Daily review 01/04/2019

Written By: - Date published: 5:00 pm, April 1st, 2019 - 46 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

 

Daily review is also your post.

This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

46 comments on “Daily review 01/04/2019 ”

  1. Kat 1

    Finally the fish wrap might be seeing the writing on the wall. Reading it of course is another matter.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12218211

    • Cinny 1.1

      Thanks for the link Kat, that was well worth a read…..

      David Cormack: The hopeless week of Simon Bridges

      “We want an inspirational leader who can take us there. And we have one. It’s not you.”

      LMFAO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  2. alwyn 2

    I have been overseas for the last fortnight or so. While away I saw almost nothing about New Zealand, except for sports, in the news and I was left in a happy state of thinking that the Government was going to bite the bullet and do a proper job on arms control by banning ALL semiautomatic weapons.

    Instead I arrive back to discover they have completely lost their nerve and are only to ban things like AK47s and the US M4 (or M16) assault weapon equivalents.
    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12218242

    Even then it appears that there will be exceptions to the ban.
    “The Government plans to ban on military-style semi-automatic (MSSA) weapons and assault rifles, though there would be exemptions for guns commonly used by farmers for pest control, as well as hunters.”.

    Why didn’t they have the guts to follow John Howard’s example of 20 years ago and to ban all semiautomatics? There is no need to have any semiautomatic outside the Military and the Police.
    This was the chance to do something meaningful and instead they have simply bowed down before the members of the Gun Lobby.
    Why have they turned out to be such cowards? Has Tsar Winston simply trod on the other two parties again?

    Oh well I suppose it will get one soon to be illegal weapon out of “dickhead” Davis’ possession.
    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12215729

    I realise that Lprent coined the description for all such owners but it seems truly appropriate for Kelvin.
    I mean to say. What did a schoolteacher need an AK47 equivalent for? Is he so scared of the pupils that he needs to man up like Rambo just to get from the classroom to the staffroom and back each day?

    Is it really to late for the Government to actually do something meaningful about guns or is it just another case of “all hat and no cattle” as that wonderful Texas phrase describes it.

    • Cinny 2.1

      Edit.. rubbish, we will have the same as Aussie, currently the law in Aussie is….

      Category D – All self-loading centrefire rifles, pump-action or self-loading shotguns that have a magazine capacity of more than 5 rounds, semi-automatic rimfire rifles over 10 rounds, are restricted to government agencies, occupational shooters and primary producers.

      And Nash is proposing the same, as far as I’m aware, which is….

      “Are any semi-automatic firearms exempted from the changes?

      A small number of firearms owners have a legitimate use for weapons with a larger capacity. Semi-automatic firearms which are commonly used for hunting, pest control, stock management on farms, and duck shooting will not be affected. These are:
      • Semi-automatic .22 calibre rimfire firearms with a magazine which holds no more than ten rounds
      • Semi-automatic and pump action shotguns with a non-detachable tubular magazine which holds no more than five rounds ”

      Anyways, discussion in the house tomorrow if you are interested….

      “The Arms Amendment Bill will have its first reading tomorrow, and be referred to a Select Committee for a swift public submissions process. It will return to Parliament next week to pass through its remaining stages. It is intended to come into force on 12 April, the day after the Royal Assent.”

      http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1904/S00005/tighter-gun-laws-to-enhance-public-safety.htm

      • alwyn 2.1.1

        The debate is really about what New Zealand is doing.
        However there are a few things you should note about what happened in Australia.

        When Howard got these reforms through the banned weapons included ALL semiautomatic rifles. That included all rimfire weapons as well. We aren’t doing that.

        The seizure/buyback was about 650,000 guns. That was estimated to be 20% of all the privately owned weapons in Australia.
        https://www.vox.com/2015/8/27/9212725/australia-buyback
        We aren’t talking anything like that number.

        Howard had, of course,to get the laws accepted and passed by all the states and territories. That is a hell of a lot harder than we have here.

        The laws have been eased up in the last 20 years as State Governments bow to the pressures of the Gun Lobby and Howard is no longer around to provide the moral impetus.
        For example in NSW we have
        “A 2008 amendment to the firearms act, passed by the Labor government and Shooters and Fishers Party, allowed people to enter a gun club and begin shooting without a licence and the previous 28-day background check”
        https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/gun-control-eroded-since-port-arthur-20160427-gog5u5.html

        No, it is no use making excuses. Our Government has the chance to do something meaningful and they have morally collapsed from fear of the Shooting Lobby. Gutless, the lot of them.
        They are all talk and no trousers.

        • mickysavage 2.1.1.1

          This is the urgent part of the reform. There will be a lot more happen later.

          • alwyn 2.1.1.1.1

            No Micky. This is the only chance we have. If all the semi-automatic weapons aren’t banned right now it is never going to happen.
            Look at the history of the last 20+ years since the Thorp Report.
            Nothing at all from either Labour or National Governments. And as the immediate memory of the affair in Christchurch fades the chances of anything significant happening in the future fades with it.
            If the Government can’t find the courage to do it now it will never happen.

    • Peter 2.2

      Now you’re back in the country, maybe instead of writing about lost nerve on here you write to the men in the linked article.

      There are a lot of mental midgets who think they should have all the guns of any type they want. All the pressure in the world mightn’t change their self-obsessed cowboy mentality but is it only Ardern’s job to fight a battle with them. Expect her to have the nerve which we don’t?

      You don’t want certain guns here? A childish rant about Kelvin Davis is easy. What else have you got, what constructive things are you going do, or are you “all hat and no cattle”?

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12218204

      • Jilly Bee 2.2.1

        OK guys, what about this – I found it totally gobsmacking, just putting it out there.
        https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12218204

        • The Al1en 2.2.1.1

          “most gun owners were “pretty responsible I would imagine”.”

          And there’s the nub.

          You’d have been as dumb as a sack of mssa to advocate in print for gun ownership now, when you can’t even be certain gun owners aren’t more than “pretty responsible, I would imagine”.

          Someone’s lacking a laser (in)sight.

      • alwyn 2.2.2

        “but is it only Ardern’s job to fight a battle with them. Expect her to have the nerve which we don’t”.

        YES I DO expect her to fight the battle.
        She is the Prime Minister. She can do something about it. I’m not an MP. I can only comment on the subject and tell the people who are in office what I want them to do. Well, quite consistently I believe, I have.
        Ban all semiautomatic weapons. NOW.
        That is about all I can do in response to your question “what constructive things are you going do”. What other options do I have?

        If they don’t have the guts to do it now it will never happen.
        Howard had the courage to do it, even with threats to his life. There was at least one meeting where he was persuaded to wear a bullet-proof vest because his life was believed to be in danger. Luckily the people involved were only talking about killing him.

        Ardern is the PM right now. I can offer you another Americanism about what she has to do. It is “there is a time when you either have to piss or get off the pot”. Nixon even said it to Eisenhower. Well sorry Jacinda. This is the one and only chance we have to get rid of automatic and semi-automatic weapons in the general public’s hands. Do it NOW.

  3. Dennis Frank 3

    Fun politics in Ukraine: “A comedian with no political experience has won the most votes in the first round of Ukraine’s presidential elections, early results indicate.
    With half the ballots counted, Volodymyr Zelenskiy – who plays the president on TV – got about 30%, with current leader Petro Poroshenko on 16%.”
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47767440

    “The two – who have expressed largely pro-EU opinions – are set to take part in a run-off election next month. Former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko appears to have been eliminated.”

    So now they have to choose whether or not to dump a billionaire. Gee, tough choice?? I doubt it, if they wonder whether to be controlled by an oligarch, or entertained!

    “Mr Poroshenko aimed to appeal to conservative Ukrainians through his slogan “Army, Language, Faith”. No, no! That will freak them out! “Mr Poroshenko, a chocolate magnate and one of Ukraine’s wealthiest people, was elected in a snap vote after former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was toppled in the February 2014 Maidan Revolution, which was followed by Russia’s annexation of Crimea and a Russian-backed insurgency in the east.” There you go, all he needs to do is offer voters a free chocolate fish each. Election bribes normally work well.

  4. Muttonbird 4

    Happy to agree with Bingles here. He’s even borrowed from our Prime Minister.

    This law will make New Zealand a dangerous place for people who are young and suicidal or old and think they’re a burden, or people with disabilities.

    “If they have a bad day, where they wish they weren’t alive, we should be offering them kindness – but what we’re going to offer is to kill them.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/04/end-of-life-choice-bill-will-make-new-zealand-a-dangerous-place-sir-bill-english.html

    • Can you point to the bit in the proposed legislation that bans offering kindness and replaces it with killing people? Specific clauses, please.

      • Sabine 4.1.1

        +1

      • Muttonbird 4.1.2

        You well know you can’t legislate for kindness nor against it. The law is impersonal like that. People do kindness and people withhold kindness.

        • Psycho Milt 4.1.2.1

          Then why bleat about kindness when referring to legislation?

          • Muttonbird 4.1.2.1.1

            The legislation wouldn’t ‘ban’ kindness but it does offer to kill people.

            Like a majority of Kiwis I just worry that very ill people’s lives will be seen as burdensome. You can’t safeguard against that in the legislation.

            • The Al1en 4.1.2.1.1.1

              Faced with getting to the stage of having to have my kid wipe my arse and wipe my drool, or (and not to diminish the good work loads of carers do), leave it to a minimum wage employee who may beat me and steal my possessions, rather than be what I would consider to be a burden, I might well take up the option of legally ending my life.

              I would never say a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose abortion, likewise it’s not anyone’s business but my own should I opt to end my life when the prognosis is dire and or very painful. Taking any liability away from those assisting me would be a cherry on top of the icing on the cake.

              • Muttonbird

                I’m not sure state care not being good enough is a good reason to introduce assisted dying.

                I do think a shrinking of state care services is high on the list of outcomes for the member who introduced this bill. He has form in this area.

                • The Al1en

                  The point isn’t state care, about which I amended in an edit to reflect the good work some wonderful people do, but the fact I would consider it burdensome to be so cared for by family or strangers.

                  If I thought for one minute I’d get dementia I hope I’d have the fortitude to end it at a time of my choosing with family and friends around me.
                  It’s a cold heart to deny that to someone whose fate is so awful and condemn them to one worse than death.

                  • marty mars

                    A big long article worth reading on this subject.

                    “Van Baarsen’s scruples have crystallised in the country’s first euthanasia malpractice case, which prosecutors are now preparing. (Three further cases are currently under investigation.) It involves a dementia sufferer who had asked to be killed when the “time” was “right”, but when her doctor judged this to be the case, she resisted. The patient had to be drugged and restrained by her family before she finally submitted to the doctor’s fatal injection. The doctor who administered the dose – who has not been identified – has defended her actions by saying that she was fulfilling her patient’s request and that, since the patient was incompetent, her protests before her death were irrelevant. Whatever the legal merits of her argument, it hardly changes what must have been a scene of unutterable grimness.”

                    https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/jan/18/death-on-demand-has-euthanasia-gone-too-far-netherlands-assisted-dying

                • Gabby

                  Just think what it would do for the property market.

              • greywarshark

                Thanks Allen for putting up points relating to assisted dying. It is a
                hard one with numbers of different needs, ideas and ideals to consider.

                Of

                • The Al1en

                  Obviously it’s a very personal subject, and no doubt there are good arguments on both sides of the divide, but I honestly believe it should be a personal choice to end a life with dignity in the face of a horrible, debilitating ending.
                  Taking away any stigma and bringing that decision within the law, is in my mind, a compassionate, humane act.

                  • greywarshark

                    True. At present I would have to send my unhappy family away to have a coffee or such to ensure that they wouldn’t be charged and have to appear in Court as to whether they had helped me or killed me. And I think they would have to sit somewhere in public where they could call on a witness as alibi if needed.

                    The various concerns raised could be controlled with legislation.
                    There would be a required model or models to follow to ensure that the matter was done in a responsible way.

    • The Al1en 4.2

      “This law will make New Zealand a dangerous place for people who are young and suicidal or old and think they’re a burden”

      We’ve all seen the horrendous rates of suicide in NZ. 100% not being insensitive, but clearly these people don’t need an assisted dying law.

      • marty mars 4.2.1

        Uncalled for that.

        Often people who commit suicide are desperately unhappy and want the pain to stop. Temporary pain permanent solution.

        Please don’t try to be flippant about the horrendous suicide rates in this country – it is a sign that people are being pushed too far and nothing whatsoever to do with assisted dying.

        • The Al1en 4.2.1.1

          I don’t think it’s uncalled for, and certainly not flippant. I thought I’d made that quite clear. It’s a valid point.
          Besides, I’m sure any law would involve input from medical staff, and the grounds for assisted death would probably include terminal disease as the only criteria, and would exclude suicidal people with mental issues, temporary of otherwise.

        • Skunk Weed 4.2.1.2

          We need a good Mental Health System which is compassionate towards people with Mental Health Issues, we did have a Mental Health System which may not have been perfect, but we did have one.

          Under the Lange/Douglas Labour Government and the Neoliberal Agenda under Harold Titter an Englishman imported for the job, they dismantled the Mental Health System and released a lot of Mental Health patients back into the community. Then proceeded to sell off the Assets held by the Health Department ?

    • millsy 4.3

      Bill English has no right to bleat about kindness when his track record is anything but ‘kind’.

  5. ScottGN 5

    Erdogan has lost Ankara in the local body elections and his party’s claim to have won Istanbul is being challenged by the opposition. Adds some context to the recent furore over Winston’s trip to Turkey and just what Erdogan was playing at.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/01/erdogan-party-loses-ankara-in-turkish-local-elections-blow

  6. marty mars 7

    Audit them forensically and then prosecute to the full extent of the law if appropriate.

    Fishing and Outdoors editor Graham Carter stood by an article in his paper today which called out Ardern and Police Minister Stuart Nash.

    “Our Dumb-as-a-Plank New Zealand Prime Minister and lapdog New Zealand Police Minister have announced a ban on assault rifles that are and have been banned for the last ‘thirty-five years’.

    “Comments made by our PM are disingenuous and misleading the general public.”

    The article, written by John McNab, goes on to say that it was already illegal to fire any rifle which was “full-auto” even if it was a defence force firearm.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12218204

    • alwyn 7.1

      Would you care to expand on what you really mean by your first sentence?
      You sound as if you propose to use the IRD as a Government controlled police force who will aim their powers at anyone who says nasty things about members of the Government.
      You aren’t serious are you?

      • marty mars 7.1.1

        I’d like to know that these guys comply totally with the law and all legal requirements in regards to their firearms licence and any weapons they may have. I don’t want someone to kill other people because of hate. These people have put their heads up with their comments therefore they are first in line. Simple enough even for you. I don’t care about their money or whether they pay enough tax – you’re back here now alwyn get up to speed will ya ffs.

  7. greywarshark 8

    End of Life Choice Bill will make New Zealand a ‘dangerous place’ – Sir Bill English…

    “It’s worse than a slippery slope… once you start saying ‘we’ll drop the ban on killing, some people can choose to be killed’ – how do you stop more and more and more?”

    What else would he say? He is conservative through and through, with his mind totally religion-controlled. NZ will find one excuse after another to avoid any reasoned process on this. And why would more and more rise exponentially? Did he ever worry about the amount of depression in NZ when he was PM and provide better conditions for all people, and for depressed more talking help and widening the scope of therapies? As more people are living longer there may be a growing number wanting to limit the length of the journey – so there may be a growing number. Nothing to worry him though, it’s just a growth in the demographics and I suppose he knows what that means.

    We will be fortunate to get compassionate assistance for the terminally ill, or people who are sick of being sick with constant pain. And I would like for myself the ability to organise arrangements with my family for my own death when I want, and also I would talk to my doctor if willing to be called to give a death certificate. I certainly don’t want anyone else to have the burden of deciding for me when ‘the time is right’. I would like a ‘managed demise’. That is all hypothetical anyway, I don’t expect much from NZ legislators now and if I am wrong in that then that will be a nice surprise.

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    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 ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    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, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    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, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    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, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$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 ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    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 ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    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 ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    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 ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    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 ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    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. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The 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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter 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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    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 ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    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, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    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 ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    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 ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    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 ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    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 ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    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, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    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.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    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,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Government lowering building costs
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