Pfizer execs say there's a 'significant opportunity' to hike prices of its COVID vaccine
Pfizer execs told investors there was a “significant opportunity” to hike the price of its vaccine.
They said to cope with emerging COVID variants, people may need a third dose of the vaccine.
Regular yearly “booster jabs” against COVID may also become routine.
Speaking at the virtual Barclays Global Healthcare Conference last week, two high-ranking Pfizer employees – CFO Frank D’Amelio and Chuck Triano, senior VP of investor relations – said there would be a chance for Pfizer to raise prices for the vaccine when COVID moves from a pandemic state to an endemic situation and the virus circulates continually in pockets around the globe.
“If you look at how current demand and current pricing is being driven, it’s clearly not being driven by what I’ll call normal market conditions or normal market forces… it’s been driven by the pandemic state we’ve been in, and the needs of governments to secure doses from various vaccine suppliers,” said D’Amelio.
He added that with the resumption of “normal market conditions” over time, there would then be a chance for the company to take advantage of opportunities from “a demand…and pricing perspective.”
Yeah – but there's an important argument behind all this that 'the left' needs to counter: if there wasn't the promise of vast profits, would Pfizer have put in the effort to produce what looks like a pretty effective vaccine with a novel mechanism of action (mRNA), in record quick time? It is one of the few good arguments for allowing markets to function in a reasonably unrestrained fashion.
Vaccines aren’t generally profitable business. Public funds contribute significantly to the research. And when the researchers seek to provide those patent-free, caring billionaire philanthropists can convince them to back-track for the profits. But at what cost?
Oxford University surprised and pleased advocates of overhauling the vaccine business in April by promising to donate the rights to its promising coronavirus vaccine to any drugmaker.
The idea was to provide medicines preventing or treating COVID-19 at a low cost or free of charge, the British university said. That made sense to people seeking change. The coronavirus was raging. Many agreed that traditional vaccine development, characterized by long lead times, manufacturing monopolies and weak investment, was broken.
“We actually thought they were going to do that,” James Love, director of Knowledge Ecology International, a nonprofit that works to expand access to medical technology, said of Oxford’s pledge. “Why wouldn’t people agree to let everyone have access to the best vaccines possible?”
A few weeks later, Oxford—urged on by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—reversed course. It signed an exclusive vaccine deal with AstraZeneca that gave the pharmaceutical giant sole rights and no guarantee of low prices—with the less-publicized potential for Oxford to eventually make millions from the deal and win plenty of prestige.
Moderna now has received almost $1 billion in taxpayer funds to help develop a vaccine that is tied to the work of federal scientists, and the stock market reactions signal that investors think they'll reap a lot of the reward if the vaccine is proven to work.
BioNTech is credited for contributing the messenger RNA technology, which prompts the body to make a key protein from the virus, creating an immune response. The biotechnology company already had a history of working with Pfizer on influenza vaccines, and in March they clinched a deal to co-develop a shot to prevent against Covid-19 at research sites both in the U.S. and Germany. The two companies began human testing of the vaccine in April, before the existence of Operation Warp Speed was revealed publicly.
Berlin gave the German company $445 million in an agreement in September to help accelerate the vaccine by building out manufacturing and development capacity in its home market.
Finally, Kropotkin wrote about invention in The Conquest of Bread, which I think makes a good argument. Some excerpts:
“There is not even a thought, or an invention, which is not common property, born of the past and the present. Thousands of inventors, known and unknown, who have died in poverty, have co-operated in the invention of each of these machines which embody the genius of man.
…
“Science and industry, knowledge and application, discovery and practical realization leading to new discoveries, cunning of brain and of hand, toil of mind and muscle — all work together. Each discovery, each advance, each increase in the sum of human riches, owes its being to the physical and mental travail of the past and the present.
“By what right then can any one whatever appropriate the least morsel of this immense whole and say — This is mine, not yours? … Thought being incapable of being patented, patents are a crying injustice in theory, and in practice they result in one of the great obstacles to the rapid development of invention.”
The problem is not with the idea. Ideas are without limit and virtually free – anyone can have them.
The challenge is turning the idea into something useful, and when it comes to vaccines as an example, it costs billions to develop, trial, approve, manufacture and build the distribution networks. It's all highly complex, tightly regulated and expensive operations undertaken by highly skilled researchers, technicians and operators.
A large part is publicly funded (see 1.1.1 & 1.1.2 above). The point you’re missing is those researchers, technicians and operators were educated in public schools, used publicly funded transportation and communication networks, regulated by public institutions and governed by publicly elected politicians, etc etc. We are bouyed along on the cresting wave of history, by the momentum of every preceding human who laboured to shape the world. We have always achieved the most by co-operating, and for tens of thousands of years it did happen ‘for free’.
The point you’re missing is those researchers, technicians and operators were educated in public schools, used publicly funded transportation and communication networks, regulated by public institutions and governed by publicly elected politicians, etc etc.
I'm very well aware of this – it's essentially called social infrastructure. It's one of the most important ways the public sector contributes towards the economy.
But to argue this means the private sector should somehow do everything for free simply does not follow. These two aspects of our economic life, the public and the private co-exist in symbiosis with each other, each complementing the others strengths. It's not an either/or binary choice.
But to argue this means the private sector should somehow do everything for free simply does not follow.
If not "for free", then how about 'at cost'. Is "for profit" a necessary characteristic of private sector enterprises and, if so, might the profit motive be responsible for some 'unfortunate' outcomes?
Nursing homes owned by private equity have higher death rates Between 2004 and 2016 there were 20,150 excess deaths in American nursing homes, amounting to an estimated 160,000 lost years of life. The cause wasn’t a pandemic, but private equity.
The Financialization of Social Services: Implications for Planning Cities that Value Care Over Profit
This qualitative study is supplemented with a quantitative evaluation of COVID-19 death rates, finding that financialized long-term care homes fared worse than municipal, non-profit, and other for-profit homes. The paper concludes by outlining several strategies to limit the influence of financialized care providers and empower alternative ownership models.
Look I'm as cynical as the anyone here around the motives and practices of Big Pharma – but I'm not an ideological fool about it.
RL, I never suggested that you were.
The reason why profit exists is not reward for effort – as most working people imagine. It’s reward for risk.
That’s an intriguing PoV; unfortunately the pernicious influence of the profit motive sometimes smears the ‘risk‘ beyond those seeking rewards, wouldn’t you agree.
Anyway, I used the wrong example; Pfizers's 'unfortunate' outcomes were nothing compared to Merck's.
Following Merck’s voluntary market withdrawal of its second biggest money maker, the arthritis painkiller Vioxx (rofecoxib), Merck faced mounting lawsuits involving claims of civil liability as well as charges of potential criminal wrongdoing.
Bob Ernst, a marathon runner and fitness fanatic, started taking Vioxx (rofecoxib) in November of 2000 for pain in his hands. Less than eight months later, the 59-year-old Texas man died in his sleep of a heart arrhythmia.
Ernst’s widow, Carol, was bereft and confused about her husband’s sudden death. The more she looked into it, the more she suspected the culprit was Vioxx, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that had been heavily advertised for its easy-on-the-stomach pain relief.
Carol Ernst became the first of tens of thousands of consumers who sued Merck over allegations that the company had concealed information about the serious health risks of the popular arthritis drug — including the risk of fatal heart attacks and strokes — to protect sales.
The other point is that there is a range of affordability between "free" and "with the resumption of “normal market conditions” over time, there would then be a chance for the company to take advantage of opportunities from “a demand…and pricing perspective.” ".
The former might be unrealistic in today's world, but we know that the latter means people will die preventable deaths because they couldn't afford life-saving interventions in "normal market conditions". We know this, because it already happens every day.
I'm clearly not defending grossly predatory pricing. Any big pharma would have to think very hard around reputational damage before playing that game.
But the point everyone misses is that while it looks greedy when they do make big money of a product – what we don't see is the risk they took with all the products they spent big money on and didn't get to market.
Indeed, drug/vaccine development is expensive but not as expensive as you seem to think. The necessary infrastructure, including manufacturing plants and distribution networks, are already in place. Advertising & Marketing has been tainted as a higher costing than the actual R & D.
In a retaliatory political move this week Scumo intimated that it was New Zealand holding up a trans-Tasman bubble. Looks like he was telling lies again. Well, he is Australian so it comes naturally.
One thing caught my attention:
Australia's current exit visa restriction that prevents Australians travelling to New Zealand without a visa.
If only this was in place before the Australian white supremacist came here to murder 51 NZ muslims. I think we need these visa conditions permanently.
This is interesting. It's info ripped from another forum. It's about Scumo again:
While a large protest gathered outside parliament yesterday condemning the treatment of women at large after the recent revelations involving Brittany Higgins and Christian Porter specifically, the PM addressed the Speaker in the House and suggested those protesters were lucky to be where they were because they’d be shot elsewhere.
Here is the quote;
"This is a vibrant liberal democracy, Mr Speaker, not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets, but not here in this country, Mr Speaker."
So in Scumo's Australia women are lucky they are not shot at when protesting. This seems to be a major dragging down of the country by its own PM to be compared with other, unnamed and mysterious countries with lesser human rights.
What a bizzarre political strategy. Something John Key might have done.
Free bit of advice for Scumo. Don't dramatise your speeches using the language of violence (met with bullets) for political gain, especially on the anniversary of the day when one of your own murdered 51 of your best mates.
She [National’s housing spokesperson Nicola Willis] said that there was some anecdotal evidence of large-scale accommodation projects being harder to fund after the foreign-buyers ban.
“When I talk to people who used to be involved in the construction of large-scale apartments in Auckland they’ve told me that the foreign capital ban has made it much harder to get that style of accommodation going,”
I didn’t know those regimes that you’re speaking of invest in build-to-rent developments in NZ. In that case, Minister Woods might be calling for answers about possible Government links to human rights abuse just as Minister Robertson is doing as we speak.
I can only hope the Ministers don’t have to wait long for answers from their own teams because New Zealanders are definitely being put on hold, without the elevator music.
I'd say that any money and goods out of China is tainted in the same way because it is all the product of a dictatorship and oppressive regime.
Is “tainted” the threshold signal to start an economic boycott or sanctions?
I wonder if it is only money and goods out of China that are tainted? That’s a rhetorical question so please don’t answer it.
Why do we insist on assuming clean trade when it suits us and call dirty trade when it suits us?
Of course, we justify things to ourselves and to others as necessary and more strongly when there’s more at stake. That said, nothing in international politics and trade is black (AKA dirty) and white (AKA clean). Minister Robertson seems to be well aware of and understand this.
I wonder if it is only money and goods out of China that are tainted? That’s a rhetorical question so please don’t answer it.
I'll not take the bait, thanks. You are projecting something upon me which simply isn't there. Not happy about your multiple inferences (“please don’t answer”, “Black=dirty”, White=clean”) but you are in a position of power and I am not yet so I will suck it up.
It’s a bit like how the Chinese government works, eh?
Thanks for not answering my rhetorical question. If I’d wanted to bait you and set a trap, which is what you seem to be insinuating, I don’t think I’d made it as abundantly clear as I did.
It is quite clear what you think of Chinese money and goods (and services, presumably). That’s enough for me. How you distinguish that from Chinese people is moot to me.
You know what B & W means. You called it “dirty” [trade] and “clean” [trade]. Same thing. No inference.
Oh dear, now you’re saying that I’ll abuse my position of power to oppress you and act like a dictatorship. That’s quite a bold statement but because you’re talking out of your arse I will suck it up. Just agree to disagree when you run out of arguments instead of manufacturing such utter nonsense; as long as you stay with this site’s rules you should be fine and DR is like OM, i.e. the most free & open post on TS.
Further to that I find, in the current circumstance, any money and goods coming out of China to be similar to that coming out of Apartheid South Africa, or occupational Israel.
And citizens the same. While they might disagree with China's policy they have still benefitted financially from it.
"The influx of homeless into motels along Rotorua's main strip of Fenton St – nicknamed “MSD Mile” by locals – has led to a rise in crime and social disorder in the previously tranquil suburb of Glenholme."
10 Million in the last year was spent in Rotorua just to house people. We must be at the point of exponential growth in Accommodation related spending.
not sure why anyone would call Fenton Street as Vegas, there is no gambling, no strip clubs etc, there are a few motels/hotels/cafe/fishnchips/clothing store. Its pretty boring, unless fighting breaks out, and that is what is happening more and more often.
And frankly in regards to run away houseprices and supply the Government – blue and red – can be happy it had the motel industry to house their throw away citizens into and forget. Without these motels these homeless people, and children would be living in a ditch in full sight.
So the hiding the problem away in a motel is a governmental as any labour or national government can be.
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Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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 The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/pfizer-execs-highlight-significant-opportunity-hike-covid-vaccine-price-2021-3?r=US&IR=T
Sickening. Capitalists will capitalism, I guess.
Yeah – but there's an important argument behind all this that 'the left' needs to counter: if there wasn't the promise of vast profits, would Pfizer have put in the effort to produce what looks like a pretty effective vaccine with a novel mechanism of action (mRNA), in record quick time? It is one of the few good arguments for allowing markets to function in a reasonably unrestrained fashion.
Vaccines aren’t generally profitable business. Public funds contribute significantly to the research. And when the researchers seek to provide those patent-free, caring billionaire philanthropists can convince them to back-track for the profits. But at what cost?
https://khn.org/news/rather-than-give-away-its-covid-vaccine-oxford-makes-a-deal-with-drugmaker/
As far as public funding for other vaccines:
https://www.axios.com/moderna-coronavirus-phase-3-barda-funding-stock-37298c66-975d-415b-a918-c5f450f5a895.html
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-09/pfizer-vaccine-s-funding-came-from-berlin-not-washington
Finally, Kropotkin wrote about invention in The Conquest of Bread, which I think makes a good argument. Some excerpts:
https://www.thepolisblog.org/2013/01/peter-kropotkin-on-invention.html
The problem is not with the idea. Ideas are without limit and virtually free – anyone can have them.
The challenge is turning the idea into something useful, and when it comes to vaccines as an example, it costs billions to develop, trial, approve, manufacture and build the distribution networks. It's all highly complex, tightly regulated and expensive operations undertaken by highly skilled researchers, technicians and operators.
None of it happens for free.
A large part is publicly funded (see 1.1.1 & 1.1.2 above). The point you’re missing is those researchers, technicians and operators were educated in public schools, used publicly funded transportation and communication networks, regulated by public institutions and governed by publicly elected politicians, etc etc. We are bouyed along on the cresting wave of history, by the momentum of every preceding human who laboured to shape the world. We have always achieved the most by co-operating, and for tens of thousands of years it did happen ‘for free’.
The point you’re missing is those researchers, technicians and operators were educated in public schools, used publicly funded transportation and communication networks, regulated by public institutions and governed by publicly elected politicians, etc etc.
I'm very well aware of this – it's essentially called social infrastructure. It's one of the most important ways the public sector contributes towards the economy.
But to argue this means the private sector should somehow do everything for free simply does not follow. These two aspects of our economic life, the public and the private co-exist in symbiosis with each other, each complementing the others strengths. It's not an either/or binary choice.
Strawman’s argument; nobody said that.
AstraZeneca has promised not to profit from its Covid-19 vaccine but that promise is starting to come under a cloud …
The temptation might be too strong.
Well given the cloud that their vaccine has now come under there is a very real risk they might lose everything they invested in it.
Edit: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/germany-suspends-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-amid-blood-clot-worries-n1261097
These are high stakes gambles being played out here.
Sorry, not the cloud I was meaning. The non-profit promise was only valid for the duration of the pandemic. Guess when that might finish …
If not "for free", then how about 'at cost'. Is "for profit" a necessary characteristic of private sector enterprises and, if so, might the profit motive be responsible for some 'unfortunate' outcomes?
Look I'm as cynical as the anyone here around the motives and practices of Big Pharma – but I'm not an ideological fool about it.
The reason why profit exists is not reward for effort – as most working people imagine. It's reward for risk.
RL, I never suggested that you were.
That’s an intriguing PoV; unfortunately the pernicious influence of the profit motive sometimes smears the ‘risk‘ beyond those seeking rewards, wouldn’t you agree.
Anyway, I used the wrong example; Pfizers's 'unfortunate' outcomes were nothing compared to Merck's.
Spoken as a true shareholder, not as a wage-worker.
The other point is that there is a range of affordability between "free" and "with the resumption of “normal market conditions” over time, there would then be a chance for the company to take advantage of opportunities from “a demand…and pricing perspective.” ".
The former might be unrealistic in today's world, but we know that the latter means people will die preventable deaths because they couldn't afford life-saving interventions in "normal market conditions". We know this, because it already happens every day.
I'm clearly not defending grossly predatory pricing. Any big pharma would have to think very hard around reputational damage before playing that game.
But the point everyone misses is that while it looks greedy when they do make big money of a product – what we don't see is the risk they took with all the products they spent big money on and didn't get to market.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55894470
Indeed, drug/vaccine development is expensive but not as expensive as you seem to think. The necessary infrastructure, including manufacturing plants and distribution networks, are already in place. Advertising & Marketing has been tainted as a higher costing than the actual R & D.
In a retaliatory political move this week Scumo intimated that it was New Zealand holding up a trans-Tasman bubble. Looks like he was telling lies again. Well, he is Australian so it comes naturally.
One thing caught my attention:
If only this was in place before the Australian white supremacist came here to murder 51 NZ muslims. I think we need these visa conditions permanently.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/438508/australia-backed-out-of-trans-tasman-bubble-plans-in-february-nz-government
This is interesting. It's info ripped from another forum. It's about Scumo again:
Here is the quote;
So in Scumo's Australia women are lucky they are not shot at when protesting. This seems to be a major dragging down of the country by its own PM to be compared with other, unnamed and mysterious countries with lesser human rights.
What a bizzarre political strategy. Something John Key might have done.
I will try to find official links to this…
Here's one where Scumo shits the bed and blames the opposition.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9366347/Scott-Morrison-blasts-twisted-accusations-suggested-Australian-women-lucky-not-shot.html
Free bit of advice for Scumo. Don't dramatise your speeches using the language of violence (met with bullets) for political gain, especially on the anniversary of the day when one of your own murdered 51 of your best mates.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300254505/megan-woods-reminds-foreign-investors-their-money-is-still-welcome-in-parts-of-housing-market
Another example of how anecdata are rolled out and wielded to suit a narrative.
Do we want investment monies coming from regimes which persecute muslim minorities?
Even if to ‘solve a housing crisis’. Throwing bad money after bad if you ask me.
I didn’t know those regimes that you’re speaking of invest in build-to-rent developments in NZ. In that case, Minister Woods might be calling for answers about possible Government links to human rights abuse just as Minister Robertson is doing as we speak.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300253911/grant-robertson-wants-answers-over-possible-government-links-to-human-rights-abuses-in-china
I can only hope the Ministers don’t have to wait long for answers from their own teams because New Zealanders are definitely being put on hold, without the elevator music.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/124553308/official-information-act-review-deferred-because-of-justice-ministry-policy-work-overload
The human rights issue Grant Robertson want answers to is about a NZ links to a company in China which spies on Uyghur Muslims.
I'd say that any money and goods out of China is tainted in the same way because it is all the product of a dictatorship and oppressive regime.
Why do we insist on assuming clean trade when it suits us and call dirty trade when it suits us?
Is “tainted” the threshold signal to start an economic boycott or sanctions?
I wonder if it is only money and goods out of China that are tainted? That’s a rhetorical question so please don’t answer it.
Of course, we justify things to ourselves and to others as necessary and more strongly when there’s more at stake. That said, nothing in international politics and trade is black (AKA dirty) and white (AKA clean). Minister Robertson seems to be well aware of and understand this.
https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/trade/free-trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements-in-force/nz-china-free-trade-agreement/key-facts-on-new-zealand-china-trade/
I'll not take the bait, thanks. You are projecting something upon me which simply isn't there. Not happy about your multiple inferences (“please don’t answer”, “Black=dirty”, White=clean”) but you are in a position of power and I am not yet so I will suck it up.
It’s a bit like how the Chinese government works, eh?
Thanks for not answering my rhetorical question. If I’d wanted to bait you and set a trap, which is what you seem to be insinuating, I don’t think I’d made it as abundantly clear as I did.
It is quite clear what you think of Chinese money and goods (and services, presumably). That’s enough for me. How you distinguish that from Chinese people is moot to me.
You know what B & W means. You called it “dirty” [trade] and “clean” [trade]. Same thing. No inference.
Oh dear, now you’re saying that I’ll abuse my position of power to oppress you and act like a dictatorship. That’s quite a bold statement but because you’re talking out of your arse I will suck it up. Just agree to disagree when you run out of arguments instead of manufacturing such utter nonsense; as long as you stay with this site’s rules you should be fine and DR is like OM, i.e. the most free & open post on TS.
Cool beans. Warning taken, sir.
Edit. Although you are still insinuating I equate Chinese citizens to their government, money, and production of goods.
Many Chinese immigrants might very well disagree with their former government’s politics. Not sure how many, though.
Cheers
Edit: I had not seen your edit 🙁
Further to that I find, in the current circumstance, any money and goods coming out of China to be similar to that coming out of Apartheid South Africa, or occupational Israel.
And citizens the same. While they might disagree with China's policy they have still benefitted financially from it.
Speaking of housing
10 Million in the last year was spent in Rotorua just to house people. We must be at the point of exponential growth in Accommodation related spending.
I knew Fenton Street as Rotovegas. The Americanisation of New Zealand means Rotorua and Las Vegas will always move closer and closer together.
This is a capitalist, profit driven problem.
not sure why anyone would call Fenton Street as Vegas, there is no gambling, no strip clubs etc, there are a few motels/hotels/cafe/fishnchips/clothing store. Its pretty boring, unless fighting breaks out, and that is what is happening more and more often.
And frankly in regards to run away houseprices and supply the Government – blue and red – can be happy it had the motel industry to house their throw away citizens into and forget. Without these motels these homeless people, and children would be living in a ditch in full sight.
So the hiding the problem away in a motel is a governmental as any labour or national government can be.