Facing up to peak oil

Written By: - Date published: 1:25 pm, June 16th, 2008 - 38 comments
Categories: economy, labour, national, tax, workers' rights - Tags: ,

The Government’s independent report on petrol prices is bit of a sop to be the public, really. The world oil price is driving petrol prices; any efficiencies that could be gained in New Zealand would be small and would not change the upward trend. Nor is a Fuel Watch website like Australia’s going to do anything to bring prices down. Calls by the AA and other organisations for petrol companies to hold off a few days on increases are also pretty useless the price is going up anyway, why get wound up over whether it happens on Monday or Wednesday? Like governments worldwide, Labour and National have rightly rejected removing fuel tax.

Tinkering on the margins of the price of petrol doesn’t matter. It’s going up and nothing New Zealand does will stop that. We need to acknowledge that the supply of oil is peaking and serious effort needs to go into adapting our economy a world without cheap oil.

So, it was interesting to hear both Helen Clark and John Key mention peak oil in the last few days. This morning on Breakfast, Clark said prices aren’t coming down. ‘..at some point you reach peak oil supply but we are changing our behaviour in this country, people are buying small cars, they’re looking for the fuel efficiency label and taking public transport’. In an interview with Mikey Havoc, Key said ‘I’m not in the camp that we’re at peak oil’ and proposed turning our coal reserves into diesel.

Neither is presenting a strategy to get us through peak oil with minimal pain, but at least Clark acknowledges it is real. National has shown that on this major issue, like so many others, they have no answers to offer and their head firmly in the sand.

I’m looking forward to Labour and the Greens presenting a suite of election policies that keep wages growing, so workers don’t lose out on the increased cost of fuel, and major investment in public transport so kiwis can cut their petrol use.

38 comments on “Facing up to peak oil ”

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  1. jafapete 1
    16 June 2008 at 1:30 pm

    Oh well, at least the enquiry will settle the issue about whether the oil companies are ratcheting up pump prices at the first opportunity and then procrastinating when oil prices fall.

    Anyway, excellent post. Spot on.

  2. Steve Pierson 2
    16 June 2008 at 1:37 pm

    Studies have been done in the US. Their conclusions tend to be that petrol companies do move up quickly and down slowly but they move up less than the cost of oil. So, a spike in crude is reflected as a longer but lower bump in petrol prices.

    But the whole premise of the ‘quick up, slow down’ notion is that prices are coming down, don’t see that happening.

  3. illuminatedtiger 3
    16 June 2008 at 1:45 pm

    She also mentioned it at a Labour Party fundraiser in Christchurch on Saturday. I’ll try to post a video on NewZBlog tonight if I can.

  4. T-rex 4
    16 June 2008 at 1:46 pm

    Did Key really say that???

    God he’s a silly bunt. You’d think after his original stance on global warming (and recent flipflop) he’d have learnt to actually look into issues before forming a stupid opinion baesd on what he’d like, but no, same old.

    That said, I’ve no problem with his suggestion on diesel from coal if it’d be cost effective in the short term, just so long as it’s part of a transition rather than a further delaying tactic. And I doubt that’s the case, as with the ETS National is all about delaying.

  5. Lew 5
    16 June 2008 at 1:53 pm

    Fischer-Tropsch fuel conversion from coal is possible (not in theory, in practice it’s used today in South Africa and was used with great success in Nazi Germany); the main reason it hasn’t been considered is that it’s energy-intensive and not economically viable until oil prices reach a certain point. Also I seem to recall that it only produces diesel and a short-chain hydrocarbon, not much use for petrol engines.

    Given NZ’s coal reserves it is a potential source of fuel – even with the high catalytic threshold, it’d be a means of converting electricity into a fuel for vehicles, though I wonder if it’s not just more sensible to go straight to electric vehicles.

    But given the high price of oil, the major problem isn’t economics, it’s pollution. There’s a lot of the coal which isn’t any use, and that by-product has to go someplace. Where do we dump it all?

    The other problem is that the current processes are fairly crude, and the R&D sunk cost of establishing plants for conversion in NZ will be massive. Is holding onto fossil fuels worth it?

    L

  6. George Darroch 6
    16 June 2008 at 1:55 pm

    The Labour Party is ignoring the issue. Just listen to any of Cullen’s answers in the house on the question. They’re certainly not taking any moves to steer the country away from the effects, and they’ve ignored it for years.

  7. roger nome 7
    16 June 2008 at 1:57 pm

    John Key’s dismissive attitude toward the issue of peak oil is worrying, though predictable. I wonder what information he bases his sanguine outlook on?

    Being a market fundamentalist he probably looks at it being an “investment” problem, rather than a geological fact.

    People who think more investment and higher prices will spur investment and technological development, thus precluding a near-term peak should think about why oil recovery rates have been stagnant at 30-37% of oil-in-place for quite some time.

    Saudi Aramco may have some high recovery factor fields such as Abqaiq and Shaybah, but an average recovery factor range from 30-37% is assumed for the total OIIP in Saudi Arabia’s fields. The trend of the recovery factor for Saudi Aramco indicates that there has been no effect on the recovery factor by recent technological advances in producing wells.

    http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4153

    If the perennial denialists of the National Party win the next election, if Key’s speeches are anything to go by, they will deliver an increase in spending on roads, and likely a decrease in spending on sustainable transport infrastructure. Exactly the opposite of what this country needs going into peak oil.

  8. Stephen 8
    16 June 2008 at 1:59 pm

    Could someone please tell Helen that ‘building more motorways is probably not going to help things now is it’.

  9. Phil 9
    16 June 2008 at 1:59 pm

    “he’d have learnt to actually look into issues before forming a stupid opinion”

    OPEC have looked into the issue long and hard, and they don’t think we’re anywhere near peak oil either.

    Captcha; “Orinoka where”
    He’s probably in Wimbeldon Comman?

  10. djp 10
    16 June 2008 at 2:00 pm

    The people in the know seem to be saying that the current oil price is not being driven by a fundamental lack of supply but by futures speculators (similar to tech stocks in the late 90’s and property a couple of years ago).

    The thing about speculative bubbles is that you know that it *will* come crashing down like a house of cards but you never know when.

  11. Daveo 11
    16 June 2008 at 2:04 pm

    djp. That’s not what the oil specialist from Goldman Sachs was saying on Agenda yesterday.

  12. jafapete 12
    16 June 2008 at 2:10 pm

    Stephen: June 16, 2008 at 1:59 pm: “Could someone please tell Helen that ‘building more motorways is probably not going to help things now is it’.”

    I did have to laugh at the response from the kiwiblog right when Tane W asked on KB: “”So, anyone still keen to build new motorways?’ Came the response, “Yep and a nuclear powerstation to charge my hybrid with.’

    He’ll know better than to pose rhetorical questions to the KR in future.

    Edit, djp: That’s not what the International Energy Agency are saying. Are they “in the know”?

  13. insider 13
    16 June 2008 at 2:12 pm

    well roger he is probably right to be suspicious given the poor record of peakies going back 150 years.

    It’s a bit like Shrek’s donkey: “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”.

    creey captcha “undrilled market”

  14. djp 14
    16 June 2008 at 2:13 pm

    Daveo,

    Well, different people say different things.

    Crude oil went from about $50 a barrel in Jan 2007 to $100 a barrel in Dec 2007. That is a 100% increase over 12 months.

    For the price increase to be based on market fundamentals it would have to be driven either huge consumption increases or huge supply decreases (or a combination) in one year. It just hasn’t happened (unless I missed the news).

  15. Draco TB 15
    16 June 2008 at 2:19 pm

    OPEC have looked into the issue long and hard, and they don’t think we’re anywhere near peak oil either.

    You mean people, like Saudi Arabia where their oil reserves have remained constant or grown since the 1990s even though they’ve been pumping hundreds of millions of barrels per year, are saying that there’s no Peak Oil?

    For the price increase to be based on market fundamentals it would have to be driven either huge consumption increases or huge supply decreases (or a combination) in one year. It just hasn’t happened (unless I missed the news).

    Well, there’s certainly been an increase in demand – notably from India and China but the oil producers haven’t been increasing supply.

  16. T-rex 16
    16 June 2008 at 2:21 pm

    “OPEC have looked into the issue long and hard, and they don’t think we’re anywhere near peak oil either.”

    Perhaps, but then again, they’re coining money on the back of demand and still have a lot of oil left to sell – they hardly want alternatives to be investigated too thoroughly just yet!

    Insider – take your point about the flawed predictions of the past. But the question you really should be asking is not “how much oil is left” but “how much new exploration is being done, and is it really realistic to expect new capacity to come online fast enough to meet anticipated demand growth AND depletion of existing fields”. The answer is pretty obviously no, even if you want to assume that there are still sufficient reserves to be found.

    There’s also the issue of accessibility. No one is (or perhaps “no one should be”) debating the existence of reserves (various oil sands for example), but actually getting oil and keeping it cost effective is another matter.

  17. T-rex 17
    16 June 2008 at 2:24 pm

    Draco – Exactly. Asking OPEC about the viability of oil is like asking the NEI about the viability of Nuclear power. They’re hardly going to say “twilight technology, start thinking about and deploying alternatives now, we’re plenty rich enough already thanks”

  18. gobsmacked 18
    16 June 2008 at 2:31 pm

    John Key will propose cutting petrol tax.

    It will be a clever (i.e. shameless and empty) pseudo-policy, which he will soon announce (sorry, “have a look at”, because “Kiwis are hurting at the pumps” and “the government can’t keep ignoring them”).

    He will call for a cut in GST or petrol tax until personal income tax cuts take effect, on Oct 1. National did the same in 2005, just days before the election. It’s a way of being populist while keeping a “responsible” fig-leaf. Key will call this “emergency relief”.

    But the election will (almost certainly) be AFTER Oct. 1, so he won’t actually need to put the policy into practice. He just needs to propose, not deliver. Cullen & co will call it the blatant politicking that it is, but most commentators will not bother with principles of long-term economic policy, but will instead tell us about “perception”. And a large chunk of the electorate will fall for it.

    You have read it here first.

  20. Stephen 20
    16 June 2008 at 2:34 pm

    I can sort of appreciate that people still want to be able to use ‘individual’ transport rather than relying on public transport jafapete, and nuclear is a tricky one, rather than cut and dried I think…

  21. roger nome 21
    16 June 2008 at 2:39 pm

    Phil:

    Why would you listen to what OPEC has to say about peak oil?

    http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4153

  22. jh 22
    16 June 2008 at 2:46 pm

    The only Insider that counts is a big dipstick in all the wells. In those bib wells they have men in boats (foriegn workers) doing depth soundings…. It’s a dirty job but the pay is good.

  23. T-rex 23
    16 June 2008 at 2:51 pm

    Nuclear is tricky, for sure, I have no problem with people who present it as such. But often you hear it brought out as a potential silver bullet that would solve all ills if only the damn greenies would get over themselves. Especially when you hear things like “New plants are safe” and “the waste issue is easily solved by putting it in a hole”.

  24. Stephen 24
    16 June 2008 at 3:01 pm

    Yeah, there are so many contextual issues surrounding nuclear that it is almost pointless to wholeheartedly support or despise it without looking at what particular options would be applicable IN NEW ZEALAND. e.g. earthquake zones, size of plant, decommissioning costs etc etc…

  25. oilpop 25
    16 June 2008 at 3:02 pm

    No to to mention the brisk economic activity that the decline of oil prices will being in the months to come, anybody who doesn’t buy some puts on oil options righ now, is missing oen of the best financial opportunities of 2008. Godspeed

  26. killinginthenameof 26
    16 June 2008 at 3:30 pm

    How do we know that the oil producing states are not just pulling an enron?

  27. Rex Widerstrom 27
    16 June 2008 at 4:17 pm

    Nor is a Fuel Watch website like Australia’s going to do anything to bring prices down.

    Errr… wrong. And wrong.

    FuelWatch isn’t “a website”. It has a website, but so do BP, Shell etc. FuelWatch is a scheme that requires service stations to publish what their at-the-pump price will be for the following day. They are legally required to maintain that price for 24 hours. The prices are published in the newspaper, appear on the commercial TV station’s news bulletins (between the markets and the weather, usually) and are mentioned on the radio. TV and radio usually restrict themselves to the dozen or so cheapest.

    Thus the information is readily available and people do respond, as is evidenced by the queues at the stations advertised as cheapest.

    And it does result in lower prices. WA has had FuelWatch for years now and the prices it’s drivers are charged are consistently lower than those of the eastern states, despite WA’s incomes being amongst the highest in the country and it’s demand – especially for diesel to fuel the mining industry – being high.

    It’s failing (which is seized upon by critics) is that it won’t permit service stations to lower prices beyond those that are published by FuelWatch. So if the station across the road from the one with the cheapest fuel wants to compete by giving up it’s price-gouging ways and lowering it’s prices, it’ll be breaking the law if it does.

    Provided that restriction is removed, FuelWatch is well worth considering for NZ.

    captcha: Reading’s hitting (which, when run together, conjures an unfortunate image of Al Bundy and his morning newspaper).

  28. T-rex 28
    16 June 2008 at 4:25 pm

    It’s failing (which is seized upon by critics) is that it won’t permit service stations to lower prices beyond those that are published by FuelWatch.

    I disagree, I think that’s actually a strength. If stations can react during the day, they can just all start high – there’s no competitive advantage to going low. If, however, you’ve got to stick with what you offer, then it’s a closed tender type arrangement. It’ll deliver far better results for the consumer – just not for the companies who choose to charge high. Where’s the problem?

  29. roger nome 29
    16 June 2008 at 5:11 pm

    killinginthenameof:

    “How do we know that the oil producing states are not just pulling an enron?”

    What’s far more likely is that OPEC over-estimate their reserves.

    The OPEC countries decided in 1985 to link their production quotas to their reserves. What then seemed wise provoked important increases of the estimates in order to increase their production rights. This also permits the ability to obtain bigger loans at lower interest rates. This is a suspected reason for the reserves rise of Iraq in 1983, then at war with Iran.

    In fact, Dr. Ali Samsam Bakhtiari, a former senior executive of the National Iranian Oil Company, has stated unequivocally that OPEC’s oil reserves (notably Iran’s) are grossly overstated. In an interview to Bloomberg in July 2006, he stated that world oil production is now at its peak and predicted that it will fall 32% by 2020.[50]

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves

  30. Rex Widerstrom 30
    16 June 2008 at 6:05 pm

    T-rex: you have a point. But FuelWatch is effectively massive free advertising for the cheaper servos. So to start high means their published prices, promted via FuelWatch, wouldn’t attract anybody.

    All I can say is it seems to work in WA, where we pay less than the eastern states and about 50c a litre less than NZ.

  31. T-Rex 31
    16 June 2008 at 6:32 pm

    Rex – yup, I understand that, think it’s a great scheme, I just think it’s also good that they won’t let stations change their price during the day for the reasons I described above.

  32. George Darroch 32
    16 June 2008 at 11:42 pm

    What have the Kiwiblog crowd got to do with this?

    It is Labour who is building the motorways.

  33. expat 33
    17 June 2008 at 9:14 am

    Oh, Helens peak oil is here? Well that settles the argument then. Stop now people, go home. Peak Oil is here.

  34. roger nome 34
    17 June 2008 at 11:49 am

    Hey nice argument expat. I notice that nearly all the Tories who used to argue against me when I proposed that peak oil would be within the next 15 years are silent now. That started 3-4 years ago.

    You can start on the road to Damascus here if you like:

  35. Dave McArthur 35
    17 June 2008 at 2:54 pm

    The regions that prosper in the Post Cheap Mineral Oil/Gas Age will be those who have invested in intelligent uses of their electrical and solar potential – including rail, shipping and well insulated dwellings. New Zealand has failed to do this and I now rate Michael Cullen the worst Finance Minister in at least 70 years. Previous Finance Ministers can be excused for not understanding the full impacts of our use of mineral oil/gas. However the lessons of the 1970-90s were clearly there by 2000 for anyone with a will to learn. These were spelled out to him in great detail by many people and he just scoffed at them. He inherited a world in 1999 in which the prices of mineral commodities were historically extremely low. This gave him the splendid opportunity to reshape a more sustainable New Zealand and he has sqandered it in motorways, jet travel, SUVs, McMansions etc.
    Now he has surrendered entirely to the Stock Market sector with KiwiSaver, pouring funds into a black hole rather than any of the above mentioned requisites for a sustainable country. The Stock Market is based on the tragic belief that mineral oil will retail at about $US25 for ever and is now set to implode – the implosion being delayed a little by Michael pouring billions of hard-earned dollars of the average Kiwi into the brokers’ pockets to prop them up.

    Dave McA

  36. expat 36
    17 June 2008 at 8:27 pm

    nome – you are deluded. you and travelerev need to form a support group.

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  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

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