Daily Review 26/10/2018

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, October 26th, 2018 - 59 comments
Categories: Daily review, uncategorized - Tags:

Daily review is also your post.

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

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

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

And because it is the weekend …

 

59 comments on “Daily Review 26/10/2018 ”

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1

      Time to go cashless then.

      • One Two 1.1.1

        No.

        Draco, for someone who has a reasonably strong grasp on what ailes this world, including the financial shortcomings…

        It makes your blindspot for cashless all the more illogical…

        Have a think…

        • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.1

          I’ve thought about it. That’s why I wrote it up.

          So far no one has been able to come up with an argument against it.

          • WILD KATIPO 1.1.1.1.1

            OK, – Here’s one… who’s going to be ultimately in charge of that cashless society and going by the latest behavior with the ChiNational party do you really think whoever it will be can be trusted?

            I’d hate to think how the Euros or Americans or Chinese or anyone else would love to have all that economic power over the rest of the world.

            You are better off with individual curreny’s despite all its shortcomings.

            • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.1.1.1

              who’s going to be ultimately in charge of that cashless society and going by the latest behavior with the ChiNational party do you really think whoever it will be can be trusted?

              Yes, we need to make sure to change it so that we’re the government that parliament is merely the administrators and that foreign influence is removed from our politics.

              That, of course, all needs to happen.

              I’d hate to think how the Euros or Americans or Chinese or anyone else would love to have all that economic power over the rest of the world.

              They already have that power. Only a sovereign money system can remove it.

              You are better off with individual curreny’s despite all its shortcomings.

              You’re advocating that every individual have their own currency?

          • McFlock 1.1.1.1.2

            Beggars can’t afford an eftpos machine.

            • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.1.2.1

              That makes absolutely no sense.

              • McFlock

                You know, folks with a hat and a sign sitting in the streets like they have nowhere to go.

                Without cash, how do people give them money? Or buskers, for that matter. Or how do they pay for goods if the eftpos goes down because some digger went through a fibre cable??

                • JohnSelway

                  There are no beggars is Draco’s utopia. Everyone wears the same clothes, a silver jumpsuit, wearing one of the two brands of shoes made by the state. Red shoes denote a party member whereas white shoes mean they are a citizen. Everyone has a slightly glowing blue halo surrounding their bodies and everyone smiles in self satisfaction as they ride the “Mini-Tube” (what we’d call a Subway but much faster) to their assigned factories for a day of work.

                  • Dukeofurl

                    Same clothes ?

                    You mean like a 2 piece business suit or overalls with high viz vest ?

                    opps .. too late

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      Yep. The level of conformity for clothing has increased significantly over the last few decades.

                    • JohnSelway

                      “Yep. The level of conformity for clothing has increased significantly over the last few decades.”

                      What bullshit. People wear far less suits and offices go for far more casual these days. You’re talking out ya ass. Even my doctor dresses down.

                      Shit, I’ve been white collar for my entire working life and in 20 years I have had to wear a suit for only two jobs.
                      And high vis vests are for safety reasons, not conformity

                      So…[citation needed]

                  • Draco T Bastard

                    And there you go lying about me again.

                • Draco T Bastard

                  Without cash, how do people give them money?

                  There really shouldn’t be beggars. Yes, I know that they’re structural and part of the present system as it creates ever more poverty. We have to change the system there.

                  That said, under such a system they would have a bank account and so anybody wishing to give them money would be able to make a bank transfer upon the spot using their phone.

                  I’d expect buskers to have applied for and get a Paywave device as part of their business. Supplied, of course, for free by the government.

                  Or how do they pay for goods if the eftpos goes down because some digger went through a fibre cable?

                  Why would you need to? It’s an accident. It happens but infrequently and you should be able to get over the few hours of it being down by simply being a responsible adult.

                  • McFlock

                    Lol
                    Sorry, I thought you might have been suggesting a real-world solution, not something to be implemented after poverty has been eradicated, everyone’s willingly thoroughly documented and computerised, people are patient and never in need of something ASAP (paracetemol, etc), and the government routinely hands out free gadgets to anyone upon request.

                    Once that all happens, I might consider your cashless idea reasonable, rather than just something convenient for you being spouted as good for everyone.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      There are many parts – not just one.

                      And considering that ~70% and increasing of transactions are already cashless we’re already well on our way. Of course, ATM, the entire financial system is owned and controlled by faceless, unelected dictators in the form of the private banking system.

          • One Two 1.1.1.1.3

            Draco, good on you for authoring that document

            You have thought it through…in what reads like a bubble…seemingly without an understanding of what you’ve written…certainly with no reference to the controllers of the worlds banking and finance markets…

            ‘They’ will not be handing over the control, of their control…

            What you’ve described and advocated for, repeatedly, is a fully trackable and auditable financial prison system…

            Are you even remotely aware of the technical developments in peer to peer untrackable payment technologies? Not bitcoin

            Human beings should not be trapped within digital prisons…which is what your article and comments are describing and suggesting as a positive…

            Each point in your article has a valid counter point, which easily exposes your position and why it should not happen…

            You’ve not thought it through appropriately…if you had… you couldn’t claim ‘no arguments against’…not with a straight face…

            I’ll have a full debate with you on this topic, as soon as you publish an updated version, highlighting the constraints and risks with your ‘system’…

            • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.1.3.1

              ‘They’ will not be handing over the control, of their control…

              Whinging about that isn’t how we get that control back. We have to take it.

              What you’ve described and advocated for, repeatedly, is a fully trackable and auditable financial prison system…

              Human beings should not be trapped within digital prisons

              It’s not a prison system at all.

              Are you even remotely aware of the technical developments in peer to peer untrackable payment technologies?

              Yes and am fully against them as they allow ever more corruption and disconnect the financial system even more from reality than it already is.

              Each point in your article has a valid counter point, which easily exposes your position and why it should not happen…

              Then you’ll be able to list them and provide arguments.

              You’ve not thought it through appropriately…if you had… you couldn’t claim ‘no arguments against’…not with a straight face…

              I have never claimed that and never will.

              I’ll have a full debate with you on this topic, as soon as you publish an updated version, highlighting the constraints and risks with your ‘system’…

              Translation: I have absolutely no arguments against what you said so I’ll wait until you provide them.

              • One Two

                Financial Prison System…

                Did you deliberately leave out the word, FINANCIAL?

                That you don’t see what you’ve described is the barriers you have to understanding why ‘cashless’ the way you fantasize about it…can’t happen…won’t happen…

                So you’re ‘aware’ of the P2P technologies but you ‘ignore’ them…being against it will not stop it…I’ll take P2P cashless over your version all day…but I’ll take cash and barter over all others…

                so far no ones been able to come up with an argument against…

                So you didn’t make that claim then…perhaps you can clarify it more clearly…because you’ve made that claim…perhaps you don’t read widely enough or live in la la land…seems that is the case…

                List the arguments you have and haven’t heard then…before you tell me I’ve got no arguments..

                You made that claim…back it up!

                • Draco T Bastard

                  That you don’t see what you’ve described is the barriers you have to understanding why ‘cashless’ the way you fantasize about it…can’t happen…won’t happen…

                  It’s already happening it’s just being done by the private dictators in the banks rather than by government.

                  So you didn’t make that claim then…

                  I made that claim – it just doesn’t match your assertion of it:

                  you couldn’t claim ‘no arguments against’

                  You either need reading and comprehension lessons or you’re lying.

                  And what I describe is not a prison system financial or otherwise. It’s a means to help get the financial system reconnected to physical reality. It goes hand in hand with a sovereign monetary system.

                  • One Two

                    I asked for you to clarify what you meant in your comments, and suggested how you may do so by providing the arguments you have and have not heard…

                    Thus giving some credence to YOUR comment, which you are now trying to project away from with childish insults and accusations…

                    Why is it you are unwilling to provide substance to YOUR claim…regarding a document which YOU authored…

                    Why would you not ?

                    • JohnSelway

                      Speaking of assertions I’d like the citation for Draco’s “clothes are much more conformist now”

          • James 1.1.1.1.4

            More likely they read that and think your not worth arguing with.

  1. SPC 2

    The Fisk take on journalists and ME government.

    I knew just what Jamal Khashoggi’s murder really meant in the context of the Middle East last week when I realised just who I’d have to call to explain it to me. Whom would I telephone to learn what was going on? Why, of course, I’d call Jamal Khashoggi. And that’s why his murder is so important. Because he was, as he knew, a lone and important Arab journalist who did not listen – not any more — to His Master’s Voice. And that, of course, was his problem.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/khashoggi-latest-saudi-arabia-murder-yemen-consulate-istanbul-turkey-mecca-a8600886.html

    • RedLogix 2.1

      Robert Fisk is a man to admire and learn from. Not every word he types will be gospel rectitude, we can argue his information and logic. But we must learn from his courage, tenacity and desire for truth.

  2. Ed 3

    More connections between Chinese money and the National Party.

    “National president named chairman of Chinese conference by alleged donor Zhang.
    National president Peter Goodfellow says he and two MPs have been made honorary chairmen of a major Chinese conference organised by a businessman at the centre the party’s political donation scandal.
    MP Jami-Lee Ross Ross alleged last week National Party leader Simon Bridges had broken the law by not correctly declaring a $100,000 donation he claimed was made by Yikun Zhang, his business partner, and associate Colin Zheng.
    Goodfellow also has close connections with Zhang, and he accepted his invitation in 2017 to become an honorary chairman of the 20th International Teochew Conference in Auckland.
    The conference, to be held over three days in September next year at SkyCity, will attract more than 1000 high-powered Chinese business people.
    It is being organised by Chao Shan General Association of New Zealand, which Zhang established in 2014 for New Zealander-Chinese who share the same hometown of Chaoshan, a region in the coastal city of Guangdong in China.
    Zhang is chairman of the Chao Shan General Association of New Zealand and Zheng is executive chairman of the 20th Teochew International Conference.”

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/108124777/national-president-named-chairman-of-chinese-conference-by-alleged-donor-zhang

    • BM 3.1

      Chinese Money

      An influential United States Congress hearing has been told “one of the major fundraisers for Jacinda Ardern’s party” is linked to the Chinese Communist Party and it showed China had penetrated New Zealand’s political networks.

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12058818

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11924169

      • Dukeofurl 3.1.1

        The major funder part is a beat up by Fisher…who’s interviewed his computer for the story. No sums are mentioned but later stories seem to indicate it referred to a hugely expensive bottle of wine…a line that was debunked… Which Fisher knew about and was in collusion with national over

        • Anne 3.1.1.1

          You mean that bottle of wine at a Labour fund-raising event in Hawkes Bay? The one that was auctioned off for… wasn’t it $200? Later Liu tried to claim he payed much more for it but if my memory serves me correctly it was proven he lied.

          • Ad 3.1.1.1.1

            Our own annual Labour electorate wine auction is coming up this weekend and there are plenty that hit the $200 mark. Gotta keep those Party dues going somehow!

        • BM 3.1.1.2

          I’m not a my side vs your side sort of guy.

          Personally, I don’t have an issue with Chinese people donating to NZ political parties.

          China is just one huge company all they’re interested in is getting work and making money for China.

          • WILD KATIPO 3.1.1.2.1

            Yes, – one that wants to make NZ Inc part of their corporate.

            No thanks,… we’ve already seen how that functions under the ChiNational party. We don’t want anymore of it , either.

          • Drowsy M. Kram 3.1.1.2.2

            “I’m not a my side vs your side sort of guy.” No, NO – please stop – I’ve split my sides!

      • patricia bremner 3.1.2

        Keep beating the drum BM… I’d give more credence to you feigned anxiety, if you had querried National’s contacts!!!

      • Draco T Bastard 3.1.3

        Yes, Chinese money in NZ politics is bad – no matter who gets it.

        And I don’t actually believe the CIA or pretty much anything that comes out of the US. They’ve spent too much time fucking around in everybody else’s politics for the gain of their rich.

    • Dukeofurl 3.2

      Isn’t Chaoshan a sub region of Guangdong province.
      It’s supposed to be the ‘home region’ of almost all the overseas Chinese in S E Asia.
      The NZ Chinese from goldrush days mostly came from the adjacent Fuijian province. I hope I got that right

  3. JohnSelway 4

    Gawd – The Kings Of Leon?

    Fucking atrocious band

  4. Incognito 5

    26 Oct 2017 – 26 Oct 2018

    • Rosemary McDonald 5.1

      Yes.

      And it seems that the reach of kindness has a limit, and those dependent on benefits and especially those on the Supported Living Payment are still outside the circle of warmth.

      Still wedged in the margins.

      Kay commented earlier on this….https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-26-10-2018/#comment-1542552

      …and it seems a topic undeserving of the attention of other Standardistas.

      However…to the rescue comes Bomber…who gives the COL a well deserved D fucking minus for welfare reforms.

      “Once upon a time in New Zealand, the agencies of state welfare were constructed as an instrumental and direct means to ensure our egalitarian values.

      Social welfare was seen as a way to redistribute back to the most vulnerable amongst us and these agencies were critical in carrying out that redistribution.

      There was a pride involved in this public service, our compassion made us unique and it built the values from which we as New Zealanders have benefitted from.

      That simply is no longer the case.

      For the last 30+ years, the neoliberal experiment has turned our once egalitarian welfare state into a neoliberal welfare state. The branches of social welfare, the MoD, CYFS, Corrections, Parole Services, Housing NZ, WINZ and Mental health have all been warped and mutated into weapons to punish the poor for being vulnerable.

      In a culture of selfish consumerism where success is private and failure is personal , we see the poor as victims of their own circumstance rather than as a result of the hegemonic structures of power.

      The poor, the vulnerable, the weak, the sick and the disabled do everything in their power now not to be needing assistance from these Government agencies, because these Government agencies don’t help, they only punish.

      Labour have done sweet fuck all to change this toxic culture other than asking for a second sign off to ending welfare. Yay, Labour are only slightly less cruel than National, what a victory for human decency.

      Suicide rates continue to soar, our mental health system is as dysfunctional as ever before and lip service is given to the politics of kindness.”

      https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/10/26/one-year-of-the-new-government-the-faded-hope-of-a-hollow-promise-grading-the-issues/

      I don’t always see eye to eye with the Brad…but this time he’s nailed it.

      So, Happy Bloody Birthday, COL…you betcha, we’re all feeling the love.

      • Carolyn_Nth 5.1.1

        Yep. This is a major fail. Ditto for the home care workers featured on Checkpoint tonight, who can’t afford the petrol to do their jobs.

        It seems to me that the current Labour-led government is focused on appealing to the middle classes. What ever happened to Savage’s Labour and the large number of Kiwis that supported it?

        • Rosemary McDonald 5.1.1.1

          ” What ever happened to Savage’s Labour and the large number of Kiwis that supported it?”

          Those Kiwis who supported Savage’s Labour are still there..but they’re mostly rural/remote(in my experience), and far from the trendy political sophistication of the city folk.

          But…since most Kiwis are now city folk…

      • WeTheBleeple 5.1.2

        As a student, and a subscriber to ‘student hardship’ (what you get in between school years) I can attest to the punitive suspicious and outright hostile environment that is WINZ.

        You know in phone calls they’ll tell you it is being recorded for training… You know, that knowledge they think will force you to be docile. Doesn’t work. Turn the tables and they squirm like the proverbial worm.

        Hot tip. Tell them you record everything. Tell them your phone is on record when they start their BS. Watch them freak out, pupils dilate, sweat on brow.. then put on a fake smile, and do their fucking job.

        Every company or department I deal with now believes they are being recorded. No more BS. The only thing they seem to understand is profit and fear of being exposed as the inhuman shits they can be.

        Zero tolerance for assholes. Take no prisoners.

        • Rosemary McDonald 5.1.2.1

          “Tell them you record everything. Tell them your phone is on record when they start their BS. Watch them freak out, pupils dilate, sweat on brow.. then put on a fake smile, and do their fucking job.

          Every company or department I deal with now believes they are being recorded. No more BS. The only thing they seem to understand is profit and fear of being exposed as the inhuman shits they can be.

          Zero tolerance for assholes. Take no prisoners.”

          Actual happening….

          Walk/wheel into meeting room at local DHB for meeting with three managers associated with older people and rehabilitation services and the NASC to discuss complaint about said NASC.

          You have an advocate from the Health and Disability Commission with you.

          You place the voice recorder on the table and inform them of its existence…hoping this will encourage them to put aside the obfuscating bs, answer your questions and address your concerns and help devise a path for the future.

          Next hour is more bs (from them). Total and absolute refusal to address any of our issues. Non reaction at calling one of them a liar. They had come up with the strategy to turn it back on us and imply that we had not cooperated with assessments and they hinted at dire consequences if we (again) ‘declined services’ even if the services offered are so unfit for purpose it would be dangerous to use them.

          Long story short….we fully cooperated with their full on assessment, which arrived at a higher allocation of care hours than already offered.
          This was cut back to the existing level and two out of the three designated care providers were horrifyingly inappropriate.
          We have all of this in writing and in the voice record.
          Like us….it counts for nothing.

  5. JC 6

    “Wonderful to have @jacindaardern drop in on our @NZGreens Caucus Planning Day to talk about a year in Government with @nzlabour & #NZFirst.”

    https://twitter.com/EugenieSage/status/1055643410068004864

    And ; PM reflects on a coalition government one year on.

    https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018668367/pm-reflects-on-a-coalition-government-one-year-on

  6. Ad 7

    Anyone else go to Rhian Sheehan tonight at Auckland’s Q Theatre?

    What magic!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZwizE5yBOs

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    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    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
    4 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
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 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
    8 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
    10 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
    11 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 ...
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  • 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. ...
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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