Chart o’ the day: got milked?
Written By:
- Date published:
9:23 am, August 10th, 2011 - 40 comments
Categories: cost of living, food -
Tags: fonterra, milk, rip-offs
40 comments on “Chart o’ the day: got milked? ”
- Comments are now closed
- Comments are now closed
Recent Comments
- The other ‘big one’: How a megaflood could swamp California’s Central Valley
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters When early settlers came to the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers before the California Gold Rush, Indigenous people warned them that the Sacramento Valley could become an inland sea when great winter rains came. The storytellers described water filling the ...1 hour ago - Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The gamechanger PM and polls
Dr Bryce Edwards writes – Last night’s opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins ...3 hours ago - Bryce Edwards: The Gamechanger PM and polls
Last night’s opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins has changed everything, and Labour is back ...3 hours ago - After the deluge – initial thoughts on the Auckland floods
Over the last few years, it’s seemed like city after city around the world has become subject to extreme flooding events that have been made worse by impacts from climate change. We’ve highlighted many of them in our Weekly Roundup series. Sadly, over the last few days it’s been Auckland’s ...4 hours ago - Ani O’Brien: Luxon can’t afford to continue ‘small target’ politicsA ‘small target’ strategy is not going to cut it anymore if National want to win the upcoming election. The game has changed and the game plan needs to change as well. Jacinda Ardern’s abrupt departure from the 9th floor has the potential to derail what looked to be an ...4 hours ago
- Shaking up science
When Grant Robertson talks about how the economy might change post-covid, one of the things he talks about is what he calls an unsung but interesting white paper on science. “It’s really important,” he says. The Minister in charge of the White Paper — Te Ara Paerangi, Future Pathways ...7 hours ago - How we get a new Prime Minister – it’s a simple matter of vice-regal appointment without a swear...
The news media were at one ceremony by the looks of things. The Governor-General, the Prime Minister and his deputy were at another. The news media were at a swearing-in ceremony. The country’s leaders were at an appointment ceremony. The New Zealand Gazette record of what transpired says: Appointment of ...22 hours ago - More bad faith from the spies
In November last year, the SIS agreed to pay journalist Nicky Hager $66,000 for illegally spying on him. As part of the settlement, they agreed to publish an agreed statement about the settlement on their website. But two weeks later, it was gone. The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties ...22 hours ago - Gordon Campbell on counting the ways Auckland was failed by its mayorI n some alternative universe, Auckland mayor Efeso Collins readily grasped the scale of Friday’s deluge, and quickly made the emergency declaration that enabled central government to immediately throw its resources behind the rescue and remediation effort. As Friday evening became night, Mayor Collins seemed to be everywhere: talking with ...24 hours ago
- Mercury Energy’s hydro power generation has been boosted by a wet half-year
They called it an “atmospheric river”, the weather bombardment which hit NZ’s northern region at the weekend. It exacted a terrible toll on metropolitan Auckland and the rest of the region. Few living there may have noted a statement from electricity generator Mercury Energy labelled “WET, WET, WET!” This was ...24 hours ago - When it rains it pours.
I know, that is a pretty corny title but given the circumstances here in the Auckland region, I just had to say it. The more oblique reference embedded in the title is to the leadership failures exhibited by Mayor Wayne Brown and his so-called leadership team when confronted by the ...1 day ago - Bryce Edwards: How authorities failed Aucklanders in an emergencyHow much confidence should the public have in authorities managing natural disasters? Not much, judging by the farcical way in which the civil defence emergence in Auckland has played out. The way authorities dealt with Auckland’s extreme weather on Friday illustrated how hit-and-miss our civil defence emergency system is. In ...1 day ago
- The Bewildering World of Christopher Luxon – Leadership, Labour vs National
Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The recent leadership change in the governing Labour party resulted in a very strange response from National’s (current) leader, Christopher Luxon. Mr Luxon berated Labour for it’s change of leader, citing no actual change.As ...2 days ago - 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #4A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 22, 2023 thru Sat, Jan 28, 2023. Story of the Week New Study Reveals Arctic Ice, Tracked Both Above and Below, Is Freezing Later Climate change is affecting the timing of both ...2 days ago
- Flooding flushes out more evidence of life in the BeehiveBuzz from the Beehive Yes, there’s life – and the hint of ministerial hum – in the Beehive. The latest announcement on the Beehive website deals with flood relief for Auckland: Government steps up to assist Auckland during flooding As the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the ...2 days ago
- A calm look at public housing
Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.It was another ‘SHOCK! HORROR!’ headline from a media increasingly venturing into tabloid-style journalism:Andrea Vance’s article seemed to focus on the "million dollar sums from the Government as the country grapples with a housing ...3 days ago - Brian Easton: Christmas briefing papers — what was the PM reading in the runup to Election Year?Dr Brian Easton writes: It’s the summer break. Everyone settles down with family, books, the sun and some fishing. But the Prime Minister has a pile of briefing papers prepared just before Christmas, which have to be worked through. I haven’t seen them. Here is my guess at some ...3 days ago
- Christmas Briefing Papers
What Was the Prime Minister Reading in the Runup to Election Year?It’s the summer break. Everyone settles down with family, books, the sun and some fishing. But the Prime Minister has a pile of briefing papers prepared just before Christmas, which have to be worked through. I haven’t seen them. ...4 days ago - A significant loopholeIn case you hadn't noticed, FYI, the public OIA request site, has been used to conduct a significant excavation into New Zealand's intelligence agencies, with requests made for assorted policies and procedures. Yesterday in response to one of these requests the GCSB released its policy on New Zealand Purpose and ...4 days ago
- Farm leaders are watching whether O’Connor keeps Agriculture as the climate lobby presses for meth...Farming leaders are watching closely whether Damien O’Connor keeps the key portfolios of Agriculture and Trade when Prime Minister Chris Hipkins restructures his Cabinet. O’Connor has been one of the few ministers during Labour’s term in office who has won broad support for what he has done ...4 days ago
- Let the farmers pay for their own poor decisionsSouth Islands farmers are whining about another drought, the third in three years. If only we knew what was causing this! If only someone had warned them that they faced a drying climate! But we do know what is causing it: climate change. And they have been warned, repeatedly, for ...4 days ago
- Ministers are muted – or missing in action, maybeBuzz from the Beehive Nothing to report, folks. Other than Willie Jackson’s tribute on Wednesday to Titewhai Harawira, ministers of the Crown have posted nothing on the Beehive website since the day ...4 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on the bad outlook for fuel and transport costsOk, there’s good news and bad news in this week’s inflation figures, but bad > good. Our inflation rate held steady but hey, at a level below the inflation rate in Australia. The main reason for the so/so result here? A fall in petrol prices of 7.2% offset the really ...4 days ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Time for a sober discussion about toxicity and personality in p...Dr Bryce Edwards writes: Since her shock resignation announcement, Jacinda Ardern has been at pains to point out that she isn’t leaving because of the toxicity directed at her on social media and elsewhere, rebutting journalists who suggested misogyny and hate may have driven her from office. Yet ...4 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Time for a sober discussion about toxicity and personality in politicsSince her shock resignation announcement, Jacinda Ardern has been at pains to point out that she isn’t leaving because of the toxicity directed at her on social media and elsewhere, rebutting journalists who suggested misogyny and hate may have driven her from office. Yet there have been dozens of columns ...4 days ago
- Jung At Heart.
The Clinical Magus: Of particular relevance to New Zealanders struggling to come to terms with the sudden departure of their prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is Jung’s concept of the anima. Much more than what others have called the feminine principle, the anima is what the human male has made out ...4 days ago - Weekly Roundup 27-January-2023Kia ora. Welcome to January’s last (!) Weekly Roundup. The week in Greater Auckland Monday’s post raised the possibility of a Manukau Road light rail route. On Tuesday, Matt wondered what the outcomes of this year’s rail network shutdowns will be now that the first, from Ōtāhuhu to Newmarket, ...4 days ago
- Committee slashes broadcasting bill but it may be too lateThe Select Committee, considering the proposed RNZ-TVNZ merger, has come back with a report conceding many of the criticisms that were made of the original legislation. In what is one of the most comprehensive demolitions of a Bill submitted to a Select Committee, the Economic Development, Science and Innovation ...4 days ago
- Left and Right Alike: Undermining Democracy in New Zealand
Such are the 2020s, the age when no-one, it seems, actually respects the basic underpinnings of democracy. Even in New Zealand. This week, I stumbled across a pair of lengthy and genuinely serious articles, that basically argue that Something is Rotten in the state of New Zealand democracy. One ...4 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #4 2023Open access notables Some of our more esoteric discussions with geophysics rejectionists (aka "climate science deniers") involve warming of the upper troposphere. Resolving the 21st century temperature trends of the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere with satellite observations by Ladstädter, Steiner & Gleisner via Nature Scientific Reports brings in new orbital instrumentation and makes some important progress in quantifying ...5 days ago
- Garrick Tremain’s view …
... 5 days ago - Tribute has been paid to Titewhai Harawira but Beehive has missed govt response to the CPI and Crown...Buzz from the Beehive Hurrah. Today we found something fresh on the Beehive website, Beehive.govt.nz, which claims to be the best place to find Government initiatives, policies and Ministerial information. It wasn’t from Finance Minister Grant Robertson, whose reaction to the latest inflation figures would have been appreciated. So, too, ...5 days ago
- After Ratana.5 days ago
- Ominous Similarities.Extremism Consumes Itself: The plot of “Act of Oblivion” concerns the relentless pursuit of the “regicides” Edward Whalley and William Goffe – two of the fifty-nine signatories to King Charles I’s death warrant. As with his many other works of historical fiction, Robert Harris’s novel brings to life a period ...5 days ago
- You could dismiss co-governance critics as racist – or you could consult Thomas Cranmer (and see h...To challenge the Government’s promotion of co-governance, to share power between Maori and public authorities and agencies, is to invite accusations of racism. An example: this article by Martyn Bradbury on The Daily Blog headed Luxon’s race baiting hypocrisy at Ratana. The article was triggered by National leader Christopher Luxon, ...5 days ago
- Political Roundup: 26 January 2023RĀTANA, CO-GOVERNANCE, THREE WATERS Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): After Ratana Thomas Manch (Stuff): Could Three Waters be on the chopping block? Here’s what Prime Minister Chris Hipkins could do Ted Greensmith-West (Stuff): Co-governance is less controversial than Christopher Luxon makes out John MacDonald (Newstalk ZB): Luxon’s done Rātana. Is Rātana ...5 days ago
- Getting the full story about Ukraine
A very informative video discussion: Are we getting the whole story about Ukraine? | Robert Wright & Ivan Katchanovski Getting objective information on the situation in Ukraine and the cause of this current war is not easy. There is the current censorship and blatant mainstream media bias – which ...5 days ago - The Mayor on Light RailYesterday the Herald ran an op-ed from Mayor Wayne Brown titled “The case for light rail is lighter than ever” and a few things stood out. However, it’s getting more and more tricky to make a strong economic case for spending up to $29 billion on a single route of ...5 days ago
- Checklist: How to take advantage of brand-new clean energy tax creditsThis is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Samantha Harrington Imagine it’s a cold February night and your furnace breaks. You want to replace it with an electric heat pump because you’ve heard that tax credits will help pay for the switch. And you know that heat pumps can reduce ...5 days ago
- National goes back to BrashIn 2005, then-National Party leader based his entire election campaign on racism, with his infamous racist Orewa speech and racist iwi/kiwi billboards. Now, Christopher Luxon seems to want to do it all again: Fresh off using his platform at this week's Rātana celebrations to criticise the government's approach to ...6 days ago
- Inflation is not slowing down yet, so can Hipkins take a tip from Prebble and risk a snap election?Inflation is showing little sign of slowing down, posing a problem for freshly minted PM Chris Hipkins. According to that old campaigner Richard Prebble, Hipkins should call a snap election. If he waits till October, he risks being swept away. The dilemma for the new leader is that fighting an election ...6 days ago
- Alas, we must rely on the media to find what our leaders said while pitching for the Maori vote at R...Buzz from the Beehive A great deal has happened since January 19. Among other things, a new Prime Minister and deputy have been sworn in and our leaders (past, present and aspiring) have delivered speeches at Ratana. Newshub reported that politicians of all stripes had descended upon Rātana for the ...6 days ago
- Introducing Chippy, the new bloke
It’s a big day for New Zealand; our 41st Prime Minister has taken office and the new, “Chippy” era of politics is underway. Or, on the other hand, the Labour Party continues to govern with an overall majority and much the same leadership team in place. Life goes on and ...6 days ago - Thomas Cranmer: Chris Hipkins on co-governance – “No-one understands what it means”New Zealand has another Prime Minister who does not have a basic grasp of the three articles of the Treaty of Waitangi. THOMAS CRANMER writes: It is simply astonishing that New Zealand’s next Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, is unable to give even a brief explanation of the three articles ...6 days ago
- Graham Adams: Misogyny, the media and the martyrdom of Jacinda ArdernA statue of a semi-naked Nick Smith puts the misogyny debate into perspective. GRAHAM ADAMS writes … In the wake of Ardern’s abrupt resignation, the mainstream media are determined to convince us she was hounded from office mainly because she is a woman and had to fall on her sword ...6 days ago
- Chris Trotter: Does Chris Hipkins have the spinal steel to force a change in Labour’s course?A Different Kind Of Vibe: In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealand’s new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his party’s currently suicidal political course. If Chris “Chippy” Hipkins is ...6 days ago
- Political Roundup: 25 January 2023Items of interest and importance today RĀTANA AND CO-GOVERNANCE Luke Malpass (Stuff): Rātana mission complete for Christopher Luxon, but outshone by Chris Hipkins Felix Desmarais (1News): Analysis: Co-governance casts shadow over PM’s exit at Rātana Thomas Cranmer: Luxon talks co-governance at Rātana Pā Tova O’Brien (Today FM): All political parties ...6 days ago
- NIMBYs go BANANAs over young singles in their areaAn editorial in the NZ Herald last week, titled “Nimbyism goes bananas as housing intensifies“, introduced Herald readers to a couple of acronyms that go along with the now-familiar NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard): “bananas” (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone) “cave” dwellers (citizens against virtually everything). The editorial ...6 days ago
- What Robertson has learned from Covid and how it will define this election yearBack in the dark autumn of 2020, when the prospect of Covid was freaking the country out, Finance Minister Grant Robertson set himself and Treasury a series of questions about what a post-Covid economy might look like. Those were fearful days, and the questions in part reflected a series ...6 days ago
- The U.S. had 18 different billion-dollar weather disasters in 2022This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson The contiguous United States suffered 18 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2022, according to NOAA, tied for the third-highest number in inflation-adjusted data going back to 1980. Only 2020, with 22 billion-dollar weather disasters, and 2021, with 20, had more. NOAA ...6 days ago
- Our politicians have swarmed to Ratana where Hipkins may cause some buzz when he explains his co-gov...Buzz from the Beehive Yet another day has passed without Ministers of the Crown posting something to show they are still working for us on the Beehive website. Nothing new has been posted since January 17. Perhaps the ministers are all engaged in the bemusing annual excursion ...7 days ago
- Framing an election-winning budget a priority for Hipkins-led team — but will inflation erode an...Incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has already indicated he intends making the tax system “fairer”. That points to the route a government facing an election could take to tilt the odds towards winning in its favour, given Labour’s support in the last months of the Ardern era had been ...7 days ago
- Wage rises, not tax cutsNewsHub has a poll on the cost-of-living crisis, which has an interesting finding: the vast majority of kiwis prefer wage rises to tax cuts: When asked whether income has kept up with the cost of living, 54.8 percent of people surveyed said no and according to 58.6 percent of ...7 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On The Shrinking Of Labour’s VisionLabour has begun 2023 with the centre-left bloc behind in the polls and losing ground. That being so, did his colleagues choose Chris Hipkins as the replacement for Jacinda Ardern because they think he has a realistic shot at leading them to victory this year, or because he‘s the best ...1 week ago
- Political Roundup: 24 January 2023Items of interest and importance today GOVERNMENT, PARLIAMENT Simon Wilson (Herald): Chippy vs the donors de Luxe (paywalled) Rachel Smalley (Today FM): The power of vulnerability – Can Chris Hipkins heal our country? Henry Cooke: Nine thoughts on Prime Minister Chippy Branko Marcetic (Jacobin): Jacinda Ardern’s Leadership Was a Cautionary Tale ...1 week ago
- What Is Co-Governance?Two Flags, Two Masters? Just as it required a full-scale military effort to destroy the first attempt at Māori self-government in the 1850s and 60s (an effort that divided Maoridom itself into supporters and opponents of the Crown) any second attempt to establish tino rangatiratanga, based on the confiscatory policies ...1 week ago
- What are the Rail Network Shutdown Outcomes?The first of Kiwirail’s big network shutdowns to fix the foundations on our tracks is now well underway with the Southern Line closed between Otahuhu and Newmarket. This is following on from the network wide Christmas/New Year shutdown, during which Kiwirail say that nearly 1,300 people working across 69 different ...1 week ago
- Input to USDA about how to allocate IRA climate-smart agriculture fundsThis is a re-post from the Citizens' Climate Lobby blog In last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Congress included about $20 billion earmarked for natural climate solutions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for deciding how those funds should be allocated to meet the climate ...1 week ago
- The real reason Jacinda Ardern resigned
You’ve really got to wonder at the introspection, or lack thereof, from much of the mainstream media post Jacinda Ardern stepping down. Some so-called journalists haven’t even taken a breath before once again putting the boot in, which clearly shows their inherent bias and lack of any misgivings about fueling ...1 week ago - On the darkness behind the PM’s departure.Over the weekend I was interviewed by a media outlet about the threats that Jacinda Ardern and her family have received while she has been PM and what can be expected now that she has resigned. I noted that the level of threat she has been exposed to is unprecedented ...1 week ago
- When Sepuloni finds time to check on the latest benefit stats, perhaps she will explain what has bee...Buzz from the Beehive Again we must report that nothing fresh has been posted on the Beehive website since 19 January, when Jacinda Ardern announced the General Election will be held on 14 October and her resignation as Prime Minister. But we are eagerly awaiting the posting of a statement ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Labour shifts focus from Grey Lynn to West AucklandDr Bryce Edwards writes: The days of the Labour Government being associated with middle class social liberalism look to be numbered. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni are heralding a major shift in emphasis away from the constituencies and ideologies of liberal Grey ...1 week ago
- Does Chris Hipkins Have The Spinal Steel To Force A Change In Labour’s Course?A Different Kind Of Vibe: In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealand’s new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his party’s currently suicidal political course. If Chris “Chippy” Hipkins is able to steer ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards: Labour shifts focus from Grey Lynn to West AucklandThe days of the Labour Government being associated with middle class social liberalism look to be numbered. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni are heralding a major shift in emphasis away from the constituencies and ideologies of liberal Grey Lynn and Wellington Central towards the ...1 week ago
- A different Tunnelled Light Rail OptionFollowing the surprise resignation of Jacinda Ardern last week, her replacement, Chis Hipkins, has said: Over the coming week, Cabinet will be making decisions on reining in some programs and projects that aren’t essential right now That messaging is similar to what Jacinda Ardern said late last year and as ...1 week ago
- Hipkins “reset” was all in the plans anywayMuch of what will mark the early days of Chris Hipkins’ Prime Ministership would have happened anyway. By December, the Prime Minister and Finance Minister were making it clear the summer break and early days of this year were going to be spent on a reset of government policy. ...1 week ago
- Mutterings about Musk
Going to try to get into the blogging thing again (ha!) what with an election coming up and all that. So today I thought I'd start small and simple, by merely tackling the world's (second) richest man.I'm no fan of Elon Musk. You don't want to know why, but I'll ...1 week ago - 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #3A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 15, 2023 thru Sat, Jan 21, 2023. Story of the Week State of the climate: How the world warmed in 2022 With a new year underway, most of the climate data for ...1 week ago
- The Revenge of the Managerialists: Hipkins It Is
Well, that was a disappointment. As of today, the New Zealand Labour Caucus opted for Chris Hipkins as our new Prime Minister, and I cannot help but let loose a cynical cackle. ... 1 week ago - Bryce Edwards: PM Hipkins resets Labour to the rightGet ready for a major political reset once Chris Hipkins is sworn in as Prime Minister this week. Labour’s new leader is likely to push the Government to the right economically, and do his best to jettison the damaging perceptions that Labour has become “too woke” on social issues. Overall, ...1 week ago
- 2023: a crucial year for Aotearoa already, fair thinking voters need to step up right now
Things have gone sideways… and it’s only the third week of January? It was political earthquake time. For some the Prime Minister made a truly significant announcement. For others – did you have this on your bingo card? – a body double did so (sit tight, you’ll understand later, ...1 week ago - The Hipkins bit of the conjecture about Labour’s leadership has been settled – now for the deput...Buzz from the Beehive Because our hard-working Ministers of the Crown are engaged in Labour Party caucus stuff in Napier, no doubt jockeying to ensure they keep their jobs or get a better one, Point of Order was not surprised to find no fresh news on the Beehive website this ...1 week ago
- Danyl Mclauchlan: The Visions of Jacinda ArdernBy the end of 2019, Jacinda Ardern was a political superstar heading towards an election defeat. She was an icon, internationally beloved, on track to be an ex-prime minister before the age of forty. It was the year of the Christchurch terror attack when Ardern’s response to the atrocity saw ...1 week ago
- Bullshit Work
People complain about their jobs being meaningless. Does it matter?David Graeber, author of Bullshit Jobs: The Rise of Pointless Work and What We Can Do About It, would have smiled at Elon Musk’s sacking half the Twitter workforce. Musk seems to be confirming the main thesis of the book, that ...2 weeks ago - Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Why Jacinda Ardern’s resignation changes everythingDr Bryce Edwards writes: Should New Zealand have a snap election? That’s one of the questions arising out of the chaos of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation. There’s an increased realisation that everything has changed, and the old plans and assumptions for election year have suddenly evaporated. ...2 weeks ago
- Urgent action needed to support families
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...6 days ago - Green Party writes to new Prime MinisterThe Green Party has written to Prime Minister Chris Hipkins outlining a plan for a fairer Aotearoa. ...6 days ago
- Green Party looks forward to working with Chris HipkinsThe Green Party welcomes Chris Hipkins as the sole nominee for leader of the Labour Party, and the next Prime Minister of Aotearoa New Zealand. ...1 week ago
- Greens recognise Prime Minister Ardern’s serviceThe Green Party is today acknowledging Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s service to Aotearoa. ...2 weeks ago
- Government makes first payment to Auckland Flooding fund
The Government is providing establishment funding of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “We moved quickly to make available this funding to support Aucklanders while the full extent of the damage is being assessed,” Kieran McAnulty ...3 days ago - Government steps up to assist Auckland during floodingAs the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...4 days ago
- Poroporoaki: Titewhai Te Huia Hinewhare HarawiraKa papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...6 days ago
- Enhanced Task Force Green Approved following Cyclone HaleCarmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...7 days ago
- General Election to be held on 14 October 2023The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...2 weeks ago
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces resignationJacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...2 weeks ago
- Trade and Agriculture Minister to attend World Economic Forum and Global Forum for Food and Agricult...The Government is maintaining its strong trade focus in 2023 with Trade and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visiting Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change and food security, WTO reform and New Zealand agricultural innovation. Damien O’Connor will travel tomorrow to Switzerland to attend the ...2 weeks ago
- Government funding relief for flood-affected Wairarapa farmers and growersThe Government has extended its medium-scale classification of Cyclone Hale to the Wairarapa after assessing storm damage to the eastern coastline of the region. “We’re making up to $80,000 available to the East Coast Rural Support Trust to help farmers and growers recover from the significant damage in the region,” ...2 weeks ago
- Government provides support to flooded Tairāwhiti communitiesThe Government is making an initial contribution of $150,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Tairāwhiti following ex-Tropical Cyclone Hale, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “While Cyclone Hale has caused widespread heavy rain, flooding and high winds across many parts of the North Island, Tairāwhiti ...3 weeks ago
- Government support for flood-affected Gisborne Tairāwhiti farmers and growersRural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor has classified this week’s Cyclone Hale that caused significant flood damage across the Tairāwhiti/Gisborne District as a medium-scale adverse event, unlocking Government support for farmers and growers. “We’re making up to $100,000 available to help coordinate efforts as farmers and growers recover from the heavy ...3 weeks ago
- The Bulletin: hospital waiting lists grow
Hospital waiting lists grow Chris Hipkins is expected to announce his cabinet reshuffle today. There’s been some speculation that Andrew Little may lose the health portfolio to Ayesha Verrall. As Stuff’s Bridie Witton reported, Little said he was happy to stick it out as the health minister. ...21 mins ago - Overseas Home Buyers’ Share Remains Low
In the December 2022 quarter, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didn’t hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, Stats NZ said today. This compares with 0.4 percent in the December 2021 quarter, and 0.5 percent in the September 2022 ...54 mins ago - Heavy rain approaches as mayor’s text message emergesMetService satellite imaging shows a deepening low moving towards New Zealand. It’s expected to bring more heavy rain to areas already impacted by the record-breaking rainfall on Friday that caused severe flooding in Auckland. Red and orange heavy rain warnings have been issued. Red warnings are issued when rain is ...1 hour ago
- The app making it easier to share your DoshNew Zealand is well behind the rest of the world when it comes to transferring money between banks. Shane Marsh and James McEniery discovered this when they were living in Singapore and started Aotearoa’s first real time payment mobile wallet. They aim to bring banking in New Zealand into the ...1 hour ago
- An investigation into school uniforms, by three intermediate studentsOur uniforms are overpriced and so packed with plastics they’ll outlive our great-great-grandchildren, write the student journalists of Balmoral Intermediate. Last year, Balmoral Intermediate’s student-run newspaper Kawepūrongo released a multi-part investigation into their polyester-packed school uniforms. The first instalment, titled “What Really Goes Into Our Uniform?” was initially sparked by ...1 hour ago
- Use Of Dog To Arrest Car Thieves In New Plymouth JustifiedThe Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that a Police dog handler’s decision to command his dog to restrain two young people while arresting them for attempting to steal a car was a justified, necessary and proportionate response in ...2 hours ago
- Rain and Wayne to carry onWhile the upper North Island braces for more heavy rain, Auckland mayor Wayne Brown remains adamant he’s not resigning as a new text message about “media drongos” sent by Brown comes to light, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The ...2 hours ago
- EDS Files Legal Proceedings Challenging The Lawfulness Of Plantation Forestry RegulationsThe Environmental Defence Society says that the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF) are failing to protect the coastal marine environment from the significant adverse effects of sedimentation associated with plantation ...3 hours ago
- AI is helping us search for intelligent alien life – and we’ve already found 8 strange new signa...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danny C Price, Senior research fellow, Curtin University Midjourney, Author provided Some 540 million years ago, diverse life forms suddenly began to emerge from the muddy ocean floors of planet Earth. This period is known as the Cambrian Explosion, and ...3 hours ago - Here’s who decides cause of death, how death certificates work – and whether a person died with ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Eagar, Adjunct professor in the School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock COVID was Australia’s third leading cause of death (after heart disease and dementia) in 2022. In a bad flu year we have about 1,200 influenza deaths. We had ...3 hours ago
- How culling Australia’s feral water buffalo could help tackle climate changeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Davies, Research Associate, Charles Darwin University The world’s largest wild population of water buffalo now roam Australia. As does the largest wild herd of camels. We have millions of feral goats and deer. For these introduced species, Australia is a paradise. ...3 hours ago
- The hype is out of this world, but mining in space won’t save the EarthSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Juliana Segura-Salazar, Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Planetary Resources We know the world must move to cleaner energy sources to head off the worst effects of climate change, but the technology required for the transition is very mineral-intensive. So ...3 hours ago
- A Chippy blip, or something more?Two new polls put Labour under Chris Hipkins suddenly ahead of Chris Luxon’s National. Toby Manhire assesses some strikingly similar numbers. Come on now. The news in New Zealand is meant to yawn gently out of bed in January. A sprinkling of set-pieces, scene setting and sloganeering, that’s all. But ...5 hours ago
- The NZ-shot, taxpayer-backed horror film you can’t watchFilmed in rural New Zealand during the Covid-19 pandemic, Pearl was one of the biggest critical darlings of 2022. But, as Stewart Sowman-Lund reports, there are still no plans to release it here. It cost New Zealand taxpayers more than$1.5m. It was filmed entirely on our shores. It raked in ...5 hours ago
- PM's chance to carve a new path with Cabinet reshuffle
Tuesday's Cabinet reshuffle is not the time for Chris Hipkins to stick with the status quo ...7 hours ago - Auckland's historic flooding explained in five charts
The epic deluge and subsequent flooding across Auckland broke just about every record in the book. Newsroom has pulled the data together to show just how unprecedented this storm was. ...7 hours ago - Meanwhile, some royal
Guy Somerset is Team Sussex I’m Team Sussex. I came to Harry’s memoir predisposed towards both him and Meghan. I believe them. They seem genuine. A bit flaky perhaps. A bit, yes, woke. But not the criminals they’ve been made out to be. Not the Machiavellian manipulators they’re portrayed as. ...7 hours ago - Have you heard of Nafanua? Well, she just walked in the room…
'When you have the support of many to help carry you and role models who completely smash glass ceilings, how can you not dare to dream?' Auckland University’s first female Pacific Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific shares what the appointment of Carmel Sepuloni as Deputy Prime Minister means to her. Comment: Nafanua, well-known in ...7 hours ago - Running like a girl championed by star archer
Multiple world champion archer Danielle Brown experienced the ultimate highs and lows of sport. Now with the help of two great Kiwi athletes, she's written an award-winning book, Angela Walker reports. Danielle Brown knows what inclusion looks like. It has enabled the archery champion to stand on the sport's highest ...7 hours ago - Grocery legislation decreases competition, not the reverse
Dr Eric Crampton argues national and local regulation, including a clause in the Grocery Industry Competition Bill going through Parliament, make it more difficult for other players to enter the supermarket. ...7 hours ago - Pak'nSave's 67c beers are 'simply irresponsible'
Minister condemns supermarket's 'targeted and aggressive' marketing of $3.99 six-packs ...7 hours ago - Millstone mortgages: Seven ways to bring your payments down
There are things borrowers can do to reduce their payments, but with banks there’s no such thing as a free lunch ...7 hours ago - Black Sand Highway: Sea lion vs traffic
Increasingly frequent encounters between humans and sea lions in the Catlins and Clutha coast has conservationists calling for vehicle bans on beaches The world’s rarest species of sea lion is clawing its way back into prominence on Southland beaches - but road traffic on the seashore could send them back into ...7 hours ago - National takes a tumble while Labour gets runs on the board
For political nerds and tragics the 2020 election was about as boring as it could get with no race to be seen and an inevitable landslide victory for Labour. Monday night’s polls show 2023 will be a return to MMP - a race down to the wire and the result ...7 hours ago - Markets start the year with a bang
Investors were bullish in January, seemingly convinced the inflation threat is a thing of the past. But do central bankers have the same optimism? ...7 hours ago - Carmel Sepuloni: What does it take to be deputy PM?
Carmel Sepuloni's appointment as Deputy Prime Minister has been rightly celebrated, but how will she fare as Chris Hipkins' right-hand woman? She's well-liked in the Labour caucus and seen as a safe pair of hands - but has Carmel Sepuloni got what it takes to be the Deputy Prime Minister? ...7 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 31 January
Loading...(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],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. ...8 hours ago - Daily crossword, Tuesday 31 January
...8 hours ago - Former deputy prime minister John Anderson joins group spearheading “no” campaign on the VoiceSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Former deputy prime minister John Anderson is one of the six- member committee launched on Monday to spearhead the “no” case in the Voice referendum. The Voice No Case Committee’s “Recognise a Better Way” campaign ...11 hours ago
- Union Calédonian proposes historic September 24 date for ‘independence accord’RNZ Pacific New Caledonia’s pro-independence Union Calédonian has proposed September 24 this year as the date by which an accord be reached with France to complete decolonisation. The party, which wants independence for the territory by 2025, has chosen the date because it will mark the 170th anniversary of New ...12 hours ago
- Fiji’s media veterans recount intimidation under FijiFirst government – eye on reformsPacific Media Watch Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat reports today on how Fiji has fared under the draconian Media Industry Development Act that has restricted media freedom over the past decade. There are hopes that state-endorsed media censorship will stop in Fiji following last month’s change in government to the People’s ...13 hours ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Treasurer Jim Chalmers answers critics of his ‘values-based capita...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers has rejected as “laughable” criticism he has turned his back on the Hawke-Keating reform era in his blueprint for “values-based capitalism”. In this podcast Chalmers also reveals he spoke with Paul ...14 hours ago
- ‘Arts are meant to be at the heart of our life’: what the new national cultural policy could mea...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jo Caust, Associate Professor and Principal Fellow (Hon), School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne It’s finally been launched. A new cultural policy for Australia. After years (actually decades) of neglect, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today launched a new national ...16 hours ago
- Labour surges to the top in latest polls – but there’s a catchLabour’s new leader Chris Hipkins has brought along a significant poll bump, with Labour now ahead in both the 1News Kantar Public and Newshub Reid Research polls. Both major television networks have released the first polls of Hipkins’ premiership tonight. But while both polls now have Labour ahead, both also predict ...16 hours ago
- Double poll day: TVNZ and Newshub to deliver first look at Hipkins’ popularityIt’s a big evening for political tragics, with both the major television networks set to reveal a first glance at the popularity of new prime minister Chris Hipkins. TVNZ and Newshub have announced they will both be airing the poll results at 6pm tonight. It’ll show whether or not there ...16 hours ago
- National loses ground to Hipkins' Labour in two new polls
Two political polls tonight have Labour regaining lost ground against National, with leader Chris Hipkins more popular than the opposition's Christopher Luxon. ...17 hours ago - A tiny radioactive capsule is lost on a highway in Western Australia. Here’s what you need to knowSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Obbard, Senior Lecturer in Nuclear Engineering, UNSW Sydney On January 12 a truck pulled out of Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia and drove 1,400km south to Perth, arriving on January 16. Nine ...17 hours ago
- Auckland schools ordered to remain closed until February 7Schools in Auckland won’t be opening as planned after the events of the weekend, the education ministry has confirmed. They will remain closed until after the Waitangi long weekend. “With the possibility of further weather damage leading to more disruption, the secretary for education has directed that schools, kura, early ...17 hours ago
- Defiant Brown says lessons to be learned – but ‘I’m not going to resign’Aucklanders are being warned to prepare for more heavy rain as the city continues to feel the fallout from Friday’s devastating floods. Mayor Wayne Brown has given a media conference this afternoon where he suggested schools should remain closed tomorrow, and also said Aucklanders could take their storm waste to ...17 hours ago
- Auckland schools ordered to remain closed until February 7Schools in Auckland won’t be opening as planned after the events of the weekend, the education ministry has confirmed. They will remain closed until after the Waitangi long weekend. “With the possibility of further weather damage leading to more disruption, the secretary for education has directed that schools, kura, early ...17 hours ago
- Defiant Brown says lessons to be learned – but ‘I’m not going to resign’Aucklanders are being warned to prepare for more heavy rain as the city continues to feel the fallout from Friday’s devastating floods. Mayor Wayne Brown has given a media conference this afternoon where he suggested schools should remain closed tomorrow, and also said Aucklanders could take their storm waste to ...17 hours ago
- My kid is biting, hitting and kicking. I’m at my wit’s end, what can I do?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John McAloon, Senior Lecturer, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney Shutterstock Everyone with young children experiences parenting challenges. And these are often exacerbated by parental exhaustion, financial or relationship difficulties, and work stress. I’m a clinical child ...17 hours ago
- Streaming platforms will soon be required to invest more in Australian TV and films, which could be ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Oliver Eklund, PhD Candidate in Media and Communication, Queensland University of Technology Unsplash Streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ will soon face regulations to invest in Australian content, as Australian regulations catch up to other world players. ...17 hours ago
- ‘Discriminatory impact on First Nations people’: coroner calls for urgent bail reform in Veronic...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia Indigenous community members outside the Victorian coroners court ahead of the release of a report into the death of Veronica Nelson. Tamati Smith/Getty Images Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ...18 hours ago
- Call NZ’s catastrophic deluge a ‘climate disaster’, says GreenpeaceAsia Pacific Report Greenpeace claimed today claimed New Zealand’s extreme rain and flooding crisis in the North Island at the weekend as a “climate disaster”. “As our friends, family and neighbours across Auckland and the North Island have been battered by unprecedented rain and flooding, it’s a visceral reminder that ...19 hours ago
- Sacked FBC chief ‘earning more than PM’, says new broadcaster chairBy Wata Shaw in Suva Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) chief executive officer Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum’s employment status has been terminated, new board chair Ajay Bhal Amrit confirmed today. Amrit said in a statement that chief financial officer Vimlesh Sagar would act in the position until the board could “confidently appoint” a ...19 hours ago
- NZ police confirm fourth death after man swept away by floodwatersRNZ News A fourth person has been found dead as a result of New Zealand’s catastrophic floods on Friday, which have now spread to other parts of the country. Police said in a statement that Search and Rescue, who had been looking for a person swept away by floodwaters in ...19 hours ago
- 3rd Of March School Strike For ClimateThis year, politicians will stand for the leadership of our country. As young people today, we are accustomed to doomsday climate headlines and “once in 100 year” phenomena. We have heard all the big kōrero, but where is all the meaningful action? ...20 hours ago
- What You Will Be Asked In The 2023 CensusEveryone in Aotearoa New Zealand on Census Day, 7 March 2023, will be asked to answer questions about themselves in the census. As a household there will also be questions about where you live, Stats NZ said today. “There will be a lot that is familiar ...21 hours ago
- New Zealand’s tax system is under the spotlight (again). What needs to change to make it fair?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Marriott, Professor of Taxation, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington GettyImages Aotearoa New Zealand’s new Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, has said we should look at ways to make the tax system fairer. Finance associate minister David Parker made ...21 hours ago
- Catastrophic Deluge Should Be Named A Climate Disaster Says GreenpeaceGreenpeace is today calling for the North Island’s extreme rain and flooding event to be named as a climate disaster. "As our friends, family and neighbours across Auckland and the North Island have been battered by unprecedented rain and flooding, ...21 hours ago
- Now is the time to re-think EQC
In these threatening times, a broad discussion about the role of EQC is imperative, writes Chris Nicoll In Aotearoa we are good at dealing with catastrophes when they occur. We see (otherwise rare) social unity in the minute-by-minute responses. People seem happy to help one another without hope of reward ...21 hours ago - What’s driving the potato chip shortage and when will it pass?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flavio Macau, Associate Dean – School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock Potatoes are among Australia’s favourite vegetables. However, we are facing a shortage of processed potatoes, especially of frozen chips. Coles introduced a two-item limit for shoppers ...22 hours ago
- What is Jane Yee from Treasure Island’s podcast? Introducing The Real PodThe breakout star of Treasure Island: Fans vs Faves is The Spinoff’s own head of podcasting, Jane Yee. Here’s everything you need to know about her show, The Real Pod. What is The Real Pod? A weekly podcast which recaps the biggest reality TV shows screening in New Zealand, The ...22 hours ago
- Counting The Ways Auckland Was Failed By Its MayorIn some alternative universe, Auckland mayor Efeso Collins readily grasped the scale of Friday’s deluge, and quickly made the emergency declaration that enabled central government to immediately throw its resources behind the rescue and remediation effort. ...23 hours ago
- Jayden Daniels and Bree Tomasel are Treasure Island’s strongest fan/fave allianceThe Treasure Island: Fans v Faves co-hosts talk fans, faves and making their new hosting partnership work. When Treasure Island: Fans v Faves premieres tonight and a new group of castaways wash ashore on a Fijian beach in the hopes of winning $50,000 for charity, they’ll be wrangled by a ...23 hours ago
- Severe weather continues in North Island: What you need to know
*This story was originally published on RNZ and is republished with permission* Landslips, road closures, homes and businesses flooded and more heavy rain on the way. Here is what you need to know as the severe weather continues. Landslips and homes without water Northern suburbs of Auckland and Titirangi appear ...24 hours ago - Revisiting an old food foeChesdale cheese slices were one of the banes of Charlotte Muru-Lanning’s childhood. Can she learn to love them as an adult? This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. For most of my childhood, Chesdale cheese slices were a mainstay in the fridge. Much to my disappointment. ...1 day ago
- Prime Minister Chris Hipkins: 'Still a very challenging time' for AucklandAuckland has a big clean-up job and faces uncertainty with severe weather forecast, but the prime minister would not be drawn on the Auckland mayor's handling of the flood response. ...1 day ago
- Food Exports Increase In 2022Total exports saw a growth of $8.7 billion (14 percent) to $72.2 billion in the year ended December 2022 compared with 2021, Stats NZ said today. Annual imports also rose sharply to $86.7 billion, up $16.1 billion (23 percent). “Price inflation ...1 day ago
- Glen Kyne on Warner Bros. Discovery’s future in New ZealandMeet the kiwi in charge of some of the worlds biggest brands across Japan, Australia and Aotearoa. Glen Kyne went from running the commercial team at Mediaworks to fostering brands like CNN and HBO in the blink of an eye. He chats with Duncan about the future of the streaming ...1 day ago
- Free Speech Union Welcomes Select Committee Report On Public Media Bill, But Media Independence Stil...The report by the Economic Development, Science, and Innovation Committee has suggested essential changes to the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media Bill. Many of these changes are straight out of the Free Speech Union submission on this Bill and we are glad ...1 day ago
- Power Play: Flooding disaster showed up major failures in local Auckland leadershipPower Play - Aucklanders did not get the political leadership they deserve as they face the aftermath of Friday night's devastating floods, writes Jane Patterson. ...1 day ago
- 3 in 4 people experience abuse on dating apps. How do we balance prevention with policing?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kath Albury, Professor of Media and Communication and Associate Investigator, ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making + Society, Swinburne University of Technology Shutterstock A 2022 survey by the Australian Institute of Criminology found three in four app users surveyed ...1 day ago
- Why has the West given billions in military aid to Ukraine, but virtually ignored Myanmar?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Farrelly, Professor and Head of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania Two years after Myanmar’s coup on February 1 2021, the country’s large and growing resistance forces receive almost no attention outside the country. The democratic opposition, fronted by the National ...1 day ago
- Nope, coffee won’t give you extra energy. It’ll just borrow a bit that you’ll pay for laterSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Beckett, Senior Lecturer (Food Science and Human Nutrition), School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle Pexels, CC BY Many of us want (or should I say need?) our morning coffee to give us our “get up and ...1 day ago
- Toxic pollutants can build up inside our homes. Here are 8 ways to reduce the risksSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Victoria’s Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Shutterstock We know everything in our homes gathers dust. What you probably don’t know is whether there are toxic contaminants in your house ...1 day ago
- It’s hot, and your local river looks enticing. But is too germy for swimming?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian A Wright, Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Dan Himbrechts/AAP Swimming in rivers, creeks and lakes can be a fun way to cool off in summer. But contamination in natural waterways can pose a risk to human ...1 day ago
- A message to anxious parents as 320,000 Australian children start schoolSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Highfield, Senior Lecturer, Deputy Head of School (ACT and regional NSW), Australian Catholic University Erik Anderson/AAP Around Australia, about 320,000 children are starting school for the first time. As an early childhood researcher, former kindergarten teacher, and parent of ...1 day ago
- As students return to school, small-group tutoring can help those who are falling behindSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Sonnemann, Principal Advisor Education, Grattan Institute Shutterstock More than four million students around Australia are heading back to school. While this will be a year of achievement and learning growth for many students, others will struggle to keep up. ...1 day ago
- Tár isn’t just about gender, sexuality and power – it is also a story of class in the elite wor...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Tregear, Principal Fellow and Professor of Music, The University of Melbourne This article contains spoilers. Todd Field’s new, multi-Academy Award nominated feature film Tár is generating considerable commentary – and not a little controversy. For some, its storyline allows ...1 day ago
- Auckland floods: Residents take stock after extreme downpours
*This story was originally published on RNZ and is republished with permission* Aucklanders whose homes and businesses were inundated during Friday's deluge have begun cleaning up as the threat of further wild weather lingers. Some of them told First Up how the unprecedented rain event had impacted them. 'It's just ...1 day ago - It’s time to ditch New Zealand’s outdated regional anniversary daysMost of them commemorate early Pākehā arrival. Some are based on obsolete provincial borders. One celebrates an A&P show. But most importantly, none of them have any meaning to the vast majority of us, writes historian André Brett. First published in 2021 Last Monday was the Wellington Anniversary Day public ...1 day ago
- An uphill battle for Chris Hipkins
In the final part of a series on Labour's leadership transition, Elliot Crossan argues that the idealistic vision Jacinda Ardern espoused of a kind, empathetic and fair society is possible – but not with a less-inspiring new leader. Read part one here, and part two here Opinion: Jacindamania ended in ...1 day ago - Bookstores hanging in
A progress report on booksellers Last week's shock news that Vic Books in Wellington is set to close – it's open for nine more trading weeks, shutting its doors for good on March 31 – has been felt deeply by Kiwi booksellers. "It happens to them, it happens to all ...1 day ago
For all Fonterra goes on about how they set the milk price according to the “international price”, it’s pretty clear that they do not.
Or, they are using a fixed formula which says $1NZ = US$0.60, which hasn’t been the case for quite a long time now. While it’s unrealistic that they track the daily exchange rate, I think a reasonable lower level of resolution would be using a the previous quarter’s average exchange rate to set the price.
That’s not unrealistic at all. This MS Gadget I’ve got on my desktop updates every 15 minutes and it’s free and I’m pretty sure that there’ll be any number of online sites, like this one, that tracks the exchange rate and/or makes the numbers available in machine readable format so that they can track it themselves in real time.
Of course, if they just charged NZ$ for their products instead of US$ then they wouldn’t need to worry about the exchange rate. Hell, that’s the whole point of a floating currency.
It’s unrealistic for them to change the price they are selling their product to supermarkets at on a daily basis.
I don’t think they’re being asked to change on a daily basis. It’s been 5 months since international dairy prices peaked and retail prices haven’t budged.
It’s not that either. Prices in the wholesale market should, and probably do, change on a minute to minute basis. As such, Fontera shouldn’t be fixing the price at all and the price on the international wholesale market should be in NZ$ not US$.
What makes prices in the retail sector sticky is a little harder to define but part of it could be that the supermarkets may be buying for a length of time (X amount over Y weeks) or for a specific time period in the future (X amount delivered on Y date) or some combination of the two. Prices are sticky anyway as people are creatures of habit – they get used to paying X amount and don’t really question it (Asymmetric information) and then there’s the fixed costs which aren’t going down while actual sales volume is which means that the price per unit will have to go up.
In an age of computers and electronic invoicing…uh, why not??? There doesn’t even need to be any human input to doing this!
It’s not just the exchange rate, or even mostly the exchange rate. The fall in international dairy prices has been mostly a fall in the US$ price, with the rising exchange rate just adding to it.
Petrol manges to shift its price on a regular basis and deals with a lot more processing than liquid milk. Dairy in NZ is a rort and is hurting the health and wellbeing of families . Profit rules and Fonterra has gotten so large the domestic NZ market is a fraction of their interest, and that interest waned a long long time ago.
Petrol is a bit different, though, because many petrol stations have electronic signs or are used to changing their price frequently. It also doesn’t tend to change from day to day, but generally stays constant for weeks or sometimes months without changes.
Another thing is that the way petrol is retailed, it’s essentially a fungible commodity. When the oil price goes up and the petrol company puts the price up in the stations, it’s not because the petrol that the stations are pumping today is suddenly more expensive – it’s that the petrol company needs to buy more supply today in order to sell it next month. Milk isn’t quite the same – an international price rise today shouldn’t be reflected in milk that is on the shelves today.
Changing the price of milk sold to supermarkets on a daily basis would result in supermarkets having to change the price on their shelf daily. Or, they could keep the shelf price the same and just eat or gain from fluctuations in their margin. In which case you wouldn’t have actually achieved anything.
Yeah whats clear is the international price has been used as an excuse to justify a shift in pricing, as has been pointed out a average price needs to be set over a period of time, you cant change the price each afternoon or weekly that would be silly.But milk is being used by some retailers as a bit of a cash cow pun intended.
Goes up ok, dunnit?
i aspire to buy milk once a week and i have a loan application in for a nice slice of Brie i spotted the other day. Not sure about the bread to put it on but one dream at a time.
There is a lot more to the end cost than just the international prices though, isn’t there? As people have mentioned above, exchange rate plays a significant part (and I’d be extremely surprised if they aren’t forecasting/locking in exchange rates in advance, rather than allowing themselves to be totally dependent on the frequent fluctuations in exchange rates). The dairy auctions run in USD, most of Fonterra operates in NZD, which means this exchange rate is bound to be hugely influential.
The retail price is also dependent on supermarkets/retailers and the margins they place on the milk; transport costs, and the petrol cost etc. etc.
I think it’s very simplistic to draw the conclusion from this graph that Fonterra must be ripping us all off…
Tell you what, if you have such an issue with Fonterra, boycott their brands of milk and dairy products. I’m pretty sure that if everyone stopped buying them, they’d lower their price…
there is, but Fonterra swears black and blue, that the cost of milk in NZ is ‘governed by the international price of milk’ every time someone asks them about why it costs so much.
It is raised, yes, but I don’t know that Fonterra say that it’s the be all and end all.
I was watching Andrew Ferrier on Q+A on Sunday morning, and thought he did a good job of explaining it in a way that makes sense. In basic terms, the retail milk price is built up from a price model that uses the results from Dairy Trade as a base. There are other factors that feed into the model (including exchange rates etc.).
From voxy.co.nz‘s summary of the intervivew
“Known per litre milk costs are roughly: 65c to farmer, 25c to Fonterra, 30c to GST, coming to $1.20. One litre of milk in supermarket costs $2.19. So where’s the Missing Dollar? Ferrier puts it down to bottling, transportation, plus supermarket costs and margin.”
So, the statement that they are governed by international prices is true, but is not the whole story.
Umm $2.19 is a very high number for milk. It is often 30 to 40 cents cheaper in my supermarket. So there’s a large chunk of the so called missing dollar gone already.
It’s over $3 for a litre at the servo up the road from me, not that I’d ever buy it there.
The range of prices is staggering considering that (specialties aside) it’s all the same milk.
There are price ranges and variation in any product though. Customers choose to pay for different value propositions.
e.g. the tinned tomatoes in the super market are essentially the same, yet I pay 89c for Home Brand, compared to $2.20 for Watties (that was the price last time I looked anyway). Some people choose Watties, because they trust the brand or whatever; some people find price more important and choose Home Brand. If no one bought the Watties product, they would reduce the price to increase sales. If that was not a possibility, they’d go out of business (simplistically, anyway…)
And I could give you any number of other similar situations…
Are they literally the same tomatoes though, as the milk is? Maybe they are.
It’s not the same milk. Fonterra’s brand of full-cream milk at my supermarket was pre-agitated into butter, until we all stopped buying it and the supermarket stopped selling it.
The supermarket explained to me that they couldn’t explain to Fonterra that this was a product fault, because it didn’t show up on the computerised temperature logger.
Yes I realise there are different brands marketed by different companies, but the chap from Fonterra the other week said that the various branded containers all contain the exact same milk.
Milk, Timber, meat.
Why are we paying more than for the same product overseas.
If NZ producers are so f– king efficient, as they claim, why are we subsidising them with tax exemptions, cheap labour AND higher local prices.
I suspect we would get a much greater return if, like real economies, we put our money into high end, low volume, high tech manufacturing instead of trying to make life easy for farmers. Who still rattle on about being the backbone of the country, when we make more on manufacturing and tourism.
+1
When its made here we have to pay the international price but not when it drops- Fonterra
When its made overseas we pay whatever they can get away with- Adidas
Most countries where stuff is made locally pay lower prices for the local produce.
Running shoes and cars in Korea.
Grain in the USA.
Petrol in the Gulf States.
Watches and pocket knives in Switzerland.
BMW’s in Germany.
Computers in China.
Only here do our exporters have to be subsidised by higher local prices than they sell for offshore.
Petrol is subsidised by the governments in the gulf states. So it’s not really the same as the other things you’ve listed.
Actually grains and farm production is (heavily) subsidised by the US government too, hence why they have high fructose corn syrup…
…and thats why the US is known for its junk food.
🙂
It seems to be that the best solution would be for Fonterra to open its own retail stores and sell at wholesale prices.
I think the smaller co-ops (ie Moa-nui, Egmont, Okato, etc) used to do this before they were swallowed into Kiwi Dairies and then Fonterra.
And wot about the price of bottled water? Clean water everywhere in NZ yet costs $3 or $4 a litre. In Turkey 1Lira (70 cents nz) for 1.5 litres.
Hi Ian Mac,
Funny last time I was in Turkey (a while ago now) water cost hundreds of thousands…….
Well just like the All Backs rugby jersey and adidas, we should simply buy our milk overseas (whether it comes form fonterra or some other foreign producer who the hell cares? It is not as if the milk production industry in NZ cares about us).
I’m sure it would not be too hard to import. Might get me on the phone tomorrow.
Probably be cheaper to buy exported kiwi milk in China and bring it back here for sale.
Re the missing dollar – I can get that this gets eaten up in transport costs/profit for supermarket etc but can’t get that we can export the stuff and then it is cheaper overseas. A leg of lamb being the best example $40-$50 here – 8-16 pounds in the UK? I’d love to know how this works.
Auckland riots anyone? Loot a few steaks and a couple of litres of milk? Is it ok to steal when you have no bread and/or milk?
Actually considering doing it for a business.
Buying New Zealand building materials in Australia. Making house kitsets and selling them in New Zealand.
Despite higher wages and the shipping costs, the building materials are so much cheaper, it looks like it could be a viable business.
Wait. China already does it. Processes NZ raw materials and sells them back to us.
builders I know tell me they can get interior wall cladding very cheaply from overseas sources but their local near monopoly suppliers of materials ‘remind’ them of the trade discounts they get on their other goods, which ‘encourages’ them to stay loyal to the local product.
Who here is an importer? Need someone who can quickly ascertain what the price of milk would be if imported from foreign moo cows..
have to be careful on that one VTO as there is wide use of reconstituted milk, or toned milk, in many foreign markets including India and China, so it may result in false economy. We have regs that don’t allow that practice for human consumption here. Although that being said, i have bought budget milk that behaves very oddly when heated that certainly appears to have been reconstituted from powder. My only proof being its remarkable similarity when heating the milk i reconstitute from powder.
You might be put on a convict ship and sent to the colonies if you steal for milk and bread. Oh thats right we have moved on from that. NOT!!
I do wonder if a lot of the price being charged in the supermarkets is their profit because the dairies seem to sell milk for a heck of a lot cheaper. I buy 4 litres for $5.50 in Penrose Rd, Mt Wellington. I’m not sure if this is Fonterra milk though.
This whole topic, is a little boring and over done, the price of milk!!!
Their are many other products that have risen in price as much as milk if not more, yet this is the focus for political NZ!!
Come on surely the thinking voters of NZ have more to worry about than paying $5 or $6 for 4 litres of milk, which in my opinion is probably not a terrible price for that particular product.
Comparisons with fizzy drinlks, petrol and bottled water are just stupid and they should be left with the stupid to ponder.
And like it or not, admit it or not, I think we all deep down realize Fonterra is one of the best NZ companys we have that compete in the world market, and fairly well respected globally as far as I can tell.