Daily Review – 26/09/2016

Written By: - Date published: 5:20 pm, September 26th, 2016 - 72 comments
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Obama Trump hope hate

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 …

72 comments on “Daily Review – 26/09/2016 ”

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  2. Robert Guyton 2
    26 September 2016 at 6:20 pm

    A person could decide today.
    Yay for democracy!

  3. Paul 3
    26 September 2016 at 8:25 pm

    He Who Hesitates Is Lost And Russia Hesitated — Paul Craig Roberts

    The Russian government deceived itself with its fantasy belief that Russia and Washington had a common cause in fighting ISIS. The Russian government even went along with the pretense that the various ISIS groups operating under various pen names were “moderate rebels” who could be separated from the extremists, all the while agreeing to cease fighting on successive verges of victory so that Washington could resupply ISIS and prepare to introduce US and NATO forces into the conflict. The Russian government apparently also thought that as a result of the coup against Erdogan, which was said to implicate Washington, Turkey was going to cease supporting ISIS and cooperate with Russia.

    Alas, the Russians so fervently, or perhaps I should say feverishly, desired an agreement with Washington that they deceived themselves. If Finian Cunningham’s report is correct, Washington has taken advantage of Russia’s urging that Washington and Turkey join in the attack on ISIS by invading northern Syria under the guise of “fighting ISIS.”

    Syria has now been partitioned, and the pretend or fake “moderate rebels” can be built up inside the US/Turkish occupied areas of Syria and the war against Syria kept going for as long as Washington wants. The western presstitutes will report that the Turkish/American forces occupying areas of Syria are not invaders but are attacking ISIS.

    With US, Turkish, and, little doubt, soon other NATO troops operating inside Syria, the neoconservatives will have many opportunities to provoke a conflict with Russia from which Russia will have to stand down or reply with force. In the event of a Trump presidential victory, the neocons want to make certain Trump is embroiled in a war that will prevent an accommodation with Russia

    http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2016/09/24/he-who-hesitates-is-lost-and-russia-hesitated-paul-craig-roberts/

  4. Paul 4
    26 September 2016 at 8:27 pm

    The world’s fixated on Trump. But Hillary could drag us ALL into a catastrophic war, writes PETER HITCHENS in America

    A clear victory for Hillary Clinton would create even greater problems. Educated, informed people here believe that there are serious doubts about her health. Even if they are wrong, her militant interventionist foreign policies are terrifying.
    I lived through the Cold War and never believed we were in real danger. But I genuinely tremble at the thought of Mrs Clinton in the White House. She appears to have learned nothing from the failed interventions of the past 30 years, and scorns Barack Obama’s praiseworthy motto: ‘Don’t do stupid stuff.’
    She will do stupid stuff, and drag us into it, you may rely upon it.
    How odd it is, to hear on the air the faint but insistent sound of coming war, here in this place of sweet, small hills, rich soil and wistful, mountainous horizons.
    Men came here in search of what we all really desire, to be left alone to get on with the really important aims of life, to build a home and raise a family, to see the fruits of their labour, to believe what they wish to believe.
    I cannot quite work out how the good, sane impulse that gave birth to the USA could possibly have led us to this nightmare choice between two equally horrible outcomes.
    I shall just have to carry on hoping that I am wrong.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-3805989/The-world-s-fixated-Trump-Hillary-drag-catastrophic-war-writes-PETER-HITCHENS-America.html

      • Colonial Viper 4.1.2
        26 September 2016 at 9:00 pm

        No surprise that the Western Colonial Powers would demand that both Russia and the Syrian Government Army stop attacking the Jihadist Head Choppers that the west backs.

        Basically, Russia has given the Americans plenty of time to separate out “legitimate” opposition forces from Salafist jihadis like ISIS, Al Nusra, Al Sham, etc, but of course the USA cannot. Because there are no true moderate opposition fighters. They are all variants of Islamic terrorists that are backed by the west.

      • Stuart Munro 4.1.3
        26 September 2016 at 9:06 pm

        Yeah I’m not too sure that Russia has any more business bombing Syrians than the yanks do. Assad seems to have come off his leash anyway.

        • Paul 4.1.3.1
          26 September 2016 at 9:09 pm

          Don’t believe everything you read in the western propaganda machine.

          • Psycho Milt 4.1.3.1.1
            26 September 2016 at 10:05 pm

            Yes, contrary to the despicable lies spread by the western propaganda machine, the Russian and Syrian air forces are really sprinkling magic pixie dust over Aleppo. The destroyed buildings and dead or injured people shown by western propaganda operatives are a mixture of CGI and hired actors.

            • Colonial Viper 4.1.3.1.1.1
              26 September 2016 at 10:42 pm

              I thought you wanted “big holes” put through all these Islamist fighters. Russia and Assad are simply delivering on this, unlike the USA and its allies Turkey/Saudi Arabia/Qatar who keep funding and rearming the Jihadists.

              • Psycho Milt …
                27 September 2016 at 6:26 am

                I thought you wanted “big holes” put through all these Islamist fighters.

                Through people involved in Da’esh or in active terrorism against the West, yes. You seem to imagine that describes anyone who opposes the Assad regime, which is ridiculous.

                Russia and Assad are simply delivering on this…

                Russia and the Assad government are delivering indiscriminate mass murder to large sections of the Syrian population – currently the entire eastern half of Aleppo, among other places. You are an enthusiastic supporter and promoter of this war crime.

          • Stuart Munro 4.1.3.1.2
            26 September 2016 at 11:40 pm

            I don’t – but I don’t believe Putin either – and Assad doesn’t seem to be behaving like a poster child for enlightened rule. I think the US has just woken up to the fact that the cold war restarted the moment Putin took power.

            No good for Syria – the scrap of flesh torn between a pack of rabid jackals.

            • Colonial Viper 4.1.3.1.2.1
              27 September 2016 at 12:34 am

              Totally and utterly wrong. Where is your history man?

              Putin took power when? 1999? He took over from, Yeltsin a smashed, decrepit state with plummeting life expectancy and exploding gang violence and lawlessness that was no more than 6 months away from completely imploding.

              By that time the US had had a decade of dismembering the former Soviet Union and throwing it to the investment banks, the oligarchs and the capitalist jackals.

              In addition, the US spent that entire time pushing NATO eastwards.

              The US restarted the Cold War after the fall of the USSR, plain and simple, and intended to keep Russia on her knees bent and broken.

              • Stuart Munro …
                27 September 2016 at 1:00 am

                Yes, your enthusiasm for the murderer is certainly pronounced.

                There is some truth in what you say – but many of Russia’s wounds were self-inflicted. And, it’s resurgent militarism does it no credit.

                NATO was always bound to march east because Russia’s former colonies did not enjoy the experience – the occupiers were crude, backward, exploitive, racist and corrupt, and many of them still are. Small wonder if their former vassals want support to keep the tyrant out.

                So now the cease fire in Syria has ceased and Assad and his Russian enablers are treating it like a free fire zone. That napalm does not smell like victory to me.

                This is a new Vietnam – a stage for a proxy war that will probably make Syrians envy Iraq before it’s done. And Russian involvement is by no means innocent.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  27 September 2016 at 1:13 am

                  The US agreed that it would not move NATO one inch further east. It almost immediately broke its promise to Gorbachev.

                  As for the “free fire zone”. You miss one small point. Russia is now helping the Syrian government eradicate the Islamist proxy armies that the west’s allies funded and armed and were being used to regime change Assad.

                  The US incoherancy over Syria is being exposed over and over again. Their continued support of Al Qaeda in the Levant (now known as Al Nusra) speaks volumes.

                  Your ignorance of the damage that the west’s neoliberal advisors and banksters did to Russia through Yeltsin is staggering. Millions of Russians died as a direct result. For you to then victm blame Russia illustrates once again the hypocritical farce that is “western liberal values.”

                  • Stuart Munro …
                    27 September 2016 at 1:34 am

                    Are Nato’s promises to Russia for some reason more important than former satellite states rights to self-determination? Because you know they will not vote for re-occupation.

                    The banksters are transnational – and many are Russian. They are not a biddable arm of US foreign policy, but predatory free agents. There was considerable cooperation between oligarchs and such organisations as they looted former state possessions. But Putin could still afford a genocidal war in Chechnya that killed almost every male over the age of 16.

                    Russia and Syria are explicitly breaching the cease fire and firing on all and sundry. They are making a case against themselves on responsibility to protect.

                    Yes, the US has been incoherent on Syria – they didn’t realise the cold war was back on in force and have only just woken up. That would be because this conflict has been chosen by Russia as a vehicle for its ambitions. And it’s ambitions are not confined to a brief and surgical eradication of problematic radical islamists.

                    Key will be offering more of our troops shortly – just watch.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      27 September 2016 at 1:49 am

                      1) The globalist neoliberal system always uses and rewards members of the local 0.1% to carry out their plans to privatise and dismember. You know this. To blame ordinary Russians for the backstabbing greed of Russian oligarchs is beyond bullshit from you.

                      2) Yes NATO’s and the US’s promises are critical because if they are not kept, Russia will act accordingly. BTW you tried to conflate being a member of NATO with being an independent state.

                      3) There was no ceasefire. The US never identified and separated the radical terrorists from the moderate terrorist groups it was supporting, and which was one of the conditions of the various ceasefires. Instead, the “ceasefires” were used by the terrorist groups to rearm and regroup. Now, Syria and Russia have had enough of the west’s ploys and broken promises, and are acting accordingly. See 2) above.

                      3) As I explained to you the Cold War had never ended, and the US had planned and carried out the systematic implosion of Russia and the destruction of the Russian peoples and its civilisation through the 1990s.

                      Your pretending that somehow Russia started the conflict in Syria or that Russia somehow started the (not so) Cold War mk 2 is really disingenous.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      27 September 2016 at 1:54 am

                      Are Nato’s promises to Russia for some reason more important than former satellite states rights to self-determination? Because you know they will not vote for re-occupation.

                      The other fucking arsebackwards notion you have is that the job of NATO is to somehow worsen the security situation of its existing members.

                      It is doing exactly this by pushing further and further eastwards to court little countries which have zero importance to the welfare of the original NATO members, and which are utterly undefensible in any way shape or form.

                      This is NOT NATO’s mission.

                      NATO is supposed to be a SECURITY ORGANISATION. It is supposed to help assure the security of its member states, not ratchet up tensions and increase the risk of a massive war in Europe by trying to romance the Baltic States and place foreign battalions just kilometres away from Russia’s borders.

                      Again you forget your history. From Napolean to Hitler it has always been the West trying to invade Russia, not the other way around.

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      27 September 2016 at 2:01 am

                      I’m sure the Poles will be relieved to hear it.

                      And the Finns.

                      And so many others.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      27 September 2016 at 2:10 am

                      The Finns happily played their part in helping the Germans in fucking the Soviet people over.

                      If it wasn’t for the USSR the Poles could have spent the rest of the 20th century under Nazi rule.

                      Neither scenario was that inviting.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  27 September 2016 at 1:17 am

                  ” Yes, your enthusiasm for the murderer is certainly pronounced.”

                  If you want a discussion with me try not to be such a petty shit head.

                  I for one haven’t worked using my intelligence, my qualifications and my career enriching misogynist terrorist supporting Takfiri training witch executing Salafist exporting countries like Saudi Arabia.

                  Just saying.

                  • Stuart Munro …
                    27 September 2016 at 1:49 am

                    A rather cheap and foolish shot – I was not training such people. I taught Saudi employees in the carbon plant of the aluminium smelter at Ras El Khair – they neither formed policy around nor participated in any such activities.

                    Putin is persona non grata in progressive circles because he murders progressives like Politkovskaya. Her friends will not forgive him anytime soon. And she is by no means his only victim. You should not swallow his agitprop quite so enthusiastically.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      27 September 2016 at 2:00 am

                      So you were using your expertise to increase the industrial and economic capacity of Saudi Arabia?

                      Good on you mate, good on you for doing your part to help Saudi Arabia grow stronger, what a force for progressiveness in the Middle East they are.

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      27 September 2016 at 2:16 am

                      The Russian slave ships were much worse. But my faults are mine.

                      Your endorsement of Putin is yours.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      27 September 2016 at 2:18 am

                      Putin is persona non grata in progressive circles because he murders progressives like Politkovskaya. Her friends will not forgive him anytime soon. And she is by no means his only victim.

                      Firstly, progressive circles in Russia make up about 2% of the population. They are generally disliked by Russians as soft headed enemies of Russia and collaborators of foreign forces.

                      Secondly, Politkovskaya was killed by whom? Where’s your proof that Putin ordered anything? How do you know that some local thug, police sargeant, or FSB trainee didn’t go off the rails and commit the killing.

                      On the other hand, we do know that Obama ordered Chelsea Manning tortured, sexually humiliated, and then put through a kangaroo court leaving her in prison for 30 years to rot.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      27 September 2016 at 2:20 am

                      Your endorsement of Putin is yours.

                      Oh do fuck off. I don’t “endorse” Putin. I’m just pointing out that there are reasons why Putin is far more popular with his citizens than any bankster beholden military industrial complex toting western leader is with theirs.

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      27 September 2016 at 2:24 am

                      In understanding Putin it helps if you speak Russian – he often makes little threats or ‘jokes’ that establish provenance of such acts. You have much to learn about the man – but clearly you will not learn it from me. Goodnight.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      27 September 2016 at 2:35 am

                      In understanding Putin it helps if you speak Russian – he often makes little threats or ‘jokes’ that establish provenance of such acts.

                      Pfffft what utter fairytale tripe.

                      You’ve lost the plot if you think that a former KGB foreign services specialist would be that unprofessional and that blatant in his conduct.

                      And a good evening to you.

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      27 September 2016 at 8:34 am

                      So now we are to deny the evidence of our senses?

                      Your unhealthy embrace of Putin’s regime and uncritical repetition of his propaganda does you no credit whatsoever.

        • Colonial Viper 4.1.3.2
          26 September 2016 at 9:24 pm

          Yeah I’m not too sure that Russia has any more business bombing Syrians than the yanks do. Assad seems to have come off his leash anyway.

          One could say that Russia has “more business” in Syria than the Americans, British and French forces.

          The reason being that the Russian military presence has been authorised by the Syrian Government in Damascus in accordance with international law.

          The other western militaries are operating in Syria completely illegally.

          • Paul 4.1.3.2.1
            26 September 2016 at 9:32 pm

            Not sure these folk are that informed about the war in Syria.
            Guess that’s what happens when you swallow propaganda hook, line and sinker.

            • Colonial Viper 4.1.3.2.1.1
              26 September 2016 at 9:52 pm

              The Islamist head chopper terrorists in Syria would be defeated in several weeks if NATO member/US ally Turkey sealed its borders and stopped men, supplies and arms going to the terrorists.

              It’ll never happen of course, as NATO/US intend to keep this fight going right down to the last Syrian, in their efforts to end Assad.

          • Psycho Milt 4.1.3.2.2
            26 September 2016 at 10:07 pm

            One could say that Russia has “more business” in Syria than the Americans, British and French forces.

            Damn right – it has a very expensive investment to protect. Unloading phosphorus incendiaries on various towelheads is a small price to pay for that.

          • Stuart Munro 4.1.3.2.3
            26 September 2016 at 11:50 pm

            I’m inclined to think that bombing civilians struggles to find legitimacy whoever signs off on it.

            I’m not sure if you recall our discussion about MH17 – I told Russia would try to bomb their back to credibility.

            They are nothing if not consistent.

            • Colonial Viper 4.1.3.2.3.1
              27 September 2016 at 1:29 am

              Why do you insist on looking at Russia’s actions so one dimensionally? Even if you were Russia’s deadliest enemy you would want a sounder analytical framework to determine what Russia is doing and why, so you could more effectively oppose them.

              ” I told you Russia would try to bomb their way back to credibility.”

              Geeezus. Are. You. This. Fucking. Stupid.

              • Stuart Munro …
                27 September 2016 at 1:58 am

                But Russia is bombing it’s way back to credibility. Its initiatives are entirely military. And you approve. Perhaps a little reflection is in order.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  27 September 2016 at 2:12 am

                  Its initiatives are entirely military.

                  lol this is NOT true; Russia is working every diplomatic and economic angle that it can simultaneously.

  5. One Two 5
    26 September 2016 at 8:31 pm

    Is the picture at top of page ironic or does some celler thinker actually believe it to be ‘true’?

    • Colonial Viper 5.1
      26 September 2016 at 8:46 pm

      There are still a bunch of pathetically naive Lefties hanging around who think that after 8 years Nobel Peace Prize winning Obama’s advertising campaign “hope you can believe in” actually meant something.

      To be honest I held out hope for Obama for the first 12 months or so. Then it became obvious that he was just another Wall St corporate tool.

      On the upside for the identity politics that Obama championed – West Point military college has now made boxing mandatory for women cadets as well as male cadets, as US women will soon be assigned to fight and die on the front lines of foreign US wars of regime change in dirt poor countries along side US men.

      God bless gender equality.

      • Paul 5.1.1
        26 September 2016 at 8:51 pm

        With Clinton as President, those US troops are going to be busy.

      • Lanthanide 5.1.2
        26 September 2016 at 9:40 pm

        Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was abolished.

        Millions of Americans now have health coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

        If the Republicans didn’t control the house/senate, he would have been able to get a lot more done.

        • Colonial Viper 5.1.2.1
          26 September 2016 at 10:01 pm

          Millions of Americans now have “health coverage”?

          You mean, millions of extra Americans now have private health insurance. With high deductibles and complex exclusions, what good actually gets done for their healthcare is another question altogether.

          • Lanthanide 5.1.2.1.1
            27 September 2016 at 9:28 am

            The republicans gutted what would have been a more comprehensive bill.

            Not sure why you’re blaming Obama for the actions of republicans.

            Trump wants to repeal the entire thing (and not replace it), btw.

      • marty mars 5.1.3
        26 September 2016 at 9:56 pm

        Lol what a weak effort. Time will show your head doffing to the don to be the biggest joke out, ibut nice shot against the left in your dribbly diatribe. Hypocrites always lash out and you lash a lot mr 5ppm.

        • Colonial Viper 5.1.3.1
          26 September 2016 at 10:40 pm

          Hillary’s not fit to lead the USA, in more ways than one.

          • marty mars 5.1.3.1.1
            26 September 2016 at 11:05 pm

            But trump is? Don’t worry I already know your answer. It isn’t in any way aligned with me thank the gods. And btw that does not mean I think Clinton is all that but she is a million times better than trump imo. I hope he balls up the debates just to read what excuses you come up with.

            • Colonial Viper 5.1.3.1.1.1
              26 September 2016 at 11:31 pm

              Trump is a novice on the Presidential campaign trail. Hillary has been on multiple Presidential campaigns.

              But, he is a quick learner.

            • One Two 5.1.3.1.1.2
              27 September 2016 at 1:44 am

              “A million times better..”

              No, she really is not!

              They are as awful as eachother but only one of them has a history for a guide to probable future actions…

              The other involves complete speculation

              So why bother with the hyperbole and or emotional investment?

  7. reason 7
    26 September 2016 at 9:20 pm

    Trolls are like the venereal disease of the internet …….. ugly unpleasant infections.

    Unlike most disturbing and offensive things on the internet trolls come searching for people to upset and flaunt their sickness ………. They are like diseased dick pics that send themselves to sites with the purpose to offend derail and disrupt.

    Treat them with the due contempt they deserve …..but do not let them get you angry because they are a venereal disease with malice and enjoy upsetting people.

    I have mental images of them which make me smile and helps me mock these defectives with humor ………….. trolls hate being laughed at….

    Here’s how I picture them ……… behind their keyboards tap tapping
    maninthemiddle
    http://www.freakingnews.com/Alfred-E-Newman-Hitaman-Pictures-104921.asp

    BM
    https://monstermoviekid.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/immortan-joe.jpg

    puckish rouge
    https://www.scifinow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Mason.jpg

    srylands
    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T4SgHuH2m8I/SV1fgY13_sI/AAAAAAAAAL0/uw54m4Omi40/s1600/14.+Golem.jpg

    David Farrar .. doing filth while hiding it .. until ‘Dirty Politics’
    http://wpmedia.news.nationalpost.com/2014/05/neil.jpg?quality=65&strip=all&w=620

    Alwyn
    http://beatlephotoblog.com/photos/2010/09/53.jpg

    Henry Filth ….
    http://images.cdn.filmclub.org/film__3972-monty-python-s-life-of-brian–detail.jpg

    cameron slater the lost sole
    http://solemngroup.com/commodities/images/fish/sole1.jpg

    Wayne mapp
    http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.453744.1314603807!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_1200/alg-resize-klu-klux-klan-jpg.jpg

    john Key in his sub prime …..https://static2.stuff.co.nz/1397098000/599/9926599.jpg

    Have I nailed it 😉 ? mmm

    My other advice is to use the troll …….ignore derails and ask them questions or talk about things they hate discussing ie when BM starts wanking on about handouts or people on welfare ask him about Tax havens where the rich get to steal from poor children ………… and $2.2 billion attempted bank robberys by an accountant and pofit gouging Aussie banks results in no jail time for anyone ……despite being 100 times larger than ALL welfare fraud prosecuted in that year with the figures being 2.2 billion versus 22 million…. its the solo mums and poor people who get all the attention and all the jail time…….

    With Shit filled toxic rivers, judith collins and lots of other horrible things in New Zealand there is no shortage of nact garbage to dress them up in ….

  8. Richard Rawshark 8
    27 September 2016 at 4:54 pm

    CEO in the annual knobs of busyness voted with their hearts and chose an opposition dream team.

    Jacinda Ardern came out preferred PM.

    I’d like to think it wasn’t sexist, based on gender, attractiveness. I’d like to think they are professionals and chose on performance and skill, both of which she has, beauty and brains.

    It’s just I think I’ve seen to many stereotypes on TV/films of dirty executives chasing secretaries around.

    But good on them for recognizing that this government obviously doesn’t have the answers, the opposition does, this is a big deal really.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11716868

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  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    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 Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    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
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    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
    16 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
    19 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
    19 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
    22 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
    23 hours 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 ...
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