Chloe Swarbrick Needs A Reset

Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, February 10th, 2022 - 42 comments
Categories: capitalism, climate change, covid-19, Deep stuff, food, greens, science, tourism - Tags:

The MP for Auckland Central Chloe Swarbrick has requested that the government help Auckland central’s restaurants.

Her letter is supported by more than 60 restaurant owners pleading for help. They want commercial rent reductions, more wage subsidies, extension of the IRD interest-free and government-backed loans schemes, and support for Auckland Council so the restaurants can get free rates, licensing, and administration fees.

Swarbrick says that “This is cultural infrastructure that if we lose is going to take a heck of a long time to try and build back and, frankly, will never be the same.”

Last year she called for funding to revive going to the theatre.

It is weird when even the youngest Member of Parliament, from the Green Party, doesn’t see a revolution when it hits them.

The revolution has evidently started without her.

The truth is that restaurant trade depended on a thin haute-bourgeoisie sector choosing to go out for dinner, and an even thinner sector of business executives with business credit cards to demand wine costing more by the glass than the staff serving them were getting paid by the hour.

Most diners were flown in as tourists. The bars and restaurants that used to teem with customers had a CBD full of … cruise ship travellers and package tour operators. And we used to have people going to mass concerts and sports events. They arrived on jet engines, marine diesel engines, combustion engines, taxis and buses, to eat imported food flown from across the globe, using people working precariat contracts doing 60 hours a week on minimum wage and tips: the people Swarbrick is defending who chose the CBD as entertainment are some of the most exploitative and energy-wasteful people we have. Swarbrick’s defence of the ultra-rich’s entertainment deserves a good solid fuck off.

The news Swarbrick and the rest of the elite rich need to get is that Auckland is never going to come back to what it was, and will be a speck of its former self for years to come. Whole industries have already died, like foreign language teaching, and others like cinema are rapidly dying. CBD restaurants: let them.

Even if we wanted to head in, petrol is rising to $3 a litre and rapidly inflating, on-street car parking is over $10 an hour, cycling remains terminally unsafe, no one is going to the cinema or orchestra or plays, the CBD club scene is dead, massed sporting events are void this year, Sky City is a husk, City Rail Link will suppress business through to its opening in 2025, the hotels will shrink down to a bare few once MIQ is stopped, and a large proportion of people will never work in an office again.

This is the revolution, and it has not been televised.

If you really wanted a revival of Auckland’s CBD, the Council could, like the Mayor of Brisbane recently has, make all on-street parking free, all train trips to the CBD free, and shut Queen Street completely to enable open-air dining permanently. They won’t. They have zero money left for anything.

The Prime Minister warned us this week that we needed to “prepare for winter.” We have multiple waves of this virus to come, waves of societal devastation. Waves of social dislocation: it’s a paradigm shift. In its place we are getting a leaner, safer, more productive, more networked, more efficient, less wasteful Auckland.

Minister Roberston could of course accede to central’s haute bourgeoise princess by finding further New Zealand taxpayer money to prop up the wealthy couples from Milford and Kohimarama draped in organic cotton overdue for their Lewis Road-butter-drizzled Stewart Island Paua for their plates at Ahi.

But while reading Swarbrick’s letter pleading for dinner outings, Minister Robertson would do well to reflect that 90% of Aucklanders will never feel comfortable in the CBD to go there, nor dare to afford to be entertained there, have nothing but contempt for those food businesses who have treated them with nothing but contempt for decades, don’t feel safe travelling or even being there, and won’t get anything for Saturday night  other than McDonald’s or Domino’s.

This really is the carbon reset the Green Party have been looking for. And it is devastating.

Chloe Swarbrick needs a reset.

42 comments on “Chloe Swarbrick Needs A Reset ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Barfly 1
    10 February 2022 at 11:10 am

    That Melbourne plan sounds like a cracker!

  2. arkie 2
    10 February 2022 at 11:10 am

    Bizarre.

    Electorate MP works to advocate for businesses in their electorate: …

    Advantage: “Swarbrick and the rest of the elite rich…”

    Meanwhile, the PM:

    Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick asked Ardern in Parliament how she could “reconcile her comments that the Government is ‘pulling all the levers’ on housing affordability with her statements yesterday that ‘we’re not considering rent controls’.”

    “Because we are pulling those levers,” Ardern said.

    https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/i-hear-nothing-from-that-side-pm-on-defence-over-eye-watering-rent-increases-skyrocketing-price-of-living/ar-AATDdX2?ocid=msedgntp

    This claim of action in the face of the reality deserves a solid fuck off.

  3. Keith Christie 3
    10 February 2022 at 11:18 am

    Fully agree. I have suddenly gone off her like I suddenly went off that Ian Taylor twat.

    What has really annoyed me with my small business accountancy clients is those who obtained the subsidy which made no difference to their business viability and have no conscience about paying it back.

    • happynz 3.1
      11 February 2022 at 8:48 am

      If I were in Auckland Central, Chloe would get my vote. She's got a good mind and heart and you know politics includes compromise, so even if she does some thing I may not behind, overall she's gonna do the right thing in the end.

  4. Obtrectator 4
    10 February 2022 at 11:30 am

    What's that phrase? …. ah yes: "going native".

    The Green Party member's hat is in the furthest corner of the closet; the local MP's one is getting a very ill-judged airing instead.

    As for the bigger picture, there'll be a lot more flimsy business models and largely needless "services" being exposed and swept away before we're finished.

  5. Sanctuary 5
    10 February 2022 at 11:33 am

    To be fair, she is the local MP and I imagine she wants to get re-elected so she'll lobby on behalf of her constituents.

  6. Sanctuary 6
    10 February 2022 at 11:35 am

    "… Lewis Road-butter-drizzled Stewart Island Paua for their plates at Ahi…"

    Now I'm hungry.

  7. Johnr 7
    10 February 2022 at 12:00 pm

    Correct analysis in my opinion. No self respecting jafa goes within a bulls roar of the CBD. We leave it to the wannabes who go to be seen. That is why we need to support Efeso Collins for Mayor who I believe will be a Mayor for Auckland as opposed to the rest of the candidates, and the current one being a Mayor for the CBD

  8. lprent 8
    10 February 2022 at 12:19 pm

    I've lived on the corner of KRd and Ponsonby Rd for nearly 25 years, just across the road from Central electorate. I was born here on the other side of the gully and seem 2/3rds of my life living on the edge of the CBD in Ponsonby, Grey Lynn or St Marys Bay.

    It is walking distance for me to get to the CBD. I never go there by choice. When I do I take a taxi – ~12 to go 3 km compared to the fortune used for parking or the tedium of trying to get there on the loop buses.

    I do go to the movies in the CBD if they happen to be on at the right times (otherwise I usually go to St Lukes or Newmarket). Obviously I seldom do that these days.

    It is even more seldom that I ever went into restaurants in the CDB. Invariably overpriced, cramped, and just not very good food compared to what I get on Ponsonby Road or Jervois Rd or K Road or Kingsland. The only exception for me for years has been The Federal which has good American diner food. Those places still look pretty busy.

    Mostly I eat in the CBD to meet up with (as Advantage stated) out of towners.

    The club scene still seems pretty active – on K Rd. I still see it when I ride past in the early morning. I wasn't aware that there was still much in the CBD 2 years ago.

    A lot of this might change once the central rail gets finished in a few years and it gets easier to get in and out of the CBD. But as Advantage says – the CBD has been getting deader for a long time and to a local only appeared to supported by visitors. It sounds like the visitor market is a bit dead.

    It will probably stay that way for quite a while. I know that I consider risk every time I go out these days. And we're going to keep getting waves of this virus sweeping through for a most of this decade. Probably others as well.

    Novel viruses have been popping up every 5 years or so for decades now. They just haven't triggered global pandemics. I'm not sure we're going to carry on being that lucky.

    I can't see the point of trying to prop up industries without a viable market for long periods of time. Perhaps some of the places that Chloe Swarbrick is supporting as a local MP should be just told to move to where there is still a market outside of the Auckland CBD.

    They can look at moving back when the CRL is finished and it becomes feasible for Auckland to get into the CBD.

  9. DukeEll 9
    10 February 2022 at 12:32 pm

    "The truth is that restaurant trade depended on a thin haute-bourgeoisie sector choosing to go out for dinner, and an even thinner sector of business executives with business credit cards to demand wine costing more by the glass than the staff serving them were getting paid by the hour.

    Most diners were flown in as tourists."

    That's news to me and probably most of the population of isthmus Auckland. Also wouldn't explain the booming dining trade in wellington.

    Got any evidence to back that up?

    • lprent 9.1
      10 February 2022 at 12:43 pm

      You could probably take my comment as part of the evidence.

      I can see a booming dining trade in Ponsonby, K RD and Herne Bay which lie outside the CBD and in the Central electorate. I am told that Parnell is pretty active as well. Auckland CBD is pretty dead.

      As far as I remember, in the last year I have been in the CBD to eat at the Fed twice, and picked up rental car to go to Hamilton for a interview on Hobson Street in April.

      I live right next to the CBD. It is a dead zone – has been for locals for most of the last decade.

      In Wellington, it always appeared to me that it was places like Cuba Street that were really active. So are the equivalent areas in Auckland. They are round the CBD – not in it.

      • Belladonna 9.1.1
        10 February 2022 at 1:27 pm

        If the entertainment industry (restaurants, etc.) is dead in the CBD – then what do we envisage replacing it?
        Because a giant dead no-go-zone isn't really an attractive thought.

        I, too, rarely dine in the Auckland CBD at the moment; but a big part of that is demographics (not part of the dinner-out crowd – except at kids restaurants), Covid consciousness (not really wanting to go into potentially Omicron spreading venues) and also the closure of the arts sector (dinner out was often tied to an event at the Aotea or Town Hall, or the ASB theatre).

        I devoutly hope that all 3 of those factors will change at some point (well, kids will grow up – though I might still be in the not-dining-out demographic through lack of cash ;-))

        But the biggest users of the CBD casual dining, bars, etc. have always been the 20 & 30-somethings – hanging out after work. [The fine dining is a different kettle of fish – and we've already seen closures prompted by the closure of international tourism]

        This might be affected by work-from-home being here for the long term – but even then, the CBD is the central point for people to meet up from all over Auckland. The centre-point for public transport options and/or reasonable carparking (in the evenings). It's the easy option. Not requiring a transit planning exercise just to get everyone there. [Your local options in Ponsonby or K-Road, for example, would require me to get 2 buses, or drive (and stress about parking in two very parking-unfriendly areas]

        I think the impact of the massive disruption of the CRL – with zero compensation – can't be underestimated.

      • DukeEll 9.1.2
        10 February 2022 at 3:35 pm

        I go to the CBD. I used to go a lot more. the city council and police need to do something about the homeless there though.

        Queens Rise? great casual dining. Lorne St great korean, upper queen was starting to show promise and shortland st and commercial bay were good draw cards.

        I live just off K Rd, it's a great space and will get better. the CBD has no need to be dead. the council could get off its arse as could central government and start working to making it a great space again, and a great way to encourage that is through dining options. people, of all income brackets, need to eat

        • lprent 9.1.2.1
          10 February 2022 at 4:24 pm

          Hey – around the corner a bit. You're probably been impacted by the CRL build and the redevelopment of KRd.

          I think that the CBD kind of lost its way quite a while ago simply because it focused far too much on overseas students, overseas visitors (especially the ocean going people transports), and skycity. Got too expensive to go down there because of parking, far too dangerous to bike, and the buses totally sucked unless you wanted to take 30 minutes to go up Queen Street or 45 minutes to get around the loop. Plus whatever time it took to get from the locals homes to the CBD.

          It has been in state of redevelopment now for the last few decades. The now old development down by Fort street and the Viaduct looks interesting. But the lack of usable transport means that I really can't get there except by taxi. Those are scared shitless of parking up anywhere for fear of tickets. Getting back home last time I tried was a freaking mission.

          The CRL will probably eventually fix a lot of it because it removes the more continuous building. Kicking the cars off parts of the CBD even more so – so that the public transport can flow even more so and reduce the load on the surrounding remaining carparks.

          But concentrating on local visitors will be the next real need. Isn't going to be viable until after the CRL finishes – should have been done a couple of decades ago. For the moment it is as much of pit as when the bottom of queen street was being used as a rubbish dump.

          • DukeEll 9.1.2.1.1
            10 February 2022 at 6:07 pm

            I have been. All for the Bette though. If CRL is half as good as what they’ve done with K rd it’ll be amazing. But it still connects the cbd with the ring suburbs, so the CBD is as important as K road, mt eden etc.

            I think your comment about the focus on overseas customers has merit, but ignores a huge swathe of the cbd that benefits from, but doesn’t rely on them as sole trade. So many great little places enjoyed by locals on the way to or back from whatever they’re doing.

            A vibrant CBD is a microcosm of the city as a whole. If it’s dead the decay will spread. And no one will go if they can’t eat. So go Chloe

            • ghostwhowalksnz 9.1.2.1.1.1
              10 February 2022 at 8:09 pm

              The CBD has been far more alive and meeting the needs of all Aucklanders in previous decades

              Its laugable if you think it currently does ..apart from foreign tourists ( see the 2% high end brands at the bottom of Queen St) or the masses of students and until recently foreign students who populate the mid-upper Queen St and Symonds St.

              Queen St 1957

  10. Stephen D 10
    10 February 2022 at 12:39 pm

    So some hospitality business will go under. Sad for all this involved
    But another will spring up in its place. Chloe will still be able to get her smashed avocado on toast. Just served by someone being paid a decent wage.

    • Belladonna 10.1
      10 February 2022 at 1:34 pm

      Talking to my friends in hospo – no one is even thinking about setting up a new business, they're hanging on to marginal cashflow in the hopes that they can keep their heads above water and get through this. And, that's just as much the cafes, bistros and bars in the local areas as the ones in the larger cities.

      If Omicron isn't the last of the restrictions and/or closures – as some have been signalling, an awful lot of them are simply going to close their doors.

      Even (or, perhaps, especially) the really wealthy people are simply not prepared to pay $10 for a flat white, or $35 for smashed avo on toast. Which is the price point required, if you halve the number of people seated in the restaurant to meet Covid safety limits.

      Most hospo businesses don't make a huge profit (even in non-Covid times), but they add immeasurably to our social fabric.

      • Craig H 10.1.1
        10 February 2022 at 5:22 pm

        I sympathise greatly with people losing businesses and livelihoods in this. Having said that, if people stop spending or change their spending habits and/or locations, it's a legitimate question as to how far government support goes, and at what point it's a permanent change rather than a temporary one.

        Hospo tends to be an industry which doesn't treat its workers or even many owners well as it is reasonably thin margins once overheads are taken into account. Maybe if numbers of venues stay static for a bit or slightly reduce, it will help the others by spreading the customers round better.

  11. Corey Humm 11
    10 February 2022 at 1:07 pm

    I don't like defending Swarbrick because I agree she is absolutely an elite (but sadly she's one of the only vaguely moderately economically left mps in NZ) but as the Auckland central MP she has to represent her electorates wishes, she can't let her electorate wither and die without a fight. She'd get voted out. Labour mp's in city centers are noticably very very quiet and aren't listening to their constitutents pleas (although none of them are quite frankly)

    Not all bar and restaurant owners are wealthy a lot of them are decent people who have always struggled to keep the lights on but do it for the love of entertaining.

    Gen z and gen y overwhelmingly work in hospo too.

    Minority communities, performers artists all depend on those venues to be open.

    And there's nothing like going on a date or night out and despite how tough times are it's not just the wealthy who like to do this and without restaurants and bars we'll be going to maccas for a date.

    But again… Who can afford to regularly go to them! Getting in is expensive and nearly impossible, food, drink is astronomical.

    While this matters and is a big deal for mps in city centers (even though labour ones block their ears) the cost of living groceries and rents is the great pressing issue economically atm (although labour mps many of them whose voters are almost entirely renters, block their ears and avoid thier constitutents there too)

    • Obtrectator 11.1
      10 February 2022 at 2:04 pm

      "She'd get voted out."

      Likely to happen anyway. 2020 was an electoral king-tide that probably won't roll round again.

      • Belladonna 11.1.1
        10 February 2022 at 2:58 pm

        Maybe. However, it was predominantly a 'Jacindamania' king tide.

        And Chloe was elected over the top of Helen White, the Labour candidate, who might have been expected to benefit most from the reflected glory. The rising tide of Jacinda-voters lifted all Labour boats.

        Chloe has a high personal profile – which, sadly, seems to matter a lot more than policy to most of the electorate. ATM, despite the fact that she's in parliament, most voters would say "Helen who?"

        It is possible that the left vote will be split, letting a strong National candidate through the middle – I guess it will depend on who National stand in that electorate. Last time was newby Emma Mellow. Don't know if they'd parachute in a candidate with name recognition, in order to grab the seat back. Politics, politics….

        I have heard that Chloe has been a good electorate MP – from those who've had dealings with her. But this has mostly been carried out personally, or via email, rather than through parliament or the press.

        • Craig H 11.1.1.1
          10 February 2022 at 4:11 pm

          For an electorate MP, policy is a lot less relevant than personality and ability to actually serve the local electorate. Policy is for party votes.

  12. coge 12
    10 February 2022 at 2:19 pm

    Anyone taken a stroll through old Wellington lately? Hardly anyone around, many businesses permanently closed. Decaying, shut unmaintained buildings, The Duxton covered in graffiti. Old town Hall, the Library. Five years ago the place was pumping, what happened??

  13. Tiger Mountain 13
    10 February 2022 at 3:04 pm

    Pique from Advantage perhaps, still smarting over Helen White going down down down to Chlöe? Sure the petit bourgeoisie are in for a further hammering, but she is doing her job as local MP just as Nicki Kaye used to.

    Ms Swarbrick is a business person as well as many other things. I like the fact that with her personal issues she charges on in a public role, and advocates very articulately.

    • Ad 13.1
      10 February 2022 at 3:10 pm

      I prefer businesspeople who can make a business work.

      Good on Chloe for beating Helen White. Belladonna is dead right there.

      Swarbrick generates more useful debate than the rest of the Green Party put together. She should be leader for the 2023 election.

  14. Siobhan 14
    10 February 2022 at 3:11 pm

    The general consensus here seems to be let the CBD die…but I cannot think of any well thought of city that has let the CBD die ..without then suffering massive regret …and then having to pump untold dollars to get the whole thing up and running again…certainly when the borders reopen and tourists are flooding back they will be left wandering the CBD like lost souls ..I guess maybe someone could direct them to the light rail so they can visit the restaurants along Dominion Road…

  15. Stuart Munro 15
    10 February 2022 at 3:46 pm

    I'm not sure that the demise of inner cities is a terrible thing. Plant a few trees and let nature re-establish itself.

    • lprent 15.1
      10 February 2022 at 4:31 pm

      Do a Cuba street on them like the section between Manners and Ghuzee

      Kick the cars out. Plant trees. Add places to sit down. It is about the only place I like going to in Wellington.

      • Stuart Munro 15.1.1
        10 February 2022 at 7:46 pm

        Seoul has done great things with Hangang Park recently – a strip of riverside has been remade into a family recreation area. The simultaneous cleanup of the river has made it a popular place for exercise and picnics. The city employed previously unemployed folk to do it too – it's a hard project to criticize.

  16. Whispering Kate 16
    10 February 2022 at 4:30 pm

    With rising inflation, grocery bills climbing, power bills rising, petrol sky rocketing and rents increasing restaurant outings have become a fiction to so many people. Its the first thing that gets knocked off their budget. What planet is Chloe is on. Sure she wants to help her constituents but she is an intelligent young woman and must be aware of the poverty and distress of many people these days trying to make ends meet.

    In the old days restaurants were considered a luxury now they a weekly/biweekly event. Times are a changin', this virus ain't going anywhere soon. Like the 19980's farmers when their subsidies disappeared they diversified and thought outside the square. Restaurant owners will have to put their thinking caps on and take up a new career. Its no use trying to flog a dead horse.

  17. Tricledrown 17
    10 February 2022 at 5:04 pm

    Unless your dining in the carmarge region of France where its on the menu

  18. Treetop 18
    10 February 2022 at 6:55 pm

    The reality is that when income gets tight the first off the list is restaurant dining or the frequency. Inflation is increasing the price of a meal. As for enjoying a restaurant meal, the risk of being infected goes up as a person cannot eat wearing a mask.

    I know that some people have put their heart into the food industry. It is important for restaurant owners to get free sound business advice and support to make the hard call.

  19. vto 19
    10 February 2022 at 7:42 pm

    I think you are miles off the mark Advantage.

    It will all come back again

    If the bigger picture is viewed as opposed to the short picture

    You will see an increasing concentration of human beings into the future, not a decreasing concentration

    And it will happen, this getting back to before or more, near instantly

    Under your very eyes

    says my 2c

    a wager shall we?

    2c?

    • GreenBus 19.1
      11 February 2022 at 9:53 am

      Yup, were not opening up the borders for nothing. We all need a downtown to go too, and hopefully be proud of. Eating out is required in a relationship even if you can't afford it. Just every now and then. Besides, home cooking is damn expensive too.

  20. georgecom 20
    12 February 2022 at 11:20 pm

    my own view is no, times about done for across the board government financial support for business. there was two years of support whilst we got ourselves ready to ease and open up. Now however we are in a new phase of no more lockdowns, more emphasis on people taking responsibility to look after themselves and not grinding to a halt when covid rears it's head. I get it things are not easy for many many people, cafes and restaurants included. I do have to say however no, I don't agree with swarbrick on this.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 hour ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 hours ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    4 hours ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    18 hours ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    Skeptical Science
    19 hours ago

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    3 days ago

  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS:  Media knives flashing for Luxon’s government
    The fear and loathing among legacy journalists is astonishing Graham Adams writes – No one is going to die wondering how some of the nation’s most influential journalists personally view the new National-led government. It has become abundantly clear within a few days of the coalition agreements ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    5 days ago

  • Top 10 news links for Wednesday, Nov 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere for Wednesday November 29, including:The early return of interest deductibility for landlords could see rebates paid on previous taxes and the cost increase to $3 billion from National’s initial estimate of $2.1 billion, CTU Economist Craig Renney estimated here last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Smokefree Fallout and a High Profile Resignation.
    The day after being sworn in the new cabinet met yesterday, to enjoy their honeymoon phase. You remember, that period after a new government takes power where the country, and the media, are optimistic about them, because they haven’t had a chance to stuff anything about yet.Sadly the nuptials complete ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • As Cabinet revs up, building plans go on hold
    Wellington Council hoardings proclaim its preparations for population growth, but around the country councils are putting things on hold in the absence of clear funding pathways for infrastructure, and despite exploding migrant numbers. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Cabinet meets in earnest today to consider the new Government’s 100-day ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • National takes over infrastructure
    Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that the peak organisation for infrastructure sees  National MPs Chris ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

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

  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • National’s murderous smoking policy
    One of the big underlying problems in our political system is the prevalence of short-term thinking, most usually seen in the periodic massive infrastructure failures at a local government level caused by them skimping on maintenance to Keep Rates Low. But the new government has given us a new example, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • NZ has a chance to rise again as our new government gets spending under control
    New Zealand has  a chance  to  rise  again. Under the  previous  government, the  number of New Zealanders below the poverty line was increasing  year by year. The Luxon-led government  must reverse that trend – and set about stabilising  the  pillars  of the economy. After the  mismanagement  of the outgoing government created   huge ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago

  • KARL DU FRESNE: Media and the new government
    Two articles by Karl du Fresne bring media coverage of the new government into considerations.  He writes –    Tuesday, November 28, 2023 The left-wing media needed a line of attack, and they found one The left-wing media pack wasted no time identifying the new government’s weakest point. Seething over ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • PHILIP CRUMP:  Team of rivals – a CEO approach to government leadership
    The work begins Philip Crump wrote this article ahead of the new government being sworn in yesterday – Later today the new National-led coalition government will be sworn in, and the hard work begins. At the core of government will be three men – each a leader ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Black Friday
    As everyone who watches television or is on the mailing list for any of our major stores will confirm, “Black Friday” has become the longest running commercial extravaganza and celebration in our history. Although its origins are obscure (presumably dreamt up by American salesmen a few years ago), it has ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    6 days ago

  • In Defense of the Media.
    Yesterday the Ministers in the next government were sworn in by our Governor General. A day of tradition and ceremony, of decorum and respect. Usually.But yesterday Winston Peters, the incoming Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, of our nation used it, as he did with the signing of the coalition ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Tuesday, Nov 28
    Nicola Willis’ first move was ‘spilling the tea’ on what she called the ‘sobering’ state of the nation’s books, but she had better be able to back that up in the HYEFU. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • PT use up but fare increases coming
    Yesterday Auckland Transport were celebrating, as the most recent Sunday was the busiest Sunday they’ve ever had. That’s a great outcome and I’m sure the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • The very opposite of social investment
    Nicola Willis (in blue) at the signing of the coalition agreement, before being sworn in as both Finance Minister and Social Investment Minister. National’s plan to unwind anti-smoking measures will benefit her in the first role, but how does it stack up from a social investment viewpoint? Photo: Lynn Grieveson ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Giving Tuesday
    For the first time "in history" we decided to jump on the "Giving Tuesday" bandwagon in order to make you aware of the options you have to contribute to our work! Projects supported by Skeptical Science Inc. Skeptical Science Skeptical Science is an all-volunteer organization but ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Let's open the books with Nicotine Willis
    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • The stupidest of stupid reasons
    One of the threats in the National - ACT - NZ First coalition agreements was to extend the term of Parliament to four years, reducing our opportunities to throw a bad government out. The justification? Apparently, the government thinks "elections are expensive". This is the stupidest of stupid reasons for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • A website bereft of buzz
    Buzz from the Beehive The new government was being  sworn in, at time of writing , and when Point of Order checked the Beehive website for the latest ministerial statements and re-visit some of the old ones we drew a blank. We found ….  Nowt. Nothing. Zilch. Not a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    7 days ago

  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    7 days ago

  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-12-03T18:17:30+00:00