How National “delivers” for NZ
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- Date published:
10:07 am, September 19th, 2017 - 85 comments
Categories: national, useless -
Tags: #ChangeTheGovt, fuel crisis, nine long years
Ignore deny ignore deny ignore deny crisis! Rinse and repeat.
85 comments on “How National “delivers” for NZ ”
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- Bills lower, climate happier under Green Party planLabour’s announcement of an energy rebate is a step in the right direction, but the Greens’ Clean Power Payment would do much more for households. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Household rebates for energy efficient homes under LabourA re-elected Labour Government will help Kiwi households to be more energy efficient and reduce emissions from household energy use, Labour Spokesperson for Building and Construction and Energy and Resources, Megan Woods, announced today. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour will deliver largest Police service in historyA Labour Government will deliver a further increase of 300 additional frontline Police officers, new ways to crackdown on gangs and strengthen legal protections against stalking and harassment. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens welcome launch of Te Ohu Tāmaki and challenges other parties on housingThe Green Party is welcoming the launch of Te Ohu Tāmaki, and affirms its commitment to clear the social housing waitlist in 5 years - and challenges other parties to say they will do the same. ...2 weeks ago
- National put climate action into reverse gearThe National Party’s plan to install EV chargers while at the same time making it harder for people to buy an EV is bizarre and ridiculous. ...2 weeks ago
- Immigration settings updates
Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...8 hours ago - Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga HohepaTangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...19 hours ago
- COVID-19 funding returned to GovernmentThe lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...22 hours ago
- Appointment of District Court JudgeSusie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today. Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...1 day ago
- Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilienceThe Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...2 days ago
- Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-upAnother $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...2 days ago
- Taupō Supercars revs up with Government supportThe future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...2 days ago
- There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarterThe economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...2 days ago
- Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springsThe Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today. “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...2 days ago
- More support for victims of migrant exploitationTemporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...3 days ago
- Strong export boost as NZ economy turns cornerAn export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...3 days ago
- Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te KarakaThe Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...3 days ago
- Further business support for cyclone-affected regionsThe Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...3 days ago
- New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underwayDefence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...3 days ago
- Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General AssemblyForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...4 days ago
- Midwives’ pay equity offer reachedAround 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...1 week ago
- New Zealand provides support to MoroccoAotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...1 week ago
- Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilienceThe Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...1 week ago
- Government invests in Greymouth’s futureThe Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...1 week ago
- Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ MeetingForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...1 week ago
- PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflationEconomy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...2 weeks ago
- New cancer centre opens in ChristchurchPrime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...2 weeks ago
- Government invests in top of the south’s roading resilience$12 million to improve the resilience of roads in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions Hope Bypass earmarked in draft Government Policy Statement on land transport $127 million invested in the top of the south’s roads since flooding in 2021 and 2022 The Government is investing over $12 million to ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealanders continue to support the revitalisation of te reo as we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Mā...Ko tēnei te wiki e whakanui ana i tō tātou reo rangatira. Ko te wā tuku reo Māori, e whakanuia tahitia ai te reo ahakoa kei hea ake tēnā me tēnā o tātou, ka tū ā te Rātū te 14 o Mahuru, ā te 12 o ngā hāora i te ahiahi. ...2 weeks ago
- New Wildlife Act to better protect native speciesThe 70-year-old Wildlife Act will be replaced with modern, fit-for-purpose legislation to better protect native species and improve biodiversity, Minister of Conservation Willow-Jean Prime has announced. “New species legislation is urgently needed to address New Zealand’s biodiversity crisis,” Willow-Jean Prime said. “More than 4,000 of our native species are currently ...2 weeks ago
- Further safety initiatives for Auckland City CentreCentral and Local Government are today announcing a range of new measures to tackle low-level crime and anti-social behaviour in the Auckland CBD to complement Police scaling up their presence in the area. “Police have an important role to play in preventing and responding to crime, but there is more ...2 weeks ago
- Govt confirms additional support for Enabling Good LivesThe Government has confirmed $73.7 million over the next four years and a further $40.5m in outyears to continue to transform the disability support system, Minister for Disability Issues Priyanca Radhakrishnan has announced. “The Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach is a framework which guides positive change for disabled people, ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand gets AAA credit rating from S&PStandard and Poor’s is the latest independent credit rating agency to endorse the Government’s economic management in the face of a deteriorating global economy. S&P affirmed New Zealand’s long term local currency rating at AAA and foreign currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook. It follows Fitch affirming New ...2 weeks ago
- Appointment of Environment Court JudgeChristchurch barrister Kelvin Reid has been appointed as a Judge of the Environment Court and the District Court, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Mr Reid has extensive experience in Resource Management Act issues, including water quality throughout the South Island. He was appointed to the Technical Advisory Group advising the ...2 weeks ago
- NZ’s biggest ever emissions reduction project hits milestoneNew Zealand is on track to have greener steel as soon as 2026 with New Zealand Steel’s electric arc furnace project reaching a major milestone today. The Government announced a conditional partnership with New Zealand Steel in May to deliver the country’s largest emissions reduction project to date. Half of ...2 weeks ago
- Poroporoaki: Paki Leslie Māngai NikoraPokia ana te tihi Taiarahia e Hine-Pūkohu-rangi Hotu kau ana te manawa! Horahia ana te whārua o Ruātoki e te kapua pouri Tikaro rawahia ko te whatumanawa! Rere whakamuri kau ana te awa o Hinemataroa Ki te kawe i te rongo ki te mātāpuna i nga pōngaihu Maungapōhatu, tuohu ...2 weeks ago
- 50,000 charges laid in crack down on gangsPolice Minister Ginny Andersen has today congratulated Police in their efforts to crack down on gangs, after laying 50,000 charges against gang members and their associates through the hugely successful Operation Cobalt. As at 31 August, Police have: Laid 50,396 criminal charges against gang members and their associates Issued 64,524 ...2 weeks ago
- Farmers and cyclone-affected properties supported with tax rule changesThe Government has confirmed details of the tax changes to the bright-line test for cyclone-damaged properties, with the release of the required legislative amendments. Revenue Minister Barbara Edmonds has released a Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) to be considered by the Finance and Expenditure Committee in the next Parliament, as it ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand wins CPTPP dispute against CanadaMinister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor has welcomed the CPTPP Panel’s ruling in favour of New Zealand in our dispute against Canada, a significant win for our primary sector exporters. The Panel found that Canada’s dairy quota administration is inconsistent with its obligations under the Comprehensive and Progressive ...2 weeks ago
- New intensive turnaround programme launched to break the cycle of offendingThe next phase of the Government’s response to youth crime is underway, with an intensive programme for the country’s most prolific young offenders launched today in Auckland, Minister for Children Kelvin Davis said. The programme, announced by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in July, will see up to 60 recidivist young ...3 weeks ago
- Government extends report date for COVID inquiryThe Government has agreed to a request from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 for extra three months to deliver its final report. The Royal Commission was established in 2022 to strengthen New Zealand’s preparedness for any future pandemics. It was originally due to conclude mid-2024. “The Commission has ...3 weeks ago
- Wainuiomata school property upgrade making great progressThe Wainuiomata High School redevelopment is making great progress, with two more classroom blocks set to be complete by the end of the month, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. The Prime Minister visited today to see first-hand the progress of the redevelopment which is continuing at pace and is ...3 weeks ago
- Work in progress for PNG’s medical school – fast-tracked after protest
By Grace Salmang in Port Moresby Reconstruction and renovation work for dormitories, laboratories, mess and tutorial rooms is currently underway at the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences. This is following a sit-in protest a week ago by students led by Student’s Representative Council (SRC) ...33 mins ago - RWC2023: Boffelli lifts Pumas to win as Manu Samoa rues lost chancesBy Iliesa Tora, RNZ Pacific sports journalist in Saint-Étienne, France Argentinian winger Emiliano Boffelli scored all his team’s points as they defeated Manu Samoa 19-10 at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne, France, yesterday in a Rugby World Cup pool D match. That gave the Pumas their first win at the ...2 hours ago
- National announces new parent visa category
The new multiple entry parent visa category would be valid for five years and could be renewed for a further five years. ...2 hours ago - Disappointing the past and failing the future
This essay by Emma Ng is from the book Present Tense: Wāhine Toi Aotearoa – A Paper Record, edited by Catherine Griffiths. It’s part of a wider project of posters which aim to ‘record the current landscape of women in design and give visibility to the unsung diversity of Aotearoa design’. ...3 hours ago - Election 2023: All the latest developments on 23 SeptemberThe Labour Party and National Party are both open to reversing a ban on over-the-counter sales of pseudoephedrine, proposed by the ACT Party. ...4 hours ago
- ‘I could not hand my keys over’: Katrina Hobbs on why she loves House Rules NZThe House Rules NZ judge talks Tip Top, The Traitors and why she’ll never watch The Kardashians. Katrina Hobbs might be a judge on House Rules NZ, but there’s little chance she’d leave her home in the hands of complete strangers. “I’ve got to confess, when I first read about ...4 hours ago
- Short story of a Labour candidate
"I’m as born an optimist as Chippy himself": Vincent O'Sullivan imagines a Labour Party candidate, essentially campaigning for themselves with a snowball's chance in hell I was born the week Norman Kirk, that Leviathan of Labour, died. It is obvious Nature intends me to follow in his wake. ...7 hours ago - VOTE2023: Q&A with Ingrid Leary and Ben Peters
In this week's episode of VOTE2023, we talk to Labour MP for Taieri Ingrid Leary and TOP Dunedin candidate Dr Ben Peters on key issues including political representation, climate change, and tax This series is made by politics students and aims to entertain and inform viewers about their potential representatives ...7 hours ago - The Week in Detail: From Tarras airport to the 'wasted vote' myth
Every weekday, The Detail makes sense of the big news stories. This week, a new proposal to burn the South Island's rubbish problem away, the bluster behind parties' fiscal talk, the dispute over the Tarras Airport development, how strategic voting in a general election really works, and tiny Naseby's pitch to become ...7 hours ago - Transom's times come again
One of the country’s top swimmers is to trial for the NZ team for the first time since 2017. This time she could qualify for the Paris Olympics in multiple events. Dave Crampton reports. In February 2020 Laticia Transom was one of New Zealand’s top freestyle swimmers. She would have ...7 hours ago - Animal Justice Party Aotearoa NZ (AJP) Candidates Hit the Campaign Trail Nationwide
Animal Justice Party Aotearoa NZ (AJP) candidates will be on the campaign trail this weekend across the country spreading their message of compassion and advocating for animals across New Zealand. Registered just last month, AJP has swiftly assembled ...7 hours ago - Their house, my garden: My war with the landlordsIn the first instalment of a new column about gardening while renting, a planter box is vetoed, the rent is raised, and the value of dirt is brought into question. Last summer, we barely got one tomato and three beans out of the garden. Everything, weather-wise, went wrong, but mostly ...8 hours ago
- A portrait of Lorde as a teenage pop prodigyA decade ago The Spinoff founder Duncan Greive spent three months shadowing Lorde as she became a star, a period which started with ‘Royals’ as a local chart topper and ended with her as a global pop phenomenon. He was given unparalleled access across dozens of meetings, shows, studio sessions, ...8 hours ago
- A country for old men
Winston Peters plays to his strengths in the Act Party heartland of Remuera, less than 24 hours after calling its local MP his “imitator” In 1996 at the age of 11, a motorised toy car I was driving on stage in a school play inexplicably cut out. No one was coming to ...8 hours ago - Long Read: Make voting sexy again
This is The Detail's Long Read – one in-depth story read by us every weekend. This week, it's a Make Voting Sexy Again, written and read aloud here by Nadine Anne Hura, and published on The Spinoff. Nadine joins The Detail's Alexia Russell to discuss why she felt compelled to write about New Zealand's clutch ...8 hours ago - View from The Hill: We can’t prepare for a future pandemic without fully looking at state governme...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra arly a year ago, a privately financed inquiry, led by Peter Shergold, a former head of the prime minister’s department, undertook an inquiry into Australia’s handling of the COVID pandemic. The report, Fault ...14 hours ago
- NZ election 2023: From ‘pebble in the shoe’ to future power broker – the rise and rise of Te P...ANALYSIS: By Annie Te One, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington In his maiden speech to Parliament in 2020, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi told his fellow MPs: You know what it feels like to have a pebble in your shoe? That will be my job ...16 hours ago
- Will taxing short stays boost long-term rental supply? Other policies would achieve moreSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Phibbs, Emeritus Professor, University of Sydney The Victorian government, like many governments around the world, has announced new regulations on short-stay accommodation. The government says Victoria has more than 36,000 short-stay places, which are reducing the number of homes available for ...17 hours ago
- Act wants over-the-counter pseudoephedrine back
Act’s released policy platform aimed at senior citizens would also rescind restrictions on a chemical used to make methamphetamine Act leader David Seymour is angling for the senior vote with a new suite of policies aimed at improving healthcare for the elderly and reforming the Retirement Commission. But while he ...18 hours ago - From 'pebble in the shoe' to future power broker – the rise and rise of Te Pāti MāoriIn 2020, Rawiri Waititi told his fellow MPs his job was to be a change agent for Māori. Three years later, how does the party grow its platform and base, Annie Te One asks. ...20 hours ago
- NZ election 2023: Both Labour and National face multimillion dollar ‘climate hole’By Eloise Gibson, RNZ climate change correspondent While attention is focused on economists finding a $500 million-a-year hole in National’s tax plans, a similar-sized hole in climate costings is hiding in plain sight — and it applies to Labour, too. National appears to have the bigger gap, however. The gulf ...20 hours ago
- Planning laws protect people. A poorly regulated rush to boost housing supply will cost us allSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Harris, Senior Research Fellow, Acting Director, CHETRE, UNSW Sydney The housing crisis is firmly on the Australian policy agenda. Governments see a rapid increase in supply as the main solution. The importance of supply is not disputed. But more housing ...21 hours ago
- ‘Remain calm’, Fiji’s Pio tells public over firebombing incident in SuvaBy Meri Radinibaravi in Suva The Fiji government has warned the public “don’t panic” as news of an alleged firebombing incident at Totogo Police Station in the heart of Suva sent shockwaves around the community. The incident yesterday also spurred questions about the safety of citizens in the country as ...21 hours ago
- RWC2023: Manu Samoa motivated for ‘huge game’ against ArgentinaBy Iliesa Tora, RNZ Pacific sports reporter in Saint Étienne, France Manu Samoa have made only three changes to their starting lineup to maintain consistency and ensure game flow against Argentina in a must-win Pool D clash in Saint-Étienne on Saturday morning (NZ time). Head coach Vaovasamanaia Seilala Mapusua has ...21 hours ago
- Planning laws protect people, who’ll pay for an unregulated rush to boost housing supplySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Harris, Senior Research Fellow, Acting Director, CHETRE, UNSW Sydney The housing crisis is firmly on the Australian policy agenda. Governments see a rapid increase in supply as the main solution. The importance of supply is not disputed. But more housing ...21 hours ago
- Feeling controlled by the chaos in your home? 4 ways to rein in clutter and stay tidySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jamal Abarashi, Lecturer, International Business, Strategy and Entrepreneurship Department, Auckland University of Technology Maintaining a tidy home is a never-ending challenge. And tidiness goes beyond aesthetics – it contributes to a person’s mental wellbeing. So what are the best strategies for ...21 hours ago
- Kids dressing up as frail older people is harmless fun, right? No, it’s ageist, whatever Bluey say...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Mitchell, Geriatrician working in clinical practice. PhD Candidate at The University of Melbourne studying ethics and ageism in health care. Affiliate lecturer, Deakin University Shutterstock A child once approached me, hunched over, carrying a vacuum cleaner like a walking ...21 hours ago
- No, the RBA review won’t mean handing the bank’s decisions to part-time outsidersSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Renee McKibbin, Professor of Economics, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Misinformation is circulating about recommendations concerning the Reserve Bank board made by the RBA Review, of which I was a member. Among the claims are that the new monetary ...21 hours ago
- Luxon’s visit to Auckland’s Viaduct was the opposite of Judith Collins on Ponsonby RoadIf the Ponsonby Road walkabout was the final nail in the coffin for Judith Collins’ dreams of being prime minister, Christopher Luxon’s afternoon at Auckland’s Viaduct may be the last boost of confidence he needs. The contrast between Collins’ visit to the affluent Auckland suburb on October 7, 2020 and ...21 hours ago
- Dame Jacinda Ardern on her 'very different' life post-politicsDame Jacinda Ardern says she wasn't burned out and could have stayed as PM, but didn't think she could do the job well any more. ...21 hours ago
- Hipkins defends Labour's handling of Halbert concernsLabour leader Chris Hipkins said without a direct complaint or communication from the people affected, the whips could not follow up. ...22 hours ago
- Feeling controlled by the chaos in your home? 4 strategies to rein in clutter and maintain tidiness ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jamal Abarashi, Lecturer, International Business, Strategy and Entrepreneurship Department, Auckland University of Technology Maintaining a tidy home is a never-ending challenge. And tidiness goes beyond aesthetics – it contributes to a person’s mental wellbeing. So what are the best strategies for ...22 hours ago
- Act wants to reverse pseudoephedrine banThe Act Party would reverse the ban on over-the-counter pseudoephedrine as part of a policy to help seniors. It’s been 12 years since products containing pseudoephedrine were reclassified from a class C to B2 controlled drug because of its use in the production of methamphetamine. But Seymour said that the ...22 hours ago
- Week in Politics: Leaders' debate fails to catch fireAnalysis - The leaders' debate Chris Hipkins had to win but didn't, more bad polling news for Labour, and ACT and NZ First reluctantly agree they could work together, writes Peter Wilson. ...22 hours ago
- Newsletter: September 22 2023 – Items of interest and importance todayNew Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. NZ Politics Daily: 22 September 2023 ELECTION Jack Tame (1News): For Christopher Luxon, the Winston strategy has changed Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Is this the long ...23 hours ago
- Spoilt Policy: Why We Must Keep GST Simple And Free Of Food Carve-outsA new report published by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union analysing the impacts of taking GST off fresh fruit and vegetables concludes that the policy would be expensive, complicated, poorly targeted and would see most of the benefits going to supermarkets ...23 hours ago
- Review: Baldur’s Gate 3 dramatically levels up the Western RPGOne of the biggest games of the year seeks not to reinvent the wheel, but instead make the best wheel possible, writes Sam Brooks. What’s all this then? Baldur’s Gate 3 is the biggest role-playing game of the year, give or take a Final Fantasy or a Starfield. It is, ...23 hours ago
- 30 years of the web down under: how Australians made the early internet their ownSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kieran Hegarty, Research Fellow (Automated Decision-Making Systems), RMIT University Blacktown City Libraries, CC BY-SA The internet is growing old. While the roots of the internet date back to the 1960s, the popular internet – the one that 99% of Australians ...23 hours ago
- Why is Rupert Murdoch stepping aside now and what does it mean for the company?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dodd, Director of the Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne At age 92, media mogul Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as chairman of Fox Corporation and News Corp but will stay on in the role of chairman emeritus, presumably ...23 hours ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘Basketball’ by Dan GoodwinA new poem by Dan Goodwin. Basketball You will be dead by 30. You will never have close relations with friends or family. You will never have a partner. You should drop out of university. Environments like that can be stressful. Our priority right now is to keep you alive, ...23 hours ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending September 22The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (Canongate, $50) We suppose it’s ...23 hours ago
- ACT reveals seniors policy including reversing pseudoephedrine banThe ACT Party wants to bring back over-the-counter pseudoephedrine, make it easier to get some other drugs, and make changes to the Retirement Commission. ...23 hours ago
- Clean-up begins in Queenstown, road closures remain in SouthlandThe clean-up is beginning in Queenstown, with mayor Glyn Lewers telling RNZ the town is beginning to clear debris flows and geotechnical engineers are assessing hills in the area. The rain is easing off, he says. Southland MP Joseph Mooney said late this morning that Queenstown town centre was open ...23 hours ago
- Kids dressing up as older people is harmless fun, right? No, it’s ageist, whatever Bluey saysSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Mitchell, Geriatrician working in clinical practice. PhD Candidate at The University of Melbourne studying ethics and ageism in health care. Affiliate lecturer, Deakin University Shutterstock A child once approached me, hunched over, carrying a vacuum cleaner like a walking ...23 hours ago
- New Zealand Election Debate Points To Bipartisan Agenda Of Austerity And WarBy Tom Peters, Socialist Equality Group 21 September 2023 Original url https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/21/hexy-s21.html The first televised debate of the New Zealand election campaign, between incumbent Labour Party Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and opposition National Party leader Christopher ...23 hours ago
- Nordic Plastics Report: The Planet Needs Higher Ambition – Greenpeace AotearoaA report from the Nordic Council of Ministers on recommendations to address plastic production doesn’t go far enough, according to Greenpeace Aotearoa. The Nordic Council of Ministers published a report to provide modeling of 15 policy interventions ...24 hours ago
- National’s Policies Focus On Growing The EconomyNational’s ‘Rebuilding the economy’ plan is well-focused on key economic issues, containing several policies recommended by BusinessNZ, says BusinessNZ Advocacy Director Catherine Beard. Policy directions such as returning to a single inflation mandate ...24 hours ago
- Carbon removal: why ambitious ‘no nonsense’ plans are vital to limit global heating to 2℃Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Turney, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research, University of Technology Sydney 2023 is proving to be a year of climate and weather extremes. Record-busting global air and ocean temperatures, unprecedented low levels of Antarctic sea ice, and devastating fires and floods have been ...1 day ago
- NZTech Manifesto Stresses Importance Of Technology To NZ’s FutureThe next Government must support the use of technology to transform the economy, lift the performance of New Zealand industries and create high-value jobs, according to NZTech CEO Graeme Muller. NZTech has released its manifesto for the upcoming election, ...1 day ago
- Queenstown under state of emergency after flooding
State of emergency will be in place for at least seven days after wettest 24 hours in nearly a quarter of a century Queenstown is under a state of emergency as rain continues to fall and flooding affects many parts of the region. Niwa says Queenstown has recorded its wettest ...1 day ago - National releases document laying out current economic planNational has unveiled its 100-point plan for rebuilding the economy, a list of policies it has announced ahead of this year's election. ...1 day ago
- National bundles economic pledges into plan for the futureThe National Party has relaunched many of its economic policies as part of a repackaged plan for the future. In front of a crowd of MPs, candidates and party faithful in central Auckland, leader Christopher Luxon and deputy Nicola Willis reiterated that this election was about the economy – and ...1 day ago
- The multibillion-dollar climate hole faced by both Labour and NationalWhile attention is focused on National's $500 million-a-year hole, another has opened up in plain sight - and it's Labour's problem, too. ...1 day ago
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Don’t bother with govt mantra. So he just started digging… …oops, hole in one. RMA don’t need it. How many people have heard the neolib nonsense and taken it on board!
I think the quotes should be around “National” to expose the scam they have pulling on us since 1951.
Yes but the latest lot of NActs have been doubling down and getting worse …… They are in the thick of it.
For example, its pretty damning that Judith Collins seems to be benefiting from some of the worst destructive exploitative scandals going on …….
Be it water …… ” Oravida pays about $500 a year to draw up to 400,000 litres of water a day from the Otakiri Aquifer in Bay of Plenty.” ….
” freshwater ecologist Mike Joy said the same thing will keep happening until the government charged for water.” …..”It’s just a free for all for a tiny proportion of New Zealanders, that abuse something that belongs to all of us.” http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/301943/%27we%27re-giving-away-that-water-for-nothing%27
Overseas ownership …. and use of tax havens …. ” ”owner of the former Crafar and Synlait farms in Waikato and Canterbury. Milk New Zealand Holding is wholly owned not by Shanghai Pengxin, but by Milk New Zealand Investment, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands.” ……….Chalkie reckons owning New Zealand farms through a Caribbean tax haven may have tax advantages “-
Giving the fingers to climate change …. Rising volume of New Zealand fresh milk airfreighted to China https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/96321589/rising-volume-of-new-zealand-fresh-milk-airfreighted-to-china
And of course the 80% non compliant Ancient Kauri looting …. https://publicaddress.net/envirologue/swamp-monsters-the-looting-of-northlands/
All problems indirectly show her attitudes and contribution to NZ’s inequality …
“In either case we might wonder why, when Northland is suffering deprivation and economic stagnation, Maraetai Drive millionaires are allowed to strip the province of its natural resources, tear up its wild places and reap outrageous profits while an apologist Government runs interference in the media.”
This government has run out of gas.
Fuel light flashing empty-empty. Fill up with Blue Pennant kerosene at the Dipton Four square.
[lprent: Ummmm – advertising or humour? Let go with humour. ]
Redgum suggested brown rice with your kerosene.
EE @ (3) … “This government has run out of gas.”
Not quite. Still plenty of piss and wind left in Natz.
The Natz are so full of gas and hot air, they should be able to transport themselves around the country at the moment, without the need for aircraft!
Labour warned in 2005
*Attenborough voice*
Here we have the unmistakeable stress call of the RWNJ: but, but, Laaaay-burrrrr
And Bill English rejected the solution in 2012.
https://twitter.com/andykirton/status/909914862557339648
better get on and vote Green then.
It seems to me that both National and Labour made the right call
How do you figure that, Einstein? A part solution was costed at $57m iirc but forecasts are that this failure will cost significantly more than that.
Right, but the failure is a 1 in X year event.
Think of it this way, if it was you personally, would you rather lose $100 now, or maybe lose $200 sometime in the next 30 years (or not)? I’d prefer the latter, I bet you would too.
A.
I see. This is what passes for planning for Nat supporters.
For just about anyone rational in infrastructure?Take the solution with best expected value??
Did you factor in environmental damage in your actuarial analysis?
Wasnt my analysis!
This was ” Think of it this way, if it was you personally, would you rather lose $100 now, or maybe lose $200 sometime in the next 30 years (or not)? I’d prefer the latter, I bet you would too.
A.”
I was just trying to explain to Muttonbird why you might not be willing to spend now to (possibly) save later, is all
Environmental damage caused by building a 2nd pipeline?
Environmental damage caused by building duplicate Terminal at West Auckland, or increasing storage at Wiri (virtually unconsentable)?
This whole (non) issue is one of the most pathetic beat-ups I have ever seen.
faroutdude,
A second pipeline didn’t have to be built. For a measly $1.9 million, an extra 515 million litres of jet fuel could be supplied each year. I suggest you read the options that were provided to this Government nearly six years ago.
http://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/sectors-industries/energy/energy-security/oil-security/documents-library/RAP%20Contingency%20Options.pdf
It certainly seems to matter to those affected by it. Pity about the timing, from National’s perspective. The last thing they needed was Judith Collins in the public eye again.
Might it affect the election outcome? Yep. Is that fair? Probably not, but hey, them’s the breaks sunshine.
If the backup plan was an second pipeline on a different route it would increase, rather than decrease the risk of environmental damage. After all a second pipeline could also rupture, with a second lot of damage.
A second pipeline wouldn’t have reduced any environmental damage that has occurred, of course. The damage, if any, happened when it ruptured. It would only have sped up the ability to fly again more readily.
If? What was it before you analyse it
Duplicating the Refinery to Auckland Pipeline is the least desirable option from a point of view of cost and exposure to the same risks.
Many don’t realise but the “problem” goes right back to Dawn of neo-liberalism and the war of attrition on public assets .
NZ Refining was government owned and viewed , correctly at that time , as a strategic asset.
Also the long term [ Government consulted& approved] plan for Auckland’s Deepwater Port development at Te Atatu . Incidentally , the main reason for the high coathanger profile of the Harbour Bridge.
Plenty of space was available for Fuel Marine terminal and storage less than 8km from the RAP.
However , the Vandals , carrying the TINA Market Banner high , set upon a campaign of trying to remove control and ownership of Ports of Auckland , which but for the fine work of Mike Lee and others would be smoke and ashes by now .
Unfortunately , minimising pillaging as opposed to developing a clear , long term plan for Marine Transport & Freight Logistics for the Greater Auckland region has been the primary focus for Ports of Auckland.
Wynyard Terminal and tank farm closed , replaced by high rise accommodation and entertainment.
Te Atatu peninsula – sold off for low density , sea view housing.
The only practicable solution is
1/. To establish a Marine terminal on the NW Firth of Thames – Kawakawa bay area.
Storage and Tank farm south on the Miranda/Kaiaua flats [ at least 10 m above present sea level] and pipelines to Wiri , via Clevedon valley and to the new inland Port at Ruakura for further storage and possible transport by rail.
2/. Increase rail tanker rolling stock , as well as upgrade the Northland Rail line and extend it to Marsden Point .[yes Winnie’s correct ]
To Tracey.
I have no idea what the plan was Tracey. Kirton, with his election hat on simply said there was one but not what it was.
An alternate pipeline just seems to be an obvious alternative.
Does anyone know what the actual proposal was?
Alwyn,
A second pipeline isn’t necessary. You probably already know that.
To Ross.
I wouldn’t really have thought so.
However someone from the NZRC was willing to discuss the idea on TV a couple of nights ago.
I mentioned it here
https://thestandard.org.nz/how-national-delivers-for-nz/#comment-1386968
They gambled. And we lost.
‘They’ as you call them, gambled lots of times and usually won
Depends where your morals lie.
Well, I seem to be of the same mind as Clark, Cullen, Ardern and Robertson so I don’t object to being tarred with their cloth.
A.
There was a comment by someone from NZRC on TV last night. He pointed out that a backup line from Tauranga would have cost about $250 million. He then asked whether people would have been willing to pay an additional $100/flight to pay for it.
Sounds high but I haven’t looked at the numbers.
Still I suppose I can paraphrase Clint Eastwood.
“Are you willing to pay? Well, are you Punk?”.
Because extra charges on flights are the only way to pay for it, eh. /sarc. Didn’t you get the memo? TINA isn’t answering your calls.
To OAB.
Sure, but it wasn’t me who was suggesting the possibility.
He wasn’t in favour of it mind you.
If something like that was required just how would you pay for it, by the way.
Surely you are one of those who don’t approve of “subsidies” to business? If anyone except air travellers were to pay for the security of supply to the airport shouldn’t it be those travellers who pay?
Well, at 24 million passengers per year, $100 each would cover that $250 million pretty quickly. But I suppose they’d have to appoint a CEO and management team for the backup system and that’s going to suck an awful lot of cash…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auckland_Airport
Look at roads Muttronbird, that gives a clear view on national party planning. Or the lack there of…
There’s that short term profit neoliberal thinking where they rather gamble than mitigate risk.
I’d like to see a more mature, built to last approach for such crucial infrastructure personally.
Not a big fan of insurance then man? I think almost everyone pays a small amount of money now on the off chance that their car/house/life might get fucked up later.
It depends on the price! I wouldn’t buy an insurance policy where the yearly premium was half the cost of the car!
What are you talking about? It was a one off cost to build some redundancy capacity at Wiri.
I do note that Michael Barnett points out that demand at Wiri has increased 30% since 2012 because to the high population increase in Auckland but capacity has not. This is exactly the sort of thing a government should have been planning for and to apply your logic the same wasn’t required in 2005 because Wiri had capacity to spare.
> What are you talking about? It was a one off cost to build some redundancy capacity at Wiri.
Don’t blame me, Crashcart introduced the insurance analogy and insurance has regular premiums
> I do note that Michael Barnett points out that demand at Wiri has increased 30% since 2012 because to the high population increase in Auckland but capacity has not. This is exactly the sort of thing a government should have been planning for
It is not, it is the sort of thing a pipeline owner should have been planning for!
A.
Plan?
This government leaves everything to the ‘market’
Incompetent fools.
> This government leaves everything to the ‘market’
They absolutely do not, I can think of any number of non-market solutions operating in NZ. They don’t even seem unanimously pro-market (e.g. Steven Joyce seems more like a big government sort of guy).
A.
It depends on the price!
No, Antoine, it depends on one’s priorities!
This Government spent $22 million on a flag referendum that few wanted. For a mere $1.9 million an extra 515 million litres of jet fuel could be supplied to Auckland airport each year. What’s more important?
Auckland airport handled about 16.5 million passengers in 2015. At a cost of $1.9 million to secure greater fuel supply, that equates to 11.5 cents per passenger. Do you seriously think passangers are going to complain about paying an extra 11.5 cents per flight?
I havent quite got my head around the 2m option. I suspect it was a very imperfect mitigation or had major drawbacks or there was some other good reason why it was not adopted. Others will know more about it.
The $2 million option would presumably have provided a buffer…maybe giving the airport a few weeks of fuel that would enable business as usual in the event that the pipeline was out of action for 2-3 weeks. It would not be the answer to a bigger problem that would take months to fix. But it would possibly be a good short-term option and certainly better than the do-nothing option which the Government took.
Honestly dont know enough to form a view
Critical infrastructure? Single point of failure?
Yeah. Nah. Anyone rational would invest to mitigate a single point of failure in critical infrastructure. The fact that this hasn’t happened is pure incompetence.
Ha, I bet you would be gobsmacked how many single points of failure there are in critical infrastructure out there.
And that’s how it should be; it’s often not economic to provide multiple redundancy where the probability of failure is very low and the cost of paralleling the network is high.
And that’s how it’s going to remain, too, whatever you think.
A.
That’s the problem with the current system: it’s not economic for me to at least have a contingency plan if everyone else except for me will bear the brunt of the costs of that failure.
Indeed. NZ Refining is losing a bunch of revenue (https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/refining-nz-could-lose-15m-after-fuel-pipeline-breach-ns-207792) and may be prosecuted (https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/96941407/Auckland-Airport-Possibility-of-prosecution-after-digger-cut-crucial-jet-fuel-pipeline) and is also taking a lot of reputational damage. They have plenty of skin in the game.
Auckland Airport obviously has even more skin in the game and had plenty of incentive to (a) have its own contingency plans, and (b) get NZ Refining to form contingency plans too.
And these incentives have worked: NZ Refining has been prepared to move quickly to repair the pipeline and make alternative arrangements for transporting fuel. I understand work is proceeding apace at the site and international experts are swarming all over the place.
Things are working as intended.
A.
PS I suspect the digging company (Oravida?) will also find it has plenty of skin in the game
Things are working as intended
The Government intended to be a laughing stock? Air New Zealand intended to piss off its customers and lose money? NZ Refining intended to harm the environment?
With a modicum of planning and expenditure, the severity of these problems could have been reduced.
international experts are swarming all over the place.
All those whose flights have been cancelled will be delighted to hear that.
Occasionally bad things happen; it beats blowing all your resources trying to make sure nothing bad ever happens.
(Though I agree AIA may be a bit regretful now!)
Antoine,
Who is talking about “blowing all your resources”? As discussed, there was the option of spending $1.9 million per year to increase supply. Yes, that wouldn’t have been a fix in the event of a serious outage but it would have provided some time to fix the problem.
It is reported in today’s herald that Auckland airport has about 3 days of fuel at any one time. Which maybe explains why we didn’t hear about this until Sunday even though the problem was known last Thursday. The powers-that-be were possibly hoping for a quick fix.
The refinery and the airport will probably have some manner of insurance, mitigating their losses. That makes an actual, rather than actuarial, contingency plan less economical. And any compensation claims they face can be lowered in settlement negotiations, or if they’re prohibitive dragged out through the courts.
So chipping in for a branch line to use a rail contingecy wasn’t so attractive to the refinery, and having bigger storage tanks of avgas wasn’t so attractive to the airport.
Sure, it costs them money, so they want to fix the damage as quickly as possible. But the fact thousands of people are feeling the pinch means that if this is how things are working as intended, the system is fucked up.
> The refinery and the airport will probably have some manner of insurance, mitigating their losses. That makes an actual, rather than actuarial, contingency plan less economical.
At this point the insurer also has skin in the game
> But the fact thousands of people are feeling the pinch means that if this is how things are working as intended, the system is fucked up.
Disagree. If thousands of people feel pinches only very occasionally, that’s to be expected (unfortunately).
A.
The insurer has skin in the game, but their model is to win on average. So it’s part of the cost of doing business, and if someone has no contingency plan they just charge more premium.
And disrupting thousands of people even only occasionally is not a reasonable expectation. It was only a few years ago large chunks of Auckland had a power cut because of a tree. Now the fuel supply is fucked up because of some jerk with a digger.
This is not a reasonable expectation for a city of more than a million people, surely. Sure, if there was an extreme weather event or something, but not just trivial day to day shit on a farm.
That’s the crucial piece, the cost of it going tits up in the future V the current day solution cost.
Neloberalism always seems to take the approach of boot it to touch, it’s the next crowds problem, it’s alot of money, what about the shareholders, can’t someone else pay, can our lawyers get us out etc….and here we are.
How? By not realising exactly how corrupt and greedy Judith Collins is?
And voted out in 2008.
This unsatisfactory fuel situation. It must be run by government, useless sods, if private interests ran it in a businesslike fashion this would never have happened. /sarc
100% greywarshark couldn’t have said it better myself.
They should have built the rail line as an alternative next to the pipe before now the bloody idiots!!!
No, they should have built the railway line OVER the pipeline. That way, no knucklehead profit-gouging kauri log-hunter (apologies to Oravida and anyone connected) would have been able to damage the pipe.
Nothing the National Government have ever done makes any sense here!!
So we need to fence off anything they say in future after labour takes over with oppostion parties support.
We need the new Labour lead government to do what the National Government did for nine years by refusing any proposals that any oposition party puts up as they have done.
It is going to need this control over our need to have them passing all those ammendments to reverse all those bad changes national has made.
Makes the BBC front page
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-41315994
What the opposition with American support does to undermine support for the government in Venezuela, is to create shortages of essential goods during elections like toilet paper and tampons. Obviously, this wasn’t planned in New Zealand’s case, but the effect is likely to be the same.
Election week and this really is manna from heaven, or petrol in this case.
Talk about laugh, Billshit English tells Nat candidates to stay in own electorate,may as well, nobody knows who the fuck they are there either.
According to some airlines … ” it’s an act of God! ” . Even He thinks it’s time to go Bill.
You know you’re fucked when even your own God deserts you.
Yep even the man (or woman) upstairs doesn’t want a Tory government. 🙂
You know National’s campaign has been a train wreck when they might be housing a communist spy and it barely rates a mention!
national better managers of the country ——— yeah right…
Yep ,… its coming up summertime, so jump in the car and take a drive… to the end of your driveway and back again.
Mungo Jerry – In The Summertime ORIGINAL 1970 – YouTube
in the summertime when the weather is fine▶ 3:35
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvUQcnfwUUM
On Newshub, Alison Mau asked Judith Collins if her husband wa involved in the company that was extracting the kauri.
Collins dodged answering.
Ed @ (12) … Google Kauri Ruakaka to find out the company harvesting swamp kauri.
Oravida.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11052197
And more….
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=11823159
There needs to be a police investigation. NOW!
Muttonbird (12.2) … Natz wouldn’t like that at all! And we all know why, don’t we Mrs Wong Tung?
I just can’t believe the police haven’t made a statement at all yet. Someone is lying here.
Muttonbird (12.2.1.1) … Agree.
I’d say there will be a lot of covering up about this one, despite the chance of a crime having been committed. So expect a massive lie fest to emerge first! And also remember the police don’t work for the public anymore, instead they work at protecting Natz and it’s corrupt cronies!
However should this issue be investigated (preferably by a reputable journalist), it could prove to be one of Natz biggest scandals in its murky history, particularly if it is involved in some way with the company harvesting the swamp kauri at Ruakaka. And there is some suspicion this might be the case.
It would’ve cost only $1.9 million per year to do something meaningful. Simply overload existing tankers which would produce an extra 515 million litres. That was the advice given to this Government in October 2011. To say they couldn’t afford to pay such a small sum is nonsense – they spent $22 million on a silly flag referendum.
Yes ,… yes they did, … didn’t they….
$22 million on a silly flag referendum.
That nobody particularly wanted.
Except John Key.
And I mean it when I say ‘ nobody ‘ .
Laissez-faire, free-market neoliberal ideology working for you…
National.
Rowley Birkin QC – Terrific Snowstorm – YouTube
Video for Rowley Birkin QC – Terrific Snowstorm▶ 2:07
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXczSof201U