Daily Review 24/01/2019

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, January 24th, 2019 - 68 comments
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Daily review is also your post.

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

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68 comments on “Daily Review 24/01/2019 ”

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  1. joe90 1
    24 January 2019 at 6:22 pm

    Happy 109th to Django Reinhardt, one of the most important jazz guitarists of all time.

    (dude had only two functional fingers on his left hand)

    https://twitter.com/thefindingeye/status/1088248846474452993

    • McFlock 1.1
      24 January 2019 at 7:16 pm

      That dude is off the chain! [couldn’t resist 🙂 ]

      • joe90 1.1.1
        24 January 2019 at 7:45 pm

        Fun fact, in tribute to Django Reinhard the Allman Brothers Band’s Dickey Betts attempted to write a song that could be played using only two fingers on the left hand.

        • Dennis Frank 1.1.1.1
          24 January 2019 at 8:43 pm

          It made my collection of four thousand all-time rock classics (few from after the early nineties). The long original version, I mean. It really hums along, and climbs the heights too. I never really considered Betts as a guitarist, actually, having become a fan of the Allmans before Duane died on his motorbike. Same fate for Les Harvey of Stone the Crows same year (I think), and he was even better than Duane!! I actually bought a Django album back then, but it was too jazzy so didn’t keep it. You’re right that Betts deserves credit, for sure!

  2. Kat 2
    24 January 2019 at 6:25 pm

    One of the many examples of why we have a housing crisis: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/110119264/mahana-property-owner-fined-10k-for-illegal-alterations

    The Kiwi “can do” “no 8” values only exist if the wee officious bureaucrats allow them.

    • Anne 2.1
      24 January 2019 at 6:46 pm

      … if the wee bureaucrats allow it.

      Yes, it was on TV1 this evening. It seems it is the bureaucrats who are causing the KiwiBuild delays. It’s holding back the builders and property developers from getting involved. Twyford is going to free up the regulations so they will hopefully come on board.

      Not the least surprised. It wouldn’t be the first time these bureaucratic little Hitlers with a modicum of power have trashed govt initiatives. In saying that, I readily concede both Nat. and Lab. led governments have been affected.

      Anyone who has worked for the Public Service in any capacity will know what I’m talking about,

      • ScottGN 2.1.1
        24 January 2019 at 7:54 pm

        Be nice to blame the faceless bureaucrats Anne. But sadly the government’s KiwiBuild travails are pretty much self inflicted.

        • Anne 2.1.1.1
          24 January 2019 at 8:08 pm

          I know what some faceless bureaucrats are like ScottGN. I worked with a few but not in the building industry. I do accept it was a problem Labour should have been alerted to well in advance of implementation.

          Its not the first time Labour has found itself in hot water over a policy plank due to lack of due diligence when cobbling the policy together. However it should be a problem that can be overcome.

        • Kat 2.1.1.2
          24 January 2019 at 8:13 pm

          There are many opinions on the govts “travails” with Kiwibuild, it just depends on which ones you choose to run with.

          • ScottGN 2.1.1.2.1
            24 January 2019 at 8:46 pm

            Maybe Kat but I pretty much can promise you that Kiwibuild’s inherent failings are not the fault of pen-pushers in Council offices up and down the land. Labour needs to own this and try and move the dial. Twyford and his ministry could at least try and get to grips with what makes the building industry tick. Why is he surprised that builders and developers are only really interested in the big builds? They all clip the ticket on every set of taps and shower head and everything else they install for fucks sake.

            • Kat 2.1.1.2.1.1
              24 January 2019 at 9:19 pm

              With regards your comments on Kiwibuild, what makes the building industry “tick” is precisely the point as it is mainly the threat of sustained, long-term economic and urban transformation that is fueling opposing and negative views at the moment. Especially from the opposition and poodles in the media. This govt will continue to build houses one way or another.

            • Doogs 2.1.1.2.1.2
              25 January 2019 at 3:37 pm

              Scott, I have to say from agonising personal experience that dealing with our dearly beloved Auckland Council is not something i would wish on even my worst enemy.

              Having dealt with them over a personal subdivision I was creating by knocking a piece off the property I live on, I was dragged through a series of events over a 2 year period which created for me and my wife the most angst we have collectively experienced in our 35 years together.

              The little tin Hitlers in that meandering rabbit warren called ‘council offices’ led us on a protracted and unnecessarily troublesome journey that could have been achieved in a third of the time. They charged us for every single minute they interacted with us, and that was on top of the regular set charges which are written down in their little book of words and numbers.

              They were unhelpful, difficult, arrogant, contradictory, threatening, ignorant, unapproachable, hard to contact and a dozen other things which I am disinclined to list here. It cost us somewhere between 40 and 50 thousand in council costs and fees just to subdivide off a 467 sq metre section.

              Usurious, uncaring and fucking disgraceful as a public service. You can’t go anywhere else. They’ve got you, and they let you know that in all they do and say.

              Thus – I heartily concur with those who say that tiny little puffed up bureaucratic numpties are probably the major cause of road blocks in the Kiwibuild process.

    • tc 2.2
      24 January 2019 at 6:49 pm

      So what you’re saying is any kiwi should be able to do What they like even if it’s possibly unsafe, unsound and let the buyer beware.

      Regulations are there to pull up cowboys like him, especially when an indoor fire is in the mix. Note there’s no mention of what an inspection revealed……if ones been done at all.

      • greywarshark 2.2.1
        24 January 2019 at 7:06 pm

        I can quote family member good builder now retired as to bureaucracy and housing. The right regulations properly implemented are what is needed. (Auckland based.)

        • Tamati Tautuhi 2.2.1.1
          24 January 2019 at 7:27 pm

          WE USED TO DO THINGS PROPERLY IN THE 1930’S=1970’S WHY DID THINGS CHANGE ????

          • Kat 2.2.1.1.1
            24 January 2019 at 8:30 pm

            Creeping bureaucracy and red tape. Theory over practice became the norm. Lack of proper training in the building trade as apprenticeships were given the heave ho. We the sheeple are the masters of our own demise. Thats what happened.

        • McFlock 2.2.1.2
          24 January 2019 at 7:30 pm

          I certainly agree with that, but most of the problem is that the council services are money-making but not customer-focused. The worst of both worlds.

          You get charged through the nose in order to sit on your arse and wait.

          In this particular case, though, I have no sympathy. If you can’t work within the plan, you don’t just ignore the consent issue.

          • Kat 2.2.1.2.1
            24 January 2019 at 8:08 pm

            If it can be shown that the building work is up to standard then what is the problem, why are we sanctioning punitive fines just for the sake of rules. This is the creeping web of bureaucratic autocracy that is infecting the spirit of people in New Zealand and quashing any form of self reliance.

            So a house plan is submitted and consent is given. The house is under construction and the builder discovers a window, door or wall is in the wrong place or should be changed, enlarged, made smaller or removed. That just can’t be done on site like it once was, it has to be redrawn and the amended plan submitted for consent with an extra fee before modification on site.

            We have become a nation of comfortably numb sheeple.

            • joe90 2.2.1.2.1.1
              24 January 2019 at 8:19 pm

              If it can be shown that the building work is up to standard then what is the problem

              Aside from planning issues, the purpose of the consenting process is to show that the building work is up to standard.

              Although there was that time when accredited persons were permitted to carry out inspections. But it didn’t work out too flash.

              • Kat …
                24 January 2019 at 8:22 pm

                Up to standard like the “leaky buildings fiasco”……that planning worked well didn’t it.

                • joe90 …
                  24 January 2019 at 8:26 pm

                  The permitted codes might have been shit but ultimately, it was the inspection processes that failed.

            • McFlock 2.2.1.2.1.2
              24 January 2019 at 8:29 pm

              Nah, this case is more than that – they asked to build a barn and instead built a house. Logburner emissions, plumbing, power, even access and road use – you can’t just increase the population density of a property and pretend it affects nobody else.

              The only problem I have with that case is that the fine wasn’t ten times bigger. Ten grand is probably within the budget estimate for the illegal house.

              • joe90 …
                24 January 2019 at 8:34 pm

                Dude’s about to find out just how big the fine could be.

                A man has admitted to doubling the floor area of a house without getting building consents for the work.

                Failing to get consents means Manawatū District Council is unable to check if Richard James Easther’s work complies with the Building Code, the Palmerston North District Court heard on Tuesday.

                […]

                He did extensive work on the house between 2011 and 2018, putting in a new kitchen, bedroom and covered deck, as well as other internal renovations.

                He effectively doubled the floor area of the house, but failed to get any building consents for the work.

                […]

                Easther is scheduled to be sentenced in February.

                He faces a fine of up to $200,000.

                https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/110078659/man-faces-massive-fine-for-doubling-houses-floor-area-without-consent

              • Kat …
                24 January 2019 at 8:43 pm

                Who said there is any pretending and how does a fine solve anything. The reality is the barn is most likely a reasonably built building affording shelter and a home to humans. Has to be more aesthetic in that particular environment than a Keith Hay type box or some cheep move on.

                • McFlock …
                  24 January 2019 at 9:05 pm

                  Barns don’t tend to have a kitchen, bathroom, mezzanine, logburner, and chimney.

                  Times might have changed since the last time I was on a farm, though.

                  • Kat …
                    24 January 2019 at 9:35 pm

                    Yes times have changed, what were once American style barns that gave shelter to hay, chickens, model T fords and the occasional cow hand are now country lifestyle-block homes.

      • A 2.2.2
        24 January 2019 at 9:10 pm

        Friend says he isn’t allowed to put in his own gib. Has to be a register builder ffs. One eg of many I’m sure.

      • Kat 2.2.3
        24 January 2019 at 9:22 pm

        “So what you’re saying is any kiwi should be able to do What they like even if it’s possibly unsafe, unsound and let the buyer beware….”

        No, and in this particular case if the building is shown to be unsafe, unsound and dangerous then it should be pulled down. But its most likely not and that is the point.

        • mpledger 2.2.3.1
          25 January 2019 at 8:51 am

          Once all the linings are up then how can you tell if the wiring and plumbing are sound? Electricity is so dangerous.

          We had a garage built and there were 11 checks that had to be done by council (IIRC) although the builders were able to work around that so that a lot of the checks could be done on the same day – something like 3 or 4 visits. And that was just for a garage!

    • joe90 2.3
      24 January 2019 at 7:04 pm

      The barn now had a kitchen, bathroom, mezzanine and logburner installed with all of the work, including the plumbing, done by Reilly himself, despite not being a registered plumber

      Yeah, the risks of the improper installation of heating and sanitary services – house fires, scoldings, legionella, hepatitis, campylobacter etc, etc, are a fucking doddle.
      /

      • greywarshark 2.3.1
        24 January 2019 at 7:08 pm

        Just burst pipes every ten years or so are a bit of a nuisance. That was from dodgy grey piping installed in the 1980s about.

      • Cinny 2.3.2
        24 January 2019 at 9:30 pm

        Lolz Mahana $$$ JS, funny, will have to check out the clip.

        Beautiful spot mind you.

  3. ianmac 3
    24 January 2019 at 6:55 pm

    Fancy the National Party being “blindsided.” Blinkered perhaps?

    “The National Party and a female MP whose text to disgraced MP Jami-Lee Ross triggered a police investigation appear to have been blindsided by the move.

    Ross revealed on Tuesday police had approached him about the text in which he said the woman told him he deserved to die. ……”

    “….National had no idea police were investigating till Ross dropped his bombshell on Tuesday – and has confirmed that the female MP at the centre of the investigation had been just as much in the dark.

    She has not responded to messages and National said she would not be commenting.”

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/110119860/police-inquiry-into-text-to-jamilee-ross-text-takes-national-by-surprise

    • Tamati Tautuhi 3.1
      24 January 2019 at 7:29 pm

      Which woman was that one ?

      That is not very nice obviously a bit sour about the relationship breakdown ?

    • ScottGN 3.2
      24 January 2019 at 7:34 pm

      Wonder if there will be a by-election down south before this is over?

    • mickysavage 3.3
      24 January 2019 at 8:40 pm

      I am amazed it took so long to investigate. These sorts of complaints usually take a week or so to finalise.

      • ScottGN 3.3.1
        24 January 2019 at 8:56 pm

        Tracy Watkins article says that National was aware of media reports of an investigation so I don’t really know how they could have been blindsided by the revelations that police were investigating?

        “National had no idea police were investigating till Ross dropped his bombshell on Tuesday – and has confirmed that the female MP at the centre of the investigation had been just as much in the dark.

        She has not responded to messages and National said she would not be commenting.

        A party spokesman said it was aware of media reports of an investigation but had not heard from police.”

        • Robert Guyton 3.3.1.1
          24 January 2019 at 9:00 pm

          “the female MP at the centre of the investigation had been just as much in the dark.”
          It’s these sorts of gratuitous details of the affair we just don’t need to have splashed all over the newspapers!

      • aj 3.3.2
        25 January 2019 at 1:43 pm

        I think she may have familial connections to police force.

    • Robert Guyton 3.4
      24 January 2019 at 9:03 pm

      “The National Party and a female MP whose text to disgraced MP Jami-Lee Ross”

      Shouldn’t that read, “The disgraced National Party and the disgraced female MP whose text to disgraced MP Jami-Lee Ross…”?

  4. ScottGN 4
    24 January 2019 at 7:39 pm

    46.6 degrees in Adelaide.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-24/sa-heating-up-with-records-expected-to-be-broken/10745220

    And BOM is warning that businesses in Melbourne May need to power down overnight if Victoria is to escape widespread heat related power outages tomorrow.

    https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/watchdog-widens-warnings-on-power-as-victoria-swelters-20190124-p50tat.html

    • Exkiwiforces 4.1
      24 January 2019 at 10:05 pm

      That’s not unusual for Melbourne to have what they cal “brown outs” since they flog off the power companies under old Kennett. When I was based in Melbourne from 2009 to the end of 2011 they happened a lot during the summer and to be quite frank the wife and while glad to get out of that shit hole called Melbourne.

  5. ScottGN 5
    24 January 2019 at 7:50 pm

    Trump’s approval rating has slumped below 40% on fivethirtyeight’s aggregated tracking. And today he got totally owned by Nancy.

    https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/?ex_cid=rrpromo

  6. A 6
    24 January 2019 at 9:14 pm

    Simon Black, Sovereign Man, is offering to pay rent of employees affected by the shutdown.

  7. WILD KATIPO 7
    24 January 2019 at 9:31 pm

    Meanwhile, … out on the tundra something strange is happening … that sorta… just shows how myopic things seem at times…

    https://youtu.be/jzlpK5g5quk?t=338

  8. greywarshark 8
    24 January 2019 at 10:30 pm

    Please can someone who remembers seeing that simple and telling image or chart rather than shows outlines of the countries of the world and the livable days at certain temperatures from yellow to dark red.

    Please can you tell me where on this blog you saw it, give me link? I think I need it to remind me each day of what is important to keep in mind.

      • Exkiwiforces 8.1.1
        24 January 2019 at 10:43 pm

        The Northern Australian Monsoon has finally arrived, mth and half late. So go figure and the gap between the a good season and a bad season is getting smaller weather you are in the Northern or the in the South.

        • joe90 8.1.1.1
          24 January 2019 at 10:51 pm

          Here on the Whanganui coast we’re experiencing equinox like (Oct-Nov) gales coming out of the NW rather than the SW.

          They’re sucking the heat and moisture out of the ground and making gardening tough.

          • Exkiwiforces 8.1.1.1.1
            24 January 2019 at 11:00 pm

            Yeah, I notice the storms of late in NZ are a little unusual for this time of the yr. Until the Monsoon turned up all our winds were coming from the west, south west instead of the Nth west through to the Nth East as we would expect for our Northern Wet Season.

            Then we have the Polar blasts in the Norther hemisphere as well.

            Not good atm.

  9. WILD KATIPO 9
    24 January 2019 at 10:53 pm

    Stop whinging about your gardening. One volcano caused the sunsets to be red and hazy continually as far away as England for fives years and caused a mist of the same to last even longer, globally.

    One volcano.

    Dwarfing anything man could ever do.

    Krakatoa – The Great Volcanic Eruption – YouTube

    • WILD KATIPO 9.1
      24 January 2019 at 10:59 pm

      Or try Mt St Helens.

      Minute by Minute: The Eruption of Mount St. Helens – YouTube

    • joe90 9.2
      24 January 2019 at 11:13 pm

      Dwarfing anything man could ever do.

      The USG Volcanic Survey calls bullshit on your assertion.

      Which emits more carbon dioxide (CO2): Earth’s volcanoes or human activities?
      Research findings indicate unequivocally that the answer to this frequently asked question is human activities.

      https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/file_mngr/file-154/Gerlach-2011-EOS_AGU.pdf

      • WILD KATIPO 9.2.1
        24 January 2019 at 11:19 pm

        I call bullshit on your assertions.

        For one you still haven’t explained the many ice ages and the warm period of Europe. Until you can do that , go talk to a woolly mammoth. Ask em how it happened. Then get back to me.

        Earth cycles , bud.

        And there aint nothing you , Al Gore or the Bilderbergers can do about it

        Thats the problem with you woke humanist lefties… using anything and everything to further your agendas. I can tell you right now you have more to fear from this than any deep olive oil fried somewhere – in – the – future calamity that you try to postulate.

        Atomic Bomb Explosion – YouTube

    • gsays 9.3
      25 January 2019 at 7:18 am

      Heartily recommend Simon Winchester’s ‘Krakatoa, the day the world exploded’.

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    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

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