Armstrong demolishes Nats on housing
Written By:
- Date published:
10:13 am, May 18th, 2017 - 28 comments
Categories: housing, national, useless -
Tags: housing, housing crisis, john armstrong
John Armstrong is still out there, and he is not impressed:
Government’s handling of housing crisis lurches from chaotic to shambolic
National’s persistent and longstanding refusal to acknowledge that the Auckland housing crisis is a crisis has been a textbook example of the kind of self-inflicted muddles that bedevil long-running governments and which ultimately destroy them.
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By this stage of a government’s life-cycle, long-serving ministers start believing in their own omnipotence regardless of the cold, hard fact that in National’s case an election is just around the corner. Ministers are always right. Everyone else is wrong. As the crisis worsens, ministers subscribe to short-term fixes and patch-work solutions in the hope those measures will do the trick.They rarely do so. And never when the problem is as deep-seated, complex and intractable as the Auckland housing shortage. To admit there is a crisis is to admit to failure. To refuse to admit there is a crisis is to leave yourself open to ridicule. The upshot is that National’s handling of the shortage of affordable new homes in Auckland has run the whole gamut between the merely chaotic to the utterly shambolic.
The stumbling and bumbling has put National very much on the back foot on the no.1 issue in a metropolis where elections are won and lost.
It is also the one area of policy where Labour has come up with a clear and coherent package of interlocking policies, the intent of which are difficult to criticise.
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Labour’s leader won deserved plaudits for flagging the removal of what amounts to a subsidy which not only fills the pockets of those in least need of receiving it, but which has also seen billions of dollars shunted into the property market at the huge expense of productive investment. Such tax write-offs are indefensible regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum.
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Labour first promulgated its KiwiBuild scheme back in 2012. Its objective is the construction of 100,000 affordable houses nationwide over ten years for first-home buyers. At the time, National almost drowned in the sound of its own scoffing at Labour’s plan. Five years on, National is now copying it. And shamelessly so.
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The urgent need to build more social housing to accommodate the poor also raises questions about Bill English’s mad-scientist experiment in creating a free market for state housing. The programme had the unstated intention of running down Housing New Zealand. If anything, the apparent boost to social housing cited in the Crown Building Project would seem to give the state housing agency an enhanced role.If you are looking for ideological consistency from National four months out from a general election, however, you can forget it.
Go read the full piece for plenty more.
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- State Highway 3 project to deliver safer journeys, better travel connections for TaranakiConstruction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...8 hours ago
- Ginny Andersen appointed as Minister of PolicePrime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...1 day ago
- Government confirms vital roading reconnectionsSix further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...1 day ago
- Foreign Minister Mahuta to meet with China’s new Foreign MinisterForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...1 day ago
- Education Ministers from across the Pacific gather in AotearoaEducation Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...1 day ago
- State Highway 5 reopens between Napier and Taupō following Cyclone GabrielleA vital transport link for communities and local businesses has been restored following Cyclone Gabrielle with the reopening of State Highway 5 (SH5) between Napier and Taupō, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan says. SH5 reopened to all traffic between 7am and 7pm from today, with closure points at SH2 (Kaimata ...1 day ago
- Special Lotto draw raises $11.7 million for Cyclone Gabrielle recoveryInternal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds has thanked generous New Zealanders who took part in the special Lotto draw for communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Held on Saturday night, the draw raised $11.7 million with half of all ticket sales going towards recovery efforts. “In a time of need, New Zealanders ...2 days ago
- Government delivers a $3 million funding boost for Building Financial Capability servicesThe Government has announced funding of $3 million for providers to help people, and whānau access community-based Building Financial Capability services. “Demand for Financial Capability Services is growing as people face cost of living pressures. Those pressures are increasing further in areas affected by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle,” Minister for ...4 days ago
- Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao – new Chair and memberMinister of Education, Hon Jan Tinetti, has announced appointments to the Board of Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao. Tracey Bridges is joining the Board as the new Chair and Dr Therese Arseneau will be a new member. Current members Dr Linda Sissons CNZM and Daniel Wilson have ...4 days ago
- Scholarships honouring Ngarimu VC and the 28th (Māori) Battalion announcedFifteen ākonga Māori from across Aotearoa have been awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships and Awards for 2023, Associate Education Minister and Ngarimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today. The recipients include doctoral, masters’ and undergraduate students. Three vocational training students and five wharekura students, ...4 days ago
- Appointment of Judge of the Court of Appeal and Judge of the High CourtHigh Court Judge Jillian Maree Mallon has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, and District Court Judge Andrew John Becroft QSO has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Mallon graduated from Otago University in 1988 with an LLB (Hons), and with ...4 days ago
- NZ still well placed to meet global challengesThe economy has continued to show its resilience despite today’s GDP figures showing a modest decline in the December quarter, leaving the Government well positioned to help New Zealanders face cost of living pressures in a challenging global environment. “The economy had grown strongly in the two quarters before this ...4 days ago
- Western Ring Route CompleteAucklanders now have more ways to get around as Transport Minister Michael Wood opened the direct State Highway 1 (SH1) to State Highway 18 (SH18) underpass today, marking the completion of the 48-kilometre Western Ring Route (WRR). “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, more ...4 days ago
- Briefings to Incoming MinistersThis section contains briefings received by incoming ministers following changes to Cabinet in January. Some information may have been withheld in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982. Where information has been withheld that is indicated within the document. ...4 days ago
- Teaming up for a stronger, more resilient FijiAotearoa New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta reaffirmed her commitment to working together with the new Government of Fiji on issues of shared importance, including on the prioritisation of climate change and sustainability, at a meeting today, in Nadi. Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand’s close relationship is underpinned by the Duavata ...5 days ago
- Investment in blue highway a lifeline for regional economies and cyclone recoveryThe Government is delivering a coastal shipping lifeline for businesses, residents and the primary sector in the cyclone-stricken regions of Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced today. The Rangitata vessel has been chartered for an emergency coastal shipping route between Gisborne and Napier, with potential for ...5 days ago
- Next steps developing clean energy for NZThe Government will progress to the next stage of the NZ Battery Project, looking at the viability of pumped hydro as well as an alternative, multi-technology approach as part of the Government’s long term-plan to build a resilient, affordable, secure and decarbonised energy system in New Zealand, Energy and Resources ...5 days ago
- Statement from the Prime Minister on Stuart NashThis morning I was made aware of a media interview in which Minister Stuart Nash criticised a decision of the Court and said he had contacted the Police Commissioner to suggest the Police appeal the decision. The phone call took place in 2021 when he was not the Police Minister. ...6 days ago
- CPTPP Trade Ministers coming to AucklandThe Government’s sharp focus on trade continues with Aotearoa New Zealand set to host Trade Ministers and delegations from 10 Asia Pacific economies at a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission members in July, Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor announced today. “New Zealand ...6 days ago
- Govt approves $25 million extension for cyclone-affected businesses$25 million boost to support more businesses with clean-up in cyclone affected regions, taking total business support to more than $50 million Demand for grants has been strong, with estimates showing applications will exceed the initial $25 million business support package Grants of up to a maximum of $40,000 per ...6 days ago
- More than 160,000 new Kiwis to call NZ home80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visas applications have been processed – three months ahead of schedule Residence granted to 160,000 people 84,000 of 85,000 applications have been approved Over 160,000 people have become New Zealand residents now that 80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visa (2021RV) applications have been ...6 days ago
- Scholarships propel Kiwi students to NASAThe Government continues to invest in New Zealand’s burgeoning space industry, today announcing five scholarships for Kiwi Students to undertake internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash congratulated Michaela Dobson (University of Auckland), Leah Albrow (University of Canterbury) and Jack Naish, Celine Jane ...6 days ago
- New Zealand to attend regional security meeting in AustraliaThe Lead Coordination Minister for the Government’s Response to the Royal Commission’s Report into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques travels to Melbourne, Australia today to represent New Zealand at the fourth Sub-Regional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Security. “The Government is committed to reducing the threat of terrorism ...6 days ago
- Health and safety action plan for portsThe health and safety practices at our nation’s ports will be improved as part of a new industry-wide action plan, Workplace Relations and Safety, and Transport Minister Michael Wood has announced. “Following the tragic death of two port workers in Auckland and Lyttelton last year, I asked the Port Health ...6 days ago
- Bikes and scooters to be exempt from FBTBikes, electric bikes and scooters will be added to the types of transport exempted from fringe benefit tax under changes proposed today. Revenue Minister David Parker said the change would allow bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters, electric scooters, and micro-mobility share services to be exempt from fringe benefit tax where they ...7 days ago
- Foreign Affairs Minister to reaffirm our close relationship with FijiForeign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji this week. The visit will be her first to the country since the election of the new coalition Government led by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka. The visit will be an opportunity to meet kanohi ki ...1 week ago
- New legislation to streamline Cyclone recoveryThe Government is introducing the Severe Weather Emergency Legislation Bill to ensure the recovery and rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle is streamlined and efficient with unnecessary red tape removed. The legislation is similar to legislation passed following the Christchurch and Kaikōura earthquakes that modifies existing legislation in order to remove constraints ...1 week ago
- Cost of living package: More bread and butter support for Kiwi familiesApproximately 1.4 million people will benefit from increases to rates and thresholds for social assistance to help with the cost of living Superannuation to increase by over $100 a pay for a couple Main benefits to increase by the rate of inflation, meaning a family on a benefit with children ...1 week ago
- Freeing up more government bandwidth and money to focus on the cost of living$1 billion in savings which will be reallocated to support New Zealanders with the cost of living A range of transport programmes deferred so Waka Kotahi can focus on post Cyclone road recovery Speed limit reduction programme significantly narrowed to focus on the most dangerous one per cent of state ...1 week ago
- State of National Emergency to end for Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s BayThe remaining state of national emergency over the Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay regions will end on Tuesday 14 March, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today. Minister McAnulty gave notice of a national transition period over these regions, which will come into effect immediately following the end of the ...1 week ago
- Government delivers on Dawn Raids commitmentThe Government is today delivering on one of its commitments as part of the New Zealand Government’s Dawn Raids apology, welcoming a cohort of emerging Pacific leaders to Aotearoa New Zealand participating in the He Manawa Tītī Scholarship Programme. This cohort will participate in a bespoke leadership training programme that ...1 week ago
- New plan to increase productivity and high wage jobs across advanced manufacturing sectorIndustry Transformation Plan to transform advanced manufacturing through increased productivity and higher-skilled, higher-wage jobs into a globally-competitive low-emissions sector. Co-created and co-owned by business, unions and workers, government, Māori, Pacific peoples and wider stakeholders. A plan to accelerate the growth and transformation of New Zealand’s advanced manufacturing sector was launched ...1 week ago
- Aotearoa New Zealand supports Pacific countries to combat animal disease New Zealand will provide support for Pacific countries to prevent the spread of harmful animal diseases, Associate Minister of Agriculture Meka Whaitiri said. The Associate Minister is attending a meeting of Pacific Ministers during the Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry in Nadi, Fiji. “Highly contagious diseases such as African ...2 weeks ago
- Government delivers better public transport for ChristchurchThe Public Transport Futures project will deliver approximately: 100 more buses providing a greater number of seats to a greater number of locations at a higher frequency Over 470 more bus shelters to support a more enjoyable travel experience Almost 200 real time display units providing accurate information on bus ...2 weeks ago
- Minister praises education heroes in cyclone damaged regionsAll but six schools and kura have reopened for onsite learning All students in the six closed schools or kura are being educated in other schools, online, or in alternative locations Over 4,300 education hardpacks distributed to support students Almost 38,000 community meals provided by suppliers of the Ka Ora ...2 weeks ago
- Australia’s 116 new coal, oil and gas projects equate to 215 new coal power stations
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Denniss, Adjunct Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Australia has 116 new coal, oil and gas projects in the pipeline. If they all proceed as planned, an extra 1.4 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases would be released into ...36 mins ago - Public Sector Managers Growing At Twice The Rate Of Frontline Workers
Figures unearthed by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union reveal that the growth in public sector managers is almost twice that of frontline social, health and education workers. Since 2017, the frontline workforce for social services, health and education ...59 mins ago - What Australia could learn from New Zealand about Indigenous representationSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic O’Sullivan, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University A referendum will be held later this year to enshrine a First Nations’ Voice to Parliament into the Australian constitution. ...2 hours ago
- Taoist rituals via video call and Tarot readings over WeChat: China’s spiritual market is going di...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Haoyang Zhai, PhD Candidate, The University of Melbourne Alexander Schimmeck/Unsplash Since its inception in 1921, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has officially promoted an atheist and materialist ideology. But belief systems in China are making a comeback – and ...2 hours ago
- Scott Robertson appointed the next All Black coach (after the current one)
Scott Robertson has been announced successor to Ian Foster as head coach of the All Blacks, completing a controversial and highly idiosyncratic appointment process. He will assume the role in 2024, following the world cup at the end of this year. The contract for the breakdancing current coach of the ...2 hours ago - Concerns Expressed For Anti-Trans Activist Plans For New Zealand VisitMulticultural New Zealand (MNZ) has expressed concern about events scheduled to take place in Auckland and Wellington on March 25th and 26th, respectively. The events will feature British anti-transgender activist, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull. MNZ is ...2 hours ago
- Race Relations Day To Focus On Empowering Inspirational Leadership From YouthRace Relations Day is celebrated annually in New Zealand on March 21st to promote and celebrate diversity, inclusivity, and harmony among different cultural, ethnic, and religious groups. As part of Race Relations Day 2023, Multicultural New Zealand ...2 hours ago
- Mayor Wayne Brown’s Comments Concerning Says Library AssociationAuckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s suggestion to make council budget cuts by reducing staffing hours and replacing librarians and library assistants with volunteers is concerning says New Zealand’s library association. “Limiting access to the valued ...2 hours ago
- Google and Microsoft are bringing AI to Word, Excel, Gmail and more. It could boost productivity for...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohiuddin Ahmed, Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock Google and Microsoft are on a mission to remove the drudgery from computing, by bringing next-generation AI tools as add-ons to existing services. On March 16, Microsoft announced an ...3 hours ago
- Wayne Brown’s interviews since being elected mayor, rankedThe Auckland mayor’s decision to keep the media at arm’s length makes every interview he does grant a rare and exciting event, like a new Avatar movie. Stewart Sowman-Lund ranks them all from least to most exciting. Wayne Brown has a well-reported lack of affection for the media. In his ...3 hours ago
- Papuan liberation group calls for more ‘serious’ global efforts to end violenceTabloid Jubi in Jayapura The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has called on the international community to “pay serious attention” to the escalated violence happening in West Papua. Head of ULMWP’s legal and human rights bureau, Daniel Randongkir, said that since the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) ...4 hours ago
- IPCC report: world must cut emissions and urgently adapt to climate realitiesANALYSIS: By Bronwyn Hayward, University of Canterbury This decade is the critical moment for making deep, rapid cuts to emissions, and acting to protect people from dangerous climate impacts we can no longer avoid, according to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The synthesis report ...4 hours ago
- Labour now leads National across five pollsAcross five of the latest polls for which results are published, Labour now has an edge over National. A new Talbot Mills poll, as reported by the Herald, has Labour up four points to 37%, with National down two points to 34%. The results, which draw on fieldwork across the first ...4 hours ago
- WWF Calls For The Government To Accelerate Action To Phase-out Fossil Fuels, Slash Emissions, And Re...Statement from Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, WWF-New Zealand CEO Today's IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Synthesis Report (AR6) highlights that an accelerated phase-out of fossil fuels is the best way to avoid the planet overshooting 1.5°C and risking total climate ...4 hours ago
- A day in the life of a children’s librarianThe first in a two-part series revealing insights into the working life of a librarian. For privacy reasons, all names – including place names – have been changed. Te Whare Pukapuka o Poutama is a composite library. It’s 9.30AM on a mid-January Monday, high summer, school holidays. Kaitiaki Pukapuka ...4 hours ago
- Our mysterious night parrot has terrible vision – but we discovered it might be able to hear like...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elen Shute, Researcher, Flinders University One bird bucks the stereotype of Australia’s raucous parrots – the mysterious and critically endangered night parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis). Rather than flying around in noisy flocks or eating fruit in trees, the night parrot roosts all day ...4 hours ago
- No, gamblers don’t ‘need’ cash. Our research isn’t an argument against cashless gaming refor...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sally Gainsbury, Deputy Director, Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, University of Sydney shutterstock The Perottett government’s promise to introduce mandatory “cashless gambling” in New South Wales by 2028 – something for which anti-gambling activists and public-health ...4 hours ago
- Funding For Roads At Lowest Levels In A DecadeLocal Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is warning that the state of our roads could be the next infrastructure crisis if the Government does not adequately fund maintenance costs. LGNZ commissioned a report by one of the country’s leading economists, Brad ...4 hours ago
- Police Minister Ginny Andersen vows to focus on community safety
Ginny Andersen, who was named in the role yesterday, says she will be working every day to make sure New Zealanders feel safer. ...5 hours ago - Consumer Pulse: Kiwis Tighten Spend As They Face Financial StressToday Canstar is proud to release its second Consumer Pulse report, which delves into the financial worries, hopes and dreams of more than 20,000 New Zealanders over the past two years. The report, released annually, tracks Kiwis’ finances and reveals ...5 hours ago
- Australia’s electric vehicle numbers doubled last year. What’s the impact of charging them on a ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thara Philip, E-Mobility Doctoral Researcher, The University of Queensland The number of electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia doubled in 2022 and Tesla’s Model 3 emerged as the best-selling mid-size car, the first time an EV has held this title. Despite these headlines, ...5 hours ago
- A Greyhound Will Face Full Tail Amputation Following A Race Meeting In ChristchurchSAFE is again urging the Government to ban greyhound racing sooner rather than later, following a raft of severe injures in Christchurch yesterday. Sugar rose suffered a severe tail injury yesterday at Addington raceway. Her tail was partially amputated ...5 hours ago
- PM Chris Hipkins speaks to media after visiting his old primary schoolPrime Minister Chris Hipkins is speaking to media following a visit to his old primary school. ...5 hours ago
- Industry Lobbying Influence A Major Brake On Government Action – GreenpeaceIn the wake of revelations that Chris Hipkins' chief of staff, Andrew Kirton, lobbied against the Container Return Scheme on behalf of the liquor industry shortly before the scheme was scrapped by the Prime Minister, Greenpeace is calling for the scheme ...5 hours ago
- Why peace negotiations haven’t gained any traction in the Ukraine war – and how the stalemate co...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Komesaroff, Professor of Medicine, Monash University Libkos/AP/AAP A year after Russia’s invasion, Ukraine is in ruins. At least 8,000 civilians have died, with millions displaced. Generations of infrastructure have been destroyed. Large tracts of the environment and agricultural land ...6 hours ago
- Watch live: PM Chris Hipkins speaks to media after visiting his old primary schoolPrime Minister Chris Hipkins is speaking to media following a visit to his old primary school. ...6 hours ago
- The Opportunities Party Announces A $1.5b Investment In Our Future Generations With The Teal DealThe Opportunities Party have proposed a new Teal Deal between taxpayers and young Kiwis - which includes fully-funded healthcare and public transport, and a Kiwisaver kickstarter in exchange for national civic service. Raf Manji, Leader of The Opportunities ...6 hours ago
- Why is it so hard to combine biking with public transport in Auckland?There are plenty of practical ways the city could make multi-modal transport more accessible – but have they all been consigned to the too-hard basket? How can Auckland start mitigating its impact on the climate crisis? Our biggest city’s sustainable solution must start with transport, its number one source of ...6 hours ago
- Parliament Must Seize Chance To Unlock Natural Health Products’ Billion-dollar PotentialLong overdue legislation to unlock the economic and export potential of natural health products must not accidentally add more red tape that harms the growing sector and consumers, industry body Natural Health Products New Zealand told Members of ...6 hours ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politicsAnalysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who ...6 hours ago
- Chernobyl was history’s worst nuclear disaster. Now it’s teaching geologists about the history o...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Fougerouse, Research Fellow, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences and The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), Curtin University Shutterstock Thirty-seven years ago, on April 26 1986, the reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant suffered a catastrophic meltdown. In ...6 hours ago
- NZ Chiropractors Voice Opposition To Therapeutic Products BillThe New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association (NZCA) will today (21st March 2023) tell Parliament’s Health Select Committee that the profession opposes the proposed Therapeutic Products Bill in its entirety in its present form and in particular its ...7 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Multiple options for avoiding worst of climate breakdownThe final Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on the climate crisis came out this morning. The report contains no new science but is a summary of eight years of research by hundreds of scientists and the last three IPCC reports published in August 2021, February and April 2022 ...7 hours ago
- Police accept IPCA report into incident at Tauranga CourtBay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson: Police accept the findings by the Independent Police Conduct Authority into an incident involving an officer who tasered a man in the cells at Tauranga District Court in February 2019. ...7 hours ago
- Womad review: Summer finally gets a festival worth shouting aboutFew festivals have escaped the summer of 2023 unscathed. Before the sun blessed Womad with a rare guest appearance, the Taranaki festival got a drenching too. According to my pink and blue wristband, we were partying like it was “2022”. That was the first sign that things haven’t been going ...7 hours ago
- https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2303/S00159/.htm...7 hours ago
- PVA To Appear At The Health Select Committee Today To Express ‘Grave Concern’ About Therapeutic ...Patient Voice Aotearoa’s Dr Malcolm Mulholland will today at 3.30 appear before the Health Select Committee to voice opposition to parts of the Therapeutic Products Bill on behalf of Kiwi patients. “The Bill threatens to obstruct access to unfunded ...8 hours ago
- Banking Union Calls For Levy On Bank ProfitsFIRST Union, the union for bank workers across New Zealand, is supporting calls for an immediate inquiry into bank profits and proposing a levy on excess profits to fund the establishment of a Ministry of Green Works . The March 2023 KPMG Financial ...8 hours ago
- Prime Minister Chris Hipkins responds to revelations chief of staff led lobbying firmPrime Minister Chris Hipkins says there is a need for "transparency and vigilance" around lobbyists and their relationships with politicians. ...8 hours ago
- IPCC report: the world must cut emissions and urgently adapt to the new climate realitiesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Hayward, Professor of Politics, University of Canterbury Earth Negotiations Bulletin, CC BY-ND This decade is the critical moment for making deep, rapid cuts to emissions, and acting to protect people from dangerous climate impacts we can no longer avoid, ...9 hours ago
- Why isn’t cervical screening free for everyone?There is a growing campaign to remove the costs associated with cervical screening in Aotearoa. Alex Casey explains. What’s all this then? In July, Aotearoa is getting a big shiny new cervical screening programme after years and years and years of delays. The dreaded three-yearly smear test will be exchanged ...9 hours ago
- Satellites and space junk may make dark night skies brighter, hindering astronomy and hiding stars f...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Heim, PhD researcher, University of Southern Queensland ESA Since time immemorial, humans around the world have gazed up in wonder at the night sky. The starry night sky has not only inspired countless works of music, art and poetry, ...9 hours ago
- Labor is odds-on for a narrow victory in NSW election, but it is far from a sure betSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andy Marks, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Strategy, Government and Alliances, Western Sydney University Bianca de Marchi/AAP A gambler would probably feel the odds favour a Labor win at the upcoming New South Wales election. But, as Scott Morrison proved in 2019, underdog ...9 hours ago
- How bad is vaping and should it be banned?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Lee, Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne), Curtin University nery zarate/unsplash, CC BY-SA Vaping regularly makes headlines, with some campaigning to make e-cigarettes more available to help smokers quit, while others are keen to see vaping products ...9 hours ago
- NZ universities are not normal Crown institutions – they shouldn’t be ‘Tiriti-led’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic O’Sullivan, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University Shutterstock As part of its aspiration to be “Tiriti-led”, the University of Otago has embarked on a consultation ...9 hours ago
- Gen Z grew up in a world filled with ugly fashion – no wonder they love their CrocsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emily Brayshaw, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney 1MilliDollars/Unsplash In 2017, Julia Hobbs of British Vogue declared Crocs “have an unrivalled ability to repel onlookers and induce sneers”. But over the two decades since the notoriously ugly shoes were ...9 hours ago
- Is it time for more transparency on lobbyists?A new investigation on the role of lobbyists raises fresh questions about whether we need better disclosure of who they are and who they work for, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...10 hours ago
- Why Grater Goods is using equity crowdfunding to expandFlip Grater decided to give up her career in music to pursue her other passion of vegan delicatessens. Now, her meat-free versions of chorizo, pastrami, and turkey have launched her business and landed her products in foodstuffs supermarkets. She talks to Simon Pound about Grater Goods’ rapid success, and expanding ...10 hours ago
- IPCC Report Shows 2023 Is A ‘Now Or Never’ Climate Election“This is it; 2023 will be the last opportunity New Zealand has to get a government that will confront the climate emergency with the urgency it demands,” says the Green Party’s co-leader and climate change spokesperson, James Shaw. Speaking after ...11 hours ago
- IPCC Report A Wake-up Call For Hipkins As Climate Election ApproachesToday the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, released its ‘synthesis report’, summarising six previous reports. Greenpeace says that the latest report confirms the industrial drivers of climate change, its dire planetary impacts, and ...11 hours ago
- Prime Minister’s chief of staff Andrew Kirton led lobbying firm that fought against reforms now bi...Prime Minister's chief of staff came directly from leading a lobbying firm that argued against alcohol reforms that have now been ditched. ...12 hours ago
- Mahesh Muralidhar Selected As National’s Candidate In Auckland CentralPhase One Ventures chief executive Mahesh Muralidhar has been selected by local party members as National’s candidate in Auckland Central for the 2023 General Election. “I want to thank our local party members for backing me to campaign for ...12 hours ago
- An incident at Blueskin Bay
On the holy terror and absolute love of parenting Picked up by Octavia outside the book shop, the kid and I clambered into the back, to the soundtrack of classic hits from what seemed to be a tape she was playing. We were thankful to get in. The sun ...12 hours ago - Guyon Espiner reveals the banal and bleak machinations of government lobbyistsA new investigative series from RNZ reveals just how broken the government communications machine is, writes Duncan Greive. Investigative journalist Guyon Espiner is peeling back the lid on the world of external lobbyists and corporate affairs strategists employed by the public sector. His new series, being published on RNZ this ...13 hours ago
- What you need to know about the anti-trans campaigner heading to New ZealandFresh from a Melbourne rally that attracted neo-Nazi supporters, British anti-transgender rights speaker Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull is scheduled to appear at two events in Aotearoa. So what’s the lowdown? Another controversial international speaker wants to visit New Zealand, and, as expected, reaction has covered the full spectrum from outrage to support. ...13 hours ago
- Macron’s reform dilemma: progress or popularity?
French economy has made significant strides, but the need for political consensus and restoring social cohesion is urgent ...13 hours ago - Our climate change policies are a mess
The Emissions Trading Scheme was always a neoliberal, market-based, get-out-of-jail-free plan. Time to lead the way with Tradable Energy Quotas instead Opinion: The old saying about news – that it’s always bad or it wouldn’t be news – is distressingly true for the climate, both in terms of this summer’s weather ...13 hours ago - Catching a fair ride
The Detail finds out why a law change in 2017 has led to a proliferation of independent taxi drivers – and why they're leaving some passengers feeling ripped off Not all taxis are created equal. RNZ newsreader Evie Ashton found this out the hard way, after Dave Chapelle's recent show at Auckland's ...13 hours ago - Time to plan for the climate change inevitable
As NZ inherits the climate legacy of larger and more powerful nations, we must turn our attention to leading by example, writes Kevin Trenberth. ...13 hours ago - Mahuta's China trip a test of NZ sensitivities
The foreign minister's trip to Beijing comes with tricky topics. ...13 hours ago - Supermarkets cracking wholesale deals
Government pressure leads to deals with Circle K and Kennerley. ...13 hours ago - Is it time for business to push for green politics?
Companies have tended to be louder in lobbying politicians against climate change mitigation rather than in favour of it. This election, that needs to change ...13 hours ago - Veteran scientist kicks up over climate
Knighted, nonagenarian scientist adds his voice to the call for a climate election ...13 hours ago - Is NZ ready for the next pandemic?
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Adding to the above bills programme had the unstated intention of running down our SOEs so they could then justify flicking them of cheaply to foreign corporations
does NZ Post ring a bell
Ahh the winds of change, bit late from the beltway trougher.
Armstrong was a key sycophant who played his part in grannies national party propoganda.
Yes,… a bit rich from Armstrong,…. a fictitious $100 , 0000 bottle of wine and a certain Chinese businessman springs to mind during Cunliffes campaign , still , … it seems like hes found his truth serum bottle again regarding Nationals drive to privatize everything…
Typical wilful blindness from Armstrong – attributing the mess over housing to 3rd-term fatigue rather than an inevitable outcome of corrupt right-wing ideology.
Whatever his past “sins”, John Armstrong has this time written an excellent and blunt summation of National’s “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” dogma re housing. The run down state of Housing NZ properties, the vacant properties, and the vacant land sitting there for years, have been amoral and plain wrong, together with the dividend which could have been put to such good use.
He should have mentioned that National, in the form of John Key, were claiming that there was a housing crisis back in 2007. He would have had more credibility then.
http://www.nzpif.org.nz/news/view/53038
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10455931
It’s deep seated because for decades we’ve been taught that we should own our own homes. That’s also what makes it intractable.
It’s complex because:
1. We allow people to own more than one home
2. We’ve put in place rules that allow and encourage speculation
3. We allow the private banks to control our money supply and create money upon demand with a massive incentive to create far more than what’s good for society
4. We allow people from offshore to own homes
Perhaps we need to get round to that ban on offshore ownership that we need but the politicians are in denial of and only allow people to own one home. That would put paid to the speculation and homes sitting empty.
Copying it and seriously reducing it to the point that it would be entirely useless. And, given the effect of their other plans to encourage more homes to be built, there isn’t any real hope that it will work.
The free-market has never actually worked. That’s why we’ve always had government programs.
Saying that it worked has allowed the governments of the last few decades to wind back those successful government programs so as to get a few people rich.
Dont often agree with you, but essentially you are right
The banking system is designed to drive up the prices, the size of the mortgage and the revenue for the banks
You could say its the supermarkets who are behind the obesity crisis, as they stock food and products that arent good for us but bring in a good income for shelf space fees. Explains why vast spaces given over to surgery drinks , breakfast cereals with dubious benefits and things like candy masquerading as cereal bars ( another big space user)
Ha ! – I live off chilli beans and corn , eat em mixed and cold- love em. And tuna and salmon and Sardines , almonds and brazil nuts, raw garlic and onions and some spag. Red wine , coffee and green tea.
I call it the ‘ SASQUATCH ‘ diet.
I should write a book.
I can just imagine a gym full of hairy wild bastards giving the two fingered salute to the bankers.
Sasquatch Genome Project Press Conference – YouTube
Video for sasquatch genome project youtube▶ 2:13:09
“The free-market has never actually worked. That’s why we’ve always had government programs.”
A combination of state and corporate owned enterprises seems to work best. It’s the ‘Who does what’ where we seem to have the most friction.
With the exception of food, I think most of life’s ‘Got to haves’ require considerable state intervention. Housing, police, education, health, power. As a general rule of thumb I think the ‘Nice to haves’ are best left to market forces.
I don’t want a state made car or clothes or to be restricted to listening/watching state radio/tv broadcasts. I don’t want to holiday at a state owned resort, I want to go to one that is trying desperately to out do their competitor. Capitalism brings choice, I like that choice, we all do. Choice = freedom.
The government should guarantee that everyone gets enough to eat of a good range of healthy food. The best way to do that is through government farms supported by taxation.
Anything beyond that could be supplied via the ‘free-market’.
I could agree with that but here’s a question:
In the 1950s, before computers became obligatory, should the government have pushed their development?
You shouldn’t be able to afford a car – climate change proves that. businesses and government don’t really need a choice.
All of the NZ TV programs and many of the movies made here are funded through NZOnAir – i.e, they are ‘state’ programs and broadcasts.
Well, no it doesn’t. Ask the people who can’t feed themselves if they have a choice. When I connect to the internet what choice do I have? Does it come in different colours or is it just a choice of which set of bludgers are getting rich from providing exactly the same service? Does having that choice actually make me better off?
The answer to that last question is that it doesn’t because it also costs a hell of a lot. Those bludgers really do cost us more and then there’s the duplication in bureaucracy that each corporation represents.
I think you’re placing too much faith in my work ethic Draco. When we’re both lifesavers at Club Kiwi and I get the same pay as you if I’m surfing or working, I’ll be surfing.
Yes, the hungry person has no choice, they don’t have the freedom to choose. Choice = freedom.
Only if you insist on being a boring bludger like all those shareholders. They certainly don’t have any work ethic.
No it doesn’t.
Having a choice of name brands doesn’t give any freedom. Having a choice of colours on the car doesn’t give any freedom.
Freedom comes from being politically active and having your say in how your society runs and we don’t get that. Our representatives don’t represent us but business.
The thing with the free market, David, is not as simple as the difference between a BMW or a Lada.
What the so-called free market (I say that because in my opinion it made slaves of at least one generation) is is a shift away from a culture of sharing and looking after your neighbour – which New Zealand was world famous for – to a culture of greed, such that even if I have enough today, I want what you have, because I might need it tomorrow, or because I don’t mind if people go hungry as long I don’t have to meet them and, anyway, I deserve a bigger boat.
The world today is more complex than pre1984, and there’s no going back to how things used to be, but it seems to me from what I read – even in the Herald, when its conscience pricks it – is that New Zealand used to have a lesser distinction between rich and poor, then it shot past other countries to have one of the fastest growth rates of inequality in the world.
Check out Robert Reich’s film “Inequality For All” if you want to understand the issues further.
Hi thinkerr,
Dividing all the money up so that we all have equal shares would see the status quo smartly returned. Being wealthy isn’t about winning Lotto, we’re either accumulating wealth or we ain’t.
The equality that matters is an equal chance for everyone, the equality of opportunity to be the best we can be and rewarded accordingly. I think that’s the best we can hope for. Life ain’t fair. Just ask the skinny lion, 27 and a virgin.
Good on Armstrong. But ffs, can people please stop talking about the Auckland housing crisis as if we don’t have a nationwide crisis or that the Auckland issues don’t also affect the rest of the country. The focus on Auckland is stopping us from looking at the real causes and better solutions.
Armstrong had his opportunity to play fair and be truthful. But instead he chose to play Natz dirty game of lies, deceit, cover ups and in the process discredited David Cunliffe at the last election, thereby keeping golden boy Key in business, along with his equally greasy, disreputable and corrupt MPs and cronies.
So now I don’t give a fig what Armstrong says or does. He was culpable in preventing a fairer government getting into office, possibly making NZ a more equal and better place for all Kiwis!
Too little too late John Armstrong!
Yes , … we seem to have our own home grown version of Benedict Arnold fast forwarded a few hundred years…
Now if we are going to start blaming people for the mess we are shouldn’t we start with those that voted this lot in and what about the lot that continue to think the sun shines from the gnats backside when it doesn’t it never has and it never will unless its a cows bum
Mate,… have you ever looked into a cows eyes and seen that peacefulness? I’m sure you have.
That is a far cry from the dipshit’s that continue to support National and drive past beggars and homeless people and watch videos at night as other family’s adjust the pillows in their vans for the young children to sleep their fitful slumbers…
With you 100 % .
Yes, totally correct mary_a.
Armstrong is not in any position to criticise this government, He is one of them.
Bring on the rat Mike Hosking, even more culpable.
“Bring on the rat Mike Hosking, even more culpable.”
Don’t insult rats by calling them Hosking
The National Party is constipated and needs a good dose of the salts.
They give me the shits every day.
the 1930s remind anyone of what we are in and will be until landed gentry national leave office
Well if we don’t get rid of them we will see more and more of this sort of thing…
Timewatch – The Real Bonnie and Clyde – YouTube
Video for bonny and clyde you tube▶ 57:30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRYp6Xos79k
It is quite entertaining watching Labour supporters faux outrage at the housing crisis, and then Andrew Little’s own goal on his Wellington family home. Add this to a house building policy no-one believes, his crowded house stunt (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=), a deputy that is polling higher than the leader, immigration numbers that he can’t explain…
@ 10 – Mordecai mouthing off
“I don’t give a shit about any crisis or how it affects this country now and into the future….”. Must you display your foolishness, your shallowness, so gratuitously ?