Climate change, weather bombs, and the infrastructure that we need

Written By: - Date published: 10:23 am, March 12th, 2017 - 62 comments
Categories: climate change, disaster, global warming, water - Tags: , , , ,

Best wishes to all those coping with the floods up north.

To state the bleeding obvious, events like this fit a classic climate change pattern, and we can expect more of them. Climate change is here, now.

The current floods have showed up real weaknesses in the capacity of Auckland’s fresh water supply system. Despite warnings, Aucklanders are not saving enough water and will probably soon need to boil drinking water. This issue may persist until the “end of the month”. The effects of climate change are here, now.

We should be preparing. As well as doing everything we can to cut emissions, We should be hardening our critical infrastructure. Like – Auckland’s water supply. Instead of building – you know – more roads.

62 comments on “Climate change, weather bombs, and the infrastructure that we need ”

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  1. Draco T Bastard 1
    12 March 2017 at 10:42 am

    Despite warnings, Aucklanders are not saving enough water and will probably soon need to boil drinking water.

    Which Aucklanders?

    Because I can assure you, I’m not using 300 litres a day of water.

    I suspect the real users aren’t doing anything about reducing water use because doing so will cut into their profits. If I’m right then the health of our largest city is being put at risk because of business.

    • marty mars 1.1
      12 March 2017 at 10:57 am

      How do you feel about those not saving water or using too much? I suspect many doing that either think they’ll buy their way out – of this crisis and CC in general or they just cannot cram the information into their already full heads – and those heads are full of useless information when compared with thinking about what happens when the water is unthinkably undrinkable.

      • dukeofurl 1.1.1
        12 March 2017 at 11:30 am

        There is no chance of the water being undrinkable, its just the colour might be a bit darker

        • marty mars 1.1.1.1
          12 March 2017 at 11:34 am

          No chance? That is idiotic, you can’t say that or even anything close to it.

          • dukeofurl 1.1.1.1.1
            12 March 2017 at 12:04 pm

            How is your claim substantiated ? Do you live in such a cotton wool world that you only drink deep spring water untouched by human processes.
            Try getting roof tank water sometimes

            Odd coloured water but drinkable is common in Australia.

            • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.1.1.1
              12 March 2017 at 2:28 pm

              How is your claim substantiated ?

              Because there’s always a chance even when things are working as expected. Things presently aren’t working as expected.

            • marty mars 1.1.1.1.1.2
              12 March 2017 at 9:27 pm

              We aren’t in oz mate.

              I drink roof water, tank water, creek water and aquifer water. hell ill even drink townie water sometimes. The colour is just one aspect and city water is vulnerable to all sorts of unwanted issues that could lead up to and include making the water undrinkable – or did I just imagine the Havelock north shit drinking? Do you 100% guarantee that couldn’t happen to a big city? Oh course not – it is impossible to be true saying that.

              I hope the water gets cleaner or at least just stays brown and tastes like ??? and nothing else causes some cascading effect – like additional heavy rain, lack of water saving, breakdown of equipment, accidental or deliberate contamination and so on…

      • Draco T Bastard 1.1.2
        12 March 2017 at 2:30 pm

        How do you feel about those not saving water or using too much?

        That’s going to depend upon who it is. Those businesses, those who are using the most water, not reducing then they really need some comeuppance.

        Personal use should be reduced but health should be maintained as well.

    • Red Hand 1.2
      12 March 2017 at 11:40 am

      Bottled water and water based drinks for local consumption and export.
      https://ccamatil.co.nz/
      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/79431619/pressure-on-water-bottlers-to-pay

      The consumer is paying for the plastic bottle as well as the drink. Some is put in a wheelie bin out of site and out of mind and a lot ends up on road and track sides and along the shore.
      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11444998

      An essential ingredient for life is taken from a source that should belong to all living beings, ourselves included so people can pay for it and drink it from a plastic bottle courtesy of the oil industry.
      https://www.reference.com/home-garden/plastic-come-3280280930838df

      Then the discarded plastic has adverse environmental effects and some plastics damage health in their manufacture and usage.
      http://ecologycenter.org/plastics/ptf/report3/
      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3791860/

    • Carolyn_nth 1.3
      12 March 2017 at 5:28 pm

      When watercare started giving advice on saving water, I laughed. Because all the things they recommended to save water I already do – because cost of water rates.

      Who leaves the tap running while brushing their teeth?

      Although, I’ve never been able to shower in 2 minutes, and I don’t linger. Best can do is 4-5 minutes, especially when washing my hair.

      Not sure how I can save anymore water, unless I stop washing my clothes and sheets.

      But, I also read that Aucklanders already use less water than in other parts of the country.

      So it must be wealthy people who aren’t bothered about paying high water rates who are using all Auckland’s water!

      I always boil drinking water. I have long not liked the taste of Auckland tap water.

      • Draco T Bastard 1.3.1
        12 March 2017 at 5:44 pm

        So it must be wealthy people who aren’t bothered about paying high water rates who are using all Auckland’s water!

        Yep, that’s pretty much the way I figure it as well. That and businesses that make a profit from the use of water.

        Those of us who have to watch every sent already try to keep water use down.

        IMO, the fact that some people feel that it doesn’t matter how much something costs and that they can simply throw it away because the cost doesn’t matter to them proves that some of us are simply paid too much.

        • marty mars 1.3.1.1
          12 March 2017 at 9:35 pm

          Is it more some industry processes than personal use? I just can’t imagine a non water caring rich aucklander could use that much water even if they emptied and filled the pool every week. I could be out of touch with that particular societal grouping though ☺

      • Anne 1.3.2
        12 March 2017 at 10:34 pm

        Who leaves the tap running while brushing their teeth?

        I do. 😳 I try to remember not to but old habits (especially when they’re really old) die hard.

        We don’t have to wash our cars any more. Just leave it outside for half a day in the frequent tropical deluges and hey presto… the car’s shining like a new pin. I did [briefly] consider only showering every other day but thought that would be a bit tough on my fellow Aucklanders.

        • Whispering Kate 1.3.2.1
          13 March 2017 at 8:55 pm

          The reason the two of us in this household conserve water is not that we can’t afford it – just the fact we resent paying out to the bottomless pit of a Super City who never prioritise the precious hard earned rate money which comes in each year. When they prattle on about sports stadiums ad nauseum and the water treatment plants are failing in bad weather, berms are shoulder high with tall grass ready to go up in flames next time we get drought conditions, street trees which are not kept under control and the crowns kept under control and are ready to topple down, annual rate rises – everything has gone to the dogs since the Super City was born. It’ no wonder we don’t want to give them any more money than we have to. Too many overseas junkets. paying out for contractors and rorting of council funds.

          Yes, we want to help to conserve and we do by catching water off the roof, if we take a bath, we put it on the garden and we manage to keep our watercare bill down to the lower side of a household of one. I pity poor parents of kids who sit in the shower contemplating their navels – here in Auckland it will be bankrupting them with the price of the water coming in and the grey water going out of the household each day.

  2. Tautoko Mangō Mata 2
    12 March 2017 at 11:20 am

    Climate change?? Does National Government care? About money, yes. Climate change is for future governments to worry about, it seems.

    1. The New Zealand Petroleum Conference 2017 (21-23 March in New Plymouth will feature the Government’s launch of Block Offer 2017 – the exclusive tender for exploration permits.

    New Zealand’s upstream petroleum industry has the potential to experience strong growth over the coming years. The country is attracting strong international attention with exploration activities underway in a number of the country’s 17 sedimentary basins, with general agreement there is strong potential for hydrocarbon deposits.

    With a supportive regulatory regime, strong economy, and stable political environment, the time is right to learn more about the opportunities that exist in New Zealand’s oil and gas industry.

    http://www.petroleumconference.nz/

    Block Offer annual exploration permit tender process:

    The New Zealand Government allocates petroleum exploration permits in an annual tender called a ‘Block Offer’.

    New Zealand has run annual Block Offers since 2012.

    https://www.nzpam.govt.nz/permits/petroleum/block-offer/

    Naturally, people want to protest against the deliberately irresponsible act of allowing further oil and gas exploration by the government, so……

    Potential protests at a petroleum conference have police worried enough to apply to close part of New Plymouth’s main street for two days.

    The police and the New Plymouth District Council have applied to close roads around the venue of the annual New Zealand Petroleum Conference that is expected to be attended by hundreds of industry delegates from around the world.

    Greenpeace leader Russell Norman said last month the organisation planned to protest outside the conference, which is being held in New Plymouth for the first time from March 21-23.

    http://i.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/90094214/police-apply-for-road-closure-anticipating-protest-trouble-at-petroleum-conference

    Disappointingly there was no reference to the NZ Govt block offer in the Stuff article. More people need to be made aware of this callous disregard by the National Government for the future of our younger members of the population.

  3. weka 3
    12 March 2017 at 11:23 am

    Russell Brown‏ @publicaddress 4m4 minutes ago

    There’s a drinking water crisis in Auckland and Watercare has no social media presence and can’t update its website outside working hours.

    Russell Brown‏ @publicaddress 2m2 minutes ago

    And it’s not as if this absurd shortcoming hasn’t been pointed out to them. #rpt

    https://twitter.com/publicaddress/status/840688295063379968

    • dukeofurl 3.1
      12 March 2017 at 11:28 am

      Watercare is a notoriously aloof and distant organisation, and thats with people they have to deal with. The general public ? Who are they

    • Ad 3.2
      12 March 2017 at 12:58 pm

      Watergate are going to get a caning for their comms. As they should. Hell even AT and NZTA can do weekend updates.

      But it’s Auckland Council itself that should be getting the hammering as they – not Watercare -are directly responsible for stormwater readiness.

      We’ve just had 2 water supply pipes blow here in Titrangi so our water is off until 3.

      • dukeofurl 3.2.1
        12 March 2017 at 1:45 pm

        Stormwater readiness ?

        Different issue to freshwater supply.

        Stormwater pipes are designed to overflow in heavy rain. Council allows overland flow paths for that very purpose

        Ad you should be worried about about a major tropical storm like that which last hit Auckland in the late 20s -early 30s.
        heavy rain caused landslips will make large areas of Waitakaere ranges unlivable for 6 months or more due to shear volume of slips.
        they will take out power, road, water supply ( a lot of Titirangi is on tap water) and sewerage. rebuilding would be a slow expensive task.

        Its Aucklands ticking time bomb

        • Ad 3.2.1.1
          12 March 2017 at 1:58 pm

          We have a tropical month every year and have had for nearly a decade. Plus, Titirangi gets about +20% more stormwater than most of suburban Auckland.

          The big problem in central Auckland is sewer and stormwater still joined together. In flood this causes sewerage overflows. V bad.

          So the $1.5b Watercare job in design is Central Interceptor to separate most of them out. Completion 2020, and involves a new tunnel under the Manuka u Harbour.

          • dukeofurl 3.2.1.1.1
            12 March 2017 at 2:49 pm

            I was thinking of the Cyclone Bola equivalent we had back then. For the last 10 years there has been fewer tropical cyclones passing down this way, and usually we only get remnants from those that do. A full cyclone hit would be severe damage.

            From NIWAs records back then
            December 1926

            Comment Heavy floods occurred in Waitemata county.
            Affected Lifeline In the Waitemata county several bridges were washed away. A bridge on the Swanson-Helensville road was under water and roads were impassable due to flood waters.
            Affected Lifeline A broken water pipeline interrupted the water supply to Auckland city.
            Damage Damage occurred to installations and dams.
            The Waitakere Ranges received an estimated 8.00 in (20.3 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 25th.
            The 200mm + rain in 24 hrs will the one that forces evacuations of 000’s now, back then there would be very few living there and mostly have roof tanks and own sewage system.

            hwe.niwa.co.nz/event/December_1926_Upper_North_Island_Flooding

            • Ad 3.2.1.1.1.1
              12 March 2017 at 6:30 pm

              Today we had about 300 properties flooded out west today.

              Great North Road in middle of New Lynn was bisected by flood.

              Plus our area of Titirangi has been without fresh water for 7 hours. Main pipe scoured out and broke.

              • dukeofurl …
                13 March 2017 at 9:42 am

                Council maps show this particular flooded area is a designated flood prone area.
                Seems the ponded area in images matches the predicted one fairly closely

  4. Antoine 4
    12 March 2017 at 11:34 am

    > We should be hardening our critical infrastructure. Like – Auckland’s water supply. Instead of building – you know – more roads.

    Without wanting to nit pick, roads _are_ critical infrastructure

    A.

    • mickysavage 4.1
      12 March 2017 at 11:45 am

      Not the number that we are building. The holiday highway could have paid for an awful lot of infrastructure.

      • Antoine 4.1.1
        12 March 2017 at 12:05 pm

        Agreed

      • Ad 4.1.2
        12 March 2017 at 1:00 pm

        Watercare is funded from local water bills.

        Motorways are paid for largely by petrol and diesel taxes.

        The hypothecation of both provides real focus for both utilities. I wouldn’t change either.

        • dukeofurl 4.1.2.1
          12 March 2017 at 1:38 pm

          Trouble is it supplies freshwater and then then sewerage disposal.

          The water supply is a very high standard, and the silt in the dams is from a 1 in 100 yr rainfall event in the Clevedon-Hunua area.
          The sewerage overflows into streams and harbours are an every year event and definitely something that needs remedial work.
          I know which should be the priority for Watercare

          • Ad 4.1.2.1.1
            12 March 2017 at 2:01 pm

            See above.

            I don’t see anything wrong with requiring the Auckland population to respond to major events. Christchurch and Wellington had to. We should.

        • Draco T Bastard 4.1.2.2
          12 March 2017 at 2:35 pm

          Watercare pays huge dividends to ACC every year.

          • dukeofurl 4.1.2.2.1
            13 March 2017 at 9:33 am

            Watercare is prohibited by legislation from paying any dividends. Compare with housing NZ !

            • Draco T Bastard 4.1.2.2.1.1
              13 March 2017 at 12:00 pm

              Probably me recalling this:

              The council has ordered Metrowater to provide a dividend of $280 million in the next 10 years. This has forced Metrowater to increase charges from September by 9.6 per cent.

              Auckland City, in its press release, refers to the increase as “charitable payments”. This implies voluntary giving. Metrowater is more honest, talking of Auckland City’s instructions to “deliver to it an increased return on public investment”.

              • dukeofurl …
                13 March 2017 at 1:07 pm

                That was 10 years ago, 2006 and yes the charitable payment was when the City Vision controlled council were skimming the till at Metrowater – a different body.
                I understand it was robbing Peter to pay Paul, water & sewage (which is billed for) was paying for stormwater upgrades( which arent)

                Current Watercare pays no dividend ( it cant) nor charitable payment- so no huge payments every year.

  5. Keith 5
    12 March 2017 at 12:13 pm

    We need a government who leads in countering climate change, who articulates sensibly and who is committed to taking real action.

    In fact the exact opposite to Nationals pretence and no substance and of course Nick Smith.

  6. Bill 6
    12 March 2017 at 12:15 pm

    Infrastructure…what we got?

    Well, from roading to housing to water and power infrastructures, we’ve essentially got Victorian era engineering and design for conditions that we no longer face. We need to upgrade, retrofit or replace the whole damned lot.

    And we need to relocate a pile of it. (sea level rise)

    • mauī 6.1
      12 March 2017 at 6:00 pm

      Personally I think we should discard or just forget about a lot of that old infrastructure. We can’t maintain it properly and we can’t replace it fast enough to deal with whatever the next weather crises coming at us will be.

      People can install rainwater tanks so they can provide their own drinking water. They could also disconnect their roof downpipes to water their (vegetable/food producing) gardens or direct it to ponds for water storage for dry summers. That would reduce the load on overflowing stormwater drains. Switching to composting toilets that can be of use as a source of manure for a local productive crop is another idea.

      I think we will see more of that in the future, a win for self reliance and managing decaying infrastructure.

      • gsays 6.1.1
        12 March 2017 at 8:42 pm

        I am of the opinion that every new dwelling and major reno, water storage is part of compliance. Petrol/diesel pump, then there is some resilience.

        • Bill 6.1.1.1
          12 March 2017 at 10:19 pm

          C.C…..the science…petrol/diesel….nah.

          • gsays 6.1.1.1.1
            13 March 2017 at 4:18 pm

            ok, caravan foot pump.
            tbh, when ‘it’ hits, bugger living on a reticulated water system anyhow.

            • Bill 6.1.1.1.1.1
              13 March 2017 at 4:47 pm

              I also wouldn’t want to be relying on a reticulated water network…land slips taking out pipes and the need for fossil to pump water to holding tanks in many cases.

              Anyway, I already don’t have reticulated water or sewerage and look on that as being somewhat ahead of the curve.

              Just wish I wasn’t ground by poverty and could afford a couple of solar panels (my average daily use of electricity hovers around 7 or 8 kw)

              • Gsays …
                14 March 2017 at 8:27 am

                They would want to be bloody big panels to offset 7-8kw.
                Any chance of down sizing yr electric demand?

                • Bill …
                  14 March 2017 at 11:40 am

                  I thought that was already pretty damned low! 🙂

                  But two options would be a wet-back or a passive solar hot water system.

                  I’d guess that would drop usage to about 4 Kw.

                  Beyond that (actually, including that) it’s all financial constraints. Yes, I’d be keen to buy only very energy efficient electrical appliances – eg, fridge, freezer… but what you want and what you can have aren’t always one in the same, aye? 😉

                  • gsays …
                    14 March 2017 at 12:16 pm

                    we relocated a whare about 12(!) yrs ago and bit the bullet, and went off-grid- thanks to max bradford and having a couple of mates living off-grid. meaning the initial set-up went on to a mortgage.

                    i have been fortunate to become acquainted to a tame solar h2o installer who did a lot of plumbing work for us. in return for me doing work for him.
                    installed a 1000l marshall hot water cylinder , that does the potable hot water and central heating.

                    with the drop in price of solar panels a couple of years ago, we put more on the roof, now we have an electric jug and toaster. luxury.

                    turn off all appliances that are on standby. that is up to 10% of power consumption.

                    i am off the opinion that if you keep a target or goal in mind, it will come to fruition.

            • weka 6.1.1.1.1.2
              13 March 2017 at 10:27 pm

              solar pump with a hand/foot pump as back up 🙂

              I live rurally and when there is a power cut I have no water (could probably access the tank if needed drinking water in an emergency). That’s really stupid design.

  7. Draco T Bastard 7
    12 March 2017 at 2:32 pm

    This was Henderson just before midday:

    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bzw1w_mGwiHfSnNySUNuVW5GV2M

  8. ianmac 8
    12 March 2017 at 2:48 pm

    I read last year that it was about 70 litres per person per day in Auckland. I Bought a 5,000 litre rainwater tank and guessed how long it would last. 300lpppday seems a bit high but I guess it must take in pools gardens etc.

  9. Carolyn_nth 9
    12 March 2017 at 5:37 pm

    Bloody hell. the centre of New Lynn flooded in the video here!

    I came through there (or rather under there) by train, morning and afternoon today. Didn’t see much water.

    I did see some of the flooding in Henderson around midday.

    • JC 9.1
      12 March 2017 at 9:23 pm

      Bloody Hell!

      I think your All, (mostly), IGNORING what the Post is about!

      Welcome to the future…

  10. Cinny 10
    12 March 2017 at 10:46 pm

    Climate Change is here, it’s happening right now, it’s very real, it’s not going away.

    Water conservation is EASY, don’t be greedy, it’s that simple.

    A free resource that some use to make enormous profit from, and the current government allows it to happen. How long will we allow them to do so? No longer I say.

    Our climate has changed and will continue to do so, all life on our planet is dependent on the climate, we need to change the way we do things, we should have already.

    Are we even ready for it? How many more record floods etc do we need to experience until we realise we need to be better prepared for what is coming, for the new weather records. Are our cities ready? Is our country ready?

  11. greywarshark 11
    13 March 2017 at 3:16 pm

    Shocking pics from New Lynn’s floods. You still around lprent?

    At least someone is thinking intelligently for the future. I saw this piece in one of the reports I was reading.
    Goff said the council needed to urgently look at what could be done to improve the city’s infrastructure for future events.
    He said he believed deforestation was partly to blame for the level of silt in the water supply, and suggested native forest should be replanted in the catchment area.

    • dukeofurl 11.1
      13 March 2017 at 6:39 pm

      Are they logging in the Hunua catchment area ? I checked the aerial photos and their might be some plantation forest on the northern edges of the Hunuas and the central area. There may be some logging from the way they have been cleared.

  12. greywarshark 12
    13 March 2017 at 9:18 pm

    Sorry dukeofurl
    Don’t know. I saw the comment and grabbed it as one positive intelligent thing from a politician that I have heard today.

    Why don’t you write to Goff and tell him that you are pleased at his suggestion and ask him about the Hunuas at the same time. You could suggest to him that you could liaison unofficially with him and keep in touch with him about what is happening there! He might be encouraged to take the idea up and not just leave it as a comment. Even better get a group to sign the letter and be a ginger group. You know how these pollies start off on some policy saying that people have been telling me…. and no-one knows who they are, well you could be the ones telling him what he needs to know.

  13. Sorrwerdna 13
    14 March 2017 at 10:39 am

    What a load of bollocks – it rained as it has in the past and will in the future -nothing to do with the falsehood that is climate change or is it global warming or is it a funding trough for researchers

    • greywarshark 13.1
      14 March 2017 at 10:55 am

      I think our load of bollocks is of higher quality than yours sorry wotsit. We weren’t even focussing on climate change (you seem to have learned some new words lately), but about the well known effect of silting downstream from clear felling further up.

    • ropata 13.3
      14 March 2017 at 11:15 am

      Don’t let reality interfere with your igno-rants. Thank God Trump is forcing NOAA and NASA to delete their climate data. Bring back coal!

    • lprent 13.4
      14 March 2017 at 12:41 pm

      Your statement would have more authority if you’d given up instances of similar events happening in that past.

      Since you haven’t, I consider myself free to call you a lazy lying fuckwit who appears to be too stupid or incompetent to talk on this subject.

      Now prove me wrong – provide evidence for me to specifically dissect (along with your inflated ego) in the way the scientists check their work.

      But you can’t you gormless fuckwit. About aok that you are good for is to clutch your brain and give it a good solid wank.

      😈

      Anyone care to take bets on this fool trying to justify their daft opinion?

      • Sorrwerdna 13.4.1
        16 March 2017 at 1:56 pm

        I’m picking you used to get punished as a young boy for swearing so now that you are all grown up you feel compelled to overuse it. Very sad.
        Anthropogenic climate change is a crock -the science is not settled.

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    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    10 hours ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    17 hours ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    18 hours ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    Skeptical Science
    18 hours ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    18 hours ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    18 hours ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    18 hours ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    18 hours ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    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
    19 hours 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
    20 hours 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
    21 hours 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
    21 hours 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
    21 hours 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
    21 hours 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
    21 hours 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
    22 hours 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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 KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    3 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
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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 KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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 KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 days ago

  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago

  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: “What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye 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
    1 hour 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
    4 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
    15 hours 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
    21 hours ago

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

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
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