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.
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
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Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
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The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
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Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
MONDAYSheriff Seymour rode slowly down the main street of Dodge on his faithful white horse Atlas Network.He liked what he saw.Children were being fed free lunches prepared by kind people who collected the scraps from an offal rendering plant.“Very strongly flavoured liver, such as ox liver, can be soaked overnight ...
Once upon a time it was all about being an astronaut, a firefighter or doctor; but these days kids have their sights set on becoming vloggers or YouTubers.That’s according to a 2019 study by Lego that surveyed 3000 children between the ages of eight to 12 from the US, the ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. From the moment I started high school and realised almost every other girl in my year was at least partially interested in what the boys were up to, I realised that I would be single for life. The feeling wasn’t one of ...
The Pacific profiles series shines a light on Pacific people in Aotearoa doing interesting and important work in their communities, as nominated by members of the public. Today, Selina Alesana Alefosio.All photos by Geoffery Matautia.On a bright Sunday morning from her grandparent’s home in Pito-one, I spoke with ...
The White Lotus star reflects on her life in TV, including the local ad reference that doesn’t work in Australia, and her bananas co-star on Neighbours.Morgana O’Reilly was scrolling her phone next to her sleeping son on an idle Saturday morning when she got the call confirming that she ...
Claire Mabey explores the pros and cons of puff quotes on book covers.In January, Publishers Weekly put out an article by Sean Manning – publisher of Simon & Schuster’s flagship US imprint – in which he said he’d “no longer require authors to obtain blurbs for their books”.The ...
New Zealand’s Entomological Society is hosting its annual bug of the year contest. Here are some of the insects in the running. For some reason – perhaps humans’ inherent competitiveness, the idealisation of democracy, the need to demarcate winners and losers – one of the best ways to get people ...
A journey along the border, with words and illustrations by Bob Kerr.The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous support of our members.The Sunset Limited leaves Union Station New Orleans on time at nine in the morning. We ...
Neville Peat is the 2024 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in nonfiction. He’s written 56 books, mostly on natural history; this excerpt is from The Falcon and the Lark: A New Zealand High Country Journal, first published in 1992. The falcon wintering on the Rock and ...
It was a light-hearted gesture Greta Pilkington will be forever grateful for – thanks to an Aussie rival who jumped in when the Olympic sailor couldn’t be at her own graduation.Pilkington, then 20, had been leading a double life – while qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the ILCA ...
I was born in the back of my grandfather’s ute, by an overgrown windbreak in a remote place called Wahi-Rakauyou can’t find on a map. I was born a girl but given the man’s name Harvey, as my dad always wanted a violent-minded boy to one day help him ...
“We’re not here to interfere in people’s property rights,” Ngāi Tahu’s Te Maire Tau has told the High Court.Tau, a historian, Upoko (traditional leader) of Ngāi Tūāhuriri, and a university professor of history, is the lead witness in a case designed to force the Crown to recognise the tribe’s rangatiratanga ...
Pacific Media Watch Trump administration officials barred two Associated Press (AP) reporters from covering White House events this week because the US-based independent news agency did not change its style guide to align with the president’s political agenda. The AP is being punished for using the term “Gulf of Mexico,” ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific Presenter/Bulletin editor France’s top diplomat in the Pacific region says talks around the “unfreezing” of New Caledonia’s highly controversial electoral roll are back on the table. The French government intended to make a constitutional amendment that would lift restrictions prescribed under the Nouméa Accord, which ...
By bringing these global voices to the fight for free expression in New Zealand, we’ll continue to protect and expand our culture of free speech, says Nathan Seiuli, the Free Speech Union's Events Manager. ...
The issue is no longer a hypothetical one. US President Donald Trump will not explicitly suggest death camps, but he has already consented to Israel’s continuing a war that is not a war but rather a barbaric assault on a desolate stretch of land. From there, the road to annihilation is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cecelia Cmielewski, Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University To be selected as the artist and curator team to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale is considered the ultimate exhibition for an artistic team. To have your selection rescinded, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia is bearing down on the northwest coast of Australia and is likely to make landfall early Friday evening. It’s a monster storm of great concern to Western Australia. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Ireland-Piper, Associate Professor, ANU National Security College, Australian National University A Victorian government decision to allow dingo culling in the state’s east until 2028 has reignited debate over what has been dubbed Australia’s most controversial animal. Animals Australia, an animal welfare ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Overnight, Robert F. Kennedy Jr was confirmed as the secretary of the US Health and Human Services Department. Put simply, this makes him the most influential figure in overseeing the health and wellbeing of more ...
Everything you missed from day five of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard eight hours of submissions.Read our recaps of the previous hearings here.It was another work from home day for the Justice Committee, the only people in Room 3 being security guards, committee ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne Juris Teivans/Shutterstock In Australia, fatal road crashes are climbing again, especially since the pandemic, and despite years of attempts to reduce road trauma, the numbers ...
In its eagerness to appease supporters of Israel, the media is happy to ride roughshod over due process and basic rights. It’s damaging Australia’s (and New Zealand’s?) democracy.COMMENTARY:By Bernard Keane Two moments stand out so far from the Federal Court hearings relating to Antoinette Lattouf’s sacking by the ...
“The reality is we’re getting poorer. The government this year is leaning heavy on chasing economic growth, which is absolutely the right thing to do.” ...
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 The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Granta, $28) Han Kang’s astounding novel was based on an ...
This new docuseries about two single comedians looking for love is also a joyful celebration of female friendship. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. “How many people do you think are boning right now?” Kura Forrester asks Brynley Stent as the bright ...
A new poem by Freya Turnbull. Hunger Song – After Kaveh Akbar (Untitled With Hunger And Matcheads) I hold my age in ripped fishnet hold an empty vessel oldyoung body cracks like gunshot like killa i was a father ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominik Koll, Honorary Lecturer, Australian National University View of the Pacific Ocean from the International Space Station.NASA Earth must have experienced something exceptional 10 million years ago. Our study of rock samples from the floor of the Pacific Ocean has found ...
Troy Rawhiti-Connell reviews Kia Tupu Te Ara, a documentary chronicling the meteoric rise of Aotearoa’s groundbreaking metal band. “Two brothers attempt to storm the world of thrash metal with the Māori language, despite the fact they’re both still teenagers,” reads the synopsis of Kent Belcher’s documentary, Kia Tupu Te Ara. ...
Three freelance writers have been awarded grants to work on their ambitious journalism projects. In January, The Spinoff announced the Vince Geddes In-Depth Journalism Fund, supported by the Auckland Radio Trust (ART). The fund was established to provide much-needed financial and editorial support to talented freelance journalists, empowering them to ...
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.
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….
https://i.imgur.com/0CJlMYM.jpg
😂
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/