Daily Review 30/01/2019

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, January 30th, 2019 - 37 comments
Categories: Daily review - 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 …

37 comments on “Daily Review 30/01/2019 ”

  1. gsays 1

    while not an endorsement of faceplace, nor a cc denial, a notification to us from faceplace: this time last year, in the armpit of the manawatu ,we were @ 34 degrees celcius at 6.20 pm.
    compared to a mere balmy 26 degrees today.

  2. Ad 2

    Team, just a minor note that I won’t be able to do much posting until mid April.

    There’s a particular procurement process I’m going through which is a bit intense.

    Not drowning, waving.

  3. SPC 3

    So the UK parliament has voted against a no deal Brexit but provided no alternative to it but to allow the PM to negotiate again – to which the EU replies NO.

    So like it or not the UK parliament has decided on a no deal Brexit.

    Those Tories who wanted this have won.

    For us we soon lose some of our access to the EU – but will get that back when we agree to EU FTA terms.

    • Gabby 3.1

      There are considerably more lamposts than tory taxdodging brexiters, so that’s something.

  4. Herodotus 4

    “No Government in the past 40 years has tried to do what we’re doing… It’s not easy, [but] maybe if it was easy the former government would have tried to do it.”
    Really It appears this govt is doing EXACTLY the same as all its predecessors. – NOTHING
    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/01/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-drops-kiwibuild-interim-targets.html
    For 🤬 Kiwibuild and the continue spin, $650k is affordable and targets are not useful. Without targets how can we the voter see that the govt. IS delivering ?
    The PM and Min appear to be under PR instructions in the use of catch phrases. like “recalibration”. We already have had the price points increased and now the volume reduced to almost nothing , the NZGovt.realestate operation is under stress to be relevant ??
    “No Government in the past 40 years has tried to do what we’re doing… It’s not easy, [but] maybe if it was easy the former government would have tried to do it.”
    Really It appears this govt is doing EXACTLY the same as all its predassors
    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/01/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-drops-kiwibuild-interim-targets.html

    • SPC 4.1

      They will build equity share schemes into the mix but their major problem is the price of the first homes is much higher than when the scheme was first mooted. Thus the only way to get the extra supply built and onsold is to allow existing home owners to buy. Upgrades for doer upper and apartment owners and downsizing for those readying for retirement. Which will hopefully result in falling rental costs in the wider market.

      Getting some factory building scale would help, especially the small trailer mobile home types that would fit on smaller infill areas.

      • Pat 4.1.1

        Im increasingly of the opinion that the entire gov housing effort should be in state housing (or social housing)…if we extrapolate our 1970s state housing stock to our current population (growing) then we need around an additional 40-50,000 state houses….make those available in short order and watch many of our most critical housing issues recede

        • SPC 4.1.1.1

          The problem is an increase from 66,000 (3m people) to 100,000 (5m people) state houses is not enough to impact on supply. This of course should still be done (and the better rental rules) but the government can barely afford it within its 30% of GDP government spending cap (and there is the unmet demand in health and education for better staffing and pay and in the future aged care homes).

          Kiwibuild is only affordable because the government onsells.

          • Pat 4.1.1.1.1

            the 5m figure is 110,000…and assuming they were well targeted and of a type desired then the impact would be considerable, remembering the developers and banks are still seeking their return so will still be funding private mortgages/development….and with a substantial state programme such as that the opportunity exists to create an entity to both train and build the required separate and unencumbered by the private sector….leave them to fight each other.

            An additional 50000 state houses would relieve a significant amount of rental pressure and the consequent return and impact the sale price enabling more to enter the first home market……forget subsidising private profit as KB does.

        • Herodotus 4.1.1.2

          And a byproduct of State housing ?? A reduction of Accommodation Supplements being paid out to the private sector, all $2.3BILLION
          https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/96523625/pm-bill-english-says-govt-spends-billions-propping-up-the-private-rental-market

          • Pat 4.1.1.2.1

            there may well be an impact on private rental subsidies…although it really only moves the cost from one area to another.

            • Craig H 4.1.1.2.1.1

              Only if you have the difference between state house market rentals and income-related rentals budgeted as a subsidy. There’s no actual cost to the State unless the income-related rents are lower than the maintenance costs.

        • Ed1 4.1.1.3

          There is much merit in this. As part of building a lot of social housing, it is appropriate that some houses be built for private sale, so that we do have some diversity of income levels within each area. I would like to see a new Ministry of Works undertake a lot of the infrastructure and building work.
          I suspect most people in New Zealand think building housing for beneficiaries is included in KiwiBuild – so why not make that a new reality with revised higher targets (not promises) for volumes of residences built.

    • Reality 4.2

      This Government is trying get houses built, though for various reasons it’s proving difficult. The last government denied absolutely that there was any need to even try, preferring to sell off state houses instead.

    • James 4.3

      A laughable climb down.

      It’s all good we will just cancel the targets.

      Pathetic.

      • ianmac 4.3.1

        James point to one target up until 2017 which was stated and achieved.

        • In Vino 4.3.1.1

          James, when John Key failed dismally to meet a target, he described it as ‘espirational’, and all you right-wingers cheered. May I suggest that you just accept that Kiwibuild was similarly ‘espirational’ and suck it in?

          • Ed1 4.3.1.1.1

            I think you meant “ashpirational” – for most New Zealanders Keys targets mainly delivered ashes.

    • Gabby 4.4

      The whole thing is dopey. Building a shitload of state houses would have brought down property prices anyway.

  5. joe90 5

    A wee tune for all the billionaires.

  6. Tamati Tautuhi 6

    The Coalition needs to pull finger on Social Housing $500-$650k is not affordable housing on a minimum wage ?

    Jacinda & Twyford need a reality check ?

  7. Reality 7

    Excellent article by a Graham Adams on Stuff giving full and frank comment on Sarah Dowie and JLR and their character flaws and backgrounds. Dealt to both equally.

    • ianmac 7.1

      link Reality?

      • Reality 7.1.1

        Titled “Parliament’s Star-Crossed Lovers who Crossed Each Other” – Stuff 25 January.

        • alwyn 7.1.1.1

          I wonder if they will ever do a series on [Labour MP] ? At least his wife finally dumped him.
          Probably not of course. The representatives of the Fourth Estate in the list might get a bit pissed off if they were all named, and shamed.

          [Not allowing this without evidence, cobber. TRP]

          • ianmac 7.1.1.1.1

            Paula Bennett started this under-the-bed-clothes stuff in order to damage Ross. So your Trevor did it too is unwelcome alwyn.

            • alwyn 7.1.1.1.1.1

              My objection to Trevor wasn’t so much that he personally was a ratbag.
              It was that he pleaded with the Press Gallery not to publish the fact that his marriage had broken down and that he then, egged on by Helen Clark, attacked Don Brash in Parliament for doing the same thing that he had been up to.
              Comments like “Tell us about affairs Don” and so on.
              He is almost unique in that of all the MPs I have met he is one of only about three in whom I could find no redeeming characteristics.

          • AB 7.1.1.1.2

            Good to see you are the righteous enemy of licentiousness in all its forms, Alwyn.
            There will be a special place for you in heaven – at the right hand of John Key no less.