Homeless coverage goes international

Written By: - Date published: 2:52 pm, May 17th, 2016 - 97 comments
Categories: class war, housing, national, poverty - Tags: , , ,

The Guardian has covered the Auckland homeless crisis:

New Zealand housing crisis forces hundreds to live in tents and garages

Property prices in Auckland have increased by nearly 80% in five years, leaving some families unable to buy or rent

Hundreds of families in Auckland are living in cars, garages and even a shipping container as a housing crisis fuelled by rising property prices forces low-income workers out of private rental accommodation. Charity groups have warned that, as the southern hemisphere winter approaches, most of the premises have no electricity, sewage or cooking facilities.

“This is not people who haven’t been trying. They have been trying very hard and still they’re failing,” said Campbell Roberts of The Salvation Army, who has worked in South Auckland for 25 years. “A few years ago people in this situation were largely unemployed or on very low-incomes. But consistently now we are finding people coming to us who are in work, and have their life together in other ways, but housing is alluding them.”

Auckland’s housing market is one of the most expensive in the world, with property prices increasing 77.5% over the last five years (this growth has now slowed), and the average house price fetching over NZ$940,000 (£440,000), according to CoreLogic, New Zealand.
…
Jenny Salesa, a Labour MP in the South Auckland suburb of Otara, says Maori and Pacific peoples are overwhelmingly bearing the brunt of Auckland’s housing crisis, and she has people coming to her office every day begging for help. “People are living in garages with ten family members and paying close to NZ$400 for the privilege,” said Salesa.

“People are ashamed their lives have come to this, and they try to hide. But you can tell which garages are occupied – there are curtains on the windows, small attempts to make it a home. And on the weekends, in the park, there can be up to fifty cars grouped together, with people sleeping in them.”

Worth repeating – fifty cars with people sleeping in them.

Salesa estimates nearly 50% of people asking for her help in finding a home are in paid employment, and many families have two parents working and are still unable to make ends meet.

So the working poor are now the working homeless. And we’re contemplating tax cuts. Brighter Future!

97 comments on “Homeless coverage goes international ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. mary_a 1
    17 May 2016 at 3:02 pm

    Yes, I read this. Sent to me by an overseas relative.

    NZ’s shame …

    • Julie mach 1.1
      19 May 2016 at 1:17 pm

      Correction- John Key the Sly Minister Jackal -HIS Shame!
      He has been systematically disembowelling our country since the Greedy Elected him.

  2. Colonial Viper 2
    17 May 2016 at 3:13 pm

    In feudal times the lords of the land had a responsibility to ensure that their serfs were properly housed and fed.

    Ditto for the days of the American slave plantations.

    In these improved modern ages that’s not even required.

    • Draco T Bastard 2.1
      17 May 2016 at 3:41 pm

      Ditto for the days of the American slave plantations.

      Actually, they didn’t. There were no rules about the ownership of slaves in the US and, as Adam Smith points out in the Wealth of Nations, the way that they were treated was absolutely atrocious.

      It’s a pattern that’s repeated throughout history. Ownership tends to bring about the worst treatment of the thing owned rather than the best treatment that the economists and National types say it brings about.

      • Chris 2.1.1
        17 May 2016 at 9:31 pm

        And part and parcel of that is the increased difficulty of being able to even convey this to the wider public in any meaningful way. The AAAP must be applauded for achieving this. No mean feat these days unfortunately.

    • vto 2.2
      18 May 2016 at 8:10 am

      That is exactly why it is often pointed out it is cheaper today for an employer to pay minimum wage than it is to keep a slave..

      minimum wage is cheaper than a slave

      Fuck the National Party and all its members – what a bunch of c#@&s

  3. esoteric pineapples 3
    17 May 2016 at 3:33 pm

    Without mass house building, a strong capital gains tax and most importantly a ban on foreigners buying NZ property this speculative market has no where to go but up – with unlimited funds overseas acting as the wind beneath its wings.

    Auckland will become a city with half its houses empty or with very few inhabitants and the other half crammed to the max.

    • Colonial Viper 3.1
      17 May 2016 at 3:37 pm

      Need strong limits on what banks can lend on a house as well, to prevent house price inflation ping pong.

      • mikes 3.1.1
        17 May 2016 at 6:25 pm

        And a ban on companies owning residential property. The only reason a company would own a residential property is to avoid/evade tax. If a real person’s name is down as the owner of the property it is much easier to keep track of.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.2
      17 May 2016 at 3:46 pm

      +1

    • b waghorn 3.3
      17 May 2016 at 5:14 pm

      Another there term of this government and we will have slums and shanty towns on the margins of Auckland

  4. Bill 4
    17 May 2016 at 3:51 pm

    So according to Campbell Roberts of The Salvation Army, homelessness is kind of okay as long as it’s only people who fit a homeless stereotype that are homeless. Seriously, what the fuck was going on in his head that he could say –

    “This is not people who haven’t been trying. They have been trying very hard and still they’re failing,” said Campbell Roberts of The Salvation Army, who has worked in South Auckland for 25 years. “A few years ago people in this situation were largely unemployed or on very low-incomes. But consistently now we are finding people coming to us who are in work, and have their life together in other ways, but housing is alluding them.”

    Which reads to me as….

    So, it used to be if you were homeless it was because you were …what?…lazy? Whatever, they didn’t have their shit together and they were failures and well, nobody cares too much about failures. They should have tried harder. But they didn’t try harder and that was why they were unemployed or doing low paid jobs and….yeah, fuckem. Now though…now we have the deserving poor winding up homeless, and well….that’s a different story. Now the situation isn’t acceptable – nosiree, it’s not!

    • Colonial Viper 4.1
      17 May 2016 at 4:55 pm

      Well, you could read it that way but my pick is that he’s deliberately informing an otherwise ignorant middle class NZ of the severe level of economic rot that has set in underneath them.

      • weka 4.1.1
        17 May 2016 at 5:08 pm

        And it’s rising.

        Could also be that he’s using language to speak to a certain audience but he does use some phrasing. I wonder how a house eludes someone. Like the house is the agent in all this.

      • jcuknz 4.1.2
        17 May 2016 at 5:11 pm

        +1 CV

      • Bill 4.1.3
        17 May 2016 at 5:27 pm

        Tell me how he’s not saying that a certain amount of homelessness is ‘normal’ or okay – as long as it’s confined to those people whose state of homelessness is to be considered (by people like him) an acceptable situation…an understandable situation…a self inflicted situation, because they are (at least in Mr Roberts’ world view) feckless, or addicts, or variously and otherwise those consigned to the pigeon hole marked ‘Society’s Detritus’?

        • Colonial Viper 4.1.3.1
          17 May 2016 at 5:55 pm

          well, it is capitalism, so a certain amount of homelessness and destitution is “normal”…

        • Gabby 4.1.3.2
          17 May 2016 at 6:04 pm

          ‘A few years ago people in this situation were largely unemployed or on very low-incomes, so it served them right.’
          That’s what he said, eh Bill.

    • McFlock 4.2
      17 May 2016 at 5:07 pm

      Concern for the “deserving poor” are the low hanging fruit for social assistance agencies. A bit like how pandas and elephants get the international news when they’re endangered, but frogs and insects don’t get so much.

      On the one hand it gets some attention to the problem. On the other hand, it reinforces the prejudices.

    • b waghorn 4.3
      17 May 2016 at 5:16 pm

      Oh ffs Bill the guys on your side , this is why people mock the left.

      • Bill 4.3.1
        17 May 2016 at 5:31 pm

        No. The guy’s not on my side. He supplies a reasonable example of the Salvation Army’s institutional mentality or reasoning. And it’s deeply conservative, disabling and disempowering.

        edit. McFlock’s comment above kind of puts it in a nutshell.

        • b waghorn 4.3.1.1
          17 May 2016 at 5:42 pm

          When homeless people were mainly made up of the mentally ill and addicted did the sallies turn a blind I to them or did they help?

          • Bill 4.3.1.1.1
            17 May 2016 at 5:57 pm

            Not, for example, if there was a whiff of alcohol on them. Not, for example, when they were unionists getting hounded by the state at the turn of the 20thC. Not, for example, if they were pregnant young women.

            Those falling into the first category got and still get turned away.
            Those falling into the second were often variously run out of town, jailed, hanged or exiled.
            Those falling into the third category had every vestige of dignity stripped from them and had to endure years of systemic, cruel shame being meted out while they remained incarcerated in Salvation Army ‘mother and baby’ homes.

    • Gabby 4.4
      17 May 2016 at 6:03 pm

      It reads to me as, it used to be that having a job meant affording a home. Now, not so much.

      • Rosemary McDonald 4.4.1
        17 May 2016 at 6:10 pm

        “It reads to me as, it used to be that having a job meant affording a home. Now, not so much.”

        Me too.

        Let’s not look a “blast the 100% pure image out of the water opportunity” in the mouth ….?

        Another dirty little secret outed.

    • mikes 4.5
      17 May 2016 at 6:27 pm

      I would say he’s pointing out that it used to be people with little or no income who were homeless but now it’s more and more of those who are earning a bit more.

    • Irascible 4.6
      17 May 2016 at 6:33 pm

      He is saying: Once those were living in garages and in the conditions reported were those who were unemployed or on very low incomes, not necessarily fully employed, through no fault of their own Now we’re seeing the working poor being reduced to living in the slum conditions revealed. The working poor are those in full time employment but not earning enough to meet the demands of rent, utilities and food.
      He is not condemning either group.

  5. mary_a 5
    17 May 2016 at 4:45 pm

    And here is NatzKEY gobshite Larry Williams’ solution. Let’s build some high rise ghettos!!!

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11640144

    • tc 5.1
      17 May 2016 at 6:28 pm

      Another enabler of the neoliberal con job along with all the other ZB red necks trying to pass themselves off as ‘reasonable’.

  6. johnm 6
    17 May 2016 at 4:53 pm

    An in your face indictment of Neoliberalism and the greed society whose main standard bearer is Key. So, you asked for it you got it: a total massive failure of the political system to care for their fellow kiwis, they didn’t because they are all corrupt self aggrandising rubbish. It’s so far gone I wonder why I bother any more. NZers have been told this for decades: they still vote them in. !?:-(

    • AmaKiwi 6.1
      17 May 2016 at 5:05 pm

      “Well actually, at the end of the day, I’m comfortable with the Guardian article ’cause whatever those socialist crazies say is the opposite of what I would ever think of doing.”

      “If the Wall Street Journal had written it, I might consider it. Maybe.”

      “Nah, just kidding.”

  7. AsleepWhileWalking 7
    17 May 2016 at 5:14 pm

    Max Key shares a post on the housing market. Gets sarcastic and nasty replies.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11640164

    • b waghorn 7.1
      17 May 2016 at 5:20 pm

      Interesting , maybe there is hope for young Max.

      • ropata 7.1.1
        17 May 2016 at 6:25 pm

        because he laughs at people living in cars / tents / garages / rough ?

        • b waghorn 7.1.1.1
          17 May 2016 at 6:40 pm

          Oh shit that’s embarrassing I thought he wrote the bit about destroying the housing market. Must pay more attention.

          • North 7.1.1.1.1
            17 May 2016 at 7:09 pm

            I am absolutely delighted that Key Jnr has mouthed off. It will add to a growing consciousness about daddy and activate many votes against daddy which otherwise might not ever be cast.

            Shitty little Barbara Hutton punk he is. You wouldn’t be well advised to go strutting South Aux, Maxi. The place where a homeless child is only one at most two steps removed from everyone living there.

            http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11640164

          • ropata 7.1.1.1.2
            17 May 2016 at 7:19 pm

            it was a good tweet and i shared it too, but didn’t make a joke about it like Mr. Maximillian Key

    • tc 7.2
      18 May 2016 at 6:04 am

      The apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree except it lacks decades of training and experience in masking real agendas with slippery con artist techniques.

      Carry on max and show everyone what you’re really thinking, it suits you sir.

      Hope the msm shills try and spin this as unwarranted abuse for a diversion to draw attention to it.

  8. jcuknz 8
    17 May 2016 at 5:31 pm

    I bawk at “even a container.
    So long as this useless government, instead of insisting on nice three bedroom houses with all mod coms* do not take up the container concept with several units clustered around a central abolutions block. I spent my first three months of National Service in the Uk living in a ‘spider’ … six dormitaries each housing twenty of us around a central block.
    Seems perhaps we need Judith Collins to put a bomb under housing and make some progress .. didn’t she suggest that to house prisoners? A modification for homeless singles and families should be easy to organise and build…. in the past years I have seen several suggestion for container holiday homes ….. so long as they are insulated and double glazed windows.
    A lot better than bridge, garage or plain container.

    * and letting builders build four bedroom luxury homes because that is where the profit is … shame on Fletchers for saying building prefab, whatever, would be uneconomical. But do National have a social conscience?…. yeah right a Tui.

  9. jcuknz 9
    17 May 2016 at 5:33 pm

    Stupid bloddy site stopping me posting ……

    [Not sure what happened there to delay the original comment, but I’ve removed the duplicate. TRP]

  10. Daveosaurus 10
    17 May 2016 at 5:49 pm

    1789:
    Peasants: We have no bread.
    Marie Antoinette: Let them eat cake.

    2016:
    Peasants: We have no shelter.
    John Key: Let them stay in motels.

    • Colonial Viper 10.1
      17 May 2016 at 5:54 pm

      Dunno whether to laugh or cry

    • Sabine 10.2
      17 May 2016 at 5:54 pm

      can i steal that 🙂

      • Daveosaurus 10.2.1
        17 May 2016 at 6:24 pm

        My bit isn’t copyright, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s been dead since 1778 (eleven years before the French revolution, so how he managed to put his words in Marie Antoinette’s mouth is anyone’s guess), so go for it.

    • ropata 10.3
      17 May 2016 at 6:27 pm

      I interpreted JK’s comment the other day to mean that homeless people ought to camp out in the WINZ office and carpark???

      • dave 10.3.1
        17 May 2016 at 6:46 pm

        i have a better idea

        homeless need to park there cars on john keys street nice wide verges for the tents there also nice park area at the end of his road
        there idea for campaign flyer’s with maps address and location of john keys house for the homeless iam sure john key will welcome his new neighbors lets take it futhier and target all natz mps

        • ropata 10.3.1.1
          17 May 2016 at 7:21 pm

          +1 yep. Seems the only way to make MPs do their job is to surround Parliament like they did in Iceland

        • North 10.3.1.2
          17 May 2016 at 7:39 pm

          Reminds me of when at the height of the Dawn Raids the Polynesian Panthers I think did a dawn raid on the house of Bill Birch or maybe it was George Gair, at about 4.30 in the morning. Megaphones, powerful lights. Whichever Tory it was was just mortified. “How dare they……at this hour !!!”

          Reckon it would be in order. For the War on The Poor and the hatred and the libels and the demonisations. And the front pages of The Guardian and the Washington Post.

        • AmaKiwi 10.3.1.3
          17 May 2016 at 8:22 pm

          @ Dave

          “homeless need to park there cars on john key’s street”

          Nice idea BUT we have to do it. People in dire poverty do not have the fight in them. It’s OUR job to do it with them.

          • WILD KATIPO 10.3.1.3.1
            17 May 2016 at 11:28 pm

            THAT idea… has merit.

            And it could be organised easily enough. It could be done on a rotational basis for two weeks or more outside of every Nat MP’s residence . Even as has been said… in the parks nearby. Let them see it , let them feel it.

            Tangible and proactive .

            A great big fat long line of cars right outside National party MP’s and the PM’s residences. One night a week or more if you are so inclined. Park up, bring your sleeping bag and your alarm clocks. Think of it as similar to the Occupy movement.

            Something for University students, Unionists , relatives of people in those situations, Poverty Action groups, and any and all concerned and angry citizens. Including those thinking of their children’s and grandchildren’s futures in this country.

            And John Campbell doing interviews of people who have to live rough as well as those who are demonstrating. Then have that flicked to The Guardian in the UK.

            Its time to hammer the far right.

            These globalist neo liberals want to play rough ?

            Lets give em rough by sleeping rough.

            Sleep rough for one night a week.

            • The lost sheep 10.3.1.3.1.1
              17 May 2016 at 11:38 pm

              These globalist neo liberals want to play rough ?

              Yay sock it to them Kat!
              Look fwd to reading about your ‘sleep rough’ hammering!

              Where will you be doing yer first one? (Just so i know how to tell it’s you by the media coverage)

              • One Anonymous Bloke …
                18 May 2016 at 7:42 am

                Were you also a nasty sneering piece of shit when you voted Labour?

                • The lost sheep …
                  18 May 2016 at 8:24 am

                  That’s rich. Coming from someone whose sole contribution to this blog is scorn and abuse.
                  It’s pricks like you that made me stop voting Labour. I’m not the only one obviously. With people like you around Labour just ain’t a fun place to be anymore.

                  • One Anonymous Bloke …
                    18 May 2016 at 8:35 am

                    A Green voter turned you into a sneering treacherous Quisling? Boo hoo.

                  • vto …
                    18 May 2016 at 8:40 am

                    “With people like you around Labour just ain’t a fun place to be anymore.” ….

                    with people like you around New Zealand just aint a fun place to be anymore.

                    It is people like you and National Party members who vote for Key and his ilk and principles who are the scum of the country, voting in and maintaining policies which lead to the likes of the homeless….

                    shame on you piece of shit

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      18 May 2016 at 9:03 am

                      Well said vto.

                      They know it too: hence the sneering at their betters.

                    • jcuknz …
                      18 May 2016 at 2:13 pm

                      Unfortunately it is language like yours both here and on Kiwiblog which put sensible people off completely … I am reminded of school humour … “You must be one to know such words” … scum etc.
                      Forget the pointless war on John Key and stay with the problems which are crying out to be fixed instead of miniscue tax-cuts.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      18 May 2016 at 6:46 pm

                      @jcuknz

                      Just to be clear, is it my disgust at Sheep’s nasty sneering or the use of the word ‘shit’ that makes my comments a war on the Prime Minister?

            • Julie mach 10.3.1.3.1.2
              19 May 2016 at 1:23 pm

              Excellent idea!! Start a fb group with this idea 🙂

  11. dave 11
    17 May 2016 at 5:54 pm

    good misery shouldn’t be hidden new zealand dirty little secrets should see daylight

  12. Treetop 12
    17 May 2016 at 5:59 pm

    A short while ago on RNZ a mother with an 8 week old, 3 year old and a 7 or 8 year old will be tufted out of a motel on Monday. Think $1600 has been loaned by W&I for a 2 week stay in a motel which has to be repaid. Not sure if the same woman, but the next available appointment is 30 May to see W&I for housing assistance. I thought a person had to be seen within 24 hours in an emergency.

    Is living in a car with children not an emergency?

    What a bad start in life for a young baby on many levels. It offends me that the PM allows families with small children to not have stable affordable accommodation. There is no EXCUSE that I am prepared to listen to from the government for causing this type of situation again and again.

    It is an insult to everyone who requires emergency accommodation that extra funding will not be available until September (the 41 million package and a week in a motel which does not have to be paid back, the criteria for this has not been seen by me yet).

    Housing New Zealand is BROKEN, it does not do what it is there for.

    I am very ashamed to be a New Zealander.

    • AmaKiwi 12.1
      18 May 2016 at 8:49 pm

      @ Treetop

      “Housing New Zealand is BROKEN”

      No, they are following orders, like paying a $118 million dividend to the government.

      Their boss is to blame, not those trying to do a job their boss wants them to fail at.

  13. logie97 13
    17 May 2016 at 6:33 pm

    Have heard it said that there are property owners in Auckland who have purchased and “banked” lots of houses which are now unoccupied – presumably speculators. Well perhaps it’s time WINZ or Housing Corp started identifying these properties and advising the owners that they will be sending prospective tenants around.

    • Treetop 13.1
      17 May 2016 at 8:36 pm

      At least these empty houses would do some good were squatters to occupy them. I would start with the empty HNZ properties.

      • Treetop 13.1.1
        18 May 2016 at 1:15 pm

        There is no way of telling if a HNZ dwelling is P contaminated.

        Breaking and entering is an offence. It would be awful were police cells to be filled up with squatters and families separated.

    • AmaKiwi 13.2
      18 May 2016 at 8:51 pm

      logie97

      Another suggestion. How about any house that is unoccupied for 3 months shall be seized and made government property!

  14. te reo putake 14
    17 May 2016 at 6:34 pm

    As it happens, I’ve got a car for sale on TradeMe. After four weeks, I still haven’t managed to sell it. Should I switch the listing to the real estate section?

    • Pat 14.1
      17 May 2016 at 6:56 pm

      drop a line to Nick….he may have a use for it in one of his special housing areas

    • ropata 14.2
      18 May 2016 at 12:38 am

      who knows, cars could be the next speculative bubble. most of them are parked up doing nothing and housed better than a lot of people.

      NatCorp™ priority #1 is a billion $$$ for new motorways so trucks can go faster. Housing the poor? Sorry, must have misplaced that policy

  15. Treetop 15
    17 May 2016 at 6:35 pm

    Correction turfed.

  16. Whateva next? 16
    17 May 2016 at 7:05 pm

    Perhaps Mr. Key will listen to the overseas media more than he will NZ? He spends so much time elsewhere, I think it’s worth a shot

    • AmaKiwi 16.1
      17 May 2016 at 8:34 pm

      @ Whateva next?

      “Perhaps Mr. Key will listen to the overseas media”

      No, he won’t. One of characteristics of highly successful people is that they don’t care what others think. They are single minded.

      The founder and owner of iTeka furniture is one of the wealthiest people in the world. He lives in a rather ordinary house and buys most of his clothes at second hand shops! Warren Buffett is similar (1st or 2nd wealthiest American).

      Empathy is not a stopping place on the road to riches or power.

      • whateva next? 16.1.1
        18 May 2016 at 7:09 pm

        he still likes to look cool in front of the big guys though….maybe he thinks this is cool?

  17. John 17
    17 May 2016 at 7:22 pm

    Vote National for a brighter future they said in 2008 and 2011 and then in 2014 vote National because we are working for you. All bluff and bullshit. What will their line be in 2017. National working for the 1%ers and stuff the rest. Instead of tax cuts fix the housing, health, education and infrastructure problems etc etc.
    Come on Labour lets be hearing you

  18. Anne 18
    17 May 2016 at 7:44 pm

    National’s strategists are hastily stitching together a new housing initiative as we speak. It will be delivered in the Budget next week and it will sound impressive. But in reality it will only be superficially beneficial and things will not improve. Paula Bennett, who has been refusing interviews on the subject, will front on what she will be wrapping around (a favourite, meaningless expression of hers) the new policy. It will be hailed by the MSM as a welcome new initiative and the Nat’s weekly focus groups will accordingly record a change in direction in the govt’s favour.

    • AmaKiwi 18.1
      17 May 2016 at 8:40 pm

      @ Anne

      I hope and pray our MSM reporters are presently researching ways to increase social housing rapidly and economically. There are plenty of options.

      The reporters know what the government will say. Is it too much to expect them to be ready with tough questions?

    • Treetop 18.2
      17 May 2016 at 8:57 pm

      Not quick enough for the 8 week old baby I mention above at 12.

      Key and his focus group need to go and hold the baby and put themselves in the families shoes and ask themselves how to prevent a mother from having to be burdened with a $1600 preventable expense?

  19. Just Me 19
    18 May 2016 at 6:45 am

    We here in NZ have a person(called John Key)who would much rather visit a crumpet factory than a homeless area. Next Key will be saying about the homeless of “Well let them eat cake…”

    We are now having a ‘carrot’ dangled in front of us with Key promising(yeah right)tax cuts next year. The thing about a Key ‘promise’ is it holds absolutely no volume or intention(by Key)to see it through. I can say we have had on the receiving end of so many broken promises by John Key that we must take whatever he promises prior to an election with a punch of salt.

    And so Key will claim the economy is doing oh so well whilst in reality(not on toilet free Planet Key where he firmly resides) people are living in difficulty. When people have to live and survive in vehicles then something has gone seriously wrong with this country over the past 7 1/2 years.

    I am sure Bill English will be applauded by Key & co for a “Budget Surplus” of say $345million. About the same amount a Chinese businessman spent at the Skycity casino over a long period of time. And so whilst Key & Co allow in the rich into NZ with no questions asked they have conveniently and probably deliberately forgotten about the poor outside of electin time.

  20. vto 20
    18 May 2016 at 8:14 am

    Why are National Party people so miserable?

    Why do they not care for their neighbours?

    I have come to the conclusion that National Party members are nasty horrible bastards who deserve no respect, no kudos, no nothing. They deserve to be shat on the head and pushed out of the community.

    • Treetop 20.1
      18 May 2016 at 1:24 pm

      The next election cannot come soon enough for me.

    • Bob 20.2
      18 May 2016 at 1:31 pm

      “Why do they not care for their neighbours?”
      That’s the problem, they do care for their neighbours, I bet all of their neighbours properties have close to doubled in price while they have been in power and the neighbours are ecstatic.

      The issue is, their aren’t enough Nats living in the areas that are being most effected by their (and Auckland City Council’s) lack of urgency/lack of any sort of coherent plan.
      Something needed to be done 3 or 4 years ago, it wasn’t, I now feel the left will fall into power at the next election on the back of record low voter turnout (no-one will want the Nats, and at this point no-one seems to want Labour or the Greens either). I just hope Labour manage to have some policy together to address the issues in time for the next election!

    • The Pink Postman 20.3
      19 May 2016 at 2:18 pm

      I have been saying this about Conservative(National) since I was 14yrs old and now I’m 85 . My conclusion like the Lefties song”When will they ever learn .

  21. Plan B 21
    18 May 2016 at 11:42 am

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=1164…

    Abolish Auckland city limits – Labour

    Labour seems to be working it out. Great work.

    • Gabby 21.1
      18 May 2016 at 11:50 am

      How does that work re the responsibilities of neighbouring local bodies?

    • McFlock 21.2
      18 May 2016 at 12:03 pm

      Hah, I think you meant this recent Brian Rudman article rather than the announcement that rod and rachel had split in 2000.

      Last 4 digits of the objectid had dropped off your link 🙂

    • Kiwiri 21.3
      18 May 2016 at 1:50 pm

      Such a cunning plan. Genius from Labour’s most effective shadow minister!
      Slow, surely and steadily extend Auckland to 268,021 sq km and problems will be solved. Pooofff!
      At the same time, replace Zeal with Auck and we’ll have a new name for the country.

  22. FiFi50 22
    19 May 2016 at 6:38 pm

    We can get people into homes without the pesky banks but it needs the majority of the public on board and ready to help. No one would ever need to borrow for a house from the bank again only the rich because they can afford it.

CommentsOpinions

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

FeedsPartyGovtMedia

  • A government-funded hate campaign

    Cabinet discussed National's constitutionally and historically illiterate "Treaty Principles Bill" this week, and decided to push on with it. The bill will apparently receive a full six month select committee process - unlike practically every other policy this government has pushed, and despite the fact that if the government is ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 hour ago
  • How Substack works to take (some) craziness out of America’s elections

    I spoke with Substack co-founder yesterday, just before the Trump-Harris debate, about how Substack is doing its thing during the US elections. He talks in particular about how Substack’s focus on paid subscriptions rather than ads has made political debate on the platform calmer, simpler, deeper and more satisfying ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 hours ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 hours ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 hours ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 hours ago
  • David Seymour is such a loser

    For paid subscribersNot content with siphoning off $230,000,000 of taxpayers money for his hobby projects - and telling everyone his passion is education and early childcare - an intersection painfully coincidental to the interests of wealthy private families like Sean Plunkett’s1 backers, the Wright Family, Seymour is back in the ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 hours ago
  • Cross-party consensus: there’s no pipeline without good faith

    There’s been a lot of talk recently about a cross-party agreement to develop a pipeline for infrastructure, including transport. Last month, outgoing CRL boss Sean Sweeney talked about the importance of securing an enduring infrastructure programme. He outlined the high costs of the relentless political flip-flopping of priorities, which drives ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    8 hours ago
  • ACC wants to administer inflation at more than double the RBNZ’s target rate

    ACC levies are set to rise at more than double the inflation rate targeted by the RBNZ. Photo: Lynn GrievesonKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 12:The state-owned monopoly for accident insurance wants ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    8 hours ago
  • Harris vs Trump

    We’ve been selected to rock your asses 'til midnightThis is my term, I've shaved off my perm, but it's alrightI solemnly swear to uphold the ConstitutionGot a rock 'n' roll problem? Well we got a solutionLet us be who we am, and let us kick out the jams, yeahKick out ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    9 hours ago
  • Treaty Bill “a political stunt”

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon appears to have given ACT Leader David Seymour more than he has been admitting in the proposals to go forward with a Treaty Principles Bill.All along, Luxon has maintained that the Government is proceeding with the Bill to honour the coalition agreement.But that is quite specific.It ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    11 hours ago
  • An average 219 NZers migrated each day in July

    Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, September 11:Annual migration of New Zealanders rose to a record-high 80,963 in the year to the end of July, which is more than double its pre-Covid levels.Two ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago
  • What you’re wanting to win more than anything is The Narrative

    Hubris is sitting down on election day 2016 to watch that pig Trump get his ass handed to him, and watching the New York Times needle hover for a while over Hillary and then move across to Trump where it remains all night to your gathering horror and dismay. You're ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    23 hours ago
  • National’s automated lie machine

    The government has a problem: lots of people want information from it all the time. Information about benefits, about superannuation, ACC coverage and healthcare, taxes, jury service, immigration - and that's just the routine stuff. Responding to all of those queries takes a lot of time and costs a lot ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Christopher Luxon: A Man of “Faith” and “Compassion” Speaks on the Treaty Pr...

    Synopsis: Today - we explore two different realities. One where National lost. And another - which is the one we are living with here. Note: the footnote on increased fees/taxes may be of interest to some readers.Article open.Subscribe nowIt’s an alternate timeline.Yesterday as news broke that the central North Island ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Member’s Day

    Today is a Member's Day. First up is the third reading of Dan Bidois' Fair Trading (Gift Card Expiry) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the committee stage of Deborah Russell's Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill. This will be followed by the second readings of Katie ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Northern Expressway Boondoggle

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has been soaring high with his hubris of getting on and building motorways but some uncomfortable realities are starting to creep in. Back in July he announced that the government was pushing on with a Northland Expressway using an “accelerated delivery strategy” The Coalition Government is ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago
  • Never Enough

    However much I'm falling downNever enoughHowever much I'm falling outNever, never enough!Whatever smile I smile the mostNever enoughHowever I smile I smile the mostSongwriters: Robert James Smith / Simon Gallup / Boris Williams / Porl ThompsonToday in Nick’s Kōrero:A death in the Emergency Department at Rotorua Hospital.A sad homecoming and ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Question Two of The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50)

    Kia ora.Last month I proposed restarting The Kākā Project work done before the 2023 election as The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50), aiming to be up and running before the 2025 Local Government elections, and then in a finalised form by the 2026 General Elections.A couple of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Why is God Obsessed with Spanking?

    Hi,If you’ve read Webworm for a while, you’ll be aware that I’ve spent a lot of time writing about horrific, corrupt megachurches and the shitty men who lead them.And in all of this writing, I think some people have this idea that I hate Christians or Christianity. As I explain ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • Inside the public service

    In 2023, there were 63,117 full-time public servants earning, on average, $97,200 a year each. All up, that is a cost to the Government of $6.1 billion a year. It’s little wonder, then, that the public service has become a political whipping boy castigated by the Prime Minister and members ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • New Models Show Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes, and More of Them

    This is a re-post from This is Not Cool Here’s an example of some of the best kind of climate reporting, especially in that it relates to impacts that will directly affect the audience. WFLA in Tampa conducted a study in collaboration with the Department of Energy, analyzing trends in ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Where ever do they find these people?

    A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, is how Winston Churchill described the Soviet Union in 1939.  How might the great man have described the 2024 government of New Zealand, do we think? I can't imagine he would have thought them all that mysterious or enigmatic. I think ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Motorway madness

    How mad is National's obsession with roads? One of their pet projects - a truck highway to Whangārei - is going to eat 10% of our total infrastructure budget for the next 25 years: Official advice from the Infrastructure Commission shows the government could be set to spend 10 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Our transport planning system is fundamentally broken

    Ever since Wayne Brown became mayor (nearly two years ago now) he’s been wanting to progress an “integrated transport plan” with the government – which sounded a lot like the previous Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) with just a different name. It seems like a fair bit of work progressed ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    2 days ago
  • Thou Shalt Not Steal

    And they taught usWhoa-oh, black woman, thou shalt not stealI said, hey, yeah, black man, thou shalt not stealWe're gonna civilise your black barbaric livesAnd we teach you how to kneelBut your history couldn't hide the genocideThe hypocrisy to us was realFor your Jesus said you're supposed to giveThe oppressed ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • How mismanagement, not wind and solar energy, causes blackouts

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections In February 2021, several severe storms swept across the United States, culminating with one that the Weather Channel unofficially named Winter Storm Uri. In Texas, Uri knocked out power to over 4.5 million homes and 10 million people. Hundreds of Texans died as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • The ‘Infra Boys’ Highway to Budget Hell

    Chris Bishop has enthusiastically dubbed himself and Simeon Brown “the Infra Boys”, but they need to take note of the sums around their roading dreams. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Media Link: “AVFA” on the politics of desperation.

    In this podcast Selwyn Manning and I talk about what appears to be a particular type of end-game in the long transition to systemic realignment in international affairs, in which the move to a new multipolar order with different characteristics … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    3 days ago
  • The cost of flying blind

    Just over two years ago, when worries about immediate mass-death from covid had waned, and people started to talk about covid becoming "endemic", I asked various government agencies what work they'd done on the costs of that - and particularly, on the cost of Long Covid. The answer was that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Seymour vs The Clergy

    For paid subscribers“Aotearoa is not as malleable as they think,” Lynette wrote last week on Homage to Simeon Brown:In my heart/mind, that phrase ricocheted over the next days, translating out to “We are not so malleable.”It gave me comfort. I always felt that we were given an advantage in New ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Unstoppable Minister McKee

    All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this townI'll do it 'til the sun goes downAnd all through the nighttimeOh, yeahOh, yeah, I'll tell you what you wanna hearLeave my sunglasses on while I shed a tearIt's never the right timeYeah, yeahSong by SiaLast night there was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Could outdoor dining revitalise Queen Street?

    This is a guest post by Ben van Bruggen of The Urban Room,.An earlier version of this post appeared on LinkedIn. All images are by Ben. Have you noticed that there’s almost nowhere on Queen Street that invites you to stop, sit outside and enjoy a coffee, let alone ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago
  • Hipkins challenges long-held Labour view Government must stay below 30% of GDP

    Hipkins says when considering tax settings and the size of government, the big question mark is over what happens with the balance between the size of the working-age population and the growing number of Kiwis over the age of 65. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Your invite to Webworm Chat (a bit like Reddit)

    Hi,One of the things I love the most about Webworm is, well, you. The community that’s gathered around this lil’ newsletter isn’t something I ever expected when I started writing it four years ago — now the comments section is one of my favourite places on the internet. The comments ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • Seymour’s Treaty bill making Nats nervous

    A delay in reappointing a top civil servant may indicate a growing nervousness within the National Party about the potential consequences of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill. Dave Samuels is waiting for reappointment as the Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri, but POLITIK understands that what should have been a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #36

    A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 1, 2024 thru Sat, September 7, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is about how peopele are not born stupid but can be fooled ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • Time for a Change

    You act as thoughYou are a blind manWho's crying, crying 'boutAll the virgins that are dyingIn your habitual dreams, you knowSeems you need more sleepBut like a parrot in a flaming treeI know it's pretty hard to seeI'm beginning to wonderIf it's time for a changeSong: Phil JuddThe next line ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Six.

    The “double shocks” in post Cold War international affairs. The end of the Cold War fundamentally altered the global geostrategic context. In particular, the end of the nuclear “balance of terror” between the USA and USSR, coupled with the relaxation … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Buried deep

    Here's a bike on Manchester St, Feilding. I took this photo on Friday night after a very nice dinner at the very nice Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, on Manchester Street.I thought to myself, Manchester Street? Bicycle? This could be the very spot.To recap from an earlier edition: on a February night ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies, Excerpt Five.

    Military politics as a distinct “partial regime.” Notwithstanding their peripheral status, national defense offers the raison d’être of the combat function, which their relative vulnerability makes apparent, so military forces in small peripheral democracies must be very conscious of events … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Leadership for Dummies

    If you’re going somewhere, do you maybe take a bit of an interest in the place? Read up a bit on the history, current events, places to see - that sort of thing? Presumably, if you’re taking a trip somewhere, it’s for a reason. But what if you’re going somewhere ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Home again

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Dead even tie for hottest August ever

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The month of August was 1.49˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels, tying with 2023 for the warmest August ever, according ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 7

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the debate about how to responde to climate disinformation; and special guest ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Have We an Infrastructure Deficit?

    An Infrastructure New Zealand report says we are keeping up with infrastructure better than we might have thought from the grumbling. But the challenge of providing for the future remains.I was astonished to learn that the quantity of our infrastructure has been keeping up with economic growth. Your paper almost ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago
  • Councils reject racism

    Last month, National passed a racist law requiring local councils to remove their Māori wards, or hold a referendum on them at the 2025 local body election. The final councils voted today, and the verdict is in: an overwhelming rejection. Only two councils out of 45 supported National's racist agenda ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Homage to Simeon Brown

    Open to all - happy weekend ahead, friends.Today I just want to be petty. It’s the way I imagine this chap is -Not only as a political persona. But his real-deal inner personality, in all its glory - appears to be pure pettiness & populist driven.Sometimes I wonder if Simeon ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Government of deceit

    When National cut health spending and imposed a commissioner on Te Whatu Ora, they claimed that it was necessary because the organisation was bloated and inefficient, with "14 layers of management between the CEO and the patient". But it turns out they were simply lying: Health Minister Shane Reti’s ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • The professionals actually think and act like our Government has no fiscal crisis at all

    Treasury staff at work: The demand for a new 12-year Government bond was so strong, Treasury decided to double the amount of bonds it sold. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 6-September-2024

    Welcome to another Friday and another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. As always, this and every post is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew. If you like our work and you’d like to see more of it, we invite you to join our regular ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies; Excerpt Four.

    Internal versus external security. Regardless of who rules, large countries can afford to separate external and internal security functions (even if internal control functions predominate under authoritarian regimes). In fact, given the logic of power concentration and institutional centralization of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • A Hole In The River

    There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...

    My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago
  • Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis

    As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    7 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2024

    Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live at 5pm

    Photo by Jenny Bess on UnsplashCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 pm - 5.10 pm - Bernard and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.

    I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    7 days ago
  • How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?

    Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • A missed opportunity

    The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy

    Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies

    The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Three.

    The notion of geopolitical  “periphery.” The concept of periphery used here refers strictly to what can be called the geopolitical periphery. Being on the geopolitical periphery is an analytic virtue because it makes for more visible policy reform in response … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Venus Hum

    Fill me up with soundThe world sings with me a million smiles an hourI can see me dancing on my radioI can hear you singing in the blades of grassYellow dandelions on my way to schoolBig Beautiful Sky!Song: Venus Hum.Good morning, all you lovely people, and welcome to the 700th ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • I Went to a Creed Concert

    Note: The audio attached to this Webworm compliments today’s newsletter. I collected it as I met people attending a Creed concert. Their opinions may differ to mine. Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • Government migration policy backfires; thousands of unemployed nurses

    The country has imported literally thousands of nurses over the past few months yet whether they are being employed as nurses is another matter. Just what is going on with HealthNZ and it nurses is, at best, opaque, in that it will not release anything but broad general statistics and ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • A Time For Unity.

    Emotional Response: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses mourners at the tangi of King Tuheitia on Turangawaewae Marae on Saturday, 31 August 2024.THE DEATH OF KING TUHEITIA could hardly have come at a worse time for Maoridom. The power of the Kingitanga to unify te iwi Māori was demonstrated powerfully at January’s ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again

    National's tax cut policies relied on stealing revenue from the ETS (previously used to fund emissions reduction) to fund tax cuts to landlords. So how's that going? Badly. Today's auction failed again, with zero units (of a possible 7.6 million) sold. Which means they have a $456 million hole in ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Two.

    A question of size. Small size generally means large vulnerability. The perception of threat is broader and often more immediate for small countries. The feeling of comparative weakness, of exposure to risk, and of potential intimidation by larger powers often … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Nicola Willis’s Very Unserious Bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander Cancellation

    Open to all with kind thanks to all subscribers and supporters.Today, RNZ revealed that despite MFAT advice to Nicola Willis to be very “careful and deliberate” in her communications with the South Korean government, prior to any public announcement on cancelling Kiwirail’s i-Rex, Willis instead told South Korea 26 minutes ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Satisfying the Minister’s Speed Obsession

    The Minister of Transport’s speed obsession has this week resulted in two new consultations for 110km/h speed limits, one in Auckland and one in Christchurch. There has also been final approval of the Kapiti Expressway to move to 110km/h following an earlier consultation. While the changes will almost certainly see ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 week ago
  • What if we freed up our streets, again?

    This guest post is by Tommy de Silva, a local rangatahi and freelance writer who is passionate about making the urban fabric of Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland more people-focused and sustainable. New Zealand’s March-April 2020 Level 4 Covid response (aka “lockdown”) was somehow both the best and worst six weeks of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 week ago
  • No Alarms And No Surprises

    A heart that's full up like a landfillA job that slowly kills youBruises that won't healYou look so tired, unhappyBring down the governmentThey don't, they don't speak for usI'll take a quiet lifeA handshake of carbon monoxideAnd no alarms and no surprisesThe fabulous English comedian Stewart Lee once wrote a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Five ingenious ways people could beat the heat without cranking the AC

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Every summer brings a new spate of headlines about record-breaking heat – for good reason: 2023 was the hottest year on record, in keeping with the upward trend scientists have been clocking for decades. With climate forecasts suggesting that heat waves ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • No new funding for cycling & walking

    Studies show each $1 of spending on walking and cycling infrastructure produces $13 to $35 of economic benefits from higher productivity, lower healthcare costs, less congestion, lower emissions and lower fossil fuel import costs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it

    The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Targeted supports to accelerate reading

    The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Survivors invited to Abuse in Care national apology

    With two months until the national apology to survivors of abuse in care, expressions of interest have opened for survivors wanting to attend. “The Prime Minister will deliver a national apology on Tuesday 12 November in Parliament. It will be a very significant day for survivors, their families, whānau and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Rangatahi inspire at Ngā Manu Kōrero final

    Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē - My success is not mine alone but is the from the strength of the many. Aotearoa New Zealand’s top young speakers are an inspiration for all New Zealanders to learn more about the depth and beauty conveyed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Driving structured literacy in schools

    The coalition Government is driving confidence in reading and writing in the first years of schooling. “From the first time children step into the classroom, we’re equipping them and teachers with the tools they need to be brilliant in literacy. “From 1 October, schools and kura with Years 0-3 will receive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Labour’s misleading information is disappointing

    Labour’s misinformation about firearms law is dangerous and disappointing, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says.   “Labour and Ginny Andersen have repeatedly said over the past few days that the previous Labour Government completely banned semi-automatic firearms in 2019 and that the Coalition Government is planning to ‘reintroduce’ them.   ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine

    The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. “Mpox is obviously a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Next steps agreed for Treaty Principles Bill

    Associate Justice Minister David Seymour says Cabinet has agreed to the next steps for the Treaty Principles Bill. “The Treaty Principles Bill provides an opportunity for Parliament, rather than the courts, to define the principles of the Treaty, including establishing that every person is equal before the law,” says Mr Seymour. “Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government unlocking potential of AI

    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced a programme to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) uptake among New Zealand businesses. “The AI Activator will unlock the potential of AI for New Zealand businesses through a range of support, including access to AI research experts, technical assistance, AI tools and resources, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government releases Wairoa flood review findings

    The independent rapid review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has been released, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “We welcome the review’s findings and recommendations to strengthen Wairoa's resilience against future events,” Ms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Promoting faster payment times for government

    The Government is sending a clear message to central government agencies that they must prioritise paying invoices in a timely manner, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says. Data released today promotes transparency by publishing the payment times of each central government agency. This data will be published quarterly ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Acknowledgement to Kīngi Tuheitia speech

    E te māngai o te Whare Pāremata, kua riro māku te whakaputa i te waka ki waho moana. E te Pirimia tēnā koe.Mr Speaker, it is my privilege to take this adjournment kōrero forward.  Prime Minister – thank you for your leadership. Taupiri te maunga Waikato te awa Te Wherowhero ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses

    Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test

    More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction

    Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Māori Education Advisory Group established

    The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government welcomes findings of NZ Superannuation Fund review

    The Government has welcomed the findings of the recent statutory review into the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis says. The 5-yearly review, conducted on behalf of Treasury and tabled in Parliament today, found the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight

    Defence Minister Judith Collins today welcomed the first of five new C-130J-30 Hercules to arrive in New Zealand at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland, Whenuapai. “This is an historic day for our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and our nation. The new Hercules fleet ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Have your say on suicide prevention

    Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to reflect on New Zealand’s confronting suicide statistics, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy – a tragedy that affects far too many of our families and communities in New Zealand. We must do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Action to grow the rural health workforce

    Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost

    Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians

    Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris.  “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

    A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report.  “It will have the mandate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Passport wait times back on-track

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • New appointments to the FMA board

    Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • District Court judges appointed

    Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand

    Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender

    New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease

    Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Improving access to finance for Kiwis

    5 September 2024  The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.  “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia

    As Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is laid to rest today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to a leader whose commitment to Kotahitanga will have a lasting impact on our country. “Kiingi Tuheitia was a humble leader who served his people with wisdom, mana and an unwavering ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer

    Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations.   “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • More choice and competition in building products

    A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul

    On the occasion of the official visit by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand to the Republic of Korea from 4 to 5 September 2024, a summit meeting was held between His Excellency President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Comprehensive Strategic Partnership the goal for New Zealand and Korea

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol. “Korea and New Zealand are likeminded democracies and natural partners in the Indo Pacific. As such, we have decided to advance discussions on elevating the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • International tourism continuing to bounce back

    Results released today from the International Visitor Survey (IVS) confirm international tourism is continuing to bounce back, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey says. The IVS results show that in the June quarter, international tourism contributed $2.6 billion to New Zealand’s economy, an increase of 17 per cent on last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government confirms RMA reforms to drive primary sector efficiency

    The Government is moving to review and update national level policy directives that impact the primary sector, as part of its work to get Wellington out of farming. “The primary sector has been weighed down by unworkable and costly regulation for too long,” Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.  “That is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Weak grocery competition underscores importance of cutting red tape

    The first annual grocery report underscores the need for reforms to cut red tape and promote competition, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “The report paints a concerning picture of the $25 billion grocery sector and reinforces the need for stronger regulatory action, coupled with an ambitious, economy-wide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government moves to lessen burden of reliever costs on ECE services

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the Government has listened to the early childhood education sector’s calls to simplify paying ECE relief teachers. Today two simple changes that will reduce red tape for ECEs are being announced, in the run-up to larger changes that will come in time from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Over 2,320 people engage with first sector regulatory review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says there has been a strong response to the Ministry for Regulation’s public consultation on the early childhood education regulatory review, affirming the need for action in reducing regulatory burden. “Over 2,320 submissions have been received from parents, teachers, centre owners, child advocacy groups, unions, research ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-09-12T03:41:27+00:00