Author Archive

What Starts off in Support of Alabama’s Miners …

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, December 28th, 2021 - 2 comments

What Starts off in Support of Alabama’s Miners turns into a homily from Beau on the power of getting community change going when and only when you have the organisational power to pull it off month after month after month.

Our Energy Upheaval

Written By: - Date published: 7:39 am, December 23rd, 2021 - 79 comments

Ministers Wood, Shaw and Parker (Energy, Climate Change, and RMA reform respectively), must pull their eyes downward from the misty clouds of climate change and stuff multiple decades away and down into the jagged, shadowy deal-by-deal path of the transition to clean energy.

Can Labor Win Australia Back?

Written By: - Date published: 1:07 pm, December 21st, 2021 - 37 comments

Coming up surprising quickly in 2022 is the Australian federal election – and Labor has a good shot.

No One Cares

Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, December 18th, 2021 - 71 comments

I had reason to visit Waitara in Taranaki recently, and I don’t want to sound like there’s a different world still operating … … but the fish and chip shop people weren’t wearing masks, I passed three guys burning the street with dirt-bikes and no helmets and famously lank and long hair, random fireworks lit up […]

Goodbye, Auckland

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, December 14th, 2021 - 21 comments

For the hundreds of thousands of Aucklanders who have decided to holiday at a town near you, just be careful: they may never leave.

The 2022 Economic Boom

Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, December 12th, 2021 - 23 comments

New Zealand is seeing a strong, business-led recovery.  But what will we do with this success?

Fonterra’s Capital Restructure

Written By: - Date published: 2:26 pm, December 7th, 2021 - 32 comments

Fonterra is in the middle of a big restructure of its capital. It is still the case given its dominance over us that where Milk Supertanker Fonterra goes, we go.

What National Needs To Do

Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, November 27th, 2021 - 83 comments

Since the left are experts at internal knifing, National should learn from the left about how to recover.  What National needsto do to recover.

He Waka Eke Noa?

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, November 24th, 2021 - 14 comments

While a core of farmers protested a few days ago against farm environmental regulation with long lines of tractors, the organised form of agribusiness, Maori and government working together have concluded that making a climate different isn’t possible.

Is This The New State We Want?

Written By: - Date published: 12:02 pm, November 19th, 2021 - 24 comments

The New Zealand state is gaining power again, but is it what we want?

The Mandate To Say Goodbye

Written By: - Date published: 8:38 am, November 17th, 2021 - 210 comments

In the next two weeks we will find out how many teachers in New Zealand are immune to facts, were happy to enforce vaccinations upon their children for multiple diseases over multiple decades but not themselves, and after decades enforcing state rules in daily attendance and behaviours of young people at school could not themselves be subject to that same force of state.

COP26 Results

Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, November 14th, 2021 - 15 comments

The deal is done. Together with lots of side-agreements, big-up pledges, finance, and no definite language the phasing out of Coal or fossil fuel subsidies.

The 2022 We Are Heading Towards

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, November 13th, 2021 - 34 comments

Most of us have been diminished by COVID in 2020-21 so it’s time for everyone to prepare 2022 as an honest accounting of damage to our whole society.

Freedom Protesters are a pain in the ass

Written By: - Date published: 7:36 am, November 10th, 2021 - 74 comments

Human rights are a pain in the ass. Yesterday’s protesters were rude, unfit to invite home to dinner, shouty, and so incoherent that you could’t make any sensible point with them. They were and are a pain in the ass. But they are OUR pain in the ass.

New Zealand’s New Low Carbon Economy Stays Difficult

Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, November 7th, 2021 - 36 comments

Southland Mayor Gary Tong has justified felling a forest to construct a coal mine by saying “[w]e all want to make a cleaner, greener planet, but we can’t do it in five minutes.”

The Rules To Save The World

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, November 4th, 2021 - 7 comments

Beyond the NGO emotion and singing and joyous arm waving, country leaders at COP 26 actually have to achieve stuff this week.

Covid alters Auckland

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, November 3rd, 2021 - 22 comments

With in-person shopping about to re-start in Auckland next week, this is the best moment we will have to reinvent Auckland: one customer at a time.

COP26 is on

Written By: - Date published: 12:02 pm, November 1st, 2021 - 39 comments

The show is now on for Conference of Parties 26 (COP 26), where countries show each other how they will achieve the Paris Agreement climate goals. How will we do? Set in Glasgow, it will bring together negotiators from nearly every country on earth to assess progress, and to determine the scale of sacrifice we’re […]

Good Again

Written By: - Date published: 7:48 am, October 28th, 2021 - 23 comments

COVID has reminded us how good New Zealand is, and we should remember how we were reminded.

In December 2022 We Will Be …

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, October 25th, 2021 - 15 comments

A year ago we were preparing for the America’s Cup and threading our way through the latest crisis quite well.  What will we be planning next year?

Friday will change Us As Citizens

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, October 22nd, 2021 - 210 comments

While we may have been lifted out of martial lockdowns and some rights have been reinstated in limited form, we have surrendered to another more pervasive power.  The power of big data.

Get Ugly

Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, October 20th, 2021 - 94 comments

Kindness will not get the country to meet its Covid vaccination goals.  It is time to change the tone.

Jacinda Ardern: Tear Down This Wall

Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, October 17th, 2021 - 109 comments

In the coming months Fortress New Zealand will be dismantled.  What will take its place?

Why Can’t We Do More?

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, October 16th, 2021 - 35 comments

The Government’s dramatic action taken over the past 18 months to respond to Covid and the population’s overwhelming support suggests that it should be taking similar drastic action to address poverty and climate change.

More Promises from Prime Minister Morrison

Written By: - Date published: 1:03 pm, October 11th, 2021 - 14 comments

So, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is preparing for a November resumption of international air travel.

China and Real Estate Developers

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, October 10th, 2021 - 17 comments

Speaking of contagion, China is dealing with an outbreak of real estate market ebola.

China, Australia, and Coal Energy

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, October 1st, 2021 - 31 comments

China, which previously banned coal imports from Australia, is running out of coal.  Will Australia uses the resumption of coal supply as a diplomatic play?

Highway to the Danger Zone

Written By: - Date published: 12:51 pm, September 29th, 2021 - 25 comments

I never thought I would see the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of the United States military essentially being a witness against the previous President of the United States. Yet here we are.

Germany Votes: Where To Now

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 26th, 2021 - 22 comments

Germany is up for Federal election tomorrow and it’s pretty important for the stability of the European Union.

The Golden Ticket

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 24th, 2021 - 110 comments

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern claimed yesterday that a very high vaccination rate in New Zealand would represent a “golden ticket” and make level 4 lockdowns redundant. What could that mean that’s positive for New Zealand?

CPTPP V Nuclear Submarines

Written By: - Date published: 2:45 pm, September 19th, 2021 - 41 comments

In a piece of incredible timing, on the same day as Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom announced their defence technology procurement pact and pissed off ally and competitor alike, China formally applied to join the Comprehensive and Porgressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

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