commercial business operators after capital gain and quick returns regardless of the effects on the land.

          • Exkiwiforces 8.1.1.2.1
            31 October 2017 at 4:08 pm

            The Snowy River Development was a Hydro power scheme not a Irrigation scheme. The Murray/ Darling basin was turned in a massive Irrigation scheme with the states over allocation water which in turn over the decades turn land in virtual salt pans and again growing such crops as rice and cotton which use a lot of water to grown in a semi desert environment.

            They are only now getting on top of the environment issues now for the Murray/ Darling basin. But it hasn’t help with the locks, barges that stop the floods that flush the river systems out and the states over allocation water.
            My dad comes from Broken Hill and the stories he talks about the water restriction’s at the Hill during the droughts, also the time spent at the Menindee lakes and later down Mildura way after he left the mines to work on the land for a while.

            I think they always knew about the leaching but couldn’t confirm the theory until the droughts in the late 70’s. But Canterbury was always known for mix- cropping until the great Dairy Ponzi Scheme of late which has now causing/ speeding up the environment problems such as nitrate, e-coili etc leaching into the Canterbury aquifers and the over allocation water.

  9. Philg 9
    31 October 2017 at 9:04 am

    Dairy farming on the Canterbury plains is an ecological crime. Those responsible should be prosecuted. Until that happens, very little will change.

    • ianmac 9.1
      31 October 2017 at 9:41 am

      Of course Philg no one would be held to account. Government policy, Smith, ECan? No way unless the incoming Government can at least put the breaks on.
      John says that the Rakaia River has an Act that when water level drops below a certain point, irrigation must stop. But when they keep taking water after the minimum there is no way to enforce the Act. And some “clever” irrigators found that they could dam the streams just below the meter to give a false inflated depth. Penalty? None.

    • Draco T Bastard 9.2
      31 October 2017 at 3:56 pm

      Dairy farming on the Canterbury plains is an ecological crime.

      That could be said of many places where we have farms across the country. Probably worth putting in place serious regulations about it. Get the universities to study the land and recommend what farming should be allowed there or even if farming should be allowed.

      • Exkiwiforces 9.2.1
        31 October 2017 at 4:26 pm

        The Canterbury Plains are well known for its mix cropping and world known for it Bailey and wheats yields. It was last year or the yr before that a mix cropping farmer smash the world record the highest yield for Bailey and that’s before we even start talking sheep or cattle weights or fine wool.

        Anyone Dairy farming on the Plains apart from domestic use have rocks in their head and as ianmac has said after a quick buck and bugger the environment.

      • greywarshark 9.2.2
        31 October 2017 at 8:04 pm

        But that’s a command economy isn’t it. The richies and would-bes want to do what they can make money from. It only takes a hint that a law might be brought in and deadheads start holding signs about communism. Farm areas are known to be slow to pick up new ideas, they call it conservative when being polite. If the backward farmers think that serious laws interfering with their next clearance and drainage and fast profit scheme are to be introduced and then enforced, inspected, prosecuted and perhaps jail at the end, there will be Massey’s troopers again and possibly shooting.

        Perhaps there should be National Standards for farmers. And refresher courses every few years so they can keep up with the latest and work out the most profitable ways of farming in a sustainable manner. And they should be klicensed. The courses will be tax deductible if all attended and a diploma achieved with a 75% level to that.

        • Draco T Bastard 9.2.2.1
          31 October 2017 at 11:30 pm

          But that’s a command economy isn’t it.

          That’s what some would say but it’s becoming increasingly clear that we can’t leave it to ignorant schmucks to do as they like, where they like as it has too much negative affect on everyone else.

  10. ianmac 10
    31 October 2017 at 9:46 am

    No one knows the process of water movement underground across from the Waimakariri to the Rakaia. The irrigators should find out because shifting water tables plus dairy effluent are a serious threat to Canterbury and to Christchurch water supply.
    There must be research done about the movement. It is criminal to go ahead in ignorance.

  11. Paul Campbell 11
    31 October 2017 at 1:12 pm

    So National took away Cantabrian’s right to vote for members of ECAN, they returned some of that under pressure in 2016 – is Labour going to replace the 6 National appointed members on the board? perhaps with elected ones?

    (same question for the SDHB which has only got worse since National dismissed its elected board)

    • ianmac 11.1
      31 October 2017 at 1:58 pm

      The new Government cannot do everything at once but the whole question of allocation and purity is a high priority. Once the water becomes contaminated by decades of mess filtering down, it will take decades to recover.
      I think aquafiers get replenished by surface percolation while deeper down is under the hard pan is the artesian mountain water. Artesian water used to bubble up above ground level decades ago. An artesian pipe could harness the water pressure to power a ram which pumped about a third of the water up to household holding tanks.
      Now the pressure has gone and artesian water is much much deeper and lower.

  12. Venezia 12
    31 October 2017 at 4:09 pm

    This piece needs to shared widely. Especially in the face of the current intense PR media bombing from the dairy lobby we are subjected to.

    • ianmac 12.1
      31 October 2017 at 6:15 pm

      We would be so pleased if it did go far and wide.

      • Exkiwiforces 12.1.1
        31 October 2017 at 6:40 pm

        If my memory serves me right a lot of freshwater angling clubs incl the fishing section of the old now defunct Riccarton Working Men’s Club, along the Fish and Game, and some of the Greenie (sorry can’t the groups names) outfits were lobbying ECAN councillor’s before ECAN got the sack through MS Media etc. Come to think about now I think must have quite an effective campaign up to that point. The Greens lady who was on the ECAN broad at the time, might worth try to see what she remembers before they got the sack?

        I was follow a lot of the ECAN sacking stuff and I was pointing a few people to where information was or could be find.

        • ianmac 12.1.1.1
          31 October 2017 at 9:04 pm

          Back then ECan was sorting out priorities for water access rights. There were legal blocks to some of the decision making rules and ECan sought permission from the Government to enlarge those rules. They were denied.
          One of the first things the Government Commissioners got was access to those needed rules. But then they over-allocated the water rights with the end result of far too much water being taken with disaster on the way. With the rights being given for decades ahead, how can the allocations be modified?

          • Exkiwiforces 12.1.1.1.1
            31 October 2017 at 10:12 pm

            Probably take al leaf out of book here IRT returning environmental flows back into the Murray/ Darling basin when the federal pollies dragged the states out of the Stone Age IRT allocation of water entitlements. There is going to pain somewhere along the line and really needs to start now before genie gets of the bottle as it’s going to bloody hard to stuff her in the bottle!

            Has there any talk of blue babies being born yet within the CHD? Because that’s a sign of high levels nitrates within water supply.

            My last visit to coes ford left me with a sad feeling, as I use catch eels, flounder further down at the huts and 2-3 lb Brown trout between the huts and coes ford with a cold beer at the world famous rabbit arms hotel in springston afterwards

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Stories of varying weight

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    17 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    23 hours ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-07-27T00:01:11+00:00