Daily review 21/06/2019

Written By: - Date published: 5:50 pm, June 21st, 2019 - 61 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

Happy birthday to you …

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 …

61 comments on “Daily review 21/06/2019 ”

  1. Muttonbird 1

    The wife of former ANZ New Zealand boss David Hisco bought the couple’s Auckland family home from her husband’s employer for substantially less than its capital valuation in 2017.

    Deborah Walsh paid $6.9 million in July of that year for the lavish St Heliers property, less than the $7.55m ANZ paid when it bought the house in early 2011.

    Valuations service QV put the property’s 2017 capital value at $10.75m.

    Nearly $4m discount!

    This sale went through in July 2017, 2 months after Jong Kee joined the ANZ board. Surely he must have signed off on this, but then it's all just monopoly money to them, isn't it?

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/113661929/anz-bought-75m-beachside-auckland-property-for-david-hisco

    • Peter 1.1

      In case people don't read the link – you show the value of the property going up dramatically but didn't mention the fact that the ANZ paid for big refurbishments to the property as well while Hisco lived there.

      The bank can admit their practices were sloppy or say Hisco was sloppy with his paperwork but an ordinary peasant person like me thinking in the vernacular is likely to come up with expressions like "rip-off merchant."

      The level of entitlement, or greed, or morals or the sense of removal from the 'real world' should be bewildering but it isn't. That's the way some classes act. And of course they are those who often use that expression, telling us to get into the 'real world.'

    • mickysavage 1.2

      Ha I wonder if this was because of exceptionally good work by a reporter or a strategic leak? Methinks the latter.

      Pretty brutal …

    • Instauration 1.3

      Furnished and submitted documents over many years to the Companies Office say that the residential address of David Hisco is at 29 Albert Street Auckland – between levels 29 – 32 . These filings may render David Hisco incongruous with the requirements of Section 215 of the 1993 Companies Act.

      No mention of St Heliers or Kohimarama

      Oddly current listings state; "Held By Registrar, Auckland, 1010 , New Zealand "

      Never seen that before.

    • Muttonbird 1.4

      Further, the huge discount provided to Mrs Hisco when she bought the house from the ANZ for approx $3.5m less than it was valued seems to have been indirectly or directly passed on to John and Bronagh Key.

      The sale of the St Heliers house for far less than it was worth was basically a gift of $3.5m to the Hiscos from the shareholders, staff and customers of the ANZ, including me! 🤬

      This 'gift' in July 2017 then goes on to fund the purchase of John and Bronagh Key's beach house at 43 Success Place, Omaha in February 2018 for, coincidentally, about $3.5m.

      Question being, how much was John Key involved in the process which ended up him receiving funds procured under a cloud (the cheap sale of the St Heliers house), for the sale of his beach house?

      Key mentioned under questioning at that press conference that they had a house to sell and the Hiscos bought it, “and that’s it”. But really, the Hiscos received a huge windfall of pretty much the same amount as the sale just months before from the very ANZ Key was a board member of…

    • Muttonbird 1.5

      More quite staggering actions and statements at the press conference last week.

      Many watched this spectacle in astonishment. There was disbelief among reporters at the press conference when Key denied there was a link between Hisco finding his head on the block and the severe embarrassment the bank and its board suffered at the hands of the Reserve Bank just a week before Hisco initially went on leave.

      Hisco held one of the biggest jobs in the country and was being taken down publicly, humiliatingly, over a relatively small expense when compared with his hefty yearly expense claim and salary. Key went so far as to speak on Hisco's behalf, airily claiming that, "David would say he did not meet the standards he set for the rest of our staff and for himself".

      Legal commentators said it was unusual. Usually these sensitive matters are dealt with quietly to avoid the potential reputational damage to both parties.

      But here was Key, not stabbing Hisco quietly in the back and sliding him off into early retirement, rather parading Hisco's failure around like a trophy, only missing Hisco himself to fully complete the public flogging.

      https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/113641865/the-fall-of-anz-chief-executive-david-hisco

  2. Gabby 2

    Davy certainly has an eye for a bargain doesn't he.

  3. Muttonbird 3

    President Donald Trump approved retaliatory military strikes against Iran on Thursday before changing his mind, US media reports.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48714414

    Anyone get the idea the orange piece of crap doesn't have the faintest idea what he's doing?

    • adam 3.1

      I think they thought they could get away with the drone crap, after the other lies. When someone in the white house actually asked around how the world felt – it must have shocked them into a retraction.

      Watch them keep amping this up.

      • McFlock 3.1.1

        I don't even think it went to overseas opinion, or even domestic.

        Even odds that Bolton or another hawk persuaded dolt45 to launch a "retaliatory" strike, and then someone who isn't a warmongering piece of shit heard about it and managed to talk him out of it because it was more than 30sec later and his attention had drifted.

        • Macro 3.1.1.1

          That's about it I reckon.

          Bolton and Pompeo are pushing like mad to start another war, but fortunately there are a couple of others who are a little more sane. Just how long it will last however is another matter.

          Mind you tRump can contradict himself from one sentence to the next. He just opens his mouth and words come out.

    • WeTheBleeple 3.2

      For desperate want of a better word: isn't this a cultivated image – him not knowing what he's doing merely a decoy. It's hard not to think of him as the world's biggest idiot. But there he is, siphoning off the world's largest economy for a select few companies. Blatantly law breaking, bribing, coercing, dominating and shitting on anyone and everyone – and getting away with it. Shrewd cunning only?

      And check out those Proud Boys, they must make him chubby. Very fine people indeed. I reckon they can't wait to get issued some shiny new jackboots and he can't wait to issue them. New boots for the poor! They'll polish them every day on minorities heads. You see they're convenient to keep the leftist commie rabble at home in line or cages while he burns the world.

      Insane doesn't mean stupid, nor does crass, insensitive or cruel. I wish he was a moron…

      Trolling the entire planet – he might get an Oscar for this show.

    • A 3.3

      Glad he changed his mind. Even the victor loses in war

    • WeTheBleeple 4.1

      After Panama Papers I'd say there's more than a smidgen of truth to it.

      It'll be global in scope. Shifting offices, shifting sands.

      • greywarshark 4.1.1

        That is an amazing info. dated January 2019. Checking on other sites where info re Gordon B appears seem dodgy. I think that he needs to keep his records and himself safe as he must be a liability to many people.

        I was reminded of a fictional story I have recently read about The South Sea Bubble called Sea Change by Robert Goddard. If you like convoluted plots this is one for you. That was a very widely spread scam.

  4. CHCoff 5

    Happy birthday to baby Neve

    & bring on the terrible 2s when she'll be ready to start filling in with the parliamentary debates

  5. Pat 6

    An open and honest politician!…..worth the listen

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018700800

  6. Ad 7

    Very interesting move by President Trump to countermand his own order issuing military response against Iran.

    Neither Obama nor GW Bush would have done that.

    The global oil price, and much of the world, live another day.

    But it shows the Pentagon are on the brink.

    Today only Trump stands between peace and the US military. Which honestly is a bit of a mindfuck.

    • RedLogix 7.1

      At this point our old friend CV might be having one of his 'I told you so moments'. The obdurate failure of the left to understand what they were really up against in Trump speaks to largely to a desire to have something to whine resentfully about.

      • Anne 7.1.1

        Well no Redlogix. Not all of us. It was precisely because we knew what we were up against in Trump which spoke volumes to our deep concern at his rise to power. In that regard he hasn't let me down and my concern over his presidency only increases as time goes on.

        • RedLogix 7.1.1.1

          I get that, and I accept this from you in good faith.

          In general however the correct response to losing is to retreat with dignity, work out exactly what you did wrong and then fix it. The exact opposite of what the Dems did and more than a few around here.

        • marty mars 7.1.1.2

          Yes Anne – we all realised that except for the t.rump acolytes like cv. The democrats aren't the left although they may be a small subset of the left I suppose.

          • RedLogix 7.1.1.2.1

            Why do you think spelling Trump's name incorrectly will help?

            • marty mars 7.1.1.2.1.1

              no one cares except for you – why do you care? It's ok I know why and it's very cute lol

              • RedLogix

                If nobody cares, then why do you do it? And all the other childish name calling?

                Do you think it would persuade anyone to not vote for Trump, or change their minds for the better?

                • marty mars

                  grow up – you're opinions are really silly – childish is an older guy like you defending trump against people making fun of his name – pathetic – get onto the talk show hosts there 'patricia' and shut them down too cos they are mean – lol

                  • Morrissey

                    Marty, pointing out the grave failure of the "Democrats"—or precisely the right wing faction of that party led by the doomed Hillary Clinton—is not "defending Trump."

                    • marty mars

                      who said it was

                      what about complaining about the spelling of his arsehole name – got anything to say on that?

            • Sabine 7.1.1.2.1.2

              i agree it should be spelled orange shart cannon.

      • Macro 7.1.2

        Reported today:

        The attorneys who recently visited the facility near El Paso told The Associated Press that three girls, ages 10 to 15, said they had been taking turns watching over a sick 2-year-old boy because there was no one else to look after him.

        When the lawyers saw the boy, he wasn’t wearing a diaper and had wet his pants, and his shirt was smeared in mucus. They said at least 15 children at the facility had the flu, and some were kept in medical quarantine.

        The children told lawyers that they were fed uncooked frozen food or rice and had gone weeks without bathing or a clean change of clothes at the facility in Clint, in the desert scrubland some 25 miles southeast of El Paso.

        “In my 22 years of doing visits with children in detention I have never heard of this level of inhumanity,” said Holly Cooper, an attorney who represents detained youth. “Seeing our country at this crucible moment where we have forsaken children and failed to see them as human is hopefully a wake up for this country to move toward change.”

        https://apnews.com/46da2dbe04f54adbb875cfbc06bbc615

        This is what Trump represents. There is nothing wonderful in his Presidency at all.

        • RedLogix 7.1.2.1

          If I was to turn up at LAX illegally, got detained and horribly treated, there would be no sympathy at all. Even less if I'd been stupid enough to involve my children.

          Of course the story above is appalling, but hand-wringing without offering a concrete solution doesn't help.

          Americans don’t like whiners much; it’s why so many of them voted for Trump even when they knew damn well all his shortcomings and flaws.

          • marty mars 7.1.2.1.1

            nice – suffer the little children and all that eh – wonder what jesus would have done – probably thrown you lot from the temple to start with lol

            • RedLogix 7.1.2.1.1.1

              Are you saying that parents are not responsible for their children?

              • marty mars

                lol is that what jesus said

                • RedLogix

                  "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's".

                  Is that the line you are thinking of?

                  • marty mars

                    I'm sure as a person with a difficult upbringing and doubts about who his dad was, he would be very concerned about the children – sadly more than a few of his followers have discarded any deep caring for others for the extreme self centred me me me attitude displayed – a bit like like you do?

                    • RedLogix

                      At the same time did Jesus tell his followers it was OK to break the laws of the land? That God would ensure they would escape any bad consequences for doing so?

                      If you actually cared about these children, as distinct from just using them as an opportunity to vent, you might ask the hard questions about why their parents put them into such peril in the first place.

                      And if you really want to argue for open borders and unconstrained migration then do so honestly.

                    • marty mars

                      If he was around today you'd be laughing at him as some dick refugee and you know it

                    • RedLogix

                      When you make a reasoned argument I always respond in good faith, but the personal attack is all you seem to have. Haven't you noticed by now how weak they make you?

                    • marty mars

                      I know they drop me to your level but that is the price I pay to fight bigotry.

                      I detest your fake reasonableness – I'm commenting on a LEFT wing blog as a left wing activist – you can bullshit as much as you like I just don't care for your attitudes and opinions.

          • greywarshark 7.1.2.1.2

            RKL 7 1 2 1 … (hand-wringing without offering a concrete solution doesn’t help.)

            USA likes concrete solutions. They make floors and walls out of it to keep helpless children in who are separated from their parents. This is a country that lauds the family in public but behind the scenes….

          • Drowsy M. Kram 7.1.2.1.3

            The report posted by Macro didn't mention adults or parents – the report did describe consequences of inhumane treatment of the very young.

            Yes, hold parents responsible, but please treat children/infants humanely. It's not rational, or moral, to mistreat children because of poor 'decisions' made by their parents. The mistreatment in this case seems quite deliberate, punitive even, if attorney Holly Cooper's comment is anything to go by.

            I’ll stop wringing my hands now.

        • RedLogix 7.1.2.2

          There is nothing wonderful in his Presidency at all.

          Why is it that if I'm not having a whiny hissy fit about Trump that I must therefore think he is 'wonderful'. This binary for us/against us thinking is weak and ineffective.

          I'll say it one more time … Trump only won because the Dems so comprehensively lost the unlosable election.

          I'm active in the tramping community; every year there are people who die in our mountains because they didn't take them seriously. The game is dangerous, and losing it can be fatal.

          Same with not taking Trump seriously. He's dangerous and playing 'who can come up with the most crackbrained insult' is an irritating distraction.

      • The Al1en 7.1.3

        Not a friend of mine. Not since he turned weird, and definitely not when I heard him make a record of my personal info during a phone conversation we had.

        Wouldn't trust him with a treasonous barge pole.

        • greywarshark 7.1.3.1

          The Allen doesn't like Trump? since he turned weird. People do that sometimes, as you get to know more about them. I'm not sure about Red Logix now.

          • The Al1en 7.1.3.1.1

            I thought it was pretty clear. Obviously I'll have to reduce my future contributions to reflect what lowest common denominator actually means.

            And it's still Mr Al1en, to you. 😉

    • Macro 7.2

      If he actually knew what he was doing – he wouldn't have made the order in the first place. It was probably pointed out to him that such an order was against the Constitution anyway, and he is already fighting off a load of shit.

      On second thoughts he probably has no cognisance of what legal jeopardy he is in already, and adding further to his unconstitutional behaviour is the last thing on his mind.

      They probably gave him some crayons and a few airplane pictures to colour in. He would enjoy that.

    • Muttonbird 7.3

      Trump appointed those who wish to wage war. That he's having second thoughts now shows how little control he has over his own philosophy.

      • McFlock 7.3.1

        Exactly.

        In 1962 it was the presidential staff vs the Pentagon. In 2019, whomever happens to be in the oval office at the time manipulates the president into doing what they want.

        Not that the Pentagon doesn't have hawks these days, but they're hawks who actually have to deal with their resource constraints, and are much more interested in building more expensive projects and retiring into industry than they are in running a difficult war. And the generals who do want to send troops in don't have enough troops to do it.

  7. A 9

    Would you still want to keep your money in an Australian owned bank if you knew that funds from NZ depositors could be used to bail out the banks in Australia?

    10.30 mins in

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfneQrh0Y_Q

    • Ad 9.1

      We currently have more commissions, royal commissions, reports, and working groups operating at the behest of this government than under any other government we've ever had.

      Most of them have achieved nothing and will achieve nothing.

      So no, we don't need another one.

      • Pat 9.1.1

        Oh we need one alright, but as noted in the podcast one with the right people and the right terms of reference…and we know that aint gonna happen

    • Pat 9.2

      good post…and watch the first 10 mins as well

      Orr has gotta stick to his guns

      • Ad 9.2.1

        We have a cultural sickness that means we are up to our necks in debt from mortgages … and people get rich off it.

        The fault's ours, not the banks.

        • Pat 9.2.1.1

          Banks have been gifted the privalege of determining the level of debt for society (and their own wealth) and with privalege comes responsibility……and ground zero for the cultural sickness resides in their house.

        • greywarshark 9.2.1.2

          Oh Ad you are so harsh. We have been flexible and run along the channels that have been made for us to follow – we thought prosperity was like water which we had in abundance. We have practically given water away happily because there was plenty more where that came from. We haven't understood what we were doing with our water, nor with making money from the influx of demand for houses, (there are more houses etc).

          Water and houses – we didn't see what we were doing. We are like lambs to the slaughter really, we never have been taught to question and think about our situation, discuss matters over the dinner table, after dinner before watching television, assess and analyse. Forgive us for we know not what we do, great Ad.

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    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
    3 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    5 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
    5 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
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    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
    4 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
    9 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
    11 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
    12 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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