Budget Smudgeit

Written By: - Date published: 2:43 pm, May 30th, 2024 - 80 comments
Categories: budget 2024, national, nicola willis, same old national, treasury - Tags:

So the budget is now live and the analysis is now starting.

There are tax cuts. There are tax cuts, $15 billion of them. But there is also an increase in borrowing of $12 billion. And it will take a further year to reach surplus.

Can someone reconcile this with Willis’s claim that the budget is fiscally neutral?

Contrary to the previous expectations deliberately crafted by National not everyone is getting a $250 a fortnight tax cut.

1.9 million households will benefit from the overall relief package by an average of $30 a week. Households with children will benefit by $39 a week on average. That does not equate to $250 a fortnight.

A minimum wage worker can expect about $12.50 a week, while superannuitants will take home just $4.50 a week. For beneficiaries generally it is a big nada, nothing, zilch. They are excluded from the in-work tax credit rise, independent earner tax credit boost, and tax cuts.

Landlords will enjoy considerable largesse from the taxpayer and will be able to bank a tax free capital gain AND interest deductibility. And the bright line test is being cut back to a paltry 2 years. Landlords will be rubbing their hands with glee.

To afford these tax cuts the Government will be borrowing more, contrary to previous statements.

They will attempt to claim that the increase in debt is not related to the tax cut but the data would suggest otherwise.

This graph clearly shows what will be happening. Debt will track upwards.

It is the cuts side of things that will cause carnage. The cuts are brutal and random. The claims that the Government has “uncovered a layer cake of government initiatives – many of which we had never heard of before” suggests strongly they have not been doing their job. The information is available for all to see.

My first impression is that what we are witnessing an intense PR job which is at complete odds with National’s election promises from last year.

Comments welcome and obviously more analysis is required. The devil is always in the detail.

80 comments on “Budget Smudgeit ”

  2. I Feel Love 2
    30 May 2024 at 3:11 pm

    Heh curious, this is repeated word for word on 2 articles by different authors,

    "Minimum wage workers don’t lose out on too much, they were orignally due to receive a tax cut of $12.50, that’s been revised down to $10 but when you’re dealing with such small sums, a $2.50 loss is relative." from Tova O'Brien here https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350295633/budget-2024-beige-budget & "Minimum wage workers also don’t lose out on too much, they were originally due to receive a tax cut of $12.50, that’s been revised down to $10 but when you’re dealing with such small sums, a $2.50 loss is relative." from Bridie Witton here https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350295846/budget-2024-winners-and-losers

    Tova also says that it is exactly as National promised & with absolutely no extra borrowing.

    Reply
    • Incognito 2.1
      30 May 2024 at 3:34 pm

      The difference between a peanut and half a peanut is only half a peanut, which is really peanuts.

      Reply
      • alwyn 2.1.1
        30 May 2024 at 5:53 pm

        Even half a peanut can have an enormous effect. Anaphylaxis is not a pretty sight.

        Reply
        • Incognito 2.1.1.1
          30 May 2024 at 6:23 pm

          People living in poverty earning the minimum wage, disabled, beneficiaries, that’s not a pretty sight. But what’s an even less pretty sight is people who are better off kicking down on those less fortunate. Anaphylaxis is treatable, being an a-hole is not.

          Reply
    • Bearded Git 2.2
      30 May 2024 at 6:24 pm

      I haven't read anything Tova says for a long time.

      Reply
    • SPC 2.3
      30 May 2024 at 6:38 pm

      I've picked it would $10 for a long time now.

      They also got a 25 cents an hour wage increase.

      Thus $20 a week in total – if there are two living together on this income – they might together afford their rent increase.

      But "next year", there is "no more room for unfunded tax cuts" and National will still not be generous on MW increases.

      1990'S old school (market rents in state houses) – tents and or caravans/cars on the front lawn or street (space in garages/carports), this allows two families a building or renting out access to the home cooking and shower for those in cars/vans.

      Reply
  3. observer 3
    30 May 2024 at 3:39 pm

    Never trust a politician who uses cancer suffering for votes.

    Luxon lied:

    Election 2023: National promises to pay for 13 new cancer treatments if elected | Newshub

    Reply
  4. Tony Veitch 4
    30 May 2024 at 4:14 pm

    The reality is: health cut in real terms, education, defence and police also cut.

    https://x.com/SEaqub/status/1796009483560189959

    Reply
  5. adam 5
    30 May 2024 at 5:41 pm

    Anyone not getting this is open class war at this point, is an idiot.

    Reply
  6. SPC 6
    30 May 2024 at 6:18 pm

    We did not get fiscally neutral tax cuts from the incoming 2008 government either (and that was with a 2.5% increase in GST not declared in the election campaign).

    They had form and so no expert believed Willis’s pre-election reckons.

    Reply
    • georgecom 6.1
      31 May 2024 at 3:18 pm

      all the talk from Luxon and Willis before the election about their costings, pretty much laid bare now as being lies. Even the guy who wrote half of ACT & Nationals policies, Hooten, states as much.

      Reply
  7. Bearded Git 7
    30 May 2024 at 6:27 pm

    This is the obvious weakness/line of attack in this uninspiring budget:

    "the Coalition of Cuts is borrowing to give tax cuts."

    Madness. Bring back Grant.

    Reply
  8. aj 8
    30 May 2024 at 6:43 pm

    Tell me I just nodded off and dreamed it.

    Just heard on News TV1 that the govt has budgeted for a tug boat big enough to rescue ferries.

    No plan to replace the ferries themselves.

    Got to be a dream . .

    Reply
    • Bearded Git 8.1
      30 May 2024 at 6:49 pm

      smiley

      Reply
    • SPC 8.2
      30 May 2024 at 7:01 pm

      There is health and safety concern as to the continued operation of the existing ferries – there is no rail freight alternative on the horizon … No 8 fencing wire (like having option on leasing a plane for a week if the aging PM's jet is unfit to fly).

      Reply
  9. aj 9
    30 May 2024 at 6:50 pm

    RNZ Checkpoint: BBM Community Kitchen and Foodshare operator David Letele; former Labour MP and now CEO of Community Law Centres o Aotearoa Sue Moroney; and managing director of the consultancy Iron Duke Partners, Phil O'Reilly.

    Right at the end asked for a score out of 10, last one was O'Reilly who gave it 7/10 – 'a budget for the battlers'

    Letele shot back 'do you know any battlers'

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018940669/political-panel-debate-budget-2024

    Reply
  10. Ad 10
    30 May 2024 at 8:04 pm

    Pretty sad that Labour's opposition finance person didn't generate a memorable line over the whole day, and nor did the Greens.

    Good on TPM for helping organise marches in opposition.

    Beneficiaries getting so little in the tax cut is cruel to the poor.

    Reply
    • Kat 10.1
      30 May 2024 at 8:22 pm

      Memorable line's have a tendency to embellish……the budget is a cruel script that should be duly noted but unceremoniously dumped in the round filing cabinet……

      Reply
      • Ad 10.1.1
        30 May 2024 at 9:01 pm

        Without looking it up, who is the Labour finance person?

        This was the day they'd been practising for their entire political life.

        Reply
        • newsense 10.1.1.1
          30 May 2024 at 10:47 pm

          Hate to agree with you too much, but I think you’re spot on. They had a lot of time to get ready for what was coming.

          However, a consistent line a day or two after that is agreed upon by all is probably fine.

          I fear the main directive is don’t upstage the boss.

          Reply
        • Craig H 10.1.1.2
          31 May 2024 at 9:38 am

          Barbara Edmonds.

          Reply
    • bwaghorn 10.2
      30 May 2024 at 8:25 pm

      I don't know ! I saw Swarbrick at one point selling a wealth tax , and I'm thinking why not , fuck it it can't make things worse than the slow circling of the bowl we living .

      Reply
      • Ad 10.2.1
        30 May 2024 at 9:04 pm

        I'd rather have a wealth plan than a wealth tax.

        ie one in which the government has a plan to massively increase the number of people earning over $100k, so they can save towards their own home.

        Budgets used to be about the place of the public accounts within the entire economy. That's what they should be.

        Reply
        • SPC 10.2.1.1
          31 May 2024 at 12:21 am

          There was no economic plan in the budget.

          They cut science (CRI) funding. No R and D, they are making it hard for university to attract and keep grad students, no industry plans, no venture capital formulation, no cheaper finance for business development.

          Nothing on the strait, nothing on coastal shipping.

          Grifters.

          Reply
  11. Policy Parrot 11
    30 May 2024 at 9:16 pm

    This budget will go down badly amongst those who were expecting tax [sic]"relief".

    They would've been better off saying that conditions weren't right now because of the previous govt (not true but they have got this far with that lie), and that tax cuts will have to wait until 1 October 2025.

    That campaign promise of Nicola's to resign really busted any chance National could've delayed the meagre tax cuts, which as one commentator put it, is pretty much "all hat and no rabbit" and actually laid the ground for more meaningful “relief” closer to the next election.

    I also note that many of the intended beneficiaries of the targeted portion (i.e. working families with young children that have young children in paid care) are now almost certainly having to face increased costs at their childcare provider, whom coincindentally happen to have a brainwave that now is a good time to increase their rates ;))

    Reply
  12. SPC 12
    30 May 2024 at 9:27 pm

    TVNZ reckons it is about $50 a week for the average income household.

    1.9 million households will benefit from the overall relief package by an average of $30 a week. Households with children will benefit by $39 a week on average.

    Stats which would suggest, one income households lower on average and sole parents with children also.

    The thing about the boast of the size (when including a tax rebate of up to $75 a week max on child care for 2 to 3 year olds) it would not have been been counted as a tax cut under Labour – funding directly to the provider.

    Reply
    • mpledger 12.1
      30 May 2024 at 11:39 pm

      I hope someone is keeping an eye on the cost of ECE. With parents getting more money with that ECE tax break, ECE providers can increase the prices because they know the parents have the money. It's one of the most stupidist sink holes for government money ever – private providers are going to take every cent and parents will end up being no better off.

      What's the bet that in two years time, ECE prices will have risen to exactly the amount of the tax break for parents.

      Reply
  13. dv 13
    30 May 2024 at 9:29 pm

    dis I see they are going to pay 22m per year to train 25 more dr per year?

    Reply
    • mpledger 13.1
      30 May 2024 at 11:48 pm

      Interesting. Labour funded 50 news places in the 2023 budget and National promised 50 more places in this budget. I guess giving tax breaks for landlords was more important than providing health care.

      Reply
  14. Grey Area 14
    30 May 2024 at 9:30 pm

    Superannuitants get to take home $2.15 a week, not $4.50.

    Reply
  15. Grey Area 15
    30 May 2024 at 9:49 pm

    It really irks me that people like Brad Olsen are trotted out as experts when they are just neoliberal talking heads repeating CoC lies. How can people be expected to understand what is happening when he spouts crap like this about what to expect in future budgets in an RNZ article tonight:

    "Anything new will have to be met with a cut in other areas. The government has enough money each year to keep the lights on but not a lot more than that."

    It's government priorities that mean things are tight for them Brad. Tax breaks for landlords and tax cuts they are funding with borrowing are the problem. The government is sewing up it's own financial straitjacket around itself but Brad chooses to ignore this.

    Reply
    • gsays 15.1
      31 May 2024 at 6:22 am

      We are not served well by the media landscape here.

      Along the lines of Brad Olsen's reckons, I had the misfortune to hear on RNZ, Mary Holm's disconnected utterances in regards tax cuts. Pop them into Kiwisaver.

      In relation to the removal of the first home buyers grant, she opined that maybe, get used to the idea of renting for life. That way you can save money for your retirement. So out of touch with reality, she went on to compare renting in Germany and Belgium with Aotearoa, and reckoned you just get a long term lease. Then you can decorate how you like and plant gardens…

      From about half way through. A word of warning it may make yr blood boil.

      https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018940651/your-money-with-mary-holm

      Reply
  16. Michael 16
    30 May 2024 at 10:02 pm

    “the Coalition of Cuts is borrowing to give tax cuts.”

    Do correct that spelling mistake.

    Reply
  17. newsense 17
    30 May 2024 at 11:38 pm

    It doesn’t cover the rise in costs and the cuts in services.

    It’s a budget that doesn’t cover its own arse. $10 or $70 or whatever.

    Rents and rates are up. Local council borrowing cost will be up in the future. Prescription charges are up. Cost of living is up at the supermarket. At the petrol pump. Public transport is being scaled back and delayed. We are likely to see tolls on some roads. Welfare will go up as employment decreases.

    It ignores the known climate change bill and the unknown one.

    It gives us insecurity.

    We have no idea if the government will help us if there is a disaster or if they’ll sell us out to the insurance industry. Or worse as the insurance industry wants less and less exposure to the increased risks in many places they’ll just abandon us as they’ve abandoned smokers. As they’ve abandoned prisoners, gang members and responsibility given how many gang members have grown up in state care. These are members of our society.

    We have no idea if the police, education or health will keep pace with our needs or if their salaries will allow them to lead a basic happy middle class existence in a NZ city. They’ve attacked the police who can’t collectively bargain the same as most industries, attacked protest as illegal because you should be at work, and decreased benefits and the minimum wage in real terms. They’re attacking the job of teaching. They’ve failed the journalism profession and the RW sharks smell blood.

    We don’t know if they’ll shell out enormous funds to join this AUKUS defense group, or if they’ll turn on the defense force personnel next, as they too agree to give up their right to ordinary collective bargaining.

    Like all their work this budget is an attempt to say we kinda met our election promises. But underneath is the evidence- money to their chums, forgotten or hidden donations and meetings with those winning big and avoiding the checks and balances democracies impose on capital. Particularly tourism reliant economies.

    And don’t forget they’re all landlords in parliament, by and large, voting themselves tax free capital gains in their property.

    The sugar hit has gone, be an it never really was and with the glee of the razor gang there was no honeymoon for this cynical bunch.

    Can the opposition reform and drive them into one term obscurity?

    Reply
    • roblogic 17.1
      31 May 2024 at 2:16 pm

      What happened to the "cost of living" budget?

      Higher prescriptions, higher rates, health system failing, more expensive power and food.

      Any 'tax relief' is totally soaked up by higher cost of living.

      Winston's retiree constituents get shafted. But at least they keep their precious capital gains (which were never in danger anyway).

      Reply
  18. mpledger 18
    31 May 2024 at 12:02 am

    I wish they wouldn't say $5 per prescription because it's $5 per prescription item. If your doctor prescribes 4 medicines then that it is a $20 hit.

    People won't see their GP if all that is going to happen is they will get prescribed medicines they can't afford. The $100 threshold for free medicine isn't that helpful if you can't afford to get to the threshold.

    Reply
    • Belladonna 18.1
      31 May 2024 at 9:36 am

      If you can't afford the prescriptions, then you almost certainly can't afford to go to the GP. Prices there are a lot higher.

      From a conversation with our local chemist (who's in competition with the big chains – who already offered free prescriptions) – the majority of the prescriptions which are not picked up at our local pharmacy, are not the standard antibiotics, etc. (at $5 a pop) but the unfunded ones which can be $60 or more each.

      Reply
      • mpledger 18.1.1
        31 May 2024 at 9:50 am

        Prices for GPs are incredibly variable. If you attend a VCLA practice then the fee is around $19 (IIRC) so getting 4 medicines costs more.

        Reply
        • Belladonna 18.1.1.1
          31 May 2024 at 12:33 pm

          And if you get your prescriptions from Chemist Warehouse (or any of the other budget operations), there has been no prescription charge for many years (and this will presumably continue).

          It doesn't makes sense to claim that families have the option to shop around for cheaper GPs, but not for cheaper prescriptions.

          Reply
          • Kay 18.1.1.1.1
            31 May 2024 at 1:09 pm

            You can't shop around for cheaper/free prescriptions when you don't have one of those bargin pharmacies locally. Or even cross town to get to one when the cost of petrol or bus fares (assuming busses exist) has to be weighed up against the prescription charge.

            Just accept there is NO choice for many.

            Reply
            • Belladonna 18.1.1.1.1.1
              31 May 2024 at 3:16 pm

              The same argument presumably holds for GPs. And, actually is even worse, as mpledger points out – there is very limited scope to choose your GP; whereas there are a lot more chemists available.

              Again, if you have NO choice – then you're unlikely to even go to the GP (because of cost) – so the cost of prescriptions is not even relevant.

              Reply
          • mpledger 18.1.1.1.2
            31 May 2024 at 1:22 pm

            People actually don't have much option to shop around for GPs. Outside of Auckland, it's actually tough going to swap general practices. The general practice my family attends recently opened their books but only those living in nearby suburbs can enrol.

            And shopping around means being willing/able to travel to the pharmacy/general practice. It's costs money (and time) to save money. That’s why being poor is expensive.

            Reply
            • Belladonna 18.1.1.1.2.1
              31 May 2024 at 3:13 pm

              However, you were claiming that people could access a 'cheap' GP but not access a 'cheap' pharmacy. There are a heck of a lot more of the latter than there are of the former.

              Reply
      • Graeme 18.1.2
        2 June 2024 at 9:47 am

        If you can't afford the prescriptions, then you almost certainly can't afford to go to the GP. Prices there are a lot higher.

        It's not an either / or expense, it's the GP charge and the prescription on top of that. That get to be an impost on most personal budgets.

        Down here it's $67 to see your GP, that's enrolled, so put 4 items on the script and you're over $100. That more than discretionary for most people I know.

        Reply
  19. SPC 19
    31 May 2024 at 12:13 am

    For mine,

    Labour should index the top of the second tier to the MW level (with the third tier rate above the MW). And have the IETC across the third tier.

    It should consider adjustment to tax bands at the higher rates to afford the cost of this.Thus indicate a focus on affordable change to help the many.

    Reply
  20. tWig 20
    31 May 2024 at 10:51 am

    Big Hairy news and Craig Rennie discuss the budget. Craig points out that tax cuts to poorer people does not cover the losses due to inflation, and to reduction, below inflation in minimum wage increase by National. Going backwards for the poor.

    Reply
    • SPC 20.1
      31 May 2024 at 12:31 pm

      The Greens want a max or cap on rent increases.

      An alternative is a rent freeze and or rent controls – as per market comparison.

      Reply
  21. Clive Macann 21
    31 May 2024 at 1:05 pm

    They should have taken the $15B tax cuts and divided it evenly amongst the $5M population.
    We all go to the supermarket and pay the same for a sack of spuds.

    Reply
    • Maurice 21.1
      31 May 2024 at 1:49 pm

      There is nothing to 'give' – the Government is TAKING less from tax payers only … not everybody.

      Reply
  22. georgecom 22
    31 May 2024 at 3:21 pm

    One thing Willis has done by borrwing $15 billion for her tax cuts is smooth the way for a Capital Gains tax. The Cullen working party a few years back suggested one thing the proceeds of a cgt could be used for is lowering tax rates. Willis has borrowed to do that now so when a cgt comes in 3-4 years time the govt can point back to now to the tax switch, no need to do it. Sadly she has decimated the governments finances to do it but this post isn't about her lack of financial competency.

    Reply
  23. Louis 23
    2 June 2024 at 9:00 am

    Here are a few snippets from Craig Renney, for the full thread https://x.com/CLRenney

    "Nicola Willis said that her tax package would not “require any additional borrowing”. Treasury says the government will now borrow an extra $17.1bn by 2028. Tax cuts cost nearly $10bn. Without cuts, borrowing would be lower. Future taxpayers are going to pay for tax cuts today"

    "That might be okay if tax cuts were going to those with the highest needs. A couple on Superannuation ($4.30 a week) will get around a tenth of the tax cut being promised to a couple earning $300,000 ($40.09 a week). Only tiny numbers of people will get the full $250 a fortnight"

    "Meanwhile, 47,000 more people will be unemployed since this government took office. That's an increase of 39% in unemployment since Q3 2023. Yet there is nothing in the budget to support people back into work or training."

    "The Budget also fails the test of not cutting the front-line. Real terms cuts are made to operating grants to education. Customs sees only cuts, The same is true for Agriculture, Biosecurity, Fisheries, and Food Safety. It is cutting 240 lines of expenditure in total."

    "It would be easy to blame this Budget on malice – to frame the Government as being simply indifferent. That would be the wrong. Rather, what this Budget demonstrates is that the current Government places its political survival over the very real investment needs of the country."

    Reply
  24. Louis 24
    2 June 2024 at 11:11 am

    William Brown @harbottlesmythe

    The CTU have summarised the shortfall, the real cost behind the landlord freebies $3.83 billion

    https://x.com/harbottlesmythe/status/1796664716397584742

    Image

    Reply

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    So kiss me and smile for meTell me that you'll wait for meHold me like you'll never let me go'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet planeDon't know when I'll be back againOh babe, I hate to go“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's mid-winter pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, June 18
    The election promises of ‘better economic management’ are now ringing hollow, as NZ appears to be falling into a deeper recession, while other economies are turning the corner. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy and the housing market are slumping back into a deep recession this winter, contrasting ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Scrutiny week off to rocky start
    Parliament’s new “Scrutiny” process, which is supposed to allow Select Committees to interrogate Ministers and officials in much more depth, has got off to a rocky start. Yesterday was the first day of “Scrutiny Week” which is supposed to see the Government grilled on how it spends taxpayers’ money and ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • The choice could not be more stark’: How Trump and Biden compare on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Barbara Grady Illustration by Samantha Harrington. Photo credits: Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images, Win McNamee/Getty Images, European Space Agency. In an empty wind-swept field in Richmond, California, next to the county landfill, a company called RavenSr has plotted out land and won ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Differentiating between democracy and republic
    Although NZ readers may not be that interested in the subject and in lieu of US Fathers Day missives (not celebrated in NZ), I thought I would lay out some brief thoughts on a political subject being debated in the … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago

  • Bernard's mid-winter pick 'n' mix for Monday, June 17
    TL;DR: Chris Bishop talks up the use of value capture, congestion charging, PPPs, water meters, tolling and rebating GST on building materials to councils to ramp up infrastructure investment in the absence of the Government simply borrowing more to provide the capital.Meanwhile, Christopher Luxon wants to double the number of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • You do have the power to change things
    When I was invited to come aboard and help with Greater Auckland a few months ago (thanks to Patrick!), it was suggested it might be a good idea to write some sort of autobiographical post by way of an introduction. This post isn’t quite that – although I’m sure I’lll ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago

  • Turning Away – Who Cares If We Don't?
    On the turning awayFrom the pale and downtroddenAnd the words they say which we won't understandDon't accept that, what's happeningIs just a case of other's sufferingOr you'll find that you're joining inThe turning awayToday’s guest kōrero is from Author Catherine Lea. So without further ado, over to Catherine…I’m so honoured ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Dissecting Tickled
    Hi,Tickled was one of the craziest things that ever happened to me (and I feel like a lot of crazy things have happened to me).So ahead of the Webworm popup and Tickled screening in New Zealand on July 13, I thought I’d write about how we made that film and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand Webworm Popup + Tickled!
    Hi,I’m doing a Webworm merch popup followed by a Tickled screening in Auckland, New Zealand on July 13th — and I’d love you to come. I got the urge to do this while writing this Webworm piece breaking down how we made Tickled, and talking to all the people who ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • What China wants from NZ business
    One simple statistic said it all: China Premier Li Qiang asked Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell what percentage of the company’s overall sales were made in China. “Thirty per cent,” said Hurrell. In other words, New Zealand’s largest company is more or less dependent on the Chinese market. But Hurrell is ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • Review: The Worm Ouroboros, by E.R. Eddison (1922)
    One occasionally runs into the question of what J.R.R. Tolkien would have thought of George R.R. Martin. For years, I had a go-to online answer: we could use a stand-in. Tolkien’s thoughts on E.R. Eddison – that he appreciated the invented world, but thought the invented names were silly, and ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    4 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #24
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, June 9, 2024 thru Sat, June 15, 2024. Story of the week A glance at this week's inventory of what experts tell us is extreme weather mayhem juiced by ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Sunday Morning Chat
    After a busy week it’s a good day to relax. Clear blues skies here in Tamaki Makaurau, very peaceful but for my dogs sleeping heavily. In the absence of a full newsletter I thought I’d send out a brief update and share a couple of posts that popped up in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • The Book of Henry
    Now in the land of Angus beef and the mighty ABsWhere the steaks were juicy and the rivers did run foulIt would often be said,This meal is terrible,andNo, for real this is legit the worst thing I've ever eatenBut this was an thing said only to others at the table,not ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is ocean acidification from human activities enough to impact marine ecosystems?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from the Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is ocean acidification from human ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Happiness is a Warm Gun
    She's not a girl who misses muchDo do do do do do, oh yeahShe's well-acquainted with the touch of the velvet handLike a lizard on a window paneI wouldn’t associate ACT with warmth, other than a certain fabled, notoriously hot, destination where surely they’re heading and many would like them ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Still doing a good 20
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past somewhat interrupted week. Still on the move!Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Coalition of the Unwilling?
    What does Budget 2024 tell us about the current government? Muddle on?Coalition governments are not new. About 50 percent of the time since the first MMP election, there has been a minority government, usually with allied parties holding ministerial portfolios outside cabinets. For 10 percent of the time there was ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Of red flags and warning signs in comments on social media
    Somewhat surprisingly for what is regarded as a network of professionals, climate science misinformation is getting shared on LinkedIn, joining other channels where this is happening. Several of our recent posts published on LinkedIn have attracted the ire of various commenters who apparently are in denial about human-caused climate change. Based ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • All good, still
    1. On what subject is Paul Henry even remotely worth giving the time of day?a. The state of our nationb. The state of the ACT partyc. How to freak out potential buyers of your gin palace by baking the remains of your deceased parent into its fittings2. Now that New ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The looting is the point
    Last time National was in power, they looted the state, privatising public assets and signing hugely wasteful public-private partnership (PPP) contracts which saw foreign consortiums provide substandard infrastructure while gouging us for profits. You only have to look at the ongoing fiasco of Transmission Gully to see how it was ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • The Illusion of Power: How Local Government Bureaucrats Overawe Democratically-Elected Councillors..
    The Democratic Façade Of Local Government: Our district and city councillors are democratically elected to govern their communities on one very strict condition – that they never, ever, under any circumstances, attempt to do so.A DISINTEGRATION OF LOYALTIES on the Wellington City Council has left Mayor Tory Whanau without a ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • Lowlights & Bright Spots
    I can feel the lowlights coming over meI can feel the lowlights, from the state I’m inI can see the light now even thought it’s dimA little glow on the horizonAnother week of lowlights from our government, with the odd bright spot and a glow on the horizon. The light ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 14-June-2024
    Another week, another roundup of things that caught our eye on our favourite topics of transport, housing and how to make cities a little bit greater. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Connor wrote about Kāinga Ora’s role as an urban development agency Tuesday’s guest post by ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    7 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to June 14
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s moves this week to take farming out of the ETS and encourage more mining and oil and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Climate policy axed in broad daylight, while taxpayer liabilities grow in the dark
    In 2019, Shane Jones addressed the “50 Shades of Green” protest at Parliament: Now he is part of a government giving those farmers a pass on becoming part of the ETS, as well as threatening to lock in offshore oil exploration and mining for decades. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Rage Bait!
    Hi,Today’s newsletter is all about how easy it is to get sucked into “rage bait” online, and how easy it is to get played.But first I wanted to share something that elicited the exact opposite of rage in me — something that made me feel incredibly proud, whilst also making ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago

  • Bernard's Dawn Chorus and pick 'n' mix for Friday, June 14
    Seymour said lower speed limits “drained the joy from life as people were forced to follow rules they knew made no sense.” File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, June 14 were:The National/ACT/NZ First ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Friendly but frank talks with China Premier
    It sounded like the best word to describe yesterday’s talks between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his heavyweight delegation of Ministers and officials and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and New Zealand Ministers and officials was “frank.” But it was the kind of frankness that friends can indulge in. It ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #24 2024
    Open access notables Wildfire smoke impacts lake ecosystems, Farruggia et al., Global Change Biology: We introduce the concept of the lake smoke-day, or the number of days any given lake is exposed to smoke in any given fire season, and quantify the total lake smoke-day exposure in North America from 2019 ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live
    Photo by Mathias Elle on UnsplashIt’s that 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 for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: China’s message to New Zealand – don’t put it all at risk
    Don’t put it all at risk. That’s likely to be the take-home message for New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in his meetings with Li Qiang, the Chinese Premier. Li’s visit to Wellington this week is the highest-ranking visit by a Chinese official since 2017. The trip down under – ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 week ago

  • The Real Thing
    I know the feelingIt is the real thingThe essence of the soulThe perfect momentThat golden momentI know you feel it tooI know the feelingIt is the real thingYou can't refuse the embraceNo?Sometimes we face the things we most dislike. A phobia or fear that must be confronted so it doesn’t ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how moderates empower the political right
    Struth, what a week. Having made sure the rural sector won’t have to pay any time soon for its pollution, PM Christopher Luxon yesterday chose Fieldays 2024 to launch a parliamentary inquiry into rural banking services, to see how the banks have been treating farmers faced with high interest rates. ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 week ago

  • Bernard's Dawn Chorus and pick 'n' mix for Thursday, June 13
    In April, 17,656 people left Aotearoa-NZ to live overseas, averaging 588 a day, with just over half of those likely to have gone to Australia. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, June 13 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Our guide to having your say on the draft RLTP 2024
    Auckland’s draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) 2024 is open for feedback – and you only have until Monday 17 June to submit. Do it! Join the thousands of Aucklanders who are speaking up for wise strategic investment that will dig us out of traffic and give us easy and ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    1 week ago

  • The China puzzle
    Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Wellington today for a three-day visit to the country. The visit will take place amid uncertainty about the future of the New Zealand-China relationship. Li hosted a formal welcome and then lunch for then-Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in Beijing a year ago. The pair ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • Fossil fuels are shredding our democracy
    This is a re-post of an article from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler published on June 3, 2024. I have an oped in the New York Times (gift link) about this. For a long time, a common refrain about the energy transition was that renewable energy needed to become ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Life at 20 kilometres an hour
    We are still in France, getting from A to B.Possibly for only another week, though; Switzerland and Germany are looming now. On we pedal, towards Budapest, at about 20 km per hour.What are are mostly doing is inhaling a country, loving its ways and its food. Rolling, talking, quietly thinking. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Hipkins is still useless
    The big problem with the last Labour government was that they were chickenshits who did nothing with the absolute majority we had given them. They governed as if they were scared of their own shadows, afraid of making decisions lest it upset someone - usually someone who would never have ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Exercising with the IDF.
    This morning I did something I seldom do, I looked at the Twitter newsfeed. Normally I take the approach of something that I’m not sure is an American urban legend, or genuinely something kids do over there. The infamous bag of dog poo on the front porch, set it on ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Helm Hammerhand Anime: First Pictures and an Old English ‘Hera’
    We have some news on the upcoming War of the Rohirrim anime. It will apparently be two and a half hours in length, with Peter Jackson as Executive Producer, and Helm’s daughter Hera will be the main character. Also, pictures: The bloke in the middle picture is Freca’s ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • Farmers get free pass on climate AND get subsidies
    The cows will keep burping and farting and climate change will keep accelerating - but farmers can stop worrying about being included in the ETS. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, June 12 were:The ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Six ideas to secure Te Huia’s Future
    This is a guest post by our friend Darren Davis. It originally appeared on his excellent blog, Adventures in Transitland, which features “musings about public transport and other cool stuff in Aotearoa/ New Zealand and around the globe.” With Te Huia now having funding secure through to 2026, now is ...
    Greater AucklandBy Darren Davis
    1 week ago

  • The methane waka sinks
    In some ways, there may be less than meets the eye to the Government announcement yesterday that the He Waka Eke Noa proposal for farmers to pay for greenhouse gas emissions has been scrapped. The spectre of farmers still having to pay at some point in the future remains. That, ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • At a glance – Does positive feedback necessarily mean runaway warming?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Climate Change: Farmers get what they wanted – for now
    Since entering office, National has unravelled practically every climate policy, leaving us with no effective way of reducing emissions or meeting our emissions budgets beyond magical thinking around the ETS. And today they've announced another step: removing agriculture entirely. At present, following the complete failure of he waka eka noa, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Presumed Innocent?
    The blue billionaireDistraction no interactionOr movement outside these glazed over eyesThe new great divideFew fight the tide to be glorifiedBut will he be satisfied?Can we accept this without zoom?The elephant in the roomNot much happens in politics on a Monday. Bugger all in fact. Although yesterday Christopher Luxon found he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Gordon Campbell on our doomed love affair with oil and gas
    What if New Zealand threw a fossil fuel party, and nobody came? On the weekend, Resources Minister Shane Jones sent out the invitations and strung up the balloons, but will anyone really want to invest big time in resuming oil and gas exploration in our corner of the planet? Yes, ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 week ago

  • Building better housing insights
    This is a guest post by Meredith Dale, senior urban designer and strategist at The Urban Advisory. There’s a saying that goes something like: ‘what you measure is what you value’. An RNZ article last week claimed that Auckland was ‘hurting’ because of a more affordable supply of homes, particularly townhouses ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 week ago

  • Putin would be proud of them
    A Prime Minister directs his public service to inquire into the actions of the opposition political party which is his harshest critic. Something from Orban's Hungary, or Putin's Russia? No, its happening right here in Aotearoa: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Public Service Commission will launch an ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Resources for debunking common solar and wind myths
    This is a repost from a Yale Climate Connections article by SueEllen Campbell published on June 3, 2024. The articles listed can help you tell fact from fiction when it comes to solar and wind energy. Some statements you hear about solar and wind energy are just plain false. ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Juggernaut
    Politics were going on all around us yesterday, and we barely noticed, rolling along canal paths, eating baguettes. It wasn’t until my mate got to the headlines last night that we learned there had been a dismayingly strong far right result in the EU elections and Macron had called a ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Numbers Game.
    Respect Existence, Or Expect Resistance? There may well have been 50,000 pairs of feet “Marching For Nature” down Auckland’s Queen Street on Saturday afternoon, but the figure that impresses the Coalition Government is the 1,450,000 pairs of Auckland feet that were somewhere else.IN THE ERA OF DRONES and Artificial Intelligence, ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Media Link: AVFA on post-colonial blowback.
    Selwyn Manning and I discuss varieties of post colonial blowback and the implications its has for the rise of the Global South. Counties discussed include Palestine/Israel, France/New Caledonia, England/India, apartheid/post-apartheid South Africa and post-colonial New Zealand. It is a bit … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago

  • Policy by panic
    Back in March, Ombudsman Peter Boshier resigned when he hit the statutory retirement age of 72, leaving the country in the awkward (and legally questionable) position of having him continue as a temporay appointee. It apparently took the entire political system by surprise - as evinced by Labour's dick move ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • School attendance increases
    School attendance data released today shows an increase in the number of students regularly attending school to 61.7 per cent in term one. This compares to 59.5 per cent in term one last year and 53.6 per cent in term four. “It is encouraging to see more children getting to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Record investment in public transport services
    The Government has announced a record 41 per cent increase in indicative funding for public transport services and operations, and confirmed the rollout of the National Ticketing Solution (NTS) that will enable contactless debit and credit card payments starting this year in Auckland, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“This Government is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • GDP data shows need to strengthen and grow the economy
    GDP figures for the March quarter reinforce the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  Data released today by Stats NZ shows GDP has risen 0.2 per cent for the quarter to March.   “While today’s data is technically in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Women continue to make up over 50 per cent on public sector boards
    Women’s representation on public sector boards and committees has reached 50 per cent or above for the fourth consecutive year, with women holding 53.9 per cent of public sector board roles, Acting Minister for Women Louise Upston says. “This is a fantastic achievement, but the work is not done. To ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Government supporting Māori business success
    The Coalition Government is supporting Māori to boost development and the Māori economy through investment in projects that benefit the regions, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka say. “As the Regional Development Minister, I am focused on supporting Māori to succeed. The Provincial Growth Fund ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Better solutions for earthquake-prone buildings
    Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced that the review into better managing the risks of earthquake-prone buildings has commenced. “The terms of reference published today demonstrate the Government’s commitment to ensuring we get the balance right between public safety and costs to building owners,” Mr Penk says.  “The Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Prime Minister wraps up visit to Japan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has just finished a successful three-day visit to Japan, where he strengthened political relationships and boosted business links. Mr Luxon’s visit culminated in a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio followed by a state dinner. “It was important for me to meet Prime Minister Kishida in person ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Major business deals signed on PM’s Japan trip
    Significant business deals have been closed during the visit of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to Japan this week, including in the areas of space, renewable energy and investment.  “Commercial deals like this demonstrate that we don’t just export high-quality agricultural products to Japan, but also our world-class technology, expertise, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Strategic Security speech, Tokyo
    Minasan, konnichiwa, kia ora and good afternoon everyone. Thank you for the invitation to speak to you today and thank you to our friends at the Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies and NEC for making this event possible today.  It gives me great pleasure to be here today, speaking with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • National Infrastructure Pipeline worth over $120 billion
    The National Infrastructure Pipeline, which provides a national view of current or planned infrastructure projects, from roads, to water infrastructure, to schools, and more, has climbed above $120 billion, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop says. “Our Government is investing a record amount in modern infrastructure that Kiwis can rely on as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Making it easier to build infrastructure
    The Government is modernising the Public Works Act to make it easier to build infrastructure, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk announced today. An independent panel will undertake an eight-week review of the Act and advise on common sense changes to enable large scale public works to be built faster and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • NZ enhances North Korea sanctions monitoring
    New Zealand will enhance its defence contributions to monitoring violations of sanctions against North Korea, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today.  The enhancement will see the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) increase its contributions to North Korea sanctions monitoring, operating out of Japan. “This increase reflects the importance New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Speech to Safeguard National Health and Safety Conference
    Good afternoon everyone. It’s great to be with you all today before we wrap up Day One of the annual Safeguard National Health and Safety Conference. Thank you to the organisers and sponsors of this conference, for the chance to talk to you about the upcoming health and safety consultation. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ōtaki to north of Levin alliance agreements signed
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone for the Ōtaki to north of Levin Road of National Significance (RoNS), following the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) signing interim alliance agreements with two design and construction teams who will develop and ultimately build the new expressway.“The Government’s priority for transport ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Improvements to stopping Digital Child Exploitation
    The Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is making a significant upgrade to their Digital Child Exploitation Filtering System, which blocks access to websites known to host child sexual abuse material, says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden.  “The Department will incorporate the up-to-date lists of websites hosting child sexual ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New vaccine research aims to combat prevalent bovine disease
    A vaccine to prevent an infectious disease that costs New Zealand cattle farmers more than $190 million each year could radically improve the health of our cows and boost on-farm productivity, Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says. The Ministry for Primary Industries is backing a project that aims to develop ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Making it easier to build granny flats
    The Government has today announced that it is making it easier for people to build granny flats, Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop say. “Making it easier to build granny flats will make it more affordable for families to live the way that suits them ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • High Court Judge appointed
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Auckland King’s Counsel Gregory Peter Blanchard as a High Court Judge. Justice Blanchard attended the University of Auckland from 1991 to 1995, graduating with an LLB (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts (English). He was a solicitor with the firm that is now Dentons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Health workforce numbers rise
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says new data released today shows encouraging growth in the health workforce, with a continued increase in the numbers of doctors, nurses and midwives joining Health New Zealand. “Frontline healthcare workers are the beating heart of the healthcare system. Increasing and retaining our health workforce ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government to overhaul firearms laws
    Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has today announced a comprehensive programme to reform New Zealand's outdated and complicated firearms laws. “The Arms Act has been in place for over 40 years. It has been amended several times – in a piecemeal, and sometimes rushed way. This has resulted in outdated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government delivers landmark specialist schools investment
    The coalition Government is delivering record levels of targeted investment in specialist schools so children with additional needs can thrive. As part of Budget 24, $89 million has been ringfenced to redevelop specialist facilities and increase satellite classrooms for students with high needs. This includes: $63 million in depreciation funding ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Major health and safety consultation begins
    A substantial consultation on work health and safety will begin today with a roadshow across the regions over the coming months, says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden.  This the first step to deliver on the commitment to reforming health and safety law and regulations, set out in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Growing the potential of New Zealand’s forestry sector in partnership
    Forestry Minister Todd McClay, today announced the start of the Government’s plan to restore certainty and confidence in the forestry and wood processing sector. “This government will drive investment to unlock the industry’s economic potential for growth,” Mr McClay says. “Forestry’s success is critical to rebuilding New Zealand’s economy, boosting ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government cancels forestry ETS annual service charges for 2023-24
    Annual service charges in the forestry Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be cancelled for 2023/24, Forestry Minister Todd McClay says. “The sector has told me the costs imposed on forestry owners by the previous government were excessive and unreasonable and I agree,” Mr McClay says. “They have said that there ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Speech to the LGNZ Infrastructure Symposium
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