Chart of the day: The “building boom”

Written By: - Date published: 9:48 am, August 26th, 2016 - 119 comments
Categories: housing, national, useless - Tags: , , , ,

building-consents

119 comments on “Chart of the day: The “building boom” ”

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  1. maninthemiddle 1
    26 August 2016 at 10:17 am

    Bernard is once again being a bit naughty with the data.

    1. NZ is enjoying a population boom. That means stats expressed by population will always lag reality.
    2. Consents are not houses, they are consents.

    Here is the data on actual building:

    “The value of residential and commercial building work for the year to April of $17.6 billion is an all-time high and 14% up on the previous year.

    The sector is on schedule for 85,000 new homes to be built across New Zealand in this term of Parliament, up from 60,000 last term and for an all-time record of 36,000 homes being built in Auckland, which would be the largest in any Parliamentary term.

    The figures show a dramatic growth in building activity in the regions. This building boom began in Christchurch in 2012, spread to Auckland in 2014 and is now flowing to centres such as Whangarei, up 53%, Palmerston North up 57%, Queenstown Lakes up 40%.

    Activity is also up by 26% in Tauranga and in Hamilton while Auckland has seen growth of 15% but Christchurch is down 9%.”

    http://www.propertywire.com/news/australasia/new-zealand-home-building-2016061612037.html

    3. Bernard’s graph shows that consents plummetted between 2004 and 2008, and have been steadily increasing since 2011. Even using his consent analysis, the numbers are ratcheting up nicely.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1
      26 August 2016 at 10:23 am

      1. Stats by population are the only accurate stats
      2. True but National’s been implying that consents is houses since they got into power
      3. They dropped a bit between 2004 and 2007. In 2008 they plummeted – probably due to the GFC. Since then we’ve supposedly been coming out of recession.

      In other words, you’re lying by numbers – again.

      • maninthemiddle 1.1.1
        26 August 2016 at 11:42 am

        1. No, they aren’t. Particularly when you are comparing a time of booming population (now) with a time when NZ’ers were leaving the country in droves.
        2. No, they haven’t. They have been saying that consents lead to houses, which is true.
        3. And since then the numbers have risen steadily.

        The huge change in net migration, and a poor planning regime in Auckland, are at the root of the current housing deficit. Supply will eventually meet demand, and prices will stabilise. That’s how markets work.

        • Pat 1.1.1.1
          26 August 2016 at 12:13 pm

          good grief….why do you bother?

        • ropata 1.1.1.2
          26 August 2016 at 2:04 pm

          you forgot to mention corrupt / lax government oversight, no regulations on foreign investment, operating a tax haven, and ineffective capital gains “tax” that is just a PR exercise

          • maninthemiddle 1.1.1.2.1
            26 August 2016 at 2:35 pm

            Rubbish. NZ ranks extremely highly for transparency. Capital Gains taxes are notoriously inefficient and ineffective, although they do seem to make the politically envious happy.

            • ropata 1.1.1.2.1.1
              26 August 2016 at 2:46 pm

              NZ corruption rating “100% pure” except for the Panama Papers and Bill Liu and visas for $$$ and fake housing stats and FJK’s continual lies

              "Key peddles bizarre 'interest rate avenger' fantasy." My latest fish-in-a-barrel fisk at @publicaddress https://t.co/UJduYtPTC8— Rob Salmond (@rsalmond) August 25, 2016

              • maninthemiddle …
                26 August 2016 at 3:02 pm

                NZ anti-corruption rating is consistently in the top 4-5 in the world. Oh and can’t you do better than opinion pieces as support for your bizarre ideas?

                • ropata …
                  26 August 2016 at 4:06 pm

                  Please feel free to point out where Rob Salmond is wrong in his “opinion piece”, but unfortunately for FJK and his imbecile followers Rob uses “facts” and “data” to support his argument

              • gsays …
                26 August 2016 at 7:05 pm

                Shepherd McCully and his flock are feeling left out.

            • ropata 1.1.1.2.1.2
              26 August 2016 at 2:48 pm

              Like I said, the Nat’s fake “CGT” is an ineffectual sop…

              • maninthemiddle …
                26 August 2016 at 3:03 pm

                All CGT’s are. They simply don’t work. We only have to look to Australia to see that.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  26 August 2016 at 3:29 pm

                  Yawn. Does not understand basic statistics or accounting. Pretends to know what the effect of a CGT is.

                  🙄

            • reason 1.1.1.2.1.3
              26 August 2016 at 8:42 pm

              Tax Haven John and the other sub prime nats are making us as dirty as JK’s famous 100% pure water …….

              Maninthemiddle should put on his white disco pants and have a big drink of JKs wealth tonic ….. if nothing else it would have him suitably attired for when he writes his posts.

              The nats have a long connection with tax havens and the rich criminals who run them http://i.stuff.co.nz/business/money/8515361/Money-trail-leads-home-to-New-Zealand

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
              http://www.smh.com.au/national/inside-the-shell-drugs-arms-and-tax-scams-20110514-1enkz.html

              “An Auckland-based business which has incorporated “shell” companies linked to arms traders, Russian crime syndicates and Mexican drug cartels is closing its New Zealand and Vanuatu operations.

              Geoffrey Taylor and his sons Ian and Michael, working out of an apartment in Auckland’s Queen St, created a global network of shell companies.

              They incorporated hundreds, using New Zealand’s lax company formation rules, and some of these companies have also been linked to extortion in Romania and corruption in the Czech Republic.”

              “By then Taylor’s name, and the names of family members and associates, began to appear in hundreds and possibly thousands of companies that were formed around the world, mostly centred on tax havens. Their vast empire of directorships spread across Panama, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Britain, Hong Kong, China, Canada, Belize, Samoa, the Cook Islands, and the US, among others.” …… http://www.smh.com.au/national/inside-the-shell-drugs-arms-and-tax-scams-20110514-1enkz.html
              **********************************************************

              Finally …Is it just a coincidence that we get a merryl lynch prime minister ………. and New Zealands response to climate change is to commit Fraud …. which also allows the polluters to scam money ????

              “Incredibly, New Zealand ended up being the largest customer of these climate criminals because our government was the only one that accepted their dodgy wares..” …..

              “What we do know is that the Government knows now. Yet they are still holding up these dodgy credits as proof that we are meeting our international emissions targets.” http://thespinoff.co.nz/politics-media/18-04-2016/dodgy-deals-with-climate-fraudsters-nzs-role-in-the-junk-carbon-scam/

              http://morganfoundation.org.nz/real-cheats/

        • Michelle 1.1.1.3
          26 August 2016 at 2:35 pm

          like our power price stablised man in the middle yeah right

          • maninthemiddle 1.1.1.3.1
            26 August 2016 at 2:41 pm

            You bet it did! The market has provided greater choice and better value. Labour’s power policy would have been disastrous.

            • ropata 1.1.1.3.1.1
              26 August 2016 at 3:11 pm

              Better value for the 1% who now own our public assets?

              • maninthemiddle …
                26 August 2016 at 3:19 pm

                1%? You are joking, right? I’m talking about value to the consumer.

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  26 August 2016 at 4:48 pm

                  The consumer’s getting shafted so that a few rich people can bludge more from them.

                  • maninthemiddle …
                    29 August 2016 at 10:18 am

                    No. The consumer is getting an excellent and competitive service. And a large number of kiwi’s are benefitting form having a shareholding in the process.

                • Lloyd …
                  29 August 2016 at 12:15 am

                  If ‘the consumer’ is getting better value than he/she would have got with an Electricity Department of government run the same way it was before the Nats chopped it up then sold it off, please explain.
                  Why are my power bills so much higher than that I could have expected to pay under the old regime?
                  Are private electrons different from public electrons? They must be shiner or brighter or something else unscientific, for I cannot see how privatisation has helped me when I pay my electricity bill. I do know there is a bunch of CEOs that are collectively raking millions out of the consumer who weren’t doing that in the days of the NZED. Is Maninthemiddle an Electricity compant CEO. That would explain his pie in the sky better value.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.1.3.1.2
              26 August 2016 at 3:32 pm

              Does not understand basic statistics or accounting. Pretends to be able to predict policy outcomes.

              🙄

        • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.4
          26 August 2016 at 4:47 pm

          1. It’s that which makes the per population the only accurate way to measure
          2. Yes they have and you just reinforced their implication

          The poor planning regime is due to the RWNJs and their land banking. I’m quite aware of how markets are supposed to work but I’m also quite aware that, more often than not, they don’t work that way at all usually due to the greed of the RWNJs and other sociopaths.

          • Crashcart 1.1.1.4.1
            29 August 2016 at 12:05 pm

            He needs to look into the idea of markets being inherently unstable. Watched an interesting Docco on NETFLIX that goes into how more economists are now starting to postulate that markets are by default tended towards bubbles. Essentially a period of stability leads to confidence. Confidence leads to investment. Investment leads to over confidence which begins a bubble. Bubble bursts. Cycle begins again. Has happened multiple times going back to the Tulip bubble.

            http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3332308/

    • Ad 1.2
      26 August 2016 at 10:32 am

      Also doesn’t account for commercial, or infrastructure.
      Both in a boom in Auckland and Hamilton, and will be so for many years to come.

    • Lanthanide 1.3
      26 August 2016 at 10:52 am

      Consents are a far better measure than “value” of construction, because McMansions pull the total value up, while only housing a single family, just like any other house does, but at a lessor cost.

      • left for dead 1.3.1
        26 August 2016 at 11:36 am

        Here here Lan, and of coarse those depressing years between 78-02 helping keep us in a low wage environment.
        Of point I know, but true, we need a gov’ment backed apprentice scheme so we can future proof, Auckland with an extra million by 2050 ha.

        edited oop’s

        • maninthemiddle 1.3.1.1
          26 August 2016 at 11:47 am

          We already have a government backed apprentice scheme.

          • left for dead 1.3.1.1.1
            26 August 2016 at 12:16 pm

            Ha, i’ll do the jokes mitm,
            poultry, oh you thinking of offshore labour, I’m thinking mass employment for New Zealanders.
            chicken shit.

            • maninthemiddle 1.3.1.1.1.1
              26 August 2016 at 12:39 pm

              Apprenticeships ARE providing employment fro NZ’ers. Many organisations delivering apprenticeship training are promoting themselves because they can’t get enough apprentices. Another example of the reality not fitting the left wing dogma.

      • maninthemiddle 1.3.2
        26 August 2016 at 11:47 am

        Consents are not houses. Consents are open for 2 (?) years.

        The value of construction will always include high cost housing, but it will also include ‘affordable’ housing, as in the past.

        • DoublePlusGood 1.3.2.1
          26 August 2016 at 1:45 pm

          If you’d bother to check earlier, you’d have seen it explained to you how you are wrong. Do pay attention.

          • maninthemiddle 1.3.2.1.1
            26 August 2016 at 2:39 pm

            Nope, not wrong. Housing value is a legitimate measure becasue it measures ACTUAL building. Not consents.

            • Lanthanide 1.3.2.1.1.1
              26 August 2016 at 2:55 pm

              “a legitimate measure becasue it measures ACTUAL building”

              So you’re saying every building contract that was signed for $1M, cost exactly that much to build? Never had budget under-runs? Or budget over-runs? Or contracts that got cancelled outright for whatever reason? You also haven’t considered that the building cost you’re reporting likely includes the costs of renovations, which while they improve the housing stock, it’s difficult to know how that reflects on actually building houses for their true purpose of providing shelter for people (adding 2 bedrooms to a house = helpful, adding a second bathroom and a new flash kitchen = not helpful). That’s not to mention that your figure includes COMMERCIAL construction, whereas Bernard’s graph is for consents on dwellings. So you’re comparing apples with oranges.

              You’re acting like these building costs are somehow more accurate than consents, when actually they still have a reasonable degree of uncertainty built in to them, AND it doesn’t adequately reflect the houses cost different prices but have the same end-goal (that we’re interested in), which is how many families are housed.

              To take your point to an extreme, just to show how silly it is, if there were 20 houses built in the country, each of which cost $1B, according to you, we’d be at the highest building rates the country has ever seen. Even though those 20 houses would only house 20 families. Meanwhile this would be shown as 20 consents.

              Also, you haven’t taken inflation into account either. If you scale that $17.6B figure you like so much back to 1974 dollars, and then if you could get the building costs from 1974, you’d likely see that the figure in 1974 was bigger than your inflation adjusted 2015 value.

              So, given all of the above, consents are the *better* metric to use to measure construction activity, if you’re going to be foolish enough to use a single metric in isolation, when comparing historical building trends.

              • maninthemiddle …
                26 August 2016 at 2:58 pm

                “So you’re saying every building contract that was signed for $1M, cost exactly that much to build? ”

                No. The actual number is likely to be higher.

                “So, given all of the above, consents are the *better* metric to use to measure construction activity, ”

                No. They shouldn’t be ignored, and they show a significant upward trend, but they represent tomorrow’s building, not yesterdays.

                • Lanthanide …
                  26 August 2016 at 3:02 pm

                  I see you ignored most of my points, and the ones you did reply to, you took completely out of context, and I already anticipated your points and addressed them in advance.

                  D-, could do better.

                  • maninthemiddle …
                    26 August 2016 at 3:10 pm

                    Didn’t ignore anything. Your points were largely silly. For example:

                    “when actually they still have a reasonable degree of uncertainty built in to them,”

                    So do consents you muppet. If that’s the quality of what you’re throwing around, don’t expect a line by line rebuttal.

                    Finally…get to grips with Bernard’s graph, and understand the weakness of the per resident calculation when it comes to a rapidly growing population.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      26 August 2016 at 3:34 pm

                      Does not understand basic statistics or accounting. Pretends to be able to analyse the housing market.

                      🙄

                    • Lanthanide …
                      26 August 2016 at 4:23 pm

                      You said this:

                      Nope, not wrong. Housing value is a legitimate measure becasue it measures ACTUAL building. Not consents.

                      Now you freely admit, that construction value is just as bad, if not worse, than consents for measuring housing activity, after previously suggesting it was a superior measure.

                      So thanks for agreeing with me, I guess.

                      I’ll just point out again, that the figure you’re using includes commercial construction, whereas the consent figures are only for dwellings, so the statistics you’re using aren’t even measuring the same thing.

                    • maninthemiddle …
                      29 August 2016 at 10:35 am

                      “Now you freely admit, that construction value is just as bad, if not worse, than consents for measuring housing activity, after previously suggesting it was a superior measure.”

                      Where did I admit that? You’re just making stuff up to get the last word. Both measures have value, just at different levels. Consents are not houses. There are lags, as much as 2 years in some cases. Construction value measures REAL buildings.

    • adam 1.4
      26 August 2016 at 12:31 pm

      Can I have the name of the drugs you are smoking maninthemiddle, they seem to make the world a better place, and have the wonderful side effect of believing any old clap trap. It seems another side effect is forgetting about the Global economic melt down in you analysis. Do they make you pee blue as well???

      • maninthemiddle 1.4.1
        26 August 2016 at 12:36 pm

        Not forgetting anything. Te world’s economy wasn’t ‘melting down’ between 2004 and 2007, in fact we were enjoying extremely favourable terms of trade.

    • left_forward 1.5
      26 August 2016 at 3:01 pm

      1) Nonsense.
      2) Yeah consents to build houses!
      3) No, just look at the graph middle man – they plummeted after 2008 and have slowly crept back (still not to pre-plummet levels) over the 8 year period of the gnats.

  2. dukeofurl 2
    26 August 2016 at 11:37 am

    “an all-time record of 36,000 homes being built in Auckland, which would be the largest in any Parliamentary term.”

    Doesnt that contradict the other story that Auckland Council is the one ‘slowing the building of houses with its silly regulations’

    Anything to contradict Hickey though. Even if its not true

    • maninthemiddle 2.1
      26 August 2016 at 11:43 am

      “Doesnt that contradict the other story that Auckland Council is the one ‘slowing the building of houses with its silly regulations’”
      No. Auckland’s planning regime is shot, but it shows what can happen when the government kicks ass.

      • Stuart Munro 2.1.1
        26 August 2016 at 12:43 pm

        The ass is still ‘leading’ this government – his colleagues are gonna kick him? Not before time.

        • maninthemiddle 2.1.1.1
          26 August 2016 at 12:53 pm

          No, it’s his government kicking ass. Auckland Councils. And our dopey left wing mayor.

          • Stuart Munro 2.1.1.1.1
            26 August 2016 at 12:57 pm

            Kicking ass eh.

            Negligible real growth except in bullshit.

            Dumbest, most backward government ever. Made to measure for morons like you.

            • maninthemiddle 2.1.1.1.1.1
              26 August 2016 at 1:19 pm

              We have one of the best performing economies in the OECD. You don’t like it becasue they aren’t leftist. Suck it up.

              • DoublePlusGood …
                26 August 2016 at 1:46 pm

                Really? With $120bn + in debt?

                • maninthemiddle …
                  26 August 2016 at 2:23 pm

                  Yep. By most measures we’re well off.

                  • Stuart Munro …
                    26 August 2016 at 2:33 pm

                    Only because Stats are queering the numbers. We’re a paper tiger economy.

                    • maninthemiddle …
                      26 August 2016 at 2:39 pm

                      Tin foil hat territory again Stuart.

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      26 August 2016 at 3:57 pm

                      Hey – I’ve been out in the real world.

                      The buying power of the $NZ is nothing compared to supposedly much weaker currencies. Our real economy is shot – it’s a paper miracle.

                      You think kiwis want to leave their friends to be in Australia? They’re fleeing our munted economy for the most part.

                      Do the math on tangibles and leave out creative fictions like job ads and there has been no growth.

                      Now, you’re a shill and you don’t understand concepts like gravitas and data integrity. You’re a minority on here though.

                      If you want to improve a system you must look for feedback. Feedback, like the oil light in your car, usually tells you things you didn’t want to know. Fudging the stats is like taping over the oil light – it costs you a whole lot more, and pretty soon too.

                    • maninthemiddle …
                      29 August 2016 at 10:40 am

                      “Our real economy is shot – it’s a paper miracle.”
                      No, our economy is thriving on the back of growth across a number of economic sectors. You really need to get out more.

                      “You think kiwis want to leave their friends to be in Australia? They’re fleeing our munted economy for the most part.”
                      Rubbish! You are now denying the reality of hard data.

              • Macro …
                26 August 2016 at 1:52 pm

                “We have one of the best performing economies in the OECD”

                For whom?

                http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11650103
                http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/80719962/One-in-100-Kiwis-homeless-new-study-shows-numbers-quickly-rising.

                Answer me just this question:

                “what is the economy for?”

                • ropata …
                  26 August 2016 at 2:07 pm

                  overall GDP is up thanks to record immigration and housing speculation and money laundering. the real economy is stalling.

                  woohoo

                  • maninthemiddle …
                    26 August 2016 at 2:26 pm

                    Nope. The real economy (tourism, tech, etc etc) is doing just fine.

                    • Macro …
                      26 August 2016 at 2:44 pm

                      Can you please answer the question:

                      “what is the economy for?”

                      Or have you no answer?

                    • maninthemiddle …
                      26 August 2016 at 3:00 pm

                      ““what is the economy for?””

                      To provide goods and services to consumers. To provide people with the means to procure those goods and services.

                    • Macro …
                      26 August 2016 at 5:00 pm

                      “To provide goods and services to consumers. To provide people with the means to procure those goods and services.”

                      Is that it??

                      Only consumers get to share in the economy?

                      So how is the economy performing iaw your definition?
                      50,000 unable to live in a home.
                      300,000 living without the means to procure sufficient goods and services for a decent life.
                      the demand for food parcels doubling
                      more and more people coming to soup kitchens

                      So how is our economy performing with regards to providing the means to procure those goods and services?
                      131,000 unemployed
                      even more under-employed
                      a job seeker benefit if you’re lucky, married with children, and can jump through all the hoops of $375 per week nett maximum.

                      And you have the audacity to suggest that our economy is alive and well!!

                      By the way I think you definition of “what the economy is for”, is severely lacking. Perhaps you might have another little think about that – and its not all about consumers.

                    • maninthemiddle …
                      29 August 2016 at 10:45 am

                      “Only consumers get to share in the economy?”
                      Every human being is a consumer.

                      “So how is the economy performing iaw your definition?”
                      Very well. No-one starves in this country. There is employment for everyone who wants to work. We have income redistribution that ensures a safety net for those who need it. We deliver a first world infrastructure to support our communities.

                      “By the way I think you definition of “what the economy is for”, is severely lacking. Perhaps you might have another little think about that – and its not all about consumers.”
                      That’s probably becasue you have demonstrated you don’t understand basic economic terms. A ‘Consumer’ is a person who uses economic services or commodities. Every human being is a consumer.

                • maninthemiddle …
                  26 August 2016 at 2:25 pm

                  That means the economy is housing 99/100 kiwi’s. We have high employment (with virtually zero real unemployment), low interest rates, low inflation, a budget surplus and low debt.

                  • DoublePlusGood …
                    26 August 2016 at 3:03 pm

                    Why isn’t the economy housing all kiwis? We have the resources. Answer: the government chooses to fail in this area.

                    Also, please note that we have high unemployment and high real unemployment, i.e. the direct opposite of what you state.
                    We are also $120 bn+ in debt last I checked, thrice that of when National took office. That is not low debt, it is high debt.

                    And we have low interest rates and low inflation because the economy is moribund with nothing much causing any growth.

                    Next time you decide to post something, do try to get your facts straight first. Sharpen up.

                    • maninthemiddle …
                      26 August 2016 at 3:07 pm

                      The government doesn’t house everyone. Never has.

                      The reason we have low inflation and low interest rates is becasue the economy is well managed. Under Labour we had high interest rates, high inflation, plummeting growth and a huge deficit. Go figure!

                      Our debt is low by international standards, because governments borrowed through the GFC. Tell me which government spending you would have cut to avoid the debt? Health? Education? Welfare?

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      26 August 2016 at 3:38 pm

                      Bad faith commenter lies, pretends expertise in multiple subjects with a large side order of hatred.

                  • Lanthanide …
                    26 August 2016 at 4:28 pm

                    Yes, we are housing 99/100 kiwis. But I think we should aspire to more than simply “housing” people.

                    Because with your simplistic stat, people living 10 to a garage without running water are still “housed”. So are people living in broken houses in Christchurch, or those living in literally rotting and moulding rentals.

                    “low interest rates”
                    Interest rates are low because the economy is not doing well overall.

                    “low debt”
                    This government has taken us from a net-0 debt position, to the largest government debt in the history of this country. The debt will NEVER be paid back, in real terms, and will hang as a millstone around this country’s neck forever.

                    “Under Labour we had … a huge deficit. Go figure!”
                    Actually Labour ran surpluses for 9 years of the 9 years they were in government.

                    • maninthemiddle …
                      29 August 2016 at 10:50 am

                      “Because with your simplistic stat, people living 10 to a garage without running water are still “housed”.”

                      I’m not aware of anyone living in that situation. NZ has never housed 100% of it’s citizens. When my parents first got married (late 1950’s) they lived for 2 years in a hut on my grandfathers section in New Lynn.

                      “Interest rates are low because the economy is not doing well overall.”
                      More economic illiteracy.

                      “This government has taken us from a net-0 debt position, to the largest government debt in the history of this country.”
                      Where do you get this shit. “We are up to our nostrils in debt to the rest of the world at a time when creditors globally have become a lot less indulgent. And now the Crown accounts have turned red too.” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10536181

                      “Actually Labour ran surpluses for 9 years of the 9 years they were in government.”
                      Actually no. The deficit they left behind for 2008/09 was around 3bn.

              • dukeofurl …
                26 August 2016 at 2:17 pm

                have you looked at those ‘best in OECD’ numbers as per capita as well ?

                last time I checked back in 2013 we were still at 2008 levels.

                But the World Bank has some numbers . For 2015 GDP per capita growth was at 1.46%
                In 2007 it was 1.97%
                http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.KD.ZG?locations=NZ

                • maninthemiddle …
                  26 August 2016 at 2:27 pm

                  So? The population is growing because we have high net migration. We have high net migration because the NZ economy is doing well.

              • Stuart Munro …
                26 August 2016 at 2:30 pm

                I don’t like it because they have an inverted Midas touch – everything they do turns to poo.

                You imagine because they make rightwing noises they’re good economically – the facts do not bear this out.

                Were they as good as their massaged stats they wouldn’t be borrowing money or pursuing austerity policies.

                • maninthemiddle …
                  26 August 2016 at 2:34 pm

                  The facts ABSOLUTELY bear that out. National inherited an economy going into recession, internal accounts in deficit, and huge spending committments. We now have an economy that is the envy of the western world.

                  • Stuart Munro …
                    26 August 2016 at 2:38 pm

                    National inherited an economy with $8 billion in debt that in a good year produced a surplus of $2 billion. They instituted tax cuts that have cost us $120 billion – Sixty years of Cullen to pay off English’s incompetence to date.

                    National make Brazil look stable, Greece solvent and Mugabe normal. Kleptocracies are never good for their people and Key’s is no exception.

                    • maninthemiddle …
                      26 August 2016 at 2:43 pm

                      National inherited an economy that enjoyed the best terms of trade in a generation that labour had STILL managed to balls up. You’ll find plenty of literature praising the governments economic management. Your jealous of their success.

                    • Wayne …
                      26 August 2016 at 3:07 pm

                      Stuart,
                      You need to return to planet earth.
                      KDS fever has taken hold. Unfortunately treatment is a year away in the form of an election. I would blame Pharmac for this disgraceful delay.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      26 August 2016 at 3:39 pm

                      Insults and Stalinist rhetoric from Dr. Mapp. Getting a bit personal, aren’t we?

                    • Wayne []
                      26 August 2016 at 6:24 pm

                      Funnily enough I am not unduly concerned about the prospect of sitting in prison listening to the tumbrels. Perhaps because New Zealand is not Zimbabwe.

                    • Wayne []
                      26 August 2016 at 6:30 pm

                      A bit of an odd complaint coming from you, given the abuse I normally get from your quarter.
                      It also must be the first time that I have been in the same frame as Stalin.

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      26 August 2016 at 3:45 pm

                      Wayne – the only derangement is yours and your colleagues.

                      This lazy, dishonest and unthrifty government has not grown the economy – it has inflated it with migrant capital without growing the productive sectors at all. This has impacted severely on poorer New Zealanders whose livelihoods have been significantly eroded and who are thus righteously angry with their worthless and dishonest government.

                      The scale of the spectacular kleptocracy of doing Alan Hubbard to death so you could steal his assets is unprecedented since the land wars, and the deliberate sabotage of Solid Energy was not a bit more honest. When you sit in prison listening to the tumbrels Wayne, coming to take you to your accounting, remember what you did and why you have it coming.

                    • Lanthanide …
                      26 August 2016 at 4:31 pm

                      Stuart, the tax cuts did not cost $120B.

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      26 August 2016 at 4:35 pm

                      And I should accept this assertion why?

                      These buffoons have plunged us deeply into debt without growing the economy. They have been massively irresponsible and consistently dishonest.

                      And, frankly, what does it matter whether it was the tax cut, or sustained gross incompetence? The same gibbering idiots are to blame – our lazy treacherous lying corrupt Gnat kleptocracy.

                    • Lanthanide …
                      26 August 2016 at 5:11 pm

                      “And I should accept this assertion why?”

                      Because the alternative is that without the tax cut, the government somehow would have had $120B in extra revenue. Which is a fantastical claim to make.

                      “And, frankly, what does it matter whether it was the tax cut, or sustained gross incompetence?”

                      What matters is if you want others to take you seriously. Saying crazy things just makes you look crazy.

                      If you don’t care what other people think about you, or don’t care if other people don’t take the time to debate you, then I guess keep on saying crazy stuff.

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      26 August 2016 at 5:25 pm

                      If you want me to follow your reasoning, L, you must have a plausible explanation for phenomena without using bent data.

                      There is a lot of visible incompetence and overt corruption under the Gnats – and very little governance.

                      There are indeed global conditions contributing to their lacklustre performance – global conditions that a ‘kickass government’ would rise to meet.

                      A ‘lickass government’ however only produces excuses.

                    • Nic the NZer …
                      26 August 2016 at 5:56 pm

                      Stuart its absolutely clear from the GDP data. Go and look at the govts tax take, this plunged at the time of the recession and has not recovered. It didn’t plunge at the time of the tax cuts (which were also too small to cause such a large deficit). Ergo the deficit was caused by the recession not tax cuts.

                      Of course the fact the country is running a deficit is and remains a non issue anyway. It causes basically no harm to the country anyway.

                      However if the govt wanted to reduce that they probably need to spend more or tax less (or both) and let the economic growth in turnover resulting from that to increase their tax take and reduce the relative deficit and debt this way.

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      26 August 2016 at 6:13 pm

                      Thanks Nick, I tend to run on local impressions rather than GDP figures.

                      Let me suggest to to you that running austerity policies in the midst of a downturn may not be optimal.

                      Taxing less, according to Krugman, is the least effective of stimulatory measures – tax foregone goes into non-productive or rent-seeking sectors like finance or real estate that can even be negative for economies.

                      Government spending is a reliable stimulus – but the lower it goes into the economy the greater the effect. So social welfare is particularly effective, while industry support measures are frequently not measurably beneficial because they favour large enterprises and are rapidly sequestered into low churn investments.

                      As supposed economic rockstars, Gnats are supposed to know this shit well enough to produce positive results. I ain’t seeing any.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      26 August 2016 at 7:01 pm

                      Nope, I’m not complaining, just noting the double standard. Stalin loved abusing Psychiatric terms too.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      26 August 2016 at 7:12 pm

                      Nick the NZer, or they could do what Cullen did: raise taxes and increase government spending and guess what: that actually works, unlike the failed dogma you mentioned.

                    • Nic the NZer …
                      26 August 2016 at 7:26 pm

                      Yes thats absolutely correct. Running austerity policies (which the govts surplus goal is driving) will not be a good idea for the forseeable future.

                      Tax cuts are not particularly stimulatory and if your income tax cuts are accompanied by a hike in sales tax may be a negative stimulus. But that implies they are not causing much of the deficit at the same time of course.

                      We need to demand that the govt runs an appropriate deficit presently and doesn’t run austerity policies which hurt the economy. This implies not calling for a surplus or cut in the deficit. The govts surplus or deficit is never a goal of govt policy or at least it shouldn’t be one.

                    • Nic the NZer …
                      26 August 2016 at 8:37 pm

                      OAB, no that is incorrect. We know its incorrect (by accounting) by looking at something called Sectoral Balances (which you can look up). If the govt changed strategy and increased taxes and also increased spending with roughly the same deficit as the present government then the recovery (or course of the economy) would be very similar to what we see with a similarly sluggish recovery (visible in the unemployment rate). The unemployment rate remains high, years after the recession, due to total spending not having recovered to the levels prior to the recession (when the private sector was net spending significantly more), as is visible from GDP statistics.

                      This is because total spending in the economy determines employment and in both cases this is the same net spending balance is the same. The distributional balance of that spending is on the other hand trivial in comparison. The main difference being that the govt will end up becoming a larger share of the economy through following that strategy.

                      In terms of real world examples this is roughly the strategy followed by France, including raising taxes on the upper end of town (which captured some interest from the world media at the time). And if you look up the French unemployment rate you will observe that their ‘recovery’ has been worse than NZ and they now have a higher unemployment rate than any other time since the onset of the recession. This is because simply put, their deficit is not large enough to create a recovery in the unemployment rate in France.

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      26 August 2016 at 9:49 pm

                      That’s interesting Nic – and I guess that’s the conventional wisdom – that France’s tax and spend cannot alter the stability for the better.

                      I think it might be an oversimplification however. My late friend Lee Kie-Hong explained that spending quality was vital, and when he began work (back when Korea was poorer than Somalia) every public spend was queued and prioritised to maximise yield.

                      I think we can tell from poor quality spending like flying sheep and the unnecessary Prime Ministerial use of airforce planes, misspending in Christchurch and outsourcing to dodgy entities like SERCO, that tight fiscal discipline is an austerity claim of dubious moral virtue rather than a taut monetary policy designed to circulate prosperity throughout the economy.

                      Given the low quality spend, tax and spend might not achieve much. Much would depend on the quality of the private spending of the tax foregone though, and in NZ that tends to end in real estate – so that even the bumbling ineptitude of the Dipton Dickstick is, counterintuitively, likely to produce a better stimulatory spend.

                    • Nic the NZer …
                      26 August 2016 at 11:23 pm

                      Actually its virtually the anti-thesis of the conventional wisdom. It does however appear to be functional in practice so can be considered useful. I take the following quote from Richard Koo, from here
                      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sectoral_balances

                      Economist Richard Koo described similar effects for several of the developed world economies in December 2011: “Today private sectors in the U.S., the U.K., Spain, and Ireland (but not Greece) are undergoing massive deleveraging [paying down debt rather than spending] in spite of record low interest rates. This means these countries are all in serious balance sheet recessions. The private sectors in Japan and Germany are not borrowing, either. With borrowers disappearing and banks reluctant to lend, it is no wonder that, after nearly three years of record low interest rates and massive liquidity injections, industrial economies are still doing so poorly. Flow of funds data for the U.S. show a massive shift away from borrowing to savings by the private sector since the housing bubble burst in 2007. The shift for the private sector as a whole represents over 9 percent of U.S. GDP at a time of zero interest rates. Moreover, this increase in private sector savings exceeds the increase in government borrowings (5.8 percent of GDP), which suggests that the government is not doing enough to offset private sector deleveraging.”

                      So what would we expect to observe given that total spending has shrunk since 2007? That would be a higher unemployment rate. Is the US unemployment rate higher in 2011 than 2007? Yes it is.

                      We can look at this pattern in virtually any economy (though you may struggle to get reliable statistics for China) and will find that yes, total spending drives total employment first and foremost in practice. Can we say something useful based on the ‘quality’ of spending? Not that I can see.

                      My case for France is nothing to do with ‘stability’ its simply that total spending is deficient, including a limited govt deficit, and therefore unemployment has risen since the recession. On the other hand they have maintained a large component of government spending in their economy and a minimal deficit by significant taxation esp at the top end. Has this mitigated their economy against increased unemployment (presumably due to the increased ‘quality’ of turnover in the French economy)? No, that theory does not appear to work in practice.

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      26 August 2016 at 11:52 pm

                      It’s tricky quality – probably runs in bands.

                      Korea’s first highway infrastructure spends probably had very high quality – wages direct to many labourers (paid partially in unfinished cloth to stimulate local industry) – significant change in ease of transport and so on.

                      Contemporary highways or the recent canal project are much more marginal. Construction employs more equipment and less people. So contemporary governments struggle to replicate early stimulus successes.

                      The problem with the assertion that quality is irrelevant though, is that it is self-fulfilling. Ill-judged spending will not produce exceptional results. Yet Somalia remains poor – Korea bootstrapped.

                      I’ll have to see if I can find some more contemporary papers.

                    • reason …
                      27 August 2016 at 8:05 am

                      http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/search?q=mapp%2Bwar

                      Wayne Mapp a known [deleted] and warmonger walks into a thread and squawks out an idiotic non existent condition as a childish ‘your mental’ insult .,…

                      He does this in solidarity with a village idiot troll who is hectoring this site ……………

                      Wayne would need an extra large pair of white disco pants over his large flabby arse if he took on the john keys 100% pure river water drinking challenge….

                      Bovine quantities from wide boy wayne would be my bet …………………. he’d be shitting like a deranged cow ….. national style.


                      [Deleted an unproven allegation which is really just pointless abuse. Not sure whether the alleged flabby arse falls into the same category. Only Wayne knows for sure 😉 TRP]

      • dukeofurl 2.1.2
        26 August 2016 at 2:06 pm

        Tell us how many of the SHA which have been consented, have even had a building consent application?

        Thats right the greedy developers were land banking and the government was too scared to kick ass, after first saying they would lose their consent it then did nothing.

        • maninthemiddle 2.1.2.1
          26 August 2016 at 2:30 pm

          Ah no. The developers still have to follow the rules. We’re talking tens of thousands of houses being built. That’s kicking ass!!

          “Mayor Len Brown said the progress of the Special Housing Area Accord was ahead of targets.

          “Forty-four per cent of the consents issued over the last 12 months are for multi-level developments. So we see that the amount of choice in build and also affordable houses in those multi-level developments is picking up,” he said.

          Brown said land supply levels was about six and a half years of expectations.

          “So, we’re not only building at a pace significantly greater than we’ve seen in previous years, we’ve also got land supply at a significant level and in-line for population growth.””

          http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11618399

  3. framu 3
    26 August 2016 at 11:53 am

    is this going to be another exercise in thread domination?

    • gsays 3.1
      26 August 2016 at 7:11 pm

      Was thinking the something,framu.
      I spose if a tory troll is occupied at a blog, they aren’t lobbying their council to get the local library closed.

  4. Psych nurse 4
    26 August 2016 at 12:44 pm

    How does the period following the Christchurch earthquake with massive rebuilding relate to the lowest consents issued in over 50 years. There can have been no activity in the rest of the country.

  5. Doogs 5
    26 August 2016 at 1:04 pm

    Don’t know about thread domination. More like thread emasculation.

    Why is every one into the finger pointing ‘did . . . didn’t’ stuff.

    Look, I respect commenters who produce actual data not silly statistics, and who offer possible solutions – debate at a higher level, you know?

    As for the ogres and trolls . . . well, I suppose it could be more satisfying than mindless onanism.

  6. UncookedSelachimorpha 6
    26 August 2016 at 2:12 pm

    Bernard’s chart and rationale makes sense to me.

    What was happening pre-1977 that produced such high new dwelling consent rates?

    No surprise that the timing indicates neoliberalism can’t take any of the credit – quite the opposite.

    • dukeofurl 6.1
      26 August 2016 at 2:19 pm

      Pre 1977 there was much more assistance for new home buyers, as well the state was heavily involved in both land subdivision and home building.

    • Lanthanide 6.2
      26 August 2016 at 3:01 pm

      It’s also around the time the baby-boomers were settling down and starting families, or for the early wave, moving on to their 2nd house.

    • ropata 6.3
      27 August 2016 at 12:02 am

      Less formality around builder qualifications, but more actual skilled tradies around, less stringent standards, more availability of land, higher proportion of state housing having a calming effect on the market, better wages in real terms, and better overall AFFORDABILITY.

      • Lanthanide 6.3.1
        27 August 2016 at 7:49 am

        Also less technical and varied work. Houses these days have many more materials used in them, as well as higher performance requirements than those in the past.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 6.4
      27 August 2016 at 10:46 am

      Those are all good observations.

      How much have land prices (not house prices) played a role? Even though build costs are high, I get the impression that it is really land prices that are out-of-whack now.

  7. reason 7
    27 August 2016 at 7:19 pm

    my apologies to TRP and I was basing my redacted opinion on Wayne Mapp on his role in the Brash Iwi/Kiwi election campaign that was designed to provoke New Zealands latent racism and not based on fact or truth . http://www.nickyhager.info/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/untitled10-1024×412.jpg

    ” The Iwi/Kiwi billboards encouraged ‘non-Maori’ to feel separate and threatened by Maori who wanted to take away their beaches, even though there was never a real risk of this. (In fact, the Labour Government was in a political fight WITH Maori, not somehow on the Maori side against the Kiwis.)” http://www.nickyhager.info/propaganda-then-and-now-notes-of-a-lecture-at-auckland-museum-on-wednesday-2-may-2007/

    Also

    http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2006/01/one-language-for-all.html

    http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2005/10/mapp-vs-waitangi-tribunal.html

    ” he provided the following example of a “politically correct” body in need of eradication:

    [The] Waitangi Tribunal would be another good example. There’s a mixture of remaking our history …”

    NoRightTurn writes :”I should also point out that historical claims are verified by an exhaustive process of historical research by both the crown and claimants (this is one reason the process takes so long – there aren’t enough historians); it is not the Tribunal which is “remaking our history”, but historians”….

    http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2005/10/neither-consistent-nor-liberal.html

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    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, TĂŒrkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Taupƍ takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupƍ as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupƍ International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupƍ Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Joint US and NZ declaration
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