"Same old tired ideas" (tax cuts for the rich, boot camps for the not so rich) – tick.
Time for choleric Christopher to look in the mirror? Tick tick tick!
On Christopher Luxon’s Trashing Of The Poor [23 March 2022]
“If you want to have a go, and you want to make something of yourself — we don't just do bottom feeding and just focus on the bottom. We focus on people who want to be positive and ambitious.”
Given most of the councillors are streets ahead of Mayor Brown, I find his attempt to silence them outrageous. He comes across as a Kiwi version of Trump – an ignorant, narcissist bully boy. I hope the councillors don't allow him to blackmail or bully them into submission. He needs calling out at every turn.
Have you not been following the Auckland Floods/Brown fiasco?.
He is pursuing this idea in spite of the fact that he was MIA and the void in leadership was competently covered by several councillors and several MPs. Aucklanders were lucky that there were people of the calibre of the ones who did step up.
The phrase 'closing door etc' springs to mind but also what does a person expect would happen if they do not lead from the front when it is expected of them.
You are not seriously thinking that Brown did a good job during the floods are you?.
Even Luxon send a tweet asking for a Declaration to be made, albeit just a little bit after it was made but he has said he also communicated this by text privately to Brown.
You know it is always good to be able to say an improvement is needed instead of making yourself look a bit silly by being so one-eyed.
He was attempting to silence them. Its called 'reading between the lines' and those who are closest to him (city councillors in this case) would know exactly what he was doing. Hence the response by Chris Darby.
Now, what if Councillor Darby had been defending Brown's lack of action. Maybe along the lines that… he [Brown] was understandably upset about missing out on his game of tennis and it temporarily took his mind off the ball? (tongue-in -cheek)
Would Brown be sending such an email/text? You bet he wouldn't.
Completely wrong as you have been mislead by an inaccurate story
The full email says he encourages councillors , and they must talk about ‘their local issues’.
as he said before the election
'I’m not here to be loved or liked. I don’t see myself as warm or friendly. I see myself as a fixer. I’m an engineer and I build things and that’s why I’m standing for the mayoralty of Auckland because I and I alone have got the knowledge to get things done. I’ve done it before in Auckland and I can do it again.'
Yes I agree about the deteriorating quality of this column.
A week ago I said this about the same column
Now I used to see lots of Garrick Tremain cartoons and had the odd laugh. They seem quite waspish/sarcastic/heavy handed now. I wonder if some of these will grace the walls of the National Library in an exhibition? Not many perhaps.
How long has this been happening?
The site Points of Order says it is a follow on from TransTasman.
I used to enjoy TransTasman and I am still grateful to have a link to waspish RW thought. No-one can say the columns, and particularly Garrick Tremain's cartoons, are a must read though.
Looking a bit further at Garrick Tremain I find that he was the cartoonist with the cartoon about the measles epidemic in Samoa in 2019. Distinctly unfunny and tone deaf.
I don't mind the written stuff so much as I mind the terrible, awful, etc ……. cartoons.
They seem to pop up leading the posts. If there was some way of the written stuff being linked to and as an adjunct, once the written stuff is on screen the cartoons appear then that would be OK with me.
The cartoon that alerted me to the falling standard of the cartoons was the one linking WEF with former PM JA. This has been an ad nauseam part of the anti vaxx play list and so I was a bit surprised to see it in an ostensibly legit feed. I couldn't really care if she does go to WEF/Davos but there are a number of 'far-out' conspiracy theories about WEF
Another pointless exercise to score a point in your silly one-upmanship games. You sound like Wayne Brown in your diversionary comparison with Lower Hutt and your irrelevant whataboutisms, strawmen, and red herrings.
never heard of Hydrology have you. if you did you would know that monthly rainfall is completely irrelevant for pluvial flooding.
A lot of claims for Aucklands rainfall were the ‘biggest’ in relation to the flooding. It was higher again (24hrs) 175 years ago and higher again in Hutt Valley.
Its a media ‘hook’ when they want pointscore and click bait, but thats fine by me, maybe not good enough for you.
Tell me more about point scoring and Wayne Brown ?
It will fill columns for the next 3 years
also a consideration is how much water is in the landscape (hence the previous month does matter). I don't know Auckland's catchment but in other areas this is definitely an issue. When the ground is waterlogged, the ability of the landscape to receive water is diminished.
many flood victims mention how the 'water suddenly rose very quickly' which is what happens for creeks and streams when theres heavy rain and the TC is what matters and from there the level the water rises ( as the design objective is to have the house floor level above that – and you wont get it approved by council unless you can show that. A side issue is the methods the TC can be increased to slow the flood level rise down)
For a stream its in the order of an hour or less. Thats where the 1 hr or 24 hr hour falls come in. Thats pluvial
For larger rivers it might be weeks, eg Waikato. But some shorter rivers like the Buller a few days
For the Mississippi you would interested in monthly rain falls, but thats fluvial floods not pluvial for almost all rivers
It looks like you’re point scoring and counter-point scoring all by yourself, for yourself, with yourself – why don’t you start your own blog with comments closed except for yourself?
Up to this point, you focussed on rainfall, mainly in Auckland, and some pointless comparisons, Auckland with Auckland itself, about the wettest month vs. “only the second wettest Auckland day ( 24 hrs) since records were kept” [your emphasis]. Talking of trivial point scoring! Rainfall is meteorology, AFAIK, not hydrology. Only a mind reader would have known that you were thinking of “pluvial flooding”, in Auckland, and that your poorly made point was in fact about the flooding in Wellington in 1976 in comparison.
Up to this comment, not a single mention/link to ‘lots of claims’. It is a strawman, inside your head.
The ‘media hook and clickbait’ is another strawman.
Assuming it is ‘not good enough for me’ is another strawman. Are you a beta version of a brainless chat-bot because it makes no sense to me.
And then ‘Wayne Brown’ comes riding out of nowhere and makes an appearance in this thread out of the blue!? It is whataboutism, but then again, you are a Wayne Brown apologist, we have noticed. In fact, you were willing to die on that hill in October when you also dug in and copped a 1-month ban. Because it is Election Year, moderation will be a lot more stringent. Make of that what you will – I have wasted enough time on you.
It was not the topic nor any imaginary disinterest in it – the topic of weather events causing flooding and major damage is highly pertinent.
You chatbots lack self-awareness and understanding of your actions and consequences. Your chatbot comments lack clarity, intention, and meaning aka pointless.
Chatbots never understand when they are missing the point, they just keep replying with inane replies.
Occasionally, chatbots are defeated and respond with a does-not-compute, as you did, QED.
Bogus audio to go with the bogus documents, images, and videos.
Marvelous.
On January 23, ElevenLabs — an AI startup founded by former Google and Palantir employees — announced two things: a $2 million funding round, and the release of a beta for a AI voice generator called Eleven, described in a company press release as an "AI speech platform promising to revolutionize audio storytelling."
"The most realistic and versatile AI speech software, ever," reads the venture's website. "Eleven brings the most compelling, rich and lifelike voices to creators and publishers seeking the ultimate tools for storytelling."
Now, a little over a week later, ElevenLabs is already being forced to reckon with, as they put it in a Monday Twitter thread, "an increasing number of voice cloning misuse cases." And though the company didn't clarify any details about said misuse, a Motherboard deep dive into the 4Chan gutters found that a number of the site's chaos monsters strongly appear to have abused the tech to produce phony clips of celebrities saying racist, violent, or otherwise terrible things.
Shocking stuff, we know. Surely nobody could have seen this coming.
Someone will have to explain this to me. Are the alternate bus routes not laid out? Or the authorities don't have a map yet of flooded routes? Because this looks dangerous in a number of ways.
It seems apparent that AT had not (despite the Friday incidents of buses doing much the same thing) – given bus drivers any information on how to handle flooded roads, or directions about safe driving in flooded conditions. Or given them authority to abandon scheduled routes and either turn back, or find a way around the flood.
Bus drivers are not exactly given agency in choosing their routes, and are penalized for missing timing targets. So they are, perhaps, inclined to try and get through, rather than turn back, or around.
AT have also been called out over not acting quickly enough to post updates about road closures due to flooding, and signal alternative routes. [Where are the road cones, and their deliverers, when you need them!]
Yeah, I think so. The Friday ones were where the bus was effectively 'trapped' – in a bus lane with no way out – or water rising rapidly around it.
And the situation was new to the drivers – no one (at least in Auckland) had experienced anything like the rapidity of the water rise in areas which are not normally prone to flooding [Our flooding, in the past, has tended to be tide or storm surge related and/or water pipes bursting]
This was several days later (so plenty of time for AT to have done some coms with their drivers), and after possible flooding had already been signalled (this particular street was also flooded on Friday) – so they had time to plan for route changes.
I don't think that the monolithic organizations are coming out of this well. Organizations that devolve decision-making to local level (thinking fire-service, etc.) and local community/volunteer groups (surf-lifesaving did a sterling job rescuing people) – have been outstanding. Organizations which try to make all decisions at the top level, much less so.
Dave Letele (for example) has called out Auckland Council/Emergency Management for designating the South Auckland emergency refuge centre at Manurewa (miles away) – rather than in Mangere (close to where it was needed).
I assume with all the damage in Auckland it has become more likely that Wayne Brown will push ahead with selling off assets such as Auckland Airport shareholding to pay for the repairs and all that. Those shares have increased by about 22% from around the local minimum at the time Brown was elected in October last year.
TBH, IDK. I believe Council is split pretty tightly across the middle and each vote could therefore easily go either way. The Budget vote will be a biggie, of course. I don’t think Brown has the required people and lobbying skills and prefers brute force and bullying tactics.
Other commenters will undoubtedly have better informed views on the fault line(s) in Auckland Council.
Auckland rents will now rise as remedial work to flood-damaged properties affects supply and demand in the market, an investors body says.
President of the Auckland Property Investors Association Kristin Sutherland said it was not a case of landlords using recent flooding to make more profit, but rather market forces at work.
…
"I'm not in a position to say whether it's fair or not. It's the same in any market when the supply and demand changes. I don't think landlords are out there to make an extra buck.
This 'investor group' spokesperson seemingly completely misunderstands the purpose of investment. As well as a poor understanding of 'market forces' and their lack in the NZ housing 'market'
Trade Me property data shows rental prices have returned to a record high.
…
That was despite the oversupply of rental properties on the market.
Of course a major part of the lack of housing..and the increase of land..lords (some with major property portfolios) : sir John Key, mass immigration (for why/what reason?), banks lending to same etc etc…
Anyway maybe..we could see a final end to that BS lie of the "philanthropy of land..lords".
For the last ten years rent prices have been increasing faster than incomes. That means rent makes up a larger portion of renters incomes, making escaping the broken rental market harder than ever.
Metro's Dubious Achievements 2019 [9 January 2020]
The Empty Pink Piggy Bank for Embarrassment in Banking goes to David Hisco, John Key and ANZ.
It’s not as if Aussie bankers, whose misconduct was laid bare in a scathing royal commission report, are in line to win any popularity contests at the best of times. And on this side of the Tasman they face a degree of resentment over that honking great pipe they’ve constructed to siphon money out of the New Zealand economy and back to the Lucky Country. But in an industry of complete and utter bankers, David Hisco managed to stand out, leaving his $3 million-plus-a-year job at the helm of ANZ New Zealand under a cloud following allegations he “mischaracterised” a measly $50,000 or so of personal expenses — including wine storage and the use of chauffeur-driven cars — as business expenses.
It was later revealed ANZ sold Hisco’s wife the couple’s luxury pile in St Heliers for well under its value, and without making the required disclosures. As ANZ chairman, former prime minister Key had to front over Hisco’s departure and to deny any link between the expense investigation and the embarrassment the bank and board suffered when ANZ was given a dressing-down by the Reserve Bank a month or two earlier over failings in the way it managed its capital adequacy. As a side issue, the chairman also faced questions about the departing boss having in 2018 bought Key’s Omaha beach house for $3.1 million. Now we think of it, the Omaha house — in Success Court, no less — would make a great location for a TV dramatisation of the whole sorry saga. Your move, MediaWorks.
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 ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
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.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
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Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
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Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
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Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
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Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
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Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
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It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
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Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
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Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Pacific Media Watch Earthwise hosts Lois and Martin Griffiths. Earthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths on Plains FM 96.9 community radio talk to Dr David Robie, a New Zealand author, independent journalist and media educator with a passion for the Asia-Pacific region. David talks about the struggle to raise awareness ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute chinasong, Shutterstock Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% price increases, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
"New leader" – tick.
Same National – tick.
"Same old tired ideas" (tax cuts for the rich, boot camps for the not so rich) – tick.
Time for choleric Christopher to look in the mirror? Tick tick tick!
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/131122167/leaked-emails-reveal-auckland-mayor-wayne-brown-trying-to-gag-councillors-amid-flood-response
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-floods-mayor-wayne-brown-tells-councillors-i-will-take-care-of-the-big-picture/5ULYL7MO7ZC37IUEIVZCZBPHYU/
But he doesn’t talk to media cos he thinks they’re all drongoes. Small man syndrome?
Oops, just noted he's quite tall.
I was thinking you were talking about his complex, not the physical reality.
It was both but not made clear.
Given most of the councillors are streets ahead of Mayor Brown, I find his attempt to silence them outrageous. He comes across as a Kiwi version of Trump – an ignorant, narcissist bully boy. I hope the councillors don't allow him to blackmail or bully them into submission. He needs calling out at every turn.
Not silencing. Its just saying the mayors job is to speak for Auckland and its best if one voice. It was a request in the email not a command
Thats the mayors job description on the council website- Speak for Auckland
Notice its what party leaders do as well, speak for their party.
Welcome to how it works in the real world.
The Standard is the opposite of course as it doesnt have one voice ( or any as posters speak for themselves) , thats by design
Brown has 180,000 votes to say he speaks for Auckland Council
Have you not been following the Auckland Floods/Brown fiasco?.
He is pursuing this idea in spite of the fact that he was MIA and the void in leadership was competently covered by several councillors and several MPs. Aucklanders were lucky that there were people of the calibre of the ones who did step up.
The phrase 'closing door etc' springs to mind but also what does a person expect would happen if they do not lead from the front when it is expected of them.
You are not seriously thinking that Brown did a good job during the floods are you?.
Even Luxon send a tweet asking for a Declaration to be made, albeit just a little bit after it was made but he has said he also communicated this by text privately to Brown.
You know it is always good to be able to say an improvement is needed instead of making yourself look a bit silly by being so one-eyed.
180,000 votes and not a single peep from Brown. He lost his credibility and blew his mandate, Mr Nix-it.
Who stopped the rain?
He was attempting to silence them. Its called 'reading between the lines' and those who are closest to him (city councillors in this case) would know exactly what he was doing. Hence the response by Chris Darby.
Now, what if Councillor Darby had been defending Brown's lack of action. Maybe along the lines that… he [Brown] was understandably upset about missing out on his game of tennis and it temporarily took his mind off the ball? (tongue-in -cheek)
Would Brown be sending such an email/text? You bet he wouldn't.
Completely wrong as you have been mislead by an inaccurate story
The full email says he encourages councillors , and they must talk about ‘their local issues’.
as he said before the election
'I’m not here to be loved or liked. I don’t see myself as warm or friendly. I see myself as a fixer. I’m an engineer and I build things and that’s why I’m standing for the mayoralty of Auckland because I and I alone have got the knowledge to get things done. I’ve done it before in Auckland and I can do it again.'
https://www.metromag.co.nz/society/wayne-brown-the-gunslinger
Again, I ask why the Standard is providing a platform for this nasty right wing rubbish? Do you not read the feed on the side of your own blog?
https://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/2023/01/16/garrick-tremains-view-4/
I agree
Me too – it is very unfunny as well
Yes I agree about the deteriorating quality of this column.
A week ago I said this about the same column
I used to enjoy TransTasman and I am still grateful to have a link to waspish RW thought. No-one can say the columns, and particularly Garrick Tremain's cartoons, are a must read though.
Looking a bit further at Garrick Tremain I find that he was the cartoonist with the cartoon about the measles epidemic in Samoa in 2019. Distinctly unfunny and tone deaf.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/118272681/unrepentant-cartoonist-garrick-tremain-continues-to-lampoon-editor
Tremain's cartoons have very seldom been funny and he has always favoured the Right.
It was good news when the ODT dumped him after (yet another) racist effort
I quite liked his cartoons in NZ Farmer, more quirky than political. He seems to miss the mark politically.
Shanreagh…you might have missed his racist (IMO very ! ) snips at Nanaia Mahuta..and of course the attacks on Jacinda Ardern. (IMO misogynistic).
Ol' Garrick quite often combined the 2…
And..I am not going to link any. As..I do NOT want to give oxygen to the ass.
You could google…
I have seen the latest offerings and am not impressed hence my earlier query about Point Of Order.
The only cartoons of Garrick Tremain that I can deal with are the ones from The Farmer.
His cartoon at the time of the measles epidemic in Samoa was just awful.
Possibly passed his best? Another grumpy old man a la WB?
I will have another look at when i get on a desktop again. It was centre- right but analytical when I last looked at it.
BTW: Any suggestions for other sites i can take a rss feed from?
I don't mind the written stuff so much as I mind the terrible, awful, etc ……. cartoons.
They seem to pop up leading the posts. If there was some way of the written stuff being linked to and as an adjunct, once the written stuff is on screen the cartoons appear then that would be OK with me.
The cartoon that alerted me to the falling standard of the cartoons was the one linking WEF with former PM JA. This has been an ad nauseam part of the anti vaxx play list and so I was a bit surprised to see it in an ostensibly legit feed. I couldn't really care if she does go to WEF/Davos but there are a number of 'far-out' conspiracy theories about WEF
The Juice Media
Daily Kos
Jonathan Pie
Needs to be New Zealand.
Ah right. Some really good stuff happening on Substack. RSS feeds are at {blogname}.substack.com/feed
David Farrier: Webworm
Bernard Hickey: The Kākā
David Slack: More than a Feilding
Nick’s Korero
Mostly the material on substack requires a login to see more than the come-on. I'll try them out.
They came up ok
Great! Thanks.
🙂
Have to be small enough number of items per day to not overwhelm the column.
Juice media is perfect (and I love those ads).
Daily Kos has a multitude per hour. Would require an extra column.
The Jonathon Pie looks ok on youtube as well.
I'll try those two out
Updated: The RSS on youtube are munted.
Wellington beat Aucklands record rainfall of 249mm in 24 hr, but it was back in 1976.
Lower Hutt rain gauge 264 mm in 24 hrs. I think most of Petone was fully underwater
https://hwe.niwa.co.nz/event/December_1976_Wellington_Flooding
NIWA says similar to Dec 1939 rain event
What is the point of your pointless comment?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/weather-news/300798265/auckland-has-just-had-its-wettest-month-in-history-niwa-says
Are you making a point of making pointless comments on TS? Your comments used to be better than that.
Its Daily Review my friend . Theres doesnt have to be a point- that you approve of .
It is what it is . Not the most 24 hr rainfall in a major city in the last 50 years.
I think the Hutt was more badly affected than Auckland , which had pepper pot flooding issues here and there.
NIWAs also saying its only the second wettest Auckland day ( 24 hrs) since records were kept. The days rainfall have more impact that a months
Another pointless exercise to score a point in your silly one-upmanship games. You sound like Wayne Brown in your diversionary comparison with Lower Hutt and your irrelevant whataboutisms, strawmen, and red herrings.
never heard of Hydrology have you. if you did you would know that monthly rainfall is completely irrelevant for pluvial flooding.
A lot of claims for Aucklands rainfall were the ‘biggest’ in relation to the flooding. It was higher again (24hrs) 175 years ago and higher again in Hutt Valley.
Its a media ‘hook’ when they want pointscore and click bait, but thats fine by me, maybe not good enough for you.
Tell me more about point scoring and Wayne Brown ?
It will fill columns for the next 3 years
go on then, explain how monthly rainfall is completely irrelevant for pluvial flooding. Especially in relation to hydrology.
Time of concentration .
many flood victims mention how the 'water suddenly rose very quickly' which is what happens for creeks and streams when theres heavy rain.
For a stream its in the order of an hour or less. Thats were the 1 hr or 24 hr hour falls. Thats why they are called pluvial
For larger rivers it might be weeks, eg Waikato. But some shorter rivers like the Buller a few days
For the Missippi you would interested in monthly rain falls, but thats fluvial floods not pluvial
also a consideration is how much water is in the landscape (hence the previous month does matter). I don't know Auckland's catchment but in other areas this is definitely an issue. When the ground is waterlogged, the ability of the landscape to receive water is diminished.
Thanks for asking questions Time of concentration
many flood victims mention how the 'water suddenly rose very quickly' which is what happens for creeks and streams when theres heavy rain and the TC is what matters and from there the level the water rises ( as the design objective is to have the house floor level above that – and you wont get it approved by council unless you can show that. A side issue is the methods the TC can be increased to slow the flood level rise down)
For a stream its in the order of an hour or less. Thats where the 1 hr or 24 hr hour falls come in. Thats pluvial
For larger rivers it might be weeks, eg Waikato. But some shorter rivers like the Buller a few days
For the Mississippi you would interested in monthly rain falls, but thats fluvial floods not pluvial for almost all rivers
It looks like you’re point scoring and counter-point scoring all by yourself, for yourself, with yourself – why don’t you start your own blog with comments closed except for yourself?
Up to this point, you focussed on rainfall, mainly in Auckland, and some pointless comparisons, Auckland with Auckland itself, about the wettest month vs. “only the second wettest Auckland day ( 24 hrs) since records were kept” [your emphasis]. Talking of trivial point scoring! Rainfall is meteorology, AFAIK, not hydrology. Only a mind reader would have known that you were thinking of “pluvial flooding”, in Auckland, and that your poorly made point was in fact about the flooding in Wellington in 1976 in comparison.
Up to this comment, not a single mention/link to ‘lots of claims’. It is a strawman, inside your head.
The ‘media hook and clickbait’ is another strawman.
Assuming it is ‘not good enough for me’ is another strawman. Are you a beta version of a brainless chat-bot because it makes no sense to me.
And then ‘Wayne Brown’ comes riding out of nowhere and makes an appearance in this thread out of the blue!? It is whataboutism, but then again, you are a Wayne Brown apologist, we have noticed. In fact, you were willing to die on that hill in October when you also dug in and copped a 1-month ban. Because it is Election Year, moderation will be a lot more stringent. Make of that what you will – I have wasted enough time on you.
This is unintelligible. Its daily Review, any topic can be bought up.
if something doesnt interest you, let it go
This is unintelligible. Its daily Review, any topic can be bought up.
if something doesnt interest you, let it go.
It was not the topic nor any imaginary disinterest in it – the topic of weather events causing flooding and major damage is highly pertinent.
You chatbots lack self-awareness and understanding of your actions and consequences. Your chatbot comments lack clarity, intention, and meaning aka pointless.
Chatbots never understand when they are missing the point, they just keep replying with inane replies.
Occasionally, chatbots are defeated and respond with a does-not-compute, as you did, QED.
Bogus audio to go with the bogus documents, images, and videos.
Marvelous.
On January 23, ElevenLabs — an AI startup founded by former Google and Palantir employees — announced two things: a $2 million funding round, and the release of a beta for a AI voice generator called Eleven, described in a company press release as an "AI speech platform promising to revolutionize audio storytelling."
"The most realistic and versatile AI speech software, ever," reads the venture's website. "Eleven brings the most compelling, rich and lifelike voices to creators and publishers seeking the ultimate tools for storytelling."
Now, a little over a week later, ElevenLabs is already being forced to reckon with, as they put it in a Monday Twitter thread, "an increasing number of voice cloning misuse cases." And though the company didn't clarify any details about said misuse, a Motherboard deep dive into the 4Chan gutters found that a number of the site's chaos monsters strongly appear to have abused the tech to produce phony clips of celebrities saying racist, violent, or otherwise terrible things.
Shocking stuff, we know. Surely nobody could have seen this coming.
https://futurism.com/startup-4chan-voice-cloning-ai
Someone will have to explain this to me. Are the alternate bus routes not laid out? Or the authorities don't have a map yet of flooded routes? Because this looks dangerous in a number of ways.
https://www.facebook.com/debbie.burrows033/posts/pfbid02bktjJqpVcAEQifBwT4AZ7gA76rjxzn9Kb35Xx4fT4Ve5y5gxk3dXG9FBepucUtHGl
link not showing, try this,
https://media.scribblelive.com/2023/1/31/4d8566b4-b65f-4215-9136-9a00c5b22918.mp4
good lord, have to resort to TV news,
https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/02/01/bus-driver-filmed-taking-on-auckland-floodwaters/
Yeah, it's been called out as pretty dangerous.
It seems apparent that AT had not (despite the Friday incidents of buses doing much the same thing) – given bus drivers any information on how to handle flooded roads, or directions about safe driving in flooded conditions. Or given them authority to abandon scheduled routes and either turn back, or find a way around the flood.
Bus drivers are not exactly given agency in choosing their routes, and are penalized for missing timing targets. So they are, perhaps, inclined to try and get through, rather than turn back, or around.
AT have also been called out over not acting quickly enough to post updates about road closures due to flooding, and signal alternative routes. [Where are the road cones, and their deliverers, when you need them!]
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/20-auckland-buses-flood-damaged-at-hails-drivers-bravery-refuses-to-say-what-drivers-were-told/F2BWQSYRONEQDCADTL2NID7Y2U/
another reasonably important system failure.
I'm assuming the bus this morning wasn't in an emergency situation like on Friday?
Yeah, I think so. The Friday ones were where the bus was effectively 'trapped' – in a bus lane with no way out – or water rising rapidly around it.
And the situation was new to the drivers – no one (at least in Auckland) had experienced anything like the rapidity of the water rise in areas which are not normally prone to flooding [Our flooding, in the past, has tended to be tide or storm surge related and/or water pipes bursting]
This was several days later (so plenty of time for AT to have done some coms with their drivers), and after possible flooding had already been signalled (this particular street was also flooded on Friday) – so they had time to plan for route changes.
I don't think that the monolithic organizations are coming out of this well. Organizations that devolve decision-making to local level (thinking fire-service, etc.) and local community/volunteer groups (surf-lifesaving did a sterling job rescuing people) – have been outstanding. Organizations which try to make all decisions at the top level, much less so.
Dave Letele (for example) has called out Auckland Council/Emergency Management for designating the South Auckland emergency refuge centre at Manurewa (miles away) – rather than in Mangere (close to where it was needed).
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/483350/auckland-flooding-mangere-residents-say-they-felt-abandoned-and-traumatised
I assume with all the damage in Auckland it has become more likely that Wayne Brown will push ahead with selling off assets such as Auckland Airport shareholding to pay for the repairs and all that. Those shares have increased by about 22% from around the local minimum at the time Brown was elected in October last year.
won't that be a full council decision?
Yes, absolutely and it will be voted on. The process is described here:
https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/plans-projects-policies-reports-bylaws/our-plans-strategies/budget-plans/Pages/budget-decision-making.aspx
how much support does he have from the councillors?
TBH, IDK. I believe Council is split pretty tightly across the middle and each vote could therefore easily go either way. The Budget vote will be a biggie, of course. I don’t think Brown has the required people and lobbying skills and prefers brute force and bullying tactics.
Other commenters will undoubtedly have better informed views on the fault line(s) in Auckland Council.
I'd rather see the Government do a deal to fix some of Auckland's infrastructure issues and 'buy' the city's AIA shareholding in return.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/483472/auckland-rents-to-go-up-after-flooding-property-investors-body-says
This 'investor group' spokesperson seemingly completely misunderstands the purpose of investment. As well as a poor understanding of 'market forces' and their lack in the NZ housing 'market'
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/479433/rents-on-rise-again-as-landlords-pass-on-costs
Rent freeze to counter rising living costs now!
Of course a major part of the lack of housing..and the increase of land..lords (some with major property portfolios) : sir John Key, mass immigration (for why/what reason?), banks lending to same etc etc…
Anyway maybe..we could see a final end to that BS lie of the "philanthropy of land..lords".
Landlords provide housing like scalpers provide tickets
Has ex-Parliamentary ticket scalper Trevor Mallard rented out his place in Wainuiomata then?
I don't care. That’s irrelevant.
Rent freeze now
https://rentersunited.org.nz/
https://rentersunited.org.nz/rentcontrolsnow/
Stop trolling
If you must indulge in property speculation, here's how you do it