Daily review 17/03/2021

24 comments on “Daily review 17/03/2021 ”

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1. roblogic 1

   17 March 2021 at 6:27 pm

   Yippee we won!!1!

   …

   billionaires waving their dicks around (yachting) while there's a pandemic on, and bending the quarantine rules for their hangers-on, and Auckland council spending $100 million on a playground for the 1% during the worst housing crisis in living memory. so yeah, no thanks

   hopefully Emirates TNZ will take the next series to Dubai and spare Auckland from this obscene display
   • alwyn 1.1

     17 March 2021 at 7:35 pm

     Damn, damn, damn.

     Why couldn't they have just lost the bloody cup and left us free of the thing. For this defense the taxpayers of New Zealand, and the ratepayers of Auckland have just wasted about $250,000,000.00 of their money on something that only a lot of politicians and a few thousand yachties love. Why didn't our PM just say that enough was enough and forget about the next defense of the cup that is of almost no interest to most New Zealanders?

     Give it up. Dump the Cup.
     • KJT 1.1.1

       17 March 2021 at 8:11 pm

       "A few thousand yachties"?

       All the workers at my workplace have been glued to it.

       Including me.

       And the boat building coming to Northland will be a huge boost to the area.

       Friends of mine, who are by no means “rich people” have and will have, ongoing years of work from the cup.
     • KJT 1.1.2

       17 March 2021 at 8:22 pm

       Professional sports is one of the few areas where some of the huge sums of money extracted from our community by billionaires, actually comes back.
     • RedBaronCV 1.1.3

       18 March 2021 at 1:45 am

       No matter how you slice the cookie and look at how much work that local firms have it is still a huge taxpayer subsidy to one industry only.

       And while some locals in Auckland may have watched it it's still cost the taxpayer a ticket price of $500 per watcher maybe?

       But it's the super over entitlement of the participants may of whom seem to wind up as multimillionaires on the back of this plus the constant threats if the taxpayers don't cough up more at every turn. The boat is barely back in the dock before it's "victory parade – nah" & "lets shift it to somewhere in Europe America Middle east yeah even thought they didn't win the thing".

       Should have charged those over wealthy owners half a billion per quarantine.
       • KJT 1.1.3.1

         18 March 2021 at 1:45 pm

         “It works as an investment, not a subsidy. Leading to more money to use to help people. It would be even better if we taxed the wealthy according to their cost to the community, but that is not going to happen. Meanwhile a lot of people have jobs and have avoided poverty and homelessness, because of the money the Americas Cup bought in. Including construction workers, service workers, boat builders and others who are far from rich.

         Seen an ROI, for friends in the boat building industry, most of whom are ordinary workers. The boost from the Americas cup in the last decade has started to undo some of the damage successive governments have done to our manufacturing industries. I suspect the ROI over time will more than make up for the lack of tourists this time. Technology transfer to other tech industries in NZ, may help get us away from selling excessive environmental destruction, and cheap labour, for a living”.

         Meanwhile. I suspect we get far less ROI from subsidising farming and tourism.
         • RedBaronCV 1.1.3.1.1

           18 March 2021 at 9:09 pm

           Subsidy or investment call it either – but why should boat building be the favoured industry. Jobs for the boys? May well be other industries that could also do with this level of cash injection apart from tourism or farming neither of which I would put on my radar.
           • KJT 1.1.3.1.1.1

             19 March 2021 at 2:35 am

             Because it is one of our few successful high tech developing, industries.

             The expertise in composites, fluid technology, computing, meteorology, and other fields, could be leveraged for other industries as well.
   • Jilly Bee 1.2

     17 March 2021 at 8:00 pm

     OK roblogic, I can sort of see where you are coming from, but having watched the races since it started last year and watching the gathering of people at the Viaduct and generally downtown who have most probably having an enjoyable time (especially today) and spending a bit of moolah in the process – if it's obscene to you, I suggest you get a bit of a life and join in the celebrations. Yes, I'm a lefty voter as well mate.
     • Anne 1.2.1

       17 March 2021 at 8:55 pm

       Nice one Jilly Bee.

       If you happen to be an Aucklander and were able to watch it first hand, then it was a fantastic spectacle. As KJT points out, it also creates ongoing employment opportunities and off-shore boat building orders, not to mention the huge amount of positive publicity that comes with a win.

       Apart from the above, it has brought joy to probably a million NZers at the least after a shitty year.
       • Rosemary McDonald 1.2.1.1

         17 March 2021 at 9:56 pm

         If you happen to be an Aucklander and were able to watch it first hand, then it was a fantastic spectacle.

         And from what I observed there was fuck all in the way of social distancing going on…

         Keep your distance

         COVID-19 is contained at Alert Level 1, but it’s still worthwhile to keep a safe distance from people you don’t know while out and about. This will help to minimise the spread of COVID-19 if community transmission returns.

         https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-system/alert-level-1/#keep-your-distance

         While watching the I was thinking about the opprobrium metered out from some here on TS when a certain South Aucklander recklessly went to work when they were 'supposed to be self-isolating'. I guess breaching the guidelines is ok if its in the name of 'joy and positive publicity.'

         (I watched only because a mate really wanted to see the last few races. This mate has no TV and no internet connection. )
         • Anne 1.2.1.1.1

           17 March 2021 at 10:25 pm

           A lot of jumping to conclusions there. But you're very good at that Rosemary.

           I was watching from a cliff top and we weren't standing or sitting close to one another. In fact from my observations over the final races most people watching from vantage points were very good at social distancing. After all, we in Auckland have had more experience of high Covid levels than the rest of the country.

           The exception was the Viaduct Basin but most of them were young if you deigned to take a proper look.
     • Rosemary McDonald 1.2.2

       17 March 2021 at 10:01 pm

       …if it's obscene to you, I suggest you get a bit of a life and join in the celebrations.

       WEAG. How many of the recommendations has this government implemented?

       How many children still living in poverty?

       How many homeless or in emergency or transitional housing?

       How's our suicide rate tracking? Still setting world records?

       How are we doing with the cleaning up of the rivers..oh, that's right , the farmers get another year.

       Bugger all to celebrate, mate.
       • roblogic 1.2.2.1

         18 March 2021 at 3:19 am

         Yep .It's not "Team New Zealand" or a "team of 5 million" it's the incredibly wealthy capital class throwing bread and circuses to distract the masses.

         https://twitter.com/FitzmauriceLuke/status/1371921326043107328?s=20
   • Treetop 1.3

     17 March 2021 at 10:25 pm

     Computerised sailing how competitive.
2. Chris T 2

   17 March 2021 at 7:16 pm

   See Trevor is accusing people of things with zero proof or sanity again.

   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/simon-bridges-kicked-out-of-house-again-after-row-with-speaker-trevor-mallard-over-sexism/TVNNZ3R6XK36V6BZ7KDVWGU3MU/

   Serious question.

   Does he embarrass Labour Party members?
   • mac1 2.1

     17 March 2021 at 7:53 pm

     Short answer, no. I actually watched the exchange at the time. Chris Bishop looked like he was going to challenge the Speaker. Mallard warned him off. Bishop took the hint. Later Bridges decided to tell the Speaker off and got sent out of the House.

     The House was very rowdy with Minister's answers, especially Megan Woods. The barracking would start as soon as the Minister began speaking, and was not in reaction to what she was saying as it started before she'd said anything.

     A rowdy and difficult Opposition with little talent and debating skills. Noisy, scoffing; I've taught lots of fourth form classes with similar cognitive, deliberative and behavioural patterns.

     I really believe, Chris T, that National do need to take heed of the criticism and changes hinted at in the National Party post election review and look at who they select as candidates, their processes and vetting procedures, for the National Party does preselect before the final selection.

     Our system of democracy demands a strong opposition and proper accountability.

     Also, these self-same rowdy fourth formers/year 10s will at some stage become government members and ministers. We need them to be at least adequate as people and as representatives.
3. greywarshark 3

   17 March 2021 at 9:28 pm

   What financial institution loaned this farmer so much money and encouraged him into debt beyond what was wise?

   Aaran Bruce and his father, 89-year-old Jim Bruce, who cleared most of the land, starting in 1944. The trees in the background are regenerating beech forest; the original trees were felled 30 years ago for beech chip…

   A Maruia farmer is threatening to burn off 80ha of native bush on his property and turn it into pasture in a bid to raise its value and save his farm.

   The land is likely to be classed as a significant natural area (SNA) under new biodiversity rules, in regional and district plans.

   Aaran Bruce and his wife live on a 220ha block their family has owned since the 1940s on West Bank Road, about 15km from Springs Junction.
   The couple is under pressure from their bank to sell the farm after running into financial strife, and sold their dairy herd last year.

   "We borrowed too much – $2 million – to develop the land and have a once-a-day milking dairy farm with a decent shed and fix the old house up," Bruce said.
   Then came the infamous $3.90 a kilo dairy industry payout of 2016 – and two droughts in a row.
   "We never recovered from that. We're leasing the farm out now just to pay the interest bill, and building ourselves a bit of a hut up in the bush to live in. But the bank still wants the farm sold."
   To make matters worse, the farm has dropped in value by $800,000, according to their latest rate demand from the Buller District Council. The bush block, including 30-year-old regenerating beech forest, would be worth only about $3000 a hectare.,,

   West Coast-Tasman MP and Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said that tactic could well have the opposite effect…
   The MP said he would contact his brother Bede O'Connor, who was on the West Coast Rural Support Trust, to see if there was anything it could do to help the situation.

   "There is also the farm debt mediation process that the government passed into law 2019; that could be a possible option."

   https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/438586/farmer-threatens-to-burn-native-bush-in-face-of-new-rules-and-plunging-land-values
   • bwaghorn 3.1

     18 March 2021 at 6:20 am

     I was chatting to s guy the other day.

     As a young falla 15 years ago a bank manager he did a bit of work for offered him a chance to buy a farm,

     After 10 years of slaving his guts out paying interest only ,his one treat in life a box of beer a week ,he got to the point were he could start paying some principal off,then for reasons I dont know the bank called in his loan and the farm was sold to a carbon farming outfit.

     Banks are not our friends.
   • Morrissey 3.2

     18 March 2021 at 6:26 am

     A Maruia farmer is threatening to burn off 80ha of native bush on his property and turn it into pasture in a bid to raise its value and save his farm.

     Yet more evidence that many "farmers" are not fit for the job. Surely the threat of such willful, spiteful destruction constitutes a criminal nuisance?
     • Incognito 3.2.1

       18 March 2021 at 7:39 am

       One very stressed out farmer trying to save his farm and saying some outlandish things that the media latch onto and whip up further into a frothy frenzy for gullible unthinking simpletons.

       SSDD
4. millsy 4

   17 March 2021 at 9:49 pm

   Hopefully Burling won't sell out his country and sail for an opposing syndacate like Butterworth and Coutts did.
   • Incognito 4.1

     17 March 2021 at 9:58 pm

     There’s hope, he hasn’t accepted a knighthood yet.
5. KSaysHi 5

   17 March 2021 at 11:52 pm

   Reading through the Greens solution to the housing crisis today, I liked what I saw. One thing that was omitted was to permit certain disablilities that are not supported by the current social housing stock (or private market) to either buy or lease their own suitable properties. Hoping that disabled aren't left out of Labour's plan released next week. Won't hold my breath.

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