infrastructure
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Rates, debt, growth and PPP
Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, October 8th, 2019 - 33 comments
Stuff had an interesting piece looking at rates, taxes and local infrastructure “Rates are much lower than you think, and they’re responsible for miserable growth in cities”. They just missed out one crucial factor. The way that PPP debates often block infrastructure. Interesting that got missed..
Toll by Stealth
Written By: - Date published: 4:17 pm, July 13th, 2019 - 52 comments
A tunnel is like a wormhole to another dimension. It changes people’s behaviour ever so slightly, ever so briefly, without them realising.
China; Hack to the Future!
Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, December 21st, 2018 - 287 comments
China has apparently been sprung hacking hundreds of western businesses and Government agencies, including some here in NZ. Should we be worried?
Let it Be
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, December 12th, 2018 - 56 comments
Letting fees are a thing of the past. Labour’s Phil Twyford has outlawed the practice of charging tenants an upfront fee for a non existent service. It’s about fairness and it’s about time.
Safe from prying 5Eyes
Written By: - Date published: 10:22 pm, December 8th, 2018 - 62 comments
I like my Huawei phone. Apparently the US National Security Agency can’t break its encryption. That’s presumably the “security” issue why Spark is being blocked from using Huawei, and why Meng Wanzhou is held hostage in Canada at the behest of US neocons.
Political interference
Written By: - Date published: 10:35 pm, November 20th, 2018 - 82 comments
China certainly has interfered in New Zealand politics, most notably by the offer of a free trade deal which delivered huge benefits to our economy. Party and government officials all stressed to us that they were grateful for New Zealand’s support for their accession to the World Trade Organisation, the rule-based trade body. The US and Australia in contrast want to build a military base on Manus Island north of Papua.
KiwiBuild doesn’t fly.
Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, November 2nd, 2018 - 215 comments
More than that, it needs to be torn down before it makes a serious bid at flight.
National badly wants Kiwibuild to crash
Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, October 30th, 2018 - 339 comments
National is complaining that Labour is not solving the National imposed housing crisis quickly enough.
The Mariana Trench Fix.
Written By: - Date published: 1:53 pm, October 21st, 2018 - 59 comments
The Mariana Trench is pretty huge. And deep. And if the idea is to fill a hole in the ground with ‘stuff’, then it’s a fair sized hole to be filling, right?
Light rail in Auckland
Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, October 14th, 2018 - 96 comments
There has been some push back against the Government’s light rail proposal for Dominion Road from some unlikely sources. But they are concentrating on what is best for airport users, not what is best for the city as a whole.
No Waimea dam
Written By: - Date published: 2:35 pm, August 17th, 2018 - 26 comments
With the change in Government and ever increasing costs of construction it appears that the Waimea dam project in Tasman District is going to be scuppered.
Building Nations
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, August 16th, 2018 - 72 comments
This Government has probably one term to show progress in dealing with the country’s infrastructure deficit.
Corporatism.
Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, August 1st, 2018 - 44 comments
Hand in hand with “compassionate liberalism”.
Nurses.
Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, July 27th, 2018 - 76 comments
There’s a sickness affecting our health system.
Government with a plan
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, July 22nd, 2018 - 46 comments
The polls are great. Top work. But I’m getting worried about the entropy of this government already. Matthew Hooten and Karl Marx agree with me.
Liberalism Uber Alles
Written By: - Date published: 11:29 am, June 13th, 2018 - 32 comments
If the political class think liberalism has failed, then why is it that the process of killing off NZ Post is approaching completion?
Labour aims to make transport system more sustainable
Written By: - Date published: 1:03 pm, April 4th, 2018 - 89 comments
The Government has released a draft Government Policy Statement on Transport for consultation. A radical shake up of the Transport system is being proposed.
Tripling down on financial illiteracy with Amy Adams (and MMT)
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, March 8th, 2018 - 128 comments
Amy Adams won’t commit to $11.7b, but she too has now become the third person to fall down the imaginary fiscal hole. How can National claim to have any soundness on finance if they won’t admit their criticisms on the economy are unreasonable and unfounded? And besides, aren’t National actually worse fiscal managers if ordinary people tend to get paid less under their regimes? We dive into some theory to thoroughly dispute even Steven Joyce’s/Amy Adam’s secondary criticism of “fiscal tightness,” although concede that two of the Budget Responsibility rules are probably stupid in order to do it.
Bio-fuels.
Written By: - Date published: 2:15 pm, February 11th, 2018 - 35 comments
Biofuels and fossil. The difference?
Is it time to Nationalise Auckland?
Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, January 13th, 2018 - 52 comments
It has been a decade now since Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide proposed amalgamating all of Auckland’s city councils into one enormous entity by dumping much of the Royal Commission’s proposals. Well it’s time to hold its results to account.
Home Sweet Home
Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, November 4th, 2017 - 23 comments
The changing face of New Zealand.
Ten Reasons for National to do another term
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, October 5th, 2017 - 28 comments
A tongue in cheek list of reasons why it may be best for National to form the next Government.
A “Culture of Entitlement”?
Written By: - Date published: 3:39 pm, August 17th, 2017 - 48 comments
With the current dialog about welfare, It is time to look at the people who are the real beneficiaries, of the welfare system.
Who use the educated and healthy workforce our system provides
The people who say “everyone should stand on their own two feet”, “you don’t work you don’t eat”, and “take personal responsibility”,
The business sector.
Generous donation – why was it necessary to get a hospital built?
Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, July 11th, 2017 - 28 comments
Thank you Mark Dunajtschik. But why did it take a generous private donation to get a badly needed public hospital off the drawing-board?
Little on immigration
Written By: - Date published: 2:09 pm, May 8th, 2017 - 34 comments
A good piece by Andrew Little in The Herald, setting out Labour’s position on immigration (with policy to come).
Billions of lies
Written By: - Date published: 7:49 am, April 29th, 2017 - 41 comments
The Nats are settling in to election mode – smoke and mirrors. Steven Joyce feeds us billions of dollars worth of lies.
Good ideas in Gisborne
Written By: - Date published: 1:28 pm, February 17th, 2017 - 97 comments
Andrew Little’s announcement yesterday in Gisborne of Labour’s pledge of up to $20million to build a prefabricated timber plant there is a much-needed boost to the area and a sign that Labour’s 100,000 new house pledge first made by David Shearer in 2012 has legs.
National tries to have it both ways
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, November 19th, 2016 - 51 comments
Despite the Kaikoura earthquakes, the damage to the Capital and the fact the EQC fund is now in deficit, the Government is still holding out the possibility of tax cuts in election year.
Labour’s Auckland light rail announcement
Written By: - Date published: 8:38 am, October 31st, 2016 - 87 comments
National is criticising Labour for releasing policy during an election campaign.
Charles Hugh Smith – The Ultimate Long Game: Autarky and Resilience
Written By: - Date published: 6:17 pm, August 18th, 2016 - 28 comments
Today, electronic numbers in electronic bank accounts are the most important things to the people who lead NZ. That’s going to have to seriously change. The country’s capacity and resources in terms of food, energy, water and cultural/social resiliency is what actually counts.
Free Petrol Pt IV
Written By: - Date published: 6:25 am, August 5th, 2016 - 92 comments
Part IV of IV
- China will need 10,000GW of wind and solar by 2060
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Wang Zhongying, chief national expert, China Energy Transformation Programme of the Energy Research Institute, and Kaare Sandholt, chief international expert, China Energy Transformation Programme of the Energy Research Institute China will need to install around 10,000 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar capacity ...7 days ago - Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Tuesday, March 26
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, Washington Post/$, Wired/$, ...7 days ago - Most people want a people-friendly city
With many of Auckland’s political and bureaucratic leaders bowing down to vocal minorities and consistently failing to reallocate space to people in our city, recent news overseas has prompted me to point out something important. It is extremely popular to make car-dominated cities nicer, by freeing up space for people. ...7 days ago - Indonesia wants an aircraft carrier. No one knows why
When it comes to fleet modernisation programme, the Indonesian navy seems to be biting off more than it can chew. It is not even clear why the navy is taking the bite. The news that ...7 days ago - tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-2287094456929079731
Chris Trotter is now on Substack visit him at christrotter418256.substack.com ...1 week ago - Australia should work with South Korea to secure undersea cables
South Korea and Australia should enhance their cooperation to secure submarine cables, which carry more than 95 percent of global data traffic. As tensions in the Indo-Pacific intensify, these vital connections face risks from cyber ...1 week ago
- Parliament says “no” to transparency
The Parliament Bill Committee has reported back on the Parliament Bill. As usual, they recommend no substantive changes, all decisions having been made in advance and in secret before the bill was introduced - but there are some minor tweaks around oversight of the new parliamentary security powers, which will ...1 week ago - Bolt from the blue: what we know (and don’t know) about the US’s powerful F-47 fighter
When the F-47 enters service, at a date to be disclosed, it will be a new factor in US air warfare. A decision to proceed with development, deferred since July, was unexpectedly announced on 21 ...1 week ago
- Yesterday Once More
All my best memoriesCome back clearly to meSome can even make me cry.Just like beforeIt's yesterday once more.Songwriters: Richard Lynn Carpenter / John BettisYesterday, Winston Peters gave a State of the Nation speech in which he declared War on the Woke, described peaceful protesters as fascists, said he’d take our ...1 week ago - Can we now find out who the real Vladimir Putin is?
Regardless of our opinions about the politicians involved, I believe that every rational person should welcome the reestablishment of contacts between the USA and the Russian Federation. While this is only the beginning and there are no guarantees of success, it does create the opportunity to address issues ...1 week ago - The transatlantic world will never be the same
Once upon a time, the United States saw the contest between democracy and authoritarianism as a singularly defining issue. It was this outlook, forged in the crucible of World War II, that created such strong ...1 week ago
- 30% of doctors leave NZ after graduation
A pre-Covid protest about medical staffing shortages outside the Beehive. Since then the situation has only worsened, with 30% of doctors trained here now migrating within a decade. File Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories shortest: The news this morning is dominated by the crises cascading through our health system after ...1 week ago - Monday 24 March
Bargaining between the PSA and Oranga Tamariki over the collective agreement is intensifying – with more strike action likely, while the Employment Relations Authority has ordered facilitation. More than 850 laboratory staff are walking off their jobs in a week of rolling strike action. Union coverage CTU: Confidence in ...1 week ago - The permanent Australia-China contest in the South Pacific
Foreign Minister Penny Wong in 2024 said that ‘we’re in a state of permanent contest in the Pacific—that’s the reality.’ China’s arrogance hurts it in the South Pacific. Mark that as a strong Australian card ...1 week ago
- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes on Monday, March 24
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, Washington Post/$, Wired/$, ...1 week ago - Gordon Campbell on Israel’s murderous relapse, and Peters’ sad decline
In the past week, Israel has reverted to slaughtering civilians, starving children and welshing on the terms of the peace deal negotiated earlier this year. The IDF’s current offensive seems to be intended to render Gaza unlivable, preparatory (perhaps) to re-occupation by Israeli settlers. The short term demands for the ...1 week ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #12
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 16, 2025 thru Sat, March 22, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. We are still interested ...1 week ago
- Bullying a Chess Bot: More Martinian Shenanigans
In recent months, I have garnered copious amusement playing Martin, chess.com’s infamously terrible Chess AI. Alas, it is not how it once was, when he would cheerfully ignore freely offered material. Martin has grown better since I first stumbled upon him. I still remain frustrated at his capture-happy determination to ...1 week ago - Indian Summer
Every time that I see ya,A lightning bolt fills the room,The underbelly of Paris,She sings her favourite tune,She'll drink you under the table,She'll show you a trick or two,But every time that I left her,I missed the things she would doSongwriters: Kelly JonesThis morning, I posted - Are you excited ...1 week ago - Bernard’s Soliloquy for the week to March 23
Long stories shortest this week in our political economy: Standard & Poor’s judged the Government’s council finance reforms a failure. Professional investors showed the Government they want it to borrow more, not less. GDP bounced out of recession by more than forecast in the December quarter, but data for the ...1 week ago - Making sense of it all
Each day at 4:30 my brother calls in at the rest home to see Dad. My visits can be months apart. Five minutes after you've left, he’ll have forgotten you were there, but every time, his face lights up and it’s a warm happy visit.Tim takes care of almost everything ...1 week ago - A Response to ACT’s MRA-Style Rant
On the 19th of March, ACT announced they would be running candidates in this year’s local government elections. Accompanying that call for “common-sense kiwis” was an anti-woke essay typifying the views they expect their candidates to hold. I have included that part of their mailer, Free Press, in its entirety. ...1 week ago - Spread a Little Happiness
Even when the darkest clouds are in the skyYou mustn't sigh and you mustn't crySpread a little happiness as you go byPlease tryWhat's the use of worrying and feeling blue?When days are long keep on smiling throughSpread a little happiness 'til dreams come trueSongwriters: Vivian Ellis / Clifford Grey / ...1 week ago - Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Saturday, March 22
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, Washington Post/$, Wired/$, ...1 week ago - Siding with the Right Of the Right
ACT up the game on division politicsEmmerson’s take on David Seymour’s claim Jesus would have supported ACTACT’s announcement it is moving into local politics is a logical next step for a party that is waging its battle on picking up the aggrieved.It’s a numbers game, and as long as the ...1 week ago - Jam tomorrow, butter next week
1. What will be the slogan of the next butter ad campaign?a. You’re worth itb. Once it hits $20, we can do something about the riversc. I can’t believe it’s the price of butter d. None of the above Read more ...1 week ago - Why Do Cryptocurrencies Appear to Be So Valuable?
It is said that economists know the price of everything and the value of nothing. That may be an exaggeration but an even better response is to point out economists do know the difference. They did not at first. Classical economics thought that the price of something reflected the objective ...1 week ago - Awful optics: political fighting in Taiwan stalls part of defence budget rise
Political fighting in Taiwan is delaying some of an increase in defence spending and creating an appearance of lack of national resolve that can only damage the island’s relationship with the Trump administration. The main ...1 week ago
- The Independent Intelligence Review is finally out, and it’s a worthy sequel
The unclassified version of the 2024 Independent Intelligence Review (IIR) was released today. It’s a welcome and worthy sequel to its 2017 predecessor, with an ambitious set of recommendations for enhancements to Australia’s national intelligence ...1 week ago
- Law, culture, and the OIA
Yesterday outgoing Ombudsman Peter Boshier published a report, Reflections on the Official Information Act, on his way out the door. The report repeated his favoured mantra that the Act was "fundamentally sound", all problems were issues of culture, and that no legislative change was needed (and especially no changes to ...1 week ago
- A new US humanitarian agency must operate without political blinders
The United States government is considering replacing USAID with a new agency, the US Agency for International Humanitarian Assistance (USIHA), according to documents published by POLITICO. Under the proposed design, the agency will fail its ...1 week ago
- Worming Through Dangerous Times
1 week ago - Why is the Govt so afraid of borrowing?
Mōrena. Long stories shortest: Professional investors who are paid a lot of money to be careful about lending to the New Zealand Government think it is wonderful place to put their money. Yet the Government itself is so afraid of borrowing more that it is happy to kill its own ...1 week ago - The future of the Combined Space Operations initiative
As space becomes more contested, Australia should play a key role with its partners in the Combined Space Operations (CSpO) initiative to safeguard the space domain. Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States signed the ...1 week ago
- Dave’s Cats
Ooh you're a cool catComing on strong with all the chit chatOoh you're alrightHanging out and stealing all the limelightOoh messing with the beat of my heart yeah!Songwriters: Freddie Mercury / John Deacon.It would be a tad ironic; I can see it now. “Yeah, I didn’t unsubscribe when he said ...1 week ago - Friday 21 March
The PSA are calling the Prime Minister a hypocrite for committing to increase defence spending while hundreds of more civilian New Zealand Defence Force jobs are set to be cut as part of a major restructure. The number of companies being investigated for people trafficking in New Zealand has skyrocketed ...1 week ago
- Weekly Roundup 21-March-2025
Another Friday, hope everyone’s enjoyed their week as we head toward the autumn equinox. Here’s another roundup of stories that caught our eye on the subject of cities and what makes them even better. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Connor took a look at how Auckland ...1 week ago
- A special Hoon with Michael Wolff, author of four books on Donald Trump
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking with special guest author Michael Wolff, who has just published his fourth book about Donald Trump: ‘All or Nothing’.Here’s Peter’s writeup of the interview. Hoon: Trumpism ...2 weeks ago - Hoon: Trumpism dies with Trump says Wolff
2 weeks ago
- The ADF reserve system is obsolete. We need a dramatically expanded force
Australia needs to radically reorganise its reserves system to create a latent military force that is much larger, better trained and equipped and deployable within days—not decades. Our current reserve system is not fit for ...2 weeks ago
- Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Friday, March 21
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, Washington Post/$, Wired/$, ...2 weeks ago - Against All Reason: William Blake and the Private Fantasy Mythology
I have argued before that one ought to be careful in retrospectively allocating texts into genres. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) only looks like science-fiction because a science-fiction genre subsequently developed. Without H.G. Wells, would Frankenstein be considered science-fiction? No, it probably wouldn’t. Viewed in the context of its time, Frankenstein ...2 weeks ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2025
Open access notables The severe 2020 coral bleaching event in the tropical Atlantic linked to marine heatwaves, Rodrigues et al., Communications Earth & Environment: Marine heatwaves can amplify the vulnerabilities of regional marine ecosystems and jeopardise local economies and food resources. Here, we show that marine heatwaves in the tropical ...2 weeks ago
- Elbridge Colby’s vision: blocking China
Elbridge Colby’s senate confirmation hearing in early March holds more important implications for US partners than most observers in Canberra, Wellington or Suva realise. As President Donald Trump’s nominee for under secretary of defence for ...2 weeks ago
- China’s military spending rises should prompt regional budget responses
China’s defence budget is rising heftily yet again. The 2025 rise will be 7.2 percent, the same as in 2024, the government said on 5 March. But the allocation, officially US$245 billion, is just the ...2 weeks ago
- Pressure grows for commonsense correction on safe local speeds
Concern is growing about wide-ranging local repercussions of the new Setting of Speed Limits rule, rewritten in 2024 by former transport minister Simeon Brown. In particular, there’s growing fears about what this means for children in particular. A key paradox of the new rule is that NZTA-controlled roads have the ...2 weeks ago
- Luxon’s Guests.
Speilmeister: Christopher Luxon’s prime-ministerial pitches notwithstanding, are institutions with billions of dollars at their disposal really going to invest them in a country so obviously in a deep funk?HAVING WOOED THE WORLD’s investors, what, if anything, has New Zealand won? Did Christopher Luxon’s guests board their private jets fizzing with enthusiasm for ...2 weeks ago
- S&P downgrades 18 councils, blaming Govt
Christchurch City Council is one of 18 councils and three council-controlled organisations (CCOs) downgraded by ratings agency S&P. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories shortest: Standard & Poor’s has cut the credit ratings of 18 councils, blaming the new Government’s abrupt reversal of 3 Waters, cuts to capital ...2 weeks ago - Recession ends – Economic challenges remain
Figures released by Statistics New Zealand today showed that the economy grew by 0.7% ending the very deep recession seen over the past year, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “Even though GDP grew in the three months to December, our economy is still 1.1% smaller than it ...2 weeks ago
- Maybe there’s a connection?
What is going on with the price of butter?, RNZ, 19 march 2025: If you have bought butter recently you might have noticed something - it is a lot more expensive. Stats NZ said last week that the price of butter was up 60 percent in February compared to ...2 weeks ago
- I, too, got a few things wrong
I agree with Will Leben, who wrote in The Strategist about his mistakes, that an important element of being a commentator is being accountable and taking responsibility for things you got wrong. In that spirit, ...2 weeks ago
- Commandments & Cures
You’d beDrunk by noon, no one would knowJust like the pandemicWithout the sourdoughIf I were there, I’d find a wayTo get treated for hysteriaEvery dayLyrics Riki Lindhome.A varied selection today in Nick’s Kōrero:Thou shalt have no other gods - with Christopher Luxon.Doctors should be seen and not heard - with ...2 weeks ago - Australia needs greater defence self-reliance, and extra funding
Two recent foreign challenges suggest that Australia needs urgently to increase its level of defence self-reliance and to ensure that the increased funding that this would require is available. First, the circumnavigation of our continent ...2 weeks ago
- Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Thursday, March 20
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, The Atlantic-$, The ...2 weeks ago - Gordon Campbell on Winston Peters’ bad trip, and the return of the PPPs zombie
According to RNZ’s embedded reporter, the importance of Winston Peters’ talks in Washington this week “cannot be overstated.” Right. “Exceptionally important.” said the maestro himself. This epic importance doesn’t seem to have culminated in anything more than us expressing our “concern” to the Americans about a series of issues that ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Fresk – a neat way to make the complexity of climate change less puzzling
Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of "Climate Fresk" and at a guess, this will also be the case for many of you. I stumbled upon it in the self-service training catalog for employees at the company I work at in Germany where it was announced ...2 weeks ago
- Japan and Australia can fill each other’s defence gaps
Japan and Australia talk of ‘collective deterrence,’ but they don’t seem to have specific objectives. The relationship needs a clearer direction. The two countries should identify how they complement each other. Each country has two ...2 weeks ago
- Submission on the Draft Biometric Processing Privacy Code
The NZCTU strongly supports the OPC’s decision to issue a code of practice for biometric processing. Our view is that the draft code currently being consulted on is stronger and will be more effective than the exposure code released in early 2024. We are pleased that some of the revisions ...2 weeks ago
- Eggs in more baskets: diversify Australian agricultural exports away from US
Australia’s export-oriented industries, particularly agriculture, need to diversify their markets, with a focus on Southeast Asia. This could strengthen economic security and resilience while deepening regional relationships. The Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs on ...2 weeks ago
- The Fisheries Reform Scam – Sam Woolford
Minister Shane Jones is introducing fastrack ‘reforms’ to the our fishing industry that will ensure the big players squeeze out the small fishers and entrench an already bankrupt quota system. Our fisheries are under severe stress: the recent decision by the High Court ruling that the ...2 weeks ago - Climate Change: Failed again
In what has become regular news, the quarterly ETS auction has failed, with nobody even bothering to bid. The immediate reason is that the carbon price has fallen to around $60, below the auction minimum of $68. And the cause of that is a government which has basically given up ...2 weeks ago
- Trump’s tariffs challenge India’s economic balance
US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats have dominated headlines in India in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Trump announced that his reciprocal tariffs—matching other countries’ tariffs on American goods—will go into effect on 2 April, ...2 weeks ago
- NZ’s First #MeToo Case Wants To Practise Law Again
Hi,Back in June of 2021, James Gardner-Hopkins — a former partner at law firm Russell McVeagh — was found guilty of misconduct over sexually inappropriate behaviour with interns.The events all related to law students working as summer interns at Russell McVeagh:As well as intimate touching with a student at his ...2 weeks ago - Climate sceptic ACT MP attacks National
Climate sceptic MP Mark Cameron has slammed National for being ‘out of touch’ by sticking to our climate commitments. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories shortest: ACT’s renowned climate sceptic MP Mark Cameron has accused National of being 'out of touch' with farmers by sticking with New Zealand’s Paris accord pledges ...2 weeks ago - Libertarian Jesus
Now I've heard there was a secret chordThat David played, and it pleased the LordBut you don't really care for music, do you?It goes like this, the fourth, the fifthThe minor falls, the major liftsThe baffled king composing HallelujahSongwriter: Leonard CohenI always thought the lyrics of that great song by ...2 weeks ago - People matter—especially when frigate crews are too small
People are getting carried away with the virtues of small warship crews. We need to remember the great vice of having few people to run a ship: they’ll quickly tire. Yes, the navy is struggling ...2 weeks ago
- Auckland’s Western Line: Walking and cycling catchments
This is a guest post by Peter Bisley. It previously appeared on his substack, and is republished here by kind permisison. How can active transport connections maximise City Rail Link benefits City Rail Link successfully ran a test train last month on the 3.45km line under central Auckland, ahead ...2 weeks ago
- Bernard’s Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Wednesday, March 19
Mōrena. Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, The Atlantic-$, ...2 weeks ago - Unity is the answer to Europe’s defence woes
US President Donald Trump’s hostile regime has finally forced Europe to wake up. With US officials calling into question the transatlantic alliance, Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, recently persuaded lawmakers to revise the country’s debt ...2 weeks ago
- Australian politics needs clearer national security boundaries
We need to establish clearer political boundaries around national security to avoid politicising ongoing security issues and to better manage secondary effects. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) revealed on 10 March that the Dural caravan ...2 weeks ago
- Government must act decisively and ban engineered stone
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have reiterated their call for Government to protect workers by banning engineered stone in a submission on MBIE’s silica dust consultation. “If Brooke van Velden is genuine when she calls for an evidence-based approach to this issue, then she must support a full ban on ...2 weeks ago
- Tuesday 18 March
The Labour Inspectorate could soon be knocking on the door of hundreds of businesses nation-wide, as it launches a major crackdown on those not abiding by the law. NorthTec staff are on edge as Northland’s leading polytechnic proposes to stop 11 programmes across primary industries, forestry, and construction. Union coverage ...2 weeks ago
- First-person view drones: transitioning from sport to battle
It’s one thing for military personnel to hone skills with first-person view (FPV) drones in racing competitions. It’s quite another for them to transition to the complexities of the battlefield. Drone racing has become a ...2 weeks ago
- ‘There are no exemptions. Just eat it.’
Seymour says there will be no other exemptions granted to schools wanting to opt out of the Compass contract. Photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories shortest: David Seymour has denied a request from a Christchurch school and any other schools to be exempted from the Compass school lunch programme, saying the contract ...2 weeks ago - Nuclear Ukraine: Budapest Memorandum – what it says and is it relevant?
Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, and British Prime Minister John Major signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in ... 2 weeks ago
- 15-minute consults causing more delays for patients, say GPs
Patients will face long wait times until the government changes consult times, GPs say. ...14 hours ago - Art for art’s sake? How NZ’s cultural organisations can maintain integrity and still make money
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ksenia Kosheleva, Doctoral candidate, Marketing, Hanken School of Economics Stokkete/Shutterstock When Auckland mayor Wayne Brown said in 2022 that the Auckland Art Gallery had the foot traffic of a corner dairy and cast the institution as an “uneconomic” entity, he conceded ...14 hours ago - Willis gets serious about supermarket competition
Nicola Willis strongly signals she’s willing to get serious about supermarket duopoly, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Nicola Willis seeking information how to attract a third player to market New Zealanders could be forgiven for being ...15 hours ago - High Court slaps down ministers’ ‘capricious’ changes to fishing quota
Officials have unlawfully stripped fishing quota from Māori and given it to other big companies, the High Court has ruled.It’s the culmination of a long-running case that will now force the Government back to the drawing board on the way it allocates fishing quota. Ever since Sealord Fishing Settlement of ...15 hours ago - Landscape architects worried RMA replacement could jeopardise NZ’s unique ‘everyday̵...
The New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects said reform should not jeopardise the collective value that New Zealanders place on landscapes, whether they're property owners or not. ...15 hours ago
- National’s Request for Information over supermarket duopoly fails to impress Labour
But it - along with Consumer NZ - is welcoming the potential structural intervention the government may decide to make in the grocery sector. ...16 hours ago
- An atheist on why churches should remain tax-free
Critics say that churches' exemption from paying income tax gives them an unfair competitive advantage. But one atheist says these tax laws are essential for a thriving society. ...16 hours ago
- What to expect from today’s Interislander announcement
The next steps for replacing the ferries are set to be revealed by Winston Peters, more than 15 months after the coalition scrapped Labour's plan. ...16 hours ago
- Interislander replacements: What is the next step?
The next steps for replacing the InterIslander ferries will be revealed by Winston Peters today, more than 15 months since the coalition scrapped its predecessor's iReX ferry project. ...16 hours ago
- Can Auckland Council finally do the impossible and get rid of one (1) golf course?
The last time an Auckland Council body tried to get rid of a golf course, it ended in disaster. Maybe this time it’ll be different. Auckland Council isn’t known for its ambition. Recently it turned down an 11-storey timber building next to a train station to protect the heritage value ...17 hours ago
- The proposed changes to DOC land – and the reaction to them – explained
A proposal to shake up how conservation land is managed could mean people are charged to access parts of national parks. Shanti Mathias explains the proposed changes, and what people have said in response. Almost a third of New Zealand – 32.9% of the country’s total land area – is ...17 hours ago
- Govt should keep tax exemptions for churches – atheist expert
If the thousands of churches in New Zealand paid income tax, the government would have a lot more in its coffers.They don’t, because most of them are registered religious charities, giving them tax-free status.That’s under review by the Government with submissions closing Monday. But one expert says they should be ...17 hours ago
- Two writers residencies in crisis
Two of the most well-established writers residencies in New Zealand literature are under threat. Wellington’s Randell Cottage Writers Residency has been defunded. The Sargeson Fellowship, with beautiful premises in Auckland’s Albert Park, is now essentially homeless. Both face uncertain if not downright gloomy futures.Randell Cottage’s problem is straightforward. Creative New ...17 hours ago
- ‘Black swan event’ tax bill sows uncertainty
New legislation aims to make it quicker and easier for business owners to access tax relief in the case of an emergency event The post ‘Black swan event’ tax bill sows uncertainty appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- Inquiry needed after ‘shocking naivety’ by NZ police over China
Last week extraordinary news emerged that the New Zealand police were invited on not just one, but three, political tourism trips to China in 2019, 2020, and 2024. Senior police officials endorsed these trips, and the NZSIS did not recommend against them. The trips reveal a shocking naivety and ignorance ...17 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 31 March
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 31 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Monday 31 March
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- Jockey juggles riding winners with training them
Samantha Wynne has ridden the highs and lows of horseracing as both a jockey and a trainer. But just over two years ago, she found herself at a crossroads.On December 15, 2022, Wynne, then 34, drove to Ashburton racecourse as she’d done many times before, since settling in the Canterbury ...17 hours ago
- Golden clam infestation calls biosecurity priorities into question
Stakeholders want a better approach after a well-known invasive clam makes it into the Waikato River The post Golden clam infestation calls biosecurity priorities into question appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- 86,000 hectares of arable land on urban fringes to be opened up for housing
Federated Farmers warns against willy nilly developing the productive land needed to feed NZ and its export markets The post 86,000 hectares of arable land on urban fringes to be opened up for housing appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- A short guide for Govt politicians living in a fantasy world of competition
Comment: Greens have a deeper understanding of profit’s economic and social role The post A short guide for Govt politicians living in a fantasy world of competition appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- Labor gains lead in post-budget Newspoll; would be one seat short of majority in YouGov MRP poll
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Labor’s regaining of polling momentum has continued into the first week of the formal election campaign. A national Newspoll, conducted March 27–29 ...22 hours ago
- View from The Hill: Dutton has questions to answer on gas; Albanese has supermarket answer still hun...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Peter Dutton is a tease when it comes to the fine print of policies. At least that’s the benign explanation. Critics have a harsher take on why we’re always being told to wait for the ...1 day ago
- Government signals Wildlife Act update following High Court Mt Messenger bypass ruling
Tama Potaka says he's 'not worried' updates might lead to a free pass for developers to kill protected species. ...1 day ago
- Green Party says it’s time for Judith Collins to reveal what’s wrong with government-fun...
Judith Collins says details of the methane-hunting, government-funded satellite's troubles are confidential. ...1 day ago
- Parliament Bill submissions open up conversation on constitutional arrangements
Submitters on a bill about Parliament asked for more MPs, a budget office and changes to Parliament's funding model. ...1 day ago
- Nicola Willis considers ‘structural separation’ of retail grocery market
Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says she is considering 'structural separation' in the New Zealand retail grocery market. ...1 day ago
- Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis announces government plans over supermarket competition
Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis is to announce government plans to combat the country's supermarket duopoly. ...2 days ago
- Saving our native species trickier than we thought
Comment: Life on Earth is undergoing a sixth mass extinction, with species disappearing at an unprecedented rate. Aotearoa is no exception. Since human arrival, over 60 species have vanished, and more than 75 percent of indigenous reptiles, birds, bats, and freshwater fish are either threatened with extinction or at risk ...2 days ago
- An Ode to .. Tamatha Paul
Consciousness Raising ExerciseA light mist of feijoa kombucha drifts downFrom passing clouds of stevia-based candyfloss.The purple moon rises high above the hills,Casting soft moonbeams on the moonbeam people.It is that time – time for the monthly media statementFrom the House of Non Binary Flying Green Unicorns.On Level Ninety Nine of ...2 days ago
- NZ protesters honour killed Gaza journalists – ‘targeted’ say press freedom groups
Pacific Media Watch Global press freedom organisations have condemned the killing of two journalists in Gaza this week, who died in separate targeted airstrikes by the Israeli armed forces. And protesters in Aotearoa New Zealand dedicated their week 77 rally and march in the heart of Auckland to their memory, ...2 days ago
- Thousands are feared dead in Myanmar’s quake. Trump’s USAID cuts will cause even more unnecessar...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia In early 2021, after a decade of political and economic reforms, Myanmar looked like it was finally beginning to shake off the hangover of decades of military rule. Foreign investment was growing, ...2 days ago
- New E tū union poll shows most Kiwis oppose removing living wage from government contracts
The Living Wage is currently $27.80 an hour. ...2 days ago
- New Poll Shows Opposition To Cutting Living Wage Procurement Rule
“The poll demonstrates that New Zealand voters know the importance lifting wages, especially for our lowest paid workers,” E tū National Secretary, Rachel Mackintosh says. ...2 days ago - ACT MP launches member’s bill to stop universities offering services ‘based on race̵...
An ACT MP has drafted a member's bill she says would "ensure universities do not allocate resources, benefits or opportunities based on race". ...2 days ago
- Tinā: the Samoan film that’s a hit with palagi
New Zealand has another funny/sad hit film on its hands, nearly 10 years after the last big one, Hunt for the Wilderpeople.‘Tinā’ has cinema audiences in floods of tears, and also makes them laugh.It’s heading for $4 million at the box office, which is huge for a home-grown effort.You can ...3 days ago
- Kirsten Hellier: Curiosity called the coach
The coach within always lurked close to the surface in the make-up of Kirsten Hellier, who seamlessly combined self-coaching with being a trailblazer in the competitive arena of women’s javelin in the 1990s.Once her decorated career as an athlete was over, Hellier quickly found her niche in the coaching ranks ...3 days ago
- The Secret Diary of .. the Snow White flop
Winston PetersI am not going to see Snow White. I am not going to waste my time on a woke remake of the 1937 classic. It is a travesty of the original movie which charmed generations of children and taught them important lessons that the world is full of senior ...3 days ago
- 1000 Days Since Landmark Pay Equity Deal Expired – Workers Losing $145 A Week
With no new pay equity settlement being agreed, care and support workers have seen their hard-won pay equity settlement eroded by inflation and the failure to maintain relativity above the minimum wage, says Melissa Woolley, an Assistant Secretary with ...3 days ago
- May I remind you to balance your despair?
Gabi Lardies reflects on a week of bleak reading. There’s a pattern in this week’s most popular stories on The Spinoff. We’ve got Trump supporters in New Zealand, a harrowing new drama in Adolescence, the dark workings of Facebook and a billionaire’s attempted takeover of one of our biggest media ...3 days ago
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