Woohoo! Nash drops bomb on Winston. TV3 newsreader: "The New Zealand First leader exploded." Too bad they didn't have pictures of that!
The story had a secret recording from several years ago, and featured comment from Russel Norman. The guts is who's to blame for the long delay on cameras in fishing boats and the donations from Talleys to NZF also featured. There was a blame zig-zag between Labour & NZF, but by the end it wasn't clear who won…
After all the hyped up TV3 trailers, the "secret recording" was about as exciting as a wet Wednesday in Westport.
Nash has form for fruity language, so I was expecting at least "F**k Winston and the rest of them". We got nothing more than a mild-mannered explanation of how a coalition agreement works. Boring!
Did you know that PT went to Winston's 2017 speech at our local RSA…mhmm.
There is no way PT or young andrew would want camera's on their vessels or fisheries loopholes closed.
I'd like to see a red and green government with the addition of Tracey Martin, that would be awesome.
Nash is archetypical as Minister for Fisheries, it's not a role for the meek, that's for certain. He would however, be more effective in helping to bring about much needed change if he didn't have so many other portfolio's.
the leadership told MPs Labour is on about 55 percent and National 34 percent. That's less than the 35 percent the party was polling under former leader Simon Bridges the week before Muller rolled him. It follows former deputy leader Paula Bennett's resignation revenge dance with comedian Tom Sainsbury on Monday. Bennett told Sainsbury about her resignation before even telling her boss Muller.
Ardern continues to show incredible leadership throughout this crisis. With phenomenal results. Making her own decision about David Clark is leadership. Not giving in to the whining media calling for blood. As Ardern said early on after the border breach was discovered "Clark is not part of the problem, he is part of the solution". She also said when questioned about Clark early this week, that she knows what's really happening and based her call re Clark on that.
If you think Ardern is showing a lack of leadership, think again
Yep. This is the tactic. Bully her into an action she will later regret. That is how the Right operates. Basic principles and political honesty is not part of their play book. They genuinely believe anything goes if it brings them closer to power.
It's the primary difference between National/Act and Labour/Greens.
Oh, wow! Angriest song he's done in years, excellent stuff.
My Bob Mould gig story is seeing him at the Phoenician, a large barn at the top of Broadway, Sydney, early nineties. Just him and a guitar. He wandered on stage with a hoody up, covering his face. No applause because everyone thought he was just a roadie setting up. Also memorable because a bunch of 'straight edge' proto emos chose to sit down en masse in the mosh area in front of the stage. Got trampled, of course.
btw I cover a lot of Husker Du songs at open mics and gigs around my 'hood. Somebody's got to keep these songs alive, may as well be me.
Ah, the favourite child question! To be fair, Grant Hart's stuff goes down best as his were written in a more traditional rock structure, but as a guitarist I love playing Bob's song's more.
You'll be pleased to know 2541 gets a regular airing, as does The Main. Mind you, I often go with Never Talking to You Again as the opening song in a set. Good warm up for the fingers and always surprises the hell out of the audience!
It's a shame the Labour Party leader, Greens' governing partner and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern damned the plan with the faint, back-handed praise that it relied on 'heroic' revenue assumptions.
It's a shame National's finance spokesperson Paul Goldsmith didn't read the not-so-fine print in the policy and had to correct himself for condemning the plan for supposedly slapping taxes on anyone with a $1m house.
But there was no shame for the Greens in being the first party to offer a big, detailed and transformative policy in response to the economic tornado that is Covid-19. This is what political parties should be doing, 80 or so days out from a general election in the context of a major economic downturn.
Pity that the 2nd aspect of their announcement on how to fund the policy was lazy and lacked factual support. James Shaw at least should have been well versed on his numbers. Pity he talks around such things in generalisations. So his tax could tax in 12billion per annum and that is only counting the assets that are disclosed in the Household Wealth or IRD, there are many that are excluded from this. So what will he do with the added tax take that he conveniently passes over ? "By 2024 the party expected the new tax changes would net $10.34b a year, mostly from the wealth tax." Someone is being economic with the truth either that or they haven't done their homework.
He states that valuing peoples assets are easy yet only a few months ago the tax working group commented on the difficulty.
Best if you ask Weka or someone else re details of the policy – I don't go there. I'm the kind of person who prefers to wait for implementation & results before forming an opinion about how well it was designed. And note that I was quoting their co-editor, so it wasn't me who referred to it…
I prefer to see well thought out policy even if it doesn’t go and achieve all that was intended. Unfortunately many if not all political groups are lazy ( to be kind) and just want to capture the headlines of the moment. This is a case in point , no reason as to $100 &$150k or the $1m and $2m levels. I had some idea that James Shaw has some depth of financial understanding – but the interview dispels that. He didn’t know the details or could not support his numbers. Just as well he wasn’t challenged by the interviewer. Doesn’t give confidence.
Is there any party that has an idea of a coherent vision and strategy, we are being led by clowns on all sides.
"All of the above leads to uncomfortable issues for New Zealand to face. With a population that continues to increase rapidly, it becomes puzzling as to where and how New Zealand is going to find the export markets that underpin current per capita living standards in New Zealand."
"The blunt reality is that if market forces are allowed to play out unhindered, then the likelihood is that New Zealand’s trade dependence on China is going to further increase. The reason for this is the same natural alignment that has led in recent years to China becoming the most important trading partner for New Zealand.
Coming to terms with that hard reality requires a conversation that goes well beyond issues of trade. That discussion has to include issues such as immigration policy. It also has to include a discussion as to where New Zealand sits within global geopolitics. And it is no good simply stating the things that New Zealand should not do. It has to be specific about what New Zealand should do."
Something to think on pat. Not good to have all our eggs in one basket.
We used to have a trade department that helped look for overseas business. That should help more, setting up some small bilateral deals outside of the cccppttt trade thing we signed up to. But most of all slow down on imports, bring in customs on everything. I'd hate it on the occasional thing I buy, but encouraging more NZ buying NZ. We need to stop living in airy fairy land. We used to think we were going to work towards being a small copy of the USA, a modern democracy knowing how to do business. But that was a 20thC thing. Now it is a new ball game and it isn't gridiron.
Absolutely. If we can shake off the cult of conspicuous consumption, the planned obsolescence of the neoliberal free market and return back to the days of my grandmother where everything had a second use and clothes lasted for decades, then we would be able to cut back on imports while our exports (food in a world growing heavy with people) continue to bring in the revenue.
It might mean tough times for The Warehouse and other Chinese cheap junk markets, but so what!
We simply cannot keep using once and discarding the precious world resources like we have been doing since the days of Rogernomics.
Yes much has needs to change. Yes much has been waiting for change for a good while now. The Covid situation seems almost “God Blessed” to arrive at this moment when change has been long long overdue. The restraints it puts on us helps us see the change needed. We must trim back excessive unnecessary travel, importation and consumption. We must return to waste not want not. We must close the doors on immigration to just those skills we absolutely do not have ( maybe a lot of needed skills are coming home anyway at the moment).The faster the population grows the less produce we will have to export. Overstocking destroys the environment and finally the people. I am looking for the politics that will immediately address the futures needs for a sustainable, stable and comfortable New Zealand.
Don't pick on The Warehouse – I think it is still NZ owned. Try KMart- Australian and open from 8am to 12pm a lot of the 7 days a week it is open like the great big mouth at the gate of Luna Park! And KMart is doing very well. At least we have kept some of that competitive market money in NZ. What we need of course is more going down the road to the shoemaker, and the dressmaker and tailor. I
t will cost us more initially, but I'm thinking if we had a system of paying out people in part local dollars that could only be accepted at local shops, and have it integrated into the tax dept with just playing 15% GST on the available dollars, then we could gradually refloat the economy into shallower waters. And bring in some of the discarded workers, give them opportunities to help themselves, and support them with working space, small loans to get started. We have to prepare for the tech-cut of jobs with planners telling us how lucky we are that we no longer have to do anything boring but forgetting to say that we will find doing nothing boring, and get verbally thrashed for it by the wolfare system that leaves teeth marks where it hurts.
Stop being such a worry pants. NZ products are in high demand.
And with the the rest of the world in lock down they are not exporting because they are not producing. Have a look at the shelves in KMart or similar for instance. Empty. But our world is not falling apart because we can't buy a new cake mixer or expresso machine. Car imports are way down. Japan is keeping their old cars – can't afford to buy new ones.
The result is that NZ had a record Trade Surplus for the first quarter 2020 and we will have another trade surplus this 2nd quarter just finishing.
In case you didnt realise i wasnt the author of the article (or the many others over the years)….we can stop concerning ourselves with our exports when we either become self sufficient in the demanded necessities or learn to live (or not) without them
Nope. Out forever problem is believing that trade will make us wealthy. It won't do that, its not even supposed to. Trade is supposed to balance in a free-market.
Getting wealthy through trade is Mercantilism.
Of course, capitalism has never been about everyone getting wealthy – just the few at the top.
If we want the nation to get wealthy then we need to boost productivity and minimise the imports and exports.
"Nope. Out forever problem is believing that trade will make us wealthy. It won't do that, its not even supposed to."
who said anything about trade making us wealthy?
"Trade is supposed to balance in a free-market."
not sure where you get that idea
"If we want the nation to get wealthy then we need to boost productivity and minimise the imports and exports."
now THAT is mercantilism…..but again why are you obsessing about wealth when it hasnt been mentioned.
we need to export to earn the currency to provide those things that we cannot provide for ourselves that society expects/requires….”getting wealthy” has sweet FA to do with it
Politicians, economists – you name it, they've said it.
not sure where you get that idea
Studying economics. Hell, the whole point of having a floating exchange rate is to balance trade.
now THAT is mercantilism
No it's not. Mecantilism is minimising imports while maximising exports.
but again why are you obsessing about wealth when it hasnt been mentioned.
Because you quoted it?
New Zealand is going to find the export markets that underpin current per capita living standards in New Zealand."
we need to export to earn the currency to provide those things that we cannot provide for ourselves that society expects/requires….”getting wealthy” has sweet FA to do with it
In other words, maintaining our present wealth.
And there is nothing that we can't provide for ourselves. The fact that you think that there is is proof that you've swallowed the Kool-aid about the necessity for trade.
No…in the words used….providing those things expected/required…if i meant to say 'maintaining our present wealth' I would have written such.
"Studying economics. Hell, the whole point of having a floating exchange rate is to balance trade."
And if you have studied economics you would know there is no relationship between a floating exchange rate and balanced trade…..like most economic theory the practice does not match the theory.
"No it's not. Mecantilism is minimising imports while maximising exports."
Afraid not, that may be the hoped for outcome but it is the method that makes it mercantilism.
And if you have studied economics you would know there is no relationship between a floating exchange rate and balanced trade…..like most economic theory the practice does not match the theory.
True but that's probably because the exchange rate is left to speculation rather than being trade weighted.
We need to build sustainable infrastructure and our well being resilience and cultural integrity. All activities should be put through those sieves first. Needs versus wants. IMO
Growing majority of Kiwis support legalising cannabis, new poll finds. Licensed medicinal cannabis company Helius Therapeutics commissioned the independent Horizon Research survey of nearly 1600 Kiwis. It found 56 per cent of respondents plan to vote for legalising cannabis for personal use on September 19.
Respondents to the latest survey came from Horizon's nationwide research panels and represent the adult population of the 2018 Census with results weighted by factors including age, gender, income and party voted for at the last election. The maximum margin of error is 2.9 per cent. The online survey was conducted between June 10 to 14 and questioned 1593 adults.
Those polled were asked if they are planning on voting for cannabis to be legalised or to remain illegal at this year’s referendum:
Legalise: 40% (up 1 from February's poll)
Remain illegal: 49% (down 2)
Will not vote: 1%
Don't know/refused: 11% (down 2)
Between June 20 to 24, 2020, 1007 eligible voters were polled by landline (404) and mobile phone (603). The maximum sampling error is approximately ±3.1%-points at the 95% confidence level. The data has been weighted to align with Stats NZ population counts for age, gender, region, ethnic identification and mobile or landline access.
Now given that there's about a week between the two samples, could be that 8% of the public had a sudden change of mind and reversed their stance.
A more intriguing possibility is that there are two (or more) publics in Aotearoa, as defined by stats polling methodology. I'll leave that to the stats experts to figure out. But a bit of a Schrodinger's cat situation, eh? Which one is real, or are they both simultaneously??
Well said, Lloyd Burr. Everyone should read that, and not just Garner.
Armchair assumptions by the simple-minded have been a constant annoyance throughout this pandemic. Monitoring everyone is easy (no), testing everyone is easy (no), quarantine is easy (no), decisions about what is open/closed are easy (no) … in fact there are no practicalities to think about at all, we just reckon something and it magically happens.
And when Dr Bloomfield explains any of this for the 100th time, he must remain calm and patient. Maybe he really is a saint.
I've been watching the US Late Shows and Cooper Anderson and Casie DC CNN etc & the despair of the reporting is getting more and more noticeable, they are desperate for some leadership!
Also to see the Florida and Texas Governor backtracking and pleading for people to wear masks is quite something.
& now the military & intelligence services are starting to get angry, a perfect storm.
Ardern on Monday sternly warned New Zealanders against recreational travel abroad, despite the European Union’s announcement that the country was on its new list of accepted travellers. She said those leaving New Zealand for non-essential reasons could be forced to pay for their mandatory two-week quarantine upon returning – to the tune of thousands of dollars.
Sounds reasonable to me. Unless there is a crucial reason for leaving NZ, it should be paid for by the individual. What counts as crucial might need some discussion. Not sure the govt can legally charge people trying to get back in since covid, but those leaving deliberately for a holiday or to travel, yeah, nah.
It's canny politics, and we can see the message control in real time (except the fools who think she's a lightweight, only does the hugs blah blah).
Ardern discussed the issue at yesterday's post-Cab, knowing it would be picked up. It has become the main "border story" in the past 24 hours. It deflects nicely from the trickier issues – PM doesn't want to be blaming the returners but this is a much softer target. Cue the vox pops on tonight's news, all on side.
I'd guess potential holiday makers leaving and returning would be a small percentage of the total, but never mind, it plays very well (privileged, unpatriotic, entitled but taxpayer-funded etc). Media manipulation, job done.
Can't refuse entry to citizens or residents and they are starting to expand other groups e.g. partners and children of citizens and residents, a slightly wider definition of essential work.
There are times when tikanga needs to be broken for tikanga to survive.I recently gave a presentation on Māori economic history based on my Not in Narrow Seas. Its most important message was that Māori proved to be a very adaptable people continually evolving as new opportunities arose. The European ...
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Virginia has voted to abolish the death penalty: State lawmakers gave final approval on Monday to a bill that will end capital punishment in Virginia, a dramatic turnaround for a state that has executed more people than any other. The legislation repealing the death penalty now heads to the ...
Yesterday a New Zealand Judge issued a formal finding that the Department of Corrections had treated prisoners in a cruel, degrading and inhumane manner, illegally detaining them, using excessive force, denying them basic necessities unless they performed degrading rituals of submission first. Some of the conduct appears to be criminal: ...
The Herald reports that there is a "storm brewing for the Climate Change Commission". The "problem"? Polluters are unhappy with its economic projections saying that action will not be as costly as they have previously claimed: Last week a coalition of over a dozen New Zealand business and industry ...
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Anti-Philosopher President? Emmanuel Macron and his party’s reaction to the terrorist atrocities committed on French soil targets the very same philosophical movements excited and emboldened by New Zealand’s own terrifying tragedy.IT IS NOT the sort of thought experiment New Zealanders are encouraged to conduct in these culturally sensitive times. Even ...
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Alysha JohnsonThey say a good day is a busy day, and aboard the R/V Falkor (Seafloor to Seabirds in the Coral Sea – Schmidt Ocean Institute), almost every day is busy! On this particular day, we deployed a CTD, which stands for Conductivity, Temperature and Density. It is ...
This is a transcript of a speech by developmental biologist Dr Emma Hilton delivered at on 29 November 2020 for the ‘Feminist Academics Talk Back!’ meeting. This talk was originally published by womentalkback.org Sex denialists have captured existing journals We are dealing with a new religion Thank you for the ...
We know that when our rural communities do well, all of New Zealand benefits. Labour is committed to supporting our regions so that, together, we can achieve even more. Here are just some of the ways we’re backing rural communities. ...
Government data today shows that the wealthiest New Zealanders aren’t paying their fair share of tax, whilst everyone else chips in, Green Party spokesperson on Finance Julie Anne Genter said today. ...
The Green Party welcomes the change in the Reserve Bank’s remit to consider the impacts on housing when making financial decisions, but housing affordability shouldn’t be left to the Reserve Bank, Green Party Co-leader and Housing spokesperson Marama Davidson said today. ...
The Green Party welcomes the passing of the Local Electorate Act Māori Wards Amendment Bill which ensures Māori have a say on local issues across Aotearoa New Zealand. ...
New UMR research reveals that 69 percent of New Zealanders agree that the government should increase the amount if income support paid to those on low incomes or not in paid work. ...
The Green Party are celebrating the Labour Government bringing forward the timeline to ban conversion therapy, and will push to ensure any draft bill properly protects all of our Rainbow communities. ...
The Green Party is joining the call for ‘brave policy action’ to address rapidly increasing inequality in New Zealand, which is likely to be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. ...
Green MPs currently in Auckland, Marama Davidson, Chlöe Swarbrick and Golriz Ghahraman, will remain in Auckland for the next 72 hours. Those in Auckland today for Big Gay Out who have flown home will self-isolate for 72 hours. These decisions will be subject to any new information that may arise ...
It’s Pride month, and as we celebrate our LGBTIA+ community, we’re taking the next steps towards a more inclusive Aotearoa. From investing in mental health services to banning harmful conversion therapy, we’re building a New Zealand where everyone can be safe, healthy and happy. ...
The Green Party strongly condemns the revelation that Air New Zealand may have provided assistance and maintenance to Saudi Arabian vessels involved in committing atrocities in Yemen. ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed her condolences at the passing of long-serving former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare. “Our thoughts are with Lady Veronica Somare and family, Prime Minister James Marape and the people of Papua New Guinea during this time of great ...
The Government is backing a new project to use drone technology to transform our understanding and protection of the Māui dolphin, Aotearoa’s most endangered dolphin. “The project is just one part of the Government’s plan to save the Māui dolphin. We are committed to protecting this treasure,” Oceans and Fisheries ...
Major water reform has taken a step closer with the appointment of the inaugural board of the Taumata Arowai water services regulator, Hon Nanaia Mahuta says. Former Director General of Health and respected public health specialist Dame Karen Poutasi will chair the inaugural board of Crown agency Taumata Arowai. “Dame ...
New funding announced by Conservation Minister Kiri Allan today will provide work and help protect the unique values of Northland’s Te Ārai Nature Reserve for future generations. Te Ārai is culturally important to Te Aupōuri as the last resting place of the spirits before they depart to Te Rerenga Wairua. ...
Today the Government has taken a key step to support Pacific people to becoming Community Housing providers, says the Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio. “This will be great news for Pacific communities with the decision to provide Pacific Financial Capability Grant funding and a tender process to ...
Conservation Minister Kiri Allan is encouraging New Zealanders to have their say on a proposed marine mammal sanctuary to address the rapid decline of bottlenose dolphins in Te Pēwhairangi, the Bay of Islands. The proposal, developed jointly with Ngā Hapū o te Pēwhairangi, would protect all marine mammals of the ...
Attorney-General David Parker today announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges. Two of the appointees will take up their roles on 1 April, replacing sitting Judges who have reached retirement age. Kirsten Lummis, lawyer of Auckland has been appointed as a District Court Judge with jury jurisdiction to ...
Government announces list of life-shortening conditions guaranteeing early KiwiSaver access The Government changed the KiwiSaver rules in 2019 so people with life-shortening congenital conditions can withdraw their savings early The four conditions guaranteed early access are – down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Huntington’s disease and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder An alternative ...
The Reserve Bank is now required to consider the impact on housing when making monetary and financial policy decisions, Grant Robertson announced today. Changes have been made to the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee’s remit requiring it to take into account government policy relating to more sustainable house prices, while working ...
The Labour Government will invest $6 million for 70 additional adult cochlear implants this year to significantly reduce the historical waitlist, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “Cochlear implants are life changing for kiwis who suffer from severe hearing loss. As well as improving an individual’s hearing, they open doors to ...
The Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill passed its third reading today and will become law, Minister of Local Government Hon Nanaia Mahuta says. “This is a significant step forward for Māori representation in local government. We know how important it is to have diversity around ...
The Government has added 1,000 more transitional housing places as promised under the Aotearoa New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan (HAP), launched one year ago. Minister of Housing Megan Woods says the milestone supports the Government’s priority to ensure every New Zealander has warm, dry, secure housing. “Transitional housing provides people ...
A second batch of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived safely yesterday at Auckland International Airport, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “This shipment contained about 76,000 doses, and follows our first shipment of 60,000 doses that arrived last week. We expect further shipments of vaccine over the coming weeks,” Chris Hipkins said. ...
The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni has today announced $18 million to support creative spaces. Creative spaces are places in the community where people with mental health needs, disabled people, and those looking for social connection, are welcomed and supported to practice and participate in the arts ...
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little today welcomed Moriori to Parliament to witness the first reading of the Moriori Claims Settlement Bill. “This bill is the culmination of years of dedication and hard work from all the parties involved. “I am delighted to reach this significant milestone today,” Andrew ...
22,400 fewer children experiencing material hardship 45,400 fewer children in low income households on after-housing costs measure After-housing costs target achieved a year ahead of schedule Government action has seen child poverty reduce against all nine official measures compared to the baseline year, Prime Minister and Minister for Child Poverty ...
It’s time to recognise the outstanding work early learning services, kōhanga reo, schools and kura do to support children and young people to succeed, Minister of Education Chris Hipkins says. The 2021 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards are now open through until April 16. “The past year has reminded us ...
Three new Jobs for Nature projects will help nature thrive in the Bay of Plenty and keep local people in work says Conservation Minister Kiri Allan. “Up to 30 people will be employed in the projects, which are aimed at boosting local conservation efforts, enhancing some of the region’s most ...
The Government has accepted all of the Holidays Act Taskforce’s recommended changes, which will provide certainty to employers and help employees receive their leave entitlements, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. Michael Wood said the Government established the Holidays Act Taskforce to help address challenges with the ...
The Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and faster than expected economic recovery has been acknowledged in today’s credit rating upgrade. Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) today raised New Zealand’s local currency credit rating to AAA with a stable outlook. This follows Fitch reaffirming its AA+ rating last ...
Tena koutou e nga Maata Waka Ngai Tuahuriri, Ngai Tahu whanui, Tena koutou. Nau mai whakatau mai ki tenei ra maumahara i te Ru Whenua Apiti hono tatai hono, Te hunga mate ki te hunga mate Apiti hono tatai hono, Te hunga ora ki te hunga ora Tena koutou, Tena ...
The Minister of Justice has reaffirmed the Government’s urgent commitment, as stated in its 2020 Election Manifesto, to ban conversion practices in New Zealand by this time next year. “The Government has work underway to develop policy which will bring legislation to Parliament by the middle of this year and ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage and Social Development Hon Carmel Sepuloni today launched a new Creative Careers Service, which is expected to support up to 1,000 creatives, across three regions over the next two years. The new service builds on the most successful aspects of the former Pathways to ...
Overseas consumers eager for natural products in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic have helped boost honey export revenue by 20 percent to $425 million in the year to June 30, 2020, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says. “The results from the latest Ministry for Primary Industries’ 2020 Apiculture Monitoring ...
Thanks to more than $10-million in new services from the Government, more rangatahi will be able to access mental health and addiction support in their community. Minister of Health Andrew Little made the announcement today while visiting Odyssey House Christchurch and acknowledged that significant events like the devastating earthquakes ten ...
Two month automatic visitor visa extension for most visitor visa holders Temporary waiver of time spent in New Zealand rule for visitor stays Visitor visa holders will be able to stay in New Zealand a little longer as the Government eases restrictions for those still here, the Minister of Immigration ...
The Tourism and Conservation Ministers say today’s report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) adds to calls to overhaul the tourism model that existed prior to COVID19. “The PCE tourism report joins a chorus of analysis which has established that previous settings, which prioritised volume over value, are ...
The Government is providing certainty for the dietary supplements industry as we work to overhaul the rules governing the products, Minister for Food Safety Dr Ayesha Verrall said. Dietary supplements are health and wellness products taken orally to supplement a traditional diet. Some examples include vitamin and mineral supplements, echinacea, ...
The Government is joining the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (the Budapest Convention), Justice Minister Kris Faafoi and Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications Dr David Clark announced today. The decision progresses a recommendation by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terror attack to accede to ...
Attorney-General David Parker announced today that an appointment round for Queen’s Counsel will take place in 2021. Appointments of Queen’s Counsel are made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Attorney-General and with the concurrence of the Chief Justice. The Governor-General retains the discretion to appoint Queen’s Counsel in ...
The new Resurgence Support Payment passed by Parliament this week will be available to eligible businesses now that Auckland will be in Alert Level 2 until Monday. “Our careful management of the Government accounts means we have money aside for situations like this. We stand ready to share the burden ...
A dry run of the end-to-end process shows New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is ready to roll from Saturday, when the first border workers will receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “The trial run took place in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch yesterday afternoon, ahead of the ...
From June this year, all primary, intermediate, secondary school and kura students will have access to free period products, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti announced today. The announcement follows a successful Access to Period Products pilot programme, which has been running since Term 3 last ...
The latest update shows the Government’s books are again in better shape than forecast, meaning New Zealand is still in a strong position to respond to any COVID-19 resurgence. The Crown Accounts for the six months to the end of December were better than forecast in the Half-year Economic and ...
The Department of Conservation’s (DOC) new Heritage and Visitor Strategy is fully focused on protecting and enhancing the value of New Zealand’s natural, cultural and historic heritage, while also promoting a sustainable environmental experience, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “It has been a quarter of a century since DOC first developed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare have announced that New Zealand will conclude its deployment of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to Afghanistan by May 2021. “After 20 years of a NZDF presence in Afghanistan, it is now time to conclude ...
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. This is a special time in our country. A little over a week ago, it was the anniversary of the signature by Māori and the British Crown of Te Tiriti O Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi), a founding document in ...
The Government is in contact with relevant authorities in Turkey following the arrest of a former Australian and New Zealand dual citizen there, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “Contingency planning for the potential return of any New Zealander who may have been in the conflict zone has been underway for ...
Figures released today by Stats NZ show there was strong growth in median household incomes in 2020, before surveying was halted due to COVID-19. Stats NZ found the median annual household income rose 6.9 percent to $75,024 in the year to June 2020 compared with a year earlier. The survey ...
Legislation will be introduced under urgency today to set up a new Resurgence Support Payment for businesses affected by any resurgence of COVID-19. “Since the scheme was announced in December we have decided to make a change to the payment – reducing the time over which a revenue drop is ...
What’s the best way to get adults reading? Get them reading when they’re children – and there’s no better place to start than the Unity Children’s Bestseller Chart.AUCKLAND1 Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 1, The Birth of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari and David Vandermeulen, and illustrator Daniel Casanave (Jonathon ...
"The lab assistants developed various amphetamine habits, Linda in HR started sleeping with her co-workers’ wives, a few of the guys from down in IT went undercover as recruits in local criminal organisations and were instantly murdered": a vision from Wellington writer Jordan Hamel There are nine different incident reports, ...
Rebecca Wadey used to love the wellness industry. Now she doesn’t know who to trust.This story was first published on Ensemble. I love a bit of woo woo.As a former wellbeing editor, I’ve interviewed countless experts on how to achieve a work-life balance and live a life of optimal energy. I’ve ...
What do you get if you mix a little bit of Persona with a little bit of Musou? A whole lot of fun.In general, I’m not a fan of artistic crossovers – more often than not, the new work ends up compromising what made each individual component great – but ...
Linda Burgess, who has just spent a fortune on a ball of fluff, reflects on the animals who have left paw prints on her heart.Childhood pets?I don’t come from a particularly animal-loving family and when I was five or six I had to argue persuasively, plead even, to adopt Rastus ...
By Scott Waide in Lae, Papua New Guinea Sir Michael was a man of many titles. He was father, grandfather and chief. As a tribal leader, he was Sana, the peacemaker. His influence and his reputation extended beyond Papua New Guinea’s border to the Pacific and other parts of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Howe, Honorary Professor, Department of Sociology, Macquarie University, Macquarie University The Governor General was handed the report of the aged care royal commission on Friday. It will be made public in the coming week. Overlaying its considerations has been Australia’s 909 ...
Michelle Langstone went to meet the revered and feared chef expecting to meet a tyrant. Portraits by Simon Day.You know when Tony Astle is about to tell you a good story by the way his eyes start to gleam with mischief, and how he leans forward to rest his elbows on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Selway, Macquarie University The largest and most destructive earthquakes on the planet happen in places where two tectonic plates collide. In our new research, published today in Nature Communications, we have produced new models of where and how rocks melt in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Paddy Nixon discuss the week in politics. This week Michelle and Paddy discuss the continued probe into the culture of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, University of Adelaide This is the second of two articles on the past and future of the university campus. The “dreaming spires” of Oxford University that Matthew Arnold romanticised in 1865 still have a powerful ...
The finance minister spoke to Auckland businesspeople today on the state of the economy a year after Covid-19 landed, and how he hopes to take on another crisis. Toby Manhire went along.Virtual presentations in place of in-the-flesh speeches have become commonplace in these pandemic days, but it wasn’t Covid that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic O’Sullivan, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University The government earlier this year released a discussion paper exploring how an Indigenous Voice to government might work. The Voice ...
Immigration New Zealand is standing by its decision to grant a visa to the partner of Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March and says the application was treated "like any other". ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathalie Collins, Academic Director (National Programs), Edith Cowan University Business etiquette has one golden rule: treat others with respect and care. The same is true for encouraging cyber safety at work, on everything from password security to keeping valuable information like tax ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Bryant, Professor & Director of Traumatic Stress Clinic, UNSW Although Australia is now largely COVID-free, the repercussions of the pandemic are ongoing. As the pandemic enters its second year, many people will be continuing to suffer with poor mental health, or ...
Auckland Council has signed off on a new strategy to make it easier to recycle or get rid of inorganic waste, but according to South Auckland community leaders, it doesn’t go far enough.Tucked a few streets back from former prime minister William Massey’s beautiful old homestead in Māngere East is ...
With crowd-friendly dance tunes and affordable drinks, a new dancehall and bar opening tonight is hoping to make going out more accessible for Aucklanders.“In many ways, it’s fucking stupid opening a nightclub in the middle of a global pandemic,” says Sam Walsh, one of the three owners of a new ...
Water New Zealand says the establishment of the new Taumata Arowai board is an important milestone in the journey towards safer drinking water for all New Zealanders. The Minister of Local Government, Nanaia Mahuta has announced that former ...
The PM says there are "many, many people" being treated as contacts of the latest Covid-19 community case, but the government is willing to go further than usual to keep the country at level 1. ...
Listen: This week's Extra Time podcast from RNZ dissects the women's White Ferns' cricket challenge against England, the men's Black Caps vs Australia and the start of Super Rugby The White Ferns have a battle on their hands to fight their way back into their one-day series against England - ...
Our Beehive Bulletin … While Housing Minister Megan Woods was being grilled at Question Time in Parliament about the government’s performance in her portfolio domain, the Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito Williams Sio, was announcing new initiatives to provide housing. Attorney-General David Parker, meanwhile, was announcing the appointments of three ...
Asia Pacific Report Papua New Guineans awoke this morning to great sadness, reports the PNG Post-Courier. As the bells tolled with the sad news of the passing of the much beloved statesman and the founding father of the nation, newsfeeds and social media were abuzz with shock, grief, sadness and ...
In remarks for a Monetary Policy Statement presentation to the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce today, Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr has elaborated on the direction received from the Minister of Finance, to have regard to house price sustainability ...
Critic's Chair: Guy Somerset watches the first of four documentaries on the allegations against Woody Allen in his years in the Farrow household, and hears the air of truth in the early testimonies against him. Of all the witness statements with the air of truth about them in the first ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Gangland: New Zealand’s Underworld of Organised Crime by Jared Savage (HarperCollins, $37)“It’s hard for me to imagine ...
A poem by New York-based Aotearoa poet Evangeline Riddiford Graham.Gingerbread HouseThe revolution has arrived. We get the email. MeanwhileI am moving deck chairs to make sure you are comfortable in shade. Our neighboursays it like a complaint: We don’t know anyone who is sickor dead. The taxi driver says hospitals ...
Playwright Alex Lodge on being in love with someone who’s from a different world than you.Have you read anything by Kurt Vonnegut Jr? I’m not here to judge you if you haven’t. He’s one of those writers who all the white boys in university say you “have to read” as ...
Asia Pacific Report Indonesian police have asked participants at a protest action against Special Autonomy (Otsus) in Papua to take covid-19 rapid tests at the site of the demonstration in front of the Home Affairs Ministry office in Jakarta this week, reports CNN Indonesia. The protesters refused, saying it was ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter S. Field, Head of Humanities and Creative Arts and Associate Professor of American History, University of Canterbury The idea of “news” is a pretty new thing. So is the concept of “fake news”, as in false or misleading information presented as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Ritchie, Senior Lecturer in History, Deakin University Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, former prime minister of Papua New Guinea and a giant of Pacific politics, has died from pancreatic cancer. He was 84. Known as “Mike” to some and “the chief” ...
Last year 320 people were killed on New Zealand’s roads. Alex Braae spoke to the people on the front line of road safety about the plan to turn that around. When the goal is to bring the road toll down to zero deaths a year, there’s no one simple solution. ...
Its 2012 investment prospectus was all suits, cigars, guns, sports cars and models in short skirts, and its consumer advertising was possibly even worse. Did the Moa brand’s misogyny contribute to its huge losses?The middle of the road can wind up being a risky place for a business. Typically a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, PhD Candidate, Flinders University It’s not often you get to cast your eyes on a creature feared to be long-gone. Perhaps that’s why my recent rediscovery of the native bee species Pharohylaeus lactiferus is so exciting — especially after ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Georgina Heydon, Associate professor, RMIT University The alleged rape of former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins has raised many questions about how sexual assault gets reported. Members of the Morrison government have repeatedly stressed the appropriate response to allegations of sexual assault ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dana M Bergstrom, Principal Research Scientist, University of Wollongong In 1992, 1,700 scientists warned that human beings and the natural world were “on a collision course”. Seventeen years later, scientists described planetary boundaries within which humans and other life could have a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sally Patfield, Postdoctoral Fellow, Teachers and Teaching Research Centre, University of Newcastle It’s that time of year again when hundreds of thousands of Australian students start university for the first time. Commencing students account for about 40% of the more than 1.6 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Australia’s electricity market is unsustainable. Texas shows us why. A week ago Texas experienced a bout of severe weather as arctic air reached deep into the state, driving temperature down to levels that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Stokes, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Deakin University Tim Hart was sitting on his couch one evening in November 2011 when he got an email with the subject line: “I’m watching”. The message that followed was short and to the point ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Edwards, Associate Professor, Sydney School of Health Sciences, University of Sydney Brisbane has just been confirmed as the preferred host for the 2032 Olympics. But Olympic organisers have more immediate concerns in mind — how to safely run the postponed Tokyo ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for February 26. All the latest news from New Zealand, updated throughout the day. Reach me at stewart@thespinoff.co.nzOur Members make The Spinoff happen. Every dollar contributed directly funds our editorial team – click here to learn more about how you can support us from ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Reserve Bank put in bind by Robertson move, Bridges clashes with top cop, and critical migrant health workers can’t get families in while new arrivals can.Finance minister Grant Robertson will be requiring the Reserve Bank to consider the impact on ...
There are clues globally that the avalanche threat is escalating in some regions as the planet warms, triggered by greater temperature swings and more intense rain and snow storms. Bob Berwyn reports for Inside Climate News Big dumps of powder snow are a precious gift in the best of times ...
As further reports of torture and systemic rape emerge from Xinjiang, the PRC’s propaganda machine is hard at work in New Zealand. Laura Walters looks at why a Chinese New Year performance in Wellington was more than just cultural appropriation State-sponsored appropriation of Uyghur culture has been labelled “disgusting” and “disrespectful” ...
District health board members have been made aware of a new problem with a just-opened Christchurch Hospital building. Oliver Lewis reports. It was two years late and plagued by errors during construction, now a further major issue can be revealed at the new $525 million Christchurch Hospital building, Waipapa. Hundreds ...
Covid-19 vaccination won’t be enough to save us from hard choices that will need to be made during our second or even third year of living with the coronavirus. Keeping Covid-19 mostly out of New Zealand has been a Herculean feat, drawing praise from around the world. Over the next year, ...
If there’s a time for screaming into the void, 2021 is surely it. Josie Adams shares a baker’s dozen of Aotearoa’s top contenders.When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you, and it’s nice to have company. New Zealand’s geography is perfect for abysses, or abyssoi ...
Jake Millar is an extraordinary young man. The young entrepreneur who convinced the rich and famous to invest millions in his business has now disappeared - and so has the money. Jake Millar was just a teenager in 2015 when he sold his first business to the government for six figures. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Defence Minister Linda Reynolds faces an agonising question. Should she say to Scott Morrison she doesn’t feel up to staying in what is one of the most demanding portfolios in the government? Reynolds broke down ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Sheldon Chanel in Suva Much of archipelagic Fiji was forced indoors by lockdowns and a nationwide curfew in March last year when the country recorded its first case of covid-19. The quick and decisive action by legislators was successful in helping contain the spread of a highly ...
Asia Pacific Report The indigenous people of West Papua have rejected the extension of special autonomy and the planned expansion of new provinces announced by the central government of Indonesia. The rejection comes from grassroots communities across West Papua and Papuan students who are studying in Indonesia and overseas. Responding ...
The man who led the review into the dysfunctional Tauranga City Council before it was taken over by a commissioner has been appointed to lead the review into Wellington's council. ...
Opposition MPs are questioning whether there had been any special treatment from immigration officials in regards to Ricardo Menéndez March's partner's application. ...
In this week’s episode, host Simon Pound meets Lisa Fong (aka Move It Mama) whose Facebook Live workouts have found a loyal – and huge – audience worldwide.Nearly every morning, thousands of people around New Zealand and the world start their day with a workout led by a mum of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ted Snell, Honorary Professor, Edith Cowan University Review: A Forest of Hooks and Nails, Fremantle Arts Centre for Perth Festival Several years ago, when being shown around an exhibition under preparation with a Nobel prize-winning guest, an academic colleague asked what one ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael McGreevy, Research Associate, Flinders University Less than two decades ago, South Australia generated all its electricity from fossil fuels. Last year, renewables provided a whopping 60% of the state’s electricity supply. The remarkable progress came as national climate policy was gripped ...
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer’s parents – according to a report in Stuff – delivered some strong mantra to live by. One of them: “Don’t accept, you push back, be provocative, but always be respectful.” But what happens when political opponents don’t accept, push back and – dare we suggest it? – are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kamaljit K Sangha, Senior Ecological Economist, Charles Darwin University Northern Australia is by far the most fire-prone region of Australia, with enormous bushfires occurring annually across thousands of square kilometres. Many of these vast, flammable landscapes have precious few barriers to slow ...
Watergate newsboy burns the bully pulpit effigy of a POTUS.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/29/politics/trump-phone-calls-national-security-concerns/index.html
Dang!!!! That was well worth the read. Thanks SPC. God help them.
Woohoo! Nash drops bomb on Winston. TV3 newsreader: "The New Zealand First leader exploded." Too bad they didn't have pictures of that!
The story had a secret recording from several years ago, and featured comment from Russel Norman. The guts is who's to blame for the long delay on cameras in fishing boats and the donations from Talleys to NZF also featured. There was a blame zig-zag between Labour & NZF, but by the end it wasn't clear who won…
After all the hyped up TV3 trailers, the "secret recording" was about as exciting as a wet Wednesday in Westport.
Nash has form for fruity language, so I was expecting at least "F**k Winston and the rest of them". We got nothing more than a mild-mannered explanation of how a coalition agreement works. Boring!
Good job.
Did you know that PT went to Winston's 2017 speech at our local RSA…mhmm.
There is no way PT or young andrew would want camera's on their vessels or fisheries loopholes closed.
I'd like to see a red and green government with the addition of Tracey Martin, that would be awesome.
Nash is archetypical as Minister for Fisheries, it's not a role for the meek, that's for certain. He would however, be more effective in helping to bring about much needed change if he didn't have so many other portfolio's.
Tova spills Nats internal polling result: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/06/national-party-s-internal-polling-revealed-as-caucus-springs-another-leak.html
Labour could have been on 60+% if it wasn’t for David Clark and Ardern’s lack of leadership
Or 60+% if not for Tova 😈
Incognito I am pretty happy with 55%.
Ardern continues to show incredible leadership throughout this crisis. With phenomenal results. Making her own decision about David Clark is leadership. Not giving in to the whining media calling for blood. As Ardern said early on after the border breach was discovered "Clark is not part of the problem, he is part of the solution". She also said when questioned about Clark early this week, that she knows what's really happening and based her call re Clark on that.
If you think Ardern is showing a lack of leadership, think again
IKR? To moan that Labour are only polling at 55% …
Yep. This is the tactic. Bully her into an action she will later regret. That is how the Right operates. Basic principles and political honesty is not part of their play book. They genuinely believe anything goes if it brings them closer to power.
It's the primary difference between National/Act and Labour/Greens.
I was teasing Dennis Frank, see this thread in OM.
Funny bit, was that some still want the police to have a raptor group (this after the …) to show they're a bunch of toughs.
Simon Bridges lives on.
I see the government has taken up one suggestion from the opposition, 100% depreciation of business asset purchases in the first year.
This of course does help small and medium businesses in the short term but it is open to abuse long term which is why it's not law already.
Not surprised Todd Muller isn't promoting this win – it's not his idea.
Wow, this infighting in National is showing no signs of abating just 2 months out from the election.
They are just as unstable and unelectable as they were before. Many careers are about to end…
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/06/national-party-s-internal-polling-revealed-as-caucus-springs-another-leak.html
Bob Mould has a new song.
American crisis.
Warning; contains some enthusiastic rock n roll.
youtu.be/zD7TxGTPsV4
Makes me think of Beaster era Sugar.
Thanks for the heads up. A big Bob Mould fan. Zen Arcade is one of my top 10 albums ever.
Candy Apple Grey and Warehouse Songs and Stories for me. I also really enjoyed Workbook for a differently paced listen.
Has he gone electric again? I thought he'd given it up. Beaster's 20 minutes of shock and awe.
It's great to see a 60 yr old still able to tear the roof off.
I was in the Uk in the early '90s and saw Sugar live a couple of times, JC Auto is incredible.
Oh, wow! Angriest song he's done in years, excellent stuff.
My Bob Mould gig story is seeing him at the Phoenician, a large barn at the top of Broadway, Sydney, early nineties. Just him and a guitar. He wandered on stage with a hoody up, covering his face. No applause because everyone thought he was just a roadie setting up. Also memorable because a bunch of 'straight edge' proto emos chose to sit down en masse in the mosh area in front of the stage. Got trampled, of course.
btw I cover a lot of Husker Du songs at open mics and gigs around my 'hood. Somebody's got to keep these songs alive, may as well be me.
I know I shouldn't ask, do you enjoy performing one of the songwriters in Husker Du over the other?
2541 will be at my funeral.
Ah, the favourite child question! To be fair, Grant Hart's stuff goes down best as his were written in a more traditional rock structure, but as a guitarist I love playing Bob's song's more.
You'll be pleased to know 2541 gets a regular airing, as does The Main. Mind you, I often go with Never Talking to You Again as the opening song in a set. Good warm up for the fingers and always surprises the hell out of the audience!
Chur.
Recycling the old Alliance combo meme, Tim Murphy (co-editor of Newsroom) anticipates "a red-green coalition": https://www.newsroom.co.nz/politics/1287008/the-greens-cunning-plan
Where is this detail you refer to ?? Because there isn't any on The Greens site.
https://www.greens.org.nz/support_our_poverty_action_plan
Pity that the 2nd aspect of their announcement on how to fund the policy was lazy and lacked factual support. James Shaw at least should have been well versed on his numbers. Pity he talks around such things in generalisations. So his tax could tax in 12billion per annum and that is only counting the assets that are disclosed in the Household Wealth or IRD, there are many that are excluded from this. So what will he do with the added tax take that he conveniently passes over ? "By 2024 the party expected the new tax changes would net $10.34b a year, mostly from the wealth tax." Someone is being economic with the truth either that or they haven't done their homework.
He states that valuing peoples assets are easy yet only a few months ago the tax working group commented on the difficulty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=ib1XirDHQuY&feature=emb_title
Best if you ask Weka or someone else re details of the policy – I don't go there. I'm the kind of person who prefers to wait for implementation & results before forming an opinion about how well it was designed. And note that I was quoting their co-editor, so it wasn't me who referred to it…
I prefer to see well thought out policy even if it doesn’t go and achieve all that was intended. Unfortunately many if not all political groups are lazy ( to be kind) and just want to capture the headlines of the moment. This is a case in point , no reason as to $100 &$150k or the $1m and $2m levels. I had some idea that James Shaw has some depth of financial understanding – but the interview dispels that. He didn’t know the details or could not support his numbers. Just as well he wasn’t challenged by the interviewer. Doesn’t give confidence.
Is there any party that has an idea of a coherent vision and strategy, we are being led by clowns on all sides.
"All of the above leads to uncomfortable issues for New Zealand to face. With a population that continues to increase rapidly, it becomes puzzling as to where and how New Zealand is going to find the export markets that underpin current per capita living standards in New Zealand."
https://www.interest.co.nz/rural-news/105757/neither-europe-nor-usa-are-going-do-us-any-trading-favours-says-keith-woodford
"The blunt reality is that if market forces are allowed to play out unhindered, then the likelihood is that New Zealand’s trade dependence on China is going to further increase. The reason for this is the same natural alignment that has led in recent years to China becoming the most important trading partner for New Zealand.
Coming to terms with that hard reality requires a conversation that goes well beyond issues of trade. That discussion has to include issues such as immigration policy. It also has to include a discussion as to where New Zealand sits within global geopolitics. And it is no good simply stating the things that New Zealand should not do. It has to be specific about what New Zealand should do."
NZs forever problem….exports.
Something to think on pat. Not good to have all our eggs in one basket.
We used to have a trade department that helped look for overseas business. That should help more, setting up some small bilateral deals outside of the cccppttt trade thing we signed up to. But most of all slow down on imports, bring in customs on everything. I'd hate it on the occasional thing I buy, but encouraging more NZ buying NZ. We need to stop living in airy fairy land. We used to think we were going to work towards being a small copy of the USA, a modern democracy knowing how to do business. But that was a 20thC thing. Now it is a new ball game and it isn't gridiron.
Absolutely. If we can shake off the cult of conspicuous consumption, the planned obsolescence of the neoliberal free market and return back to the days of my grandmother where everything had a second use and clothes lasted for decades, then we would be able to cut back on imports while our exports (food in a world growing heavy with people) continue to bring in the revenue.
It might mean tough times for The Warehouse and other Chinese cheap junk markets, but so what!
We simply cannot keep using once and discarding the precious world resources like we have been doing since the days of Rogernomics.
much needs to change
Yes much has needs to change. Yes much has been waiting for change for a good while now. The Covid situation seems almost “God Blessed” to arrive at this moment when change has been long long overdue. The restraints it puts on us helps us see the change needed. We must trim back excessive unnecessary travel, importation and consumption. We must return to waste not want not. We must close the doors on immigration to just those skills we absolutely do not have ( maybe a lot of needed skills are coming home anyway at the moment).The faster the population grows the less produce we will have to export. Overstocking destroys the environment and finally the people. I am looking for the politics that will immediately address the futures needs for a sustainable, stable and comfortable New Zealand.
Don't pick on The Warehouse – I think it is still NZ owned. Try KMart- Australian and open from 8am to 12pm a lot of the 7 days a week it is open like the great big mouth at the gate of Luna Park! And KMart is doing very well. At least we have kept some of that competitive market money in NZ. What we need of course is more going down the road to the shoemaker, and the dressmaker and tailor. I
t will cost us more initially, but I'm thinking if we had a system of paying out people in part local dollars that could only be accepted at local shops, and have it integrated into the tax dept with just playing 15% GST on the available dollars, then we could gradually refloat the economy into shallower waters. And bring in some of the discarded workers, give them opportunities to help themselves, and support them with working space, small loans to get started. We have to prepare for the tech-cut of jobs with planners telling us how lucky we are that we no longer have to do anything boring but forgetting to say that we will find doing nothing boring, and get verbally thrashed for it by the wolfare system that leaves teeth marks where it hurts.
Less about where the peddler comes from, it is what they are peddling is the issue.
Hopefully our borders will stay closed long enough that we get to have a fuller conversation about this.
Stop being such a worry pants. NZ products are in high demand.
And with the the rest of the world in lock down they are not exporting because they are not producing. Have a look at the shelves in KMart or similar for instance. Empty. But our world is not falling apart because we can't buy a new cake mixer or expresso machine. Car imports are way down. Japan is keeping their old cars – can't afford to buy new ones.
The result is that NZ had a record Trade Surplus for the first quarter 2020 and we will have another trade surplus this 2nd quarter just finishing.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2005/S00568/record-monthly-surplus-as-imports-dive.htm
2 quarters do not a future make.
In case you didnt realise i wasnt the author of the article (or the many others over the years)….we can stop concerning ourselves with our exports when we either become self sufficient in the demanded necessities or learn to live (or not) without them
Nope. Out forever problem is believing that trade will make us wealthy. It won't do that, its not even supposed to. Trade is supposed to balance in a free-market.
Getting wealthy through trade is Mercantilism.
Of course, capitalism has never been about everyone getting wealthy – just the few at the top.
If we want the nation to get wealthy then we need to boost productivity and minimise the imports and exports.
"Nope. Out forever problem is believing that trade will make us wealthy. It won't do that, its not even supposed to."
who said anything about trade making us wealthy?
"Trade is supposed to balance in a free-market."
not sure where you get that idea
"If we want the nation to get wealthy then we need to boost productivity and minimise the imports and exports."
now THAT is mercantilism…..but again why are you obsessing about wealth when it hasnt been mentioned.
we need to export to earn the currency to provide those things that we cannot provide for ourselves that society expects/requires….”getting wealthy” has sweet FA to do with it
Politicians, economists – you name it, they've said it.
Studying economics. Hell, the whole point of having a floating exchange rate is to balance trade.
No it's not. Mecantilism is minimising imports while maximising exports.
Because you quoted it?
In other words, maintaining our present wealth.
And there is nothing that we can't provide for ourselves. The fact that you think that there is is proof that you've swallowed the Kool-aid about the necessity for trade.
"In other words, maintaining our present wealth'
No…in the words used….providing those things expected/required…if i meant to say 'maintaining our present wealth' I would have written such.
"Studying economics. Hell, the whole point of having a floating exchange rate is to balance trade."
And if you have studied economics you would know there is no relationship between a floating exchange rate and balanced trade…..like most economic theory the practice does not match the theory.
"No it's not. Mecantilism is minimising imports while maximising exports."
Afraid not, that may be the hoped for outcome but it is the method that makes it mercantilism.
True but that's probably because the exchange rate is left to speculation rather than being trade weighted.
And you'd wrong again.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercantilism
I said to minimize both. Its what we need to do to remove our reliance upon trade while still having what we want/expect.
and how do you propose to minimise both….I expect the method engaged would amount to mercantilism…but youre welcome to explain otherwise.
and then theres the not insignificant matter of providing all those expectations/needs
We need to build sustainable infrastructure and our well being resilience and cultural integrity. All activities should be put through those sieves first. Needs versus wants. IMO
How social realities get constructed, lesson 1: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12343541
How social realities get constructed, lesson 2: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/majority-kiwis-still-against-legalising-cannabis-according-latest-1-news-colmar-brunton-poll
Now given that there's about a week between the two samples, could be that 8% of the public had a sudden change of mind and reversed their stance.
A more intriguing possibility is that there are two (or more) publics in Aotearoa, as defined by stats polling methodology. I'll leave that to the stats experts to figure out. But a bit of a Schrodinger's cat situation, eh? Which one is real, or are they both simultaneously??
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/travel/2020/06/lloyd-burr-hey-duncan-garner-your-covid-19-border-idea-is-bonkers.amp.html?__twitter_impression=true yep, Duncan is a dunce, and frightening those NZrs overseas, luckily he's about at faraway from the levers of power as anyone could be.
Well said, Lloyd Burr. Everyone should read that, and not just Garner.
Armchair assumptions by the simple-minded have been a constant annoyance throughout this pandemic. Monitoring everyone is easy (no), testing everyone is easy (no), quarantine is easy (no), decisions about what is open/closed are easy (no) … in fact there are no practicalities to think about at all, we just reckon something and it magically happens.
And when Dr Bloomfield explains any of this for the 100th time, he must remain calm and patient. Maybe he really is a saint.
This sums it up:
The sad tale of a stateside success unravelling – LA faces the prospect of its hospitals being overun.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/29/us/california-coronavirus-reopening.html
I've been watching the US Late Shows and Cooper Anderson and Casie DC CNN etc & the despair of the reporting is getting more and more noticeable, they are desperate for some leadership!
Also to see the Florida and Texas Governor backtracking and pleading for people to wear masks is quite something.
& now the military & intelligence services are starting to get angry, a perfect storm.
Sounds reasonable to me. Unless there is a crucial reason for leaving NZ, it should be paid for by the individual. What counts as crucial might need some discussion. Not sure the govt can legally charge people trying to get back in since covid, but those leaving deliberately for a holiday or to travel, yeah, nah.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/30/jacinda-ardern-decries-dangerous-calls-to-reopen-new-zealand-borders-coronavirus?
It's canny politics, and we can see the message control in real time (except the fools who think she's a lightweight, only does the hugs blah blah).
Ardern discussed the issue at yesterday's post-Cab, knowing it would be picked up. It has become the main "border story" in the past 24 hours. It deflects nicely from the trickier issues – PM doesn't want to be blaming the returners but this is a much softer target. Cue the vox pops on tonight's news, all on side.
I'd guess potential holiday makers leaving and returning would be a small percentage of the total, but never mind, it plays very well (privileged, unpatriotic, entitled but taxpayer-funded etc). Media manipulation, job done.
I haven't been following. Is there a reason they can't slow down arrivals so that quarantine services can cope (and upscale)?
Can't refuse entry to citizens or residents and they are starting to expand other groups e.g. partners and children of citizens and residents, a slightly wider definition of essential work.
'Murica….
😂
Unravelled, more like it.
Iceland is opening its borders tomorrow.
https://www.covid.is/categories/tourists-travelling-to-iceland
One to watch: https://www.icelandreview.com/ask-ir/whats-the-status-of-covid-19-in-iceland/