Farm protest mad cows and climate change

Written By: - Date published: 3:49 pm, September 18th, 2017 - 105 comments
Categories: climate change, election 2017, farming, farming, global warming - Tags: , , , , ,

The farmers’ protest in Morrinsville today unfortunately shows that we have made no progress in the 15 years since Bill English attacked the wrong PM with his “mad cow” insult. Meanwhile the effects of climate change have got worse, our options for dealing with it have got fewer, and the Nats don’t want you to know about $19bn of NZ property at risk.

The Protest:

The water:

The climate:

The suppressed report:

105 comments on “Farm protest mad cows and climate change ”

  1. cleangreen 1

    At this farmers rally I see today Winston did also turn up to talk with these ‘farmers’ (may be bused in pay for protest group some of them) and my guess is Winston wanted to float his plan to devalue the dollar so farmers can increase incomes, and that is o/k but we have ‘another elephant in the room’ also that no one is discussing so I want to place it here, what say you”?

    Does the green party want to re-align the ‘Reserve bank Act’ as it was pre-rogernomics era?

    I would like to know what GP wants to do about the treasury please as they are fulll of ex Goldman Sachs stooges and are alwats pulling national right and to borrow mioney from Global investors and not use their own instruments like changing the reserve Bank Act 1961 back to where it used to be before the rogernomics era????????

    https://www.interest.co.nz/news/87025/nz-first-has-long-sought-changes-how-rbnz-runs-monetary-policy-so-alex-tarrant-attempted-

    • JC 1.1

      Perhaps read their policies!

      https://www.greens.org.nz/policy/economic-policies

      Rather than making spurious allegations without substance!

    • Hmmmm ,… a couple of good points , there CLEANGREEN,…

      Were they INDEED ALL farmers that turned up to that protest ?…. we all know National is fond of labeling all protesters as the rent – a – mob paid protesters crowd,… recall John Key labeling Glenn Greenwald as one of Kim Dotcoms ‘ little henchmen’ and Nicky Hager as a ‘screaming communist’.

      It is 5 days until the election after all and judging by Nationals past record of Dirty Politics campaigning and using smearing tactics and telling half truths / forgetting conveniently when asked to ‘ please explain ‘ ,… I wouldn’t put it past them to try to pull a stunt like having a few bogus ‘farmers’ at a protest.

      The second point is putting the Reserve Bank / Treasury back under govt control and regulation. Doing that would go along way to prevent these opportunistic pirates , – or as you say , CLEANGREEN , – Goldman Sachs stooges , – from interfering with the myriad down river effects on our economy , – AND , – having such an inordinate , ( and un – elected ) surreptitious influence on policy that affects New Zealanders.

      • cleangreen 1.2.1

        Hi Wild Katipo.

        Yes I watched John Campbell interviewing Winston at 5.15pm during ‘Checkpoint’
        and it was very entertaining because there was good vibes going there without any ‘unpleasantry’ between these two warrors of politics.

        Winston did then mention his want to change the ‘NZ Reserve Bank Act’ when John Campbell asked him ‘what do you want to see changed’ he mentioned your references to (certain parties) rorting the system as it stands now.

        Let’s hope that these three parties if all wanting to shut out the rorting of our treasury can find some common ground to work ‘constructively’ together.

        NZ need to see a joining of the minds of the opposition parties now as we will not survive by kicking eachother around all the time.

        Winston did admit there inn the interview “nothing was not negociable, and he has no bottom lines thus will work with other parties if need be.

        http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/201858966/checkpoint-leader-interview-winston-peters

    • Nic the NZer 1.3

      No changes in the reserve bank act are needed already in order for the government to alter its policy in this regard.

      https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/monetary-policy/about-monetary-policy/independent-review-of-the-operation-of-monetary-policy-2/fiscal-and-monetary-coordination

      “1. Under the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989, the Bank’s primary goal is the maintenance of price stability. The Bank is exclusively responsible for this objective – reflecting that inflation is ultimately a monetary phenomenon. That is, whereas monetary policy’s only lasting effect is on inflation, fiscal policy has no lasting effect on inflation. The exception is where fiscal policy subverts monetary policy from its objective, as when a government finds that funding a large fiscal deficit in the market causes unacceptable pressure on interest rates and directs the central bank to provide the funding, that is, to “monetise” the deficit. The structures in the Act very substantially militate against this kind of subversion of the price stability objective of monetary policy, a key feature of the Act. Although the objective may be overridden by the government of the day, this can be done only by way of a very transparent process, and then any override can last for no more than twelve months unless explicitly renewed. These requirements establish a high hurdle for a government wishing to change the objective, and in the absence of the override being invoked, the price stability objective prevails.”

      E.g the government can finance itself as it chooses today. The main caveat being it must tell the RBNZ (and the public) what its doing and continue renewing its commitment to financing itself in this manner.

      Of course the links back to Friedmans ‘inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon’ are quite clear but equally laughable today as the RBNZ long since gave up monetary aggregate targeting and reverted to interest rate targeting. If this was really believable then allowing the money supply to grow without limit as long as the relevant interest rate is paid (the OCR) would lead to uncontrolled inflation (which it don’t). In the real world inflation rates are mostly dominated by circumstances outside of governments control anyway.

      • WILD KATIPO 1.3.1

        … ” The main caveat being it must tell the RBNZ (and the public) what its doing and continue renewing its commitment to financing itself in this manner ” ….

        Ooooo ,… how jilly jolly convivial of them…. I’m sure that arrangement fits in well with the powers that be , mind you … as for the public?,…. most still live in the Shire and are pleasantly drunk by 9.pm….

        And this load of gobbly gook….

        … ” The exception is where fiscal policy subverts monetary policy from its objective, as when a government finds that funding a large fiscal deficit in the market causes unacceptable pressure on interest rates and directs the central bank to provide the funding, that is, to “monetise” the deficit ” ….

        Nice. So in order to prevent a cock up , and to have a situation where wages are forced up due to a fiscal deficit because the hallowed theory of ‘ market forces’ is put at threat of being exposed , – in walks the central bank to prevent panic ( ie : the need for govt bail outs ) .

        So now we see why , … we have a housing problem.

        And a low wage economy in the middle of a ‘ rockstar economy ‘ .

        And an underfunded social infrastructure.

        Gotta keep that inflation down to maximize those returns, eh?

        So , currently , we have these problems because someone’s makin’ a shitload from keeping inflation low and thus wages low and thus shares / investment returns and profits margins high. All because if a govt wanted to advance an initiative ,… that may or may not threaten certain interests directly involved in that initiative. Like mass housing building projects , for example . Just sayin’ ,…

        Dire Straits – Money For Nothing – YouTube
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTP2RUD_cL0

        • Nic the NZer 1.3.1.1

          With the relationship between the reserve bank and parliament (e.g the government) its important to recognise who is actually in charge. The reserve bank is operationally independent under legislation (which can be changed), the governor of the reserve bank answers to the finance minister and has targets set and updated by the finance minister. Anything the reserve bank is doing government is almost certainly happy they are doing it.

          The fiscal policy paragraph you quoted from talks about if the government forces the reserve bank to fund its spending by issueing new money. How the economy in practice responds to that is up for debate and probably doesn’t fit with what the reserve bank is saying it believes will happen there. NZ has funded itself that way before and nothing unusual happened when it did.

  2. Macro 2

    But! But! But! Farmers are the backbone of the country. Surely you must know this. They need to secure their future, whatever that may be. They need respect and understanding. Why! Haven’t they fenced off more than 90% of the major rivers so their cows can’t shit in them anymore? The little rivers and streams through their farms don’t count because they are only little, and even if they do feed into the major rivers it’s only a little bit. Farmers pay far more tax than anyone else in this country – I know this because a farmer told me that once. And what’s more this CO2 thing is flat wrong because the cows only fart methane and that’s a natural gas. I now this because I read it once in the Fed Farmers Mag. And the guy who wrote it was a farmer and he should know.
    Anyway climate change is just a hoax. Trump reckons the Chinese thought it up and he’s a pretty smart guy so he should know. And Its cold and raining here today so that proves its all hogwash.

    /sarc

    • Unicus 2.1

      The National party and Federated Farmers made fools of these people today – they looked like uneducated bigoted Yobs out for a brawl

      It’s very sad that they have allowed the party they support to set them up as useful electoral idiots . In the process creating the very town V country hostility National has accused Labour and The Greens of

      • Delia 2.1.1

        They did themselves no favours,they acted like the very people they claim to despise,those they call rent a demo. Worse display I have ever seen from farmers in this country.

        • Crashcart 2.1.1.1

          It also said a lot about the old racist attitudes when one of those interviewed for ! news last night said after the fart tax, water tax and Maori’s get their bit what is left for us? Remind me again how Maori’s are reaching into your pocket poor Mr farmer?

  3. JC 3

    Yep. ” Barking Mad”. A waste of 15 years!…

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-the-land-of-milk-and-money-dairy-boom-feeds-environmental-fears-1502708406

    or Al Jazeera’s major documentary investigation… Polluted Paradise..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm4-dwFPOZc

    or “The nation needs to take stock of where farming is headed in the future and focus on sustainability, two agricultural leaders say.”

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/country/339311/greens-and-farmers-yell-across-chasm

  4. ianmac 4

    Did the National Party organise this Protest? English said he didn’t know who organised it. Really!!!
    Notice that no National insignia showing. Why not? English/Joyce want you to think it was a spontaneous protest. Really!!!

  5. Union city greens 5

    Pretty communists > Shit polluting, eco system destroying, me first, the worst kind of bank balance driven guardians of the land.

  6. Ed 6

    Great we have pro-pollution protests in this country…..

  7. Ad 7

    Should Labour get in power, they are going to have to figure out how to work with farmers and not just tax them.

    They have some regional economic development policy, but not enough on farming per se. In the current bunch only the West Coast’s Damien O’Connor has much regional credibility – and he has little support within caucus.

    David Parker well knows that the core reason that farmers are polluting is that they are incentivised by the market and by the government-manufactured corporate Fonterra to produce as much milk as possible as fast and as consistently as possible. Have done ever since GATT Uruguay.

    Labour got caned with effective farmer protest the last time that they were in power and are setting themselves up for more.

    The enemy is not the farmers.

    The enemy is the market mechanisms exercised by the milk oligopoly that drives them: they need to target Fonterra.

    • Union city greens 7.1

      Fonterra is farmers, ergo farmers are the enemy.
      Until they are compliant they have to be moulded to the will of the people.
      The onus is on them to seek sustainable change.

    • Muttonbird 7.2

      Regulate Fonterra. I like it. We could start by setting them increased productivity targets and lower pollution targets for their members.

      • Ad 7.2.1

        A future government needs to review the governing legislation that formed Fontrerra. The focus needs to be not on volume and price regulating mechanisms that govern volume, but on how they are adding value to existing production.

        If a future government shows clearly who the real profiteers are, they have a chance of getting farmers back on side.

        • Muttonbird 7.2.1.1

          There’s always a bit of discomfort from members in these type of models. I know it from work I used to do for Stihl. They have a similar model where retail members pay for rights to sell under the brand but it’s not always a happy relationship.

          Peters is the one attacking Fonterra for its volume over value strategy. We don’t need Labour wading into that debate right now – like the CGT someone else owns it.

          • Ad 7.2.1.1.1

            I’d certainly agree the damage is well done to Labour now. – no point trying to change tack again in the final week.

            Peters showed guts getting up on the stage at Morrisnville.
            The cowards were the National MPs in attendance who didn’t make a peep.

            • Muttonbird 7.2.1.1.1.1

              He highjacked the stage and it didn’t go well for him.

              The Nat MPs were under strict instruction from Bill English to not say anything in case it looked like a National Party endorsed event.

              The organiser described it somewhat erroneously as a celebration of the contribution farmers are making to the environment. In reality however it was a hit against Jacinda Ardern in her hometown.

              • TootingPopularFront

                Yep, dirty politics, given maximum coverage by Paddy Gower on NewsHub tonight. National are shameless and running very scared.

            • WILD KATIPO 7.2.1.1.1.2

              … ” The cowards were the National MPs in attendance who didn’t make a peep ” …

              Yes they did ! , – they were the ones dressed in Swandri’s and gumboots waving placards and chanting….

        • Pat 7.2.1.2

          ‘If a future government shows clearly who the real profiteers are, they have a chance of getting farmers back on side.”

          The attempt should be made but any expectation of farmer support for Lab/Green needs to be realistic….there is an almost genetic block for it .

        • Stuart Munro 7.2.1.3

          We could do worse than introducing some anti-monopoly legislation – Fonterra is less competitive and more politically active because it is a single player.

    • AB 7.3

      Agree that dairy farmers have been set up to some extent – squeezed between the volume production required by Fonterra and the banks from whom they have to borrow.
      But you can’t deny that there is a culture of exceptionalism amongst farmers – that they are the true New Zealanders superior to townsfolk and that they have a divine right to do what they need to be profitable. This exceptionalism goes back a long way – at least to Massey’s Cossacks.

      • Ad 7.3.1

        I would agree with that and sure saw it in operation in Wanaka with David Parker two weeks ago. But they are also exceptionally good at it. Didn’t even need the official presence of Federated Farmers there to do the damage.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 7.4

      The enemy is not the farmers.

      No shit, Sherlock. Did you work that out all by yourself, or have you been affected by the National Party’s divisive lies on the topic?

      Just that I don’t see anybody on the Left describing farmers as “the enemy”, or anything close to it.

      And the next government should get on with the job and stop trying to appease people who hate them at everyone else’s expense. Let the 97% of cockies who won’t be affected by water charges figure it out for themselves.

    • cleangreen 7.5

      100% Ad. suberb sumary there.

    • Delia 7.6

      You sure they are not making Labour the enemy?

  8. red-blooded 8

    Actually, the farmers (who control Fonterra) can take some responsibility for their own decisions and actions/inactions.

    Agriculture is about 5% of GDP (according to the Stuff Finance debate last week) but create a hell of a lot more than 5% of our environmental problems. I’m sure there are some who see themselves as kaitiaki of the land, but the majority sure as hell don’t act that way.

    • Ad 8.1

      The Fonterra Shareholder Representative Group has only pretty oblique powers over Fonterra’s direction – and it really is an elite few of the farmers . The questions that the shareholders have been given clear mandates to decide have been pretty narrow – including the float two years ago.

      Farmers are citizens. Fonterra has set up the market, buys in bulk, has little steadying influence on the global milk market, and dominates our entire foreign policy and trade policy.

      A really interesting government with some tactical skill would set up Fonterra against the tourism industry. That is the future play over land use: agricultural production v global image manufacturing and retailing.

    • Ian 8.2

      Agriculture is approx 17 % of gross domestic product in NZ compared to 1 % in the USA. Please debate with facts. What float are you referring to 2 years ago ?

    • greg 8.3

      i think they calculated the environmental damage around 20 billion if farming had to pay the full cost farming would be a zero sum game

      • KJT 8.3.1

        Well. It earns less than the money taken out by overseas banks.

        Borrowing which is necessary, for the land price boom, the “free market”, “free trade” agreements and immigration, set up for the benefit of farming.

        I am not an enemy of farmers, but they cannot expect a free ride on the rest of us forever.
        Entire industries and many urban businesses, including my own industry, were sacrificed on the alter of “free trade” to help farming exports.
        I don’t think it is too much to expect that farming pays it’s own pollution costs. They definitely don’t contribute much to net taxes, otherwise.

    • Richard Christie 9.1

      lol

      • WILD KATIPO 9.1.1

        Laughing at your ‘ lol’…. yep… the guy in the photo suits the moniker ‘wanker’ all right.

        I like the adjective ‘Real’ put in front of the word ‘wanker’ when in reference to slobs such as the one in the photo , however,….

  9. Stuart Munro 10

    Someone’s done a great photoshop of the ‘pretty communist’ fellow with a photo of Yang and ‘He’s an actual communist’. He’s not of course – but it’s a pretty good answer at the level of unreason National is depending on.

  10. Delia 11

    For decades these farmers had taxpayer paid subsidies and they still have some subsidies now. All we ask is that you clean up the water, but if you want to play hard we can source our own vegetables and quit eating meat and leave you out of it. I pay for the water I use, why don’t you?

  11. Sanctuary 12

    My feelers (that is, listening in to conversations at work and in the mall) tell me that farmers are offside with public opinion on this one.

    • Muttonbird 12.1

      City folk have been bailing these people out for decades. We have had enough.

      • Sanctuary 12.1.1

        I think it is the litany of aggressive denial, lip service and broken promises over water quality that has done dairying in. New Zealanders actually care about our waterways, clean rivers and lakes are part of our self-image and the idea they’ve been turned into open sewers in a tragedy of the commons has annoyed people, who also think that if you make a mess, you should clean it up.

      • greg 12.1.2

        +100

  12. mosa 13

    Nationals ” rent -a -mob ”

    It’s worked before like in 2008 against Helen Clark and the ” ditch the bitch ” campaign.

    And the old communism label has been dragged out , these people should be more fixated on the coming effects of global warming and what they can do to help confront its effects that they will be dealing with in a short space of time.

    When the effects of global warming manifest themselves on the rural sector they will be the first ones with their hand out for taxpayer compensation.

    And a Labour- green government will give it too them.

  13. Ian 14

    Listen guys but I know you all have your fingers in your ears so maybe you can still read.
    For 20 years there has been a campaign of hate and agravation against dairy farmers. Bryce Johnson a turncoat and traitor of the highest order started it all. His dirty dairying campaign was classic dirty politics. Richard Ballantyne of the overpriced Canterbury,first 4 ship trinket store funded alot of it. Russel Norman and his assorted band of flakes are now on board.
    Economics dictates land use not political parties.
    You can buy units in Fonterra on the stock exchange and they are the equivalent of the shares that farmers have to own to supply Fonterra. They pay a divident that is very similar to my energy shares and I reccomend them to any closet capitalists out there.
    Global warming is the current cycle we are in. On the positive Robert will be growing Tamarillos and Paw Paws in Southland in the not to distant future and dairy productivity in Irrigated Canterbury will be up 20 % . I can’t wait !!

    • Muttonbird 14.1

      How is your post helping New Zealand? Yours is just an arrogant selfish point of view which concentrates on your own well being and which damages the greater New Zealand.

      If National wins we can expect more entrenched views and advantages from people like Ian.

      • Ian 14.1.1

        You forget about all the people we employ and the businesses that we support,the donations we make to the city mission ,the sallys,vinnys and the national party. We donate to approx 20 charities. How much of your money do you give away ?

        • Muttonbird 14.1.1.1

          So you’re in business so you can support your employees and donate to the National Party rather than you own benefit? Good to know.

        • Psycho Milt 14.1.1.2

          The weird thing is you seem to imagine that the rest of us should be OK with exempting you from emissions reduction targets and water quality improvement measures because you employ people and give money to charity. Look up the meaning of “non sequitur,” it might help you figure out how ridiculous your comment is.

        • Stuart Munro 14.1.1.3

          The people you employ are all foreigners nowadays mate.

        • Melanie Scott 14.1.1.4

          Lots of us donate to charity and we don’t own all that abused land. I spent years travelling around urban and rural NZ selling the wares of my business. All through the boom years for dairy farming at the beginining or this century, retailers in the provincial towns of the Waikato and Wairarapa constantly moaned to me about how tight fisted and stingy dairy farmers in their area were. The sheep farmers of Hawkes Bay were another matter. They didn’t often have much money, but when they were feeling flush they threw it around quite a bit.

        • Unicus 14.1.1.5

          Charity is repulsive to most New Zealanders – particularly those who are forced to accept it from self agrandizing pricks like you.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 14.2

      Global warming is the current cycle we are in

      It doesn’t surprise me that the consequences of the molecular structure of CO2 are beyond your feeble intellect. Quite happy to accept Physics and Chemistry when it comes to profit, though, eh moron.

      • Ian 14.2.1

        Your adoration is so embarrassing. I thought methane was the problem . Profit is not a dirty word mr no one , and profits are taxed. Taxing water air and land is a totally different story

        • One Anonymous Bloke 14.2.1.1

          Prof. David Archer’s “Much Ado About Methane” is good background if you’re interested.

          It’s also a Greenhouse gas, and again, it’s down to the molecular structure.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 14.2.1.2

          I didn’t say profit is a dirty word, anonymous Ian. I said you’re happy to accept Physics and Chemistry when they’re in service of profit; a double standard if ever there was one.

          The inclusion of agricultural emissions in the ETS can be offset by planting trees. Your choice.

          Another double standard here is of course the fact we’ve already established: that domestic water users already pay 100 times more than Labour’s proposed charge, which will affect about 3% of farms.

          As for land taxes, are you joining Penny Bright in her rates revolt, anonymous Ian?

          • Ian 14.2.1.2.1

            Domestic users pay to get their water delivery.no one pays anyone for the actual water.I have just spent $25000 planting native trees and shrubs which is possible due to a higher payout from fonterra.
            Getting a bit weary trying to get a few basic facts through your thick skull.
            I give up.The stardust has turned to bulldust so life is good

            • One Anonymous Bloke 14.2.1.2.1.1

              Baby steps, anonymous Ian. I realise you are the centre of your tiny little universe, and other farmers crying and whinging about the ETS can plant trees too.

              How are you getting on with the basic facts about greenhouse gases? Let me know if you need me to rub your face in them some more.

            • Cinny 14.2.1.2.1.2

              Good to hear Ian about planting trees, I do that too. Some farmers don’t, and seeing stock during the spring rains or summer heat with no shelter really pisses me off, it’s cruel. Grandpop was a farmer, he was big on trees and understood the value of them for the health of his stock and land.

              My water comes from a bore, it’s the same for all of my neighbours, we all have pumps. None of us use our water to generate profit, none of us graze stock, we all pay rates.

              If I was using an excessive amount of water to generate a profit, of course I’d expect to pay a charge to do so. The word being excessive, and that’s where the confusion is. National has brainwashed people into thinking all farmers will be charged for water, this is simply not the case. But then the lies have been coming thick and fast from the blues, the way I see I can’t vote for liars, can’t trust them.

              • 100%, Cinny , …. now those animals are just like people, they are herd animals, … and just like we all like to hear the sound of rain on our tin roofs pounding on a thundery , blustery night and keeping toasty warm under our bedsheets, and have our family’s close … well ,…animals are the same.

                And there’s nothing like seeing a flock of sheep all bunched together in a gut sheltering in amongst a ton of trees in a storm. And cattle beasts are the same as well as horses,… and dogs for that matter ,… if there’s shelter they’ll take it.

                They are no fools, … and how many times have we all seen cattle steeled against the howling wind and spread out , yet all together through the cover of rough tree foliage. Blinking off the rain as it drives into their faces. They get scared during violent thunderstorms just like some people do.

                Its nice to know they can do what their wild ancestors did and take shelter.

                And its nice to know there are a whole heap of farmers who know this already and provide those trees as well as trees to stop slippage , erosion and create a natural riparian filter for run off.

                There aint nothing like trees and flax’s and reeds and bullrush’s to do this for us. Nature provided it , we ought to taking her advice and doing it.

                All we need after trees / re-vegetation is govt subsidies for fencing.

                I support the rural community and the farmers ,… as that’s where I came from ,… but even back in the day when my father was a park ranger he commented on the local farmer not fencing in his cattle in wading in the tidal creek … saying it was not good… way back in the 1970’s…

                I think with a little bit of to and fro ing we can get it sorted,…

                Its a concern with water usage, … my main concern is foreign company’s exploiting bottled water and not paying tax on that ,… but we do have a situation where some farms,… not old family farms are, unfortunately drying up rivers it appears ,… forced to in order to complete the demands of corporate intensive dairying interests aka Bankers demands … if it was my way ,… it would be completed with Labour / Greens interests in making foreign corporate’s pay their fair share of tax,…. I would make unapologetic concessions for the smaller family operated Kiwi farmers,… hence a progressive taxation system,…. and , in keeping with that progressive taxation,… a far less punitive regime for water use.

                And I would be quite unapologetic in making non New Zealanders and their shareholders foot some of that bill as the price they , … for doing business here.

                And if they and their banker mates didn’t like that ?…then they can stick their protestations clear up their arse.

                And building on that ?… that also includes any NZ monopoly’s that skirt that system by working in collusion with those very same banking institutions that encourage this whole vortex.

                And you know who I mean when I say that .

          • WILD KATIPO 14.2.1.2.2

            Oooooo ,… apart from all the hoohaa atm ,… I always love the idea of planting trees! No matter the occasion or excuse !!!

            Glorious native trees providing shelter and habitat for man and beast !!! A refuge from the searing hot sweaty sun in summer and a fortress against the wild ravages of the elements in winter !!!

            We should hold a favourite native tree competition on TS . 🙂

            My votes for Tea Trees !

            All I Can Do Is Write About It – YouTube
            lynyrd skynyrd all i can do is write about it you tube▶ 4:20
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP0esUb-PjM

    • Rae 14.3

      The amount of dairying on the Canterbury Plains and McKenzie Country and Central Otago that should be allowed sits somewhere around zero. Those lands are totally unsuited to it.

    • red-blooded 14.5

      Listen mate, we are under no obligation to approve of your business activities, and we have every right to disapprove of your dreadful impact on our environment. Dairy is a very inefficient use of water, land and energy. I’m proud that I don’t consume your products still hope there are others commenting here who take the same position. We’re sick of being expected to put up with the impact you have on our shared environment and if you’re now being asked to start to take practical steps towards mitigating and cleaning up then it’s well over time! Why should I pay for your shitty practices?

  14. cleangreen 15

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2017/09/18/why-on-earth-are-we-interviewing-13-political-parties-tonight-at-8pm/

    Tonight from 8pm, live streamed here at The Daily Blog and on http://www.kiwidebate.online I will interview 13 Political Parties to hear what they think the big issues of our country are and how they intend to solve them.

    Martyn’s got a talk fest with 13 parties tonight, worth a watch? Starts at 8.00pm. till 10pm.

  15. Ian 17

    Domestic users pay to get their water delivery.no one pays anyone for the actual water.I have just spent $25000 planting native trees and shrubs which is possible due to a higher payout from fonterra.
    Getting a bit weary trying to get a few basic facts through your thick skull.
    I give up.The stardust has turned to bulldust so life is good

    • Muttonbird 17.1

      I’d post the receipts if I were you. Otherwise it’s your usual RW bullshit.

    • I have just spent $25000 planting native trees and shrubs…

      Well, bully for you. The post though is about the dim bulbs gathered with their political representatives in Morrinsville who are still peddling climate change denial after all these years and are angry that a government may want them to change their business model from one predicated on the freedom to pollute. Fuck them.

  16. Roy Cartland 19

    What point is that twerp with the communist sign trying to make? He called Jacinta “socialistic”.

  17. millsy 20

    “Pretty Communist”?

    Just for levying a pretty modest tax via the local reigonal council, every cent of which would be made available for cleaning up rivers?

    Perhaps we should see what “Pretty Communist” really means. A truck full of armed men turning up in the middle of the night, breaking down your door and giving you 20 min to pack your stuff and leave because the government is taking over your farm. No compensation, right of appeal, legal representation. Your farm now belongs to the state. Too bad.

    Get over it. If you stop poison in the rivers, then people will leave you alone. Simple. We dont want your farms, we just want you to keep the fucking water clean, and if that means a few less nights down at the pub, or getting a Great Wall instead of the latest Hilux, then so be it. Perhaps get your wives to shop at the Warehouse instead of Caroline Eve.

    I dont see garage owners bitching about not being allowed to pour their waste oil down the drain.,

    • … ” Get over it. If you stop poison in the rivers, then people will leave you alone. Simple. We dont want your farms, we just want you to keep the fucking water clean, and if that means a few less nights down at the pub, or getting a Great Wall instead of the latest Hilux, then so be it. Perhaps get your wives to shop at the Warehouse instead of Caroline Eve.

      I dont see garage owners bitching about not being allowed to pour their waste oil down the drain ” …

      Fucking good one , millsy.

      But as always ,… we need to hit where the heart of the problem is ,… those that encourage this sort of cowshit. And to do that ?…. we have to have a look at the burgeoning operations that have grown so large that they now have become a potent political force who’s allegiance is to the highest political bidder…

      And then to the banks who have enabled that and actively encourage them.

      • millsy 20.1.1

        “And then to the banks who have enabled that and actively encourage them.”

        All a future Labour finance minister needs to do is take the Reserve Bank governor aside in the Koru Club waiting room, and just suggest that he should pull aside bank chiefs while waiting for flights to suggest to their bank managers that they should think about tightening up on rural lending.

        We would then have an unofficial moratorium on dairy conversions, simply done by the banks turning off the $$$ taps.

        The farmers can let rip at the banks and the governent can say ‘not our problem’.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    2 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    5 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    6 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    7 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    8 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    11 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    11 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    14 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    16 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T08:34:55+00:00