Key shoots back(wards)

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, February 26th, 2013 - 82 comments
Categories: john key - Tags:

John Key is under real pressure over the Solid Energy debacle. Smile and wave doesn’t cut it any more – so he’s got out his six-shooter. He dug out a speech by Trevor Mallard to try to blame Labour for Solid Energy’s woes. Trouble is he’s shot himself: in 2011 this is what he said:

Speaking in Invercargill yesterday, Mr Key said he supported Solid Energy’s plan to dig up lignite and turn it into briquettes, saying the Government wanted companies such as Solid Energy, which is Government-owned, to expand.

“At the moment companies like Solid Energy are growth companies and we want them to expand in areas like lignite conversion,” Mr Key said.

Russel Norman and Clayton Cosgrove shot back – much more effectively. No wonder Key wants to talk about his trip to Mexico.

 

 

82 comments on “Key shoots back(wards) ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Gosman 1
    26 February 2013 at 9:03 am

    Solid Energy should be sold so that private investors can take the risk on these gambles not taxpayers.

    • Pete 1.1
      26 February 2013 at 9:08 am

      Solid Energy should not be sould because the mineral wealth of the nation belongs to the Crown and a properly run state-owned mining company should give a better return to the public purse than the few cents on the dollar in royalties from a private concern.

      • Pete 1.1.1
        26 February 2013 at 9:10 am

        *sould=sold

        For some reason the edit comment feature isn’t loading my comment to edit.

      • Gosman 1.1.2
        26 February 2013 at 9:15 am

        If the reason the company should be owned is related to the fact it is involved in mineral extraction then I presume you believe all mining companies should also be State owned as well, is that correct?

        • SpaceMonkey 1.1.2.1
          26 February 2013 at 9:26 am

          Yes

          • Gosman 1.1.2.1.1
            26 February 2013 at 9:36 am

            Why just mining? Why not other primary industries as well like forestry and even farming?

            • SpaceMonkey 1.1.2.1.1.1
              26 February 2013 at 10:08 am

              Sure… why not?

              • Gosman …
                26 February 2013 at 11:05 am

                And that is why the hard left will be unlikely to ever be in any position of real power in NZ.

                • Rob …
                  26 February 2013 at 12:45 pm

                  Yep , point proven completely.

                  As well as proving why the majority of NZ’s will never vote for them.

                • felixviper …
                  26 February 2013 at 12:48 pm

                  Yeah, much better to let our strategic assets and major productive industries be bought by corporations and international banks which will in turn be bought, merged or otherwise consolidated into an effective monopoly or duopoly which has so much control over prices and wages and culture that it effectively represents a new kind of state that happens to own everything of consequence.

                  Yay freedom.

            • North 1.1.2.1.1.2
              26 February 2013 at 3:12 pm

              The problem Pete @ 1.1.2.2 above is this – who says what’s fair compensation ?

              Had we the temerity to argue with the gnomes’ definition of fair compensation we’d soon find ourselves threatened and blackmailed into submission.

              Easy, especially with a government like Key’s which is committed more to extreme foreign wealth than to the 99% of us.

              Example – the slippery slope of Jackson and Warners. “Change your laws or we’ll sabotage……”.

            • North 1.1.2.1.1.3
              26 February 2013 at 3:16 pm

              “Why not primary industries as well………..?” asks Gosman.

              Another idiocy on a par with “minimum wage $13.50………why not $113.50 then ?

            • millsy 1.1.2.1.1.4
              26 February 2013 at 10:55 pm

              We have Crown Forestry and Landcorp

              Plenty of governments around the world own things like oil companies and mining conserns and they seem to do OK.

        • Pete 1.1.2.2
          26 February 2013 at 9:30 am

          Either that or a royalties regime that provides fair compensation to the nation at large.

          • Gosman 1.1.2.2.1
            26 February 2013 at 9:34 am

            I have no problem with the concept of royalties. Why could this not be applied to Coal mining and Solid energy sold off?

            • vto 1.1.2.2.1.1
              26 February 2013 at 9:57 am

              Because the nations natural resources are the nations natural resources, not one persons. They need managing for the benefit of current and future people of New Zealand. Private enterprise does not work to this end. Simple. Comprehendez?

            • aerobubble 1.1.2.2.1.2
              26 February 2013 at 9:59 am

              The reason why we need some government ownership is because our nation does better by it. When markets rise and fall companies (like homeowners) can lose the shirts off their back, so government has this ability to save money. As Key will now do by underwriting the loses. So the question of selling a coal mine is a different question to why Key allowed a going concern to be use as a fund for speculative investments.

              We’re not Australia, we can’t just move sand and open cast a billion dollar mine.And we know what happens if private companies attempt to mine coal, 28 died. We know
              what happens when government fails to regulate and a she’ll be right attitude permeates
              a culture, CCTV (it got built, it was not checked and it was fully rented out after the
              first earthquake instead of being declared unsafe). We need better discourse, what Key has
              done is wrong, what Key did not replacing the mine inspector positions was wrong, what Key did in respect to pokies and Skycity is wrong, Key represents the very worse end of the era of greed, stupid in stupid out.

              • vto …
                26 February 2013 at 10:01 am

                ,
                ” Key represents the very worse end of the era of greed,”

                this

              • Gosman …
                26 February 2013 at 11:08 am

                The evidence suggests SOE’s aren’t better run than private companies and in many cases are much worse.

                How many SOE’s are in the top flight of the world’s list of profitable companies?

                • muzza …
                  26 February 2013 at 11:12 am

                  The dead weight of profit, and why it no use in a debate…

                  Gosman, have you been subbed out by someone else, that comment is weak even for you!

                  • Gosman …
                    26 February 2013 at 11:17 am

                    Use revenue then or do you have another measure to determine the success if a commercial enterprise?

                    • vto …
                      26 February 2013 at 11:25 am

                      “…to determine the success of a commercial enterprise?”

                      and therein lies your problem. Spot it? It applies to pretty much everything the current unthinking right wing dogma breathes over…

                    • muzza …
                      26 February 2013 at 11:37 am

                      LOL – VTO, indeed Gosman has just painted himself into the tightest or corners!

                      Commercial Enterprise, measure of success..

                      People living in a respectable, tolerant, understanding way, supported by the systems which support human life, the essentials needs provided for, by not for profit entities.

                      People first Gosman, that is where the measure of success come into the equation, if you must use such terminology!

                    • felixviper …
                      26 February 2013 at 1:10 pm

                      Exactly vto and muzza, when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail.

                      (Or in Gosman’s case when all you have is a dunny brush…)

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      26 February 2013 at 1:48 pm

                      Society isn’t a commercial enterprise – no matter how much the right-wing want it to be.

                      The correct measures of success for society is that:
                      1.) There’s nobody living in poverty and
                      2.) It’s living within the environmental limits

                • tracey …
                  26 February 2013 at 12:00 pm

                  like Mainzeal? Or SCF? Or OR OR

                  • Gosman …
                    26 February 2013 at 1:05 pm

                    Private companies go bust. It is a necessary and indeed vital part of the capitalist system. It is not evidence of it’s failure.

                    • vto …
                      26 February 2013 at 1:11 pm

                      It may not be evidence of capitalisms failure but it is most definitely evidence of capitalisms inappropriateness for many many components of human life.

                      Like electricity to keep old people warm at night.

                      Or health care.

                      gosman, surely you can see that capitalism is only really appropriate for undies manufacturers and the like. You know, the easy things and trivialities. Leave the important stuff to the grown-ups next time will ya …

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      26 February 2013 at 1:46 pm

                      Private companies go bust. It is a necessary and indeed vital part of the capitalist system.

                      Well, it would be if the taxpayers didn’t keep bailing them out.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      26 February 2013 at 1:47 pm

                      DTB, I do believe that’s called corporate socialism, DTB, and its something that Gosman is fine with.

                    • Bunji …
                      26 February 2013 at 4:43 pm

                      So Gosman:
                      private company goes bust = proof capitalism works!
                      public company goes bust = proof public ownership doesn’t work!

                      Do you see any inconsistency in your argument here?

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  26 February 2013 at 1:45 pm

                  The evidence suggests SOE’s aren’t better run than private companies and in many cases are much worse.

                  Actually, there’s no evidence at all of that. In fact, what’s coming out recently seems to show that private companies are far worse managed than the public sector.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  26 February 2013 at 1:54 pm

                  How many SOE’s are in the top flight of the world’s list of profitable companies?

                  What, a list full of luminaries like Enron, Merill Lynch, AOL, AIG and Compaq

                  What a sad joke Gosman.

              • Rogue Trooper …
                26 February 2013 at 11:24 am

                yes

          • Draco T Bastard 1.1.2.2.2
            26 February 2013 at 1:42 pm

            Actually, if we’re going to use private business then I think it should be that the government hires the private corporation for a fixed amount with the minerals still belonging to the government.

            It would still be cheaper to use government employees to do the job as well as there would be no dead weight loss of profit involved.

            • Wayne 1.1.2.2.2.1
              26 February 2013 at 5:15 pm

              On that basis why wouldn’t the govt employ everyone. Hang on, that has been tried before, in the USSR.

              • Draco T Bastard …
                26 February 2013 at 7:06 pm

                Actually, the state does it’s just that that employment is hidden behind the privately owned banks that do the money printing. Take that ability off the private banks and put it back where it belongs with the government and it will become very obvious that it’s the state that does all the employing even if only indirectly*.

                * The money printed by the government would be spent into the economy through the public sector. Those wages would then be spent into the private sector.

      • muzza 1.1.3
        26 February 2013 at 11:07 am

        mineral wealth of the nation belongs to the Crown

        ,

        Yes quite, and privatizing the companies, thus using that mechanisim to get their hands on the minerals etc, is exactly what *The Crown* is all about!

        For those still labouring under the false premise that *The Crown* is the NZ government/parliament, no, its really not!

  2. Lanthanide 2
    26 February 2013 at 9:12 am

    Russell Norman was on the radio this morning, saying that the reason Solid Energy’s diversification failed is because the government got rid of coal pricing, as well as the requirements around biofuel in all petrol. Both of these directly scuppered Solid Energy’s plans, and both are directly the cause of the government, not Labour. He also mentioned that John Key was encouraging the investments.

    An email sent in that was read out made the point that Trevor Mallard could see the way coal was heading in our carbon future, and sensibly suggested diversification. It’s not his fault that Solid Energy then chose to go with lignite.

    • Rogue Trooper 2.1
      26 February 2013 at 11:28 am

      Lanth. P.M, SOE Minister/s, and CoMU all supported Solid Energy investment direction (which ended up being downwards)

    • Fortran 2.2
      27 February 2013 at 1:58 pm

      Norman is a fool, with stupid comments.
      Solid Energy problem is quite simple.
      Following the world economic slowdown led by US, Europe and China, nobody wants to buy coal, even from New Zealand, irrespective of the price.
      Therefore why dig up coal that nobody wants and you cannot sell.

  3. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 3
    26 February 2013 at 9:37 am

    Still think it’s a good idea for the government to own, control and manage all parts of the economy?

    • vto 3.1
      26 February 2013 at 9:55 am

      Bit it doesn’t and Solid Energy is a classic example of letting free market solely commercial gimps own, control and manage the economy. So too is Pike River = dead men. So too are finance companies = dead retirement savings.

      It should be abundantly clear that the free market has considerable limitations. So too does full govt control. Get it gormless?

      • Gosman 3.1.1
        26 February 2013 at 9:58 am

        Why is Solid Energy “a classic example of letting free market solely commercial gimps own, control and manage the economy”?

        • vto 3.1.1.1
          26 February 2013 at 10:03 am

          Oh gosman, you always wind yourself up in knots with teency tiny questions of dubious and usually solely technical intent without being able to see the bigger picture. This thread and the nature of your posts to minute indicate so …

    • Gosman 3.2
      26 February 2013 at 9:57 am

      What this does show is how silly some of the arguments against the sell down in the State’s stake in SOE’s are.

      People argue that the State shouldn’t sell off assets that make a profit but when they make a loss they don’t think they should be sold either.

      The amount of money a SOE makes,( or doesn’t) is irrelevant to the privatisation discussion.

      • Pascal's bookie 3.2.1
        26 February 2013 at 10:10 am

        It does if, like the government, you are arguing that you need to sell some of it because OMG Deficit.

        I know that you are arguing for full privatisation, but ACT gets, well we’re not sure axactly how much support they get due to the expense of getting a poll sample large enough for their support to fall outside the margin or error. But safe to say it’s fuck all.

        So your point isn’t really ‘relevant’ to any discussion about actually likely-to-happen policy at all. Let alone this post.

      • bad12 3.2.2
        26 February 2013 at 10:16 am

        Fool, if the State has a widely based portfolio of State Owned Assets then it matters not if one of these assets trades at a loss, especially when the loss has transpired because of international prices of the commodity, (in this case coal), falling,

        As a portfolio of share ownership the Government looks across the whole range of such assets to make a profit,

        The fact that neither you or the Slippery National Government can see this norm of market expectation doesn’t surprise me…

        • Gosman 3.2.2.1
          26 February 2013 at 11:03 am

          The trouble is any person following a diversified investment strategy that you are essentially advocating would not generally hold on to underperforming assets for very long. The asset mix is constantly changing to take into account the changes in the wider economy. This doesn’t happen much at all with SOE’s.

          • Pete 3.2.2.1.1
            26 February 2013 at 11:08 am

            Not for the likes of Warren Buffett, who is a strong and successful advocate of a buy and hold strategy.

            And when you have the ongoing “lifespan” of a nation-state, as opposed to the lifespan of individual investors, this allows for planning, 50, 75, even 100 years in advance. This allows for more robust infrastructure to meet the long-term needs of the nation.

            • Rogue Trooper 3.2.2.1.1.1
              26 February 2013 at 11:33 am

              yes

              • Colonial Viper …
                26 February 2013 at 1:38 pm

                Buy and hold works in an era of global resource and energy fuelled growth. However it is an absolute failure of a strategy in a time of vast financial speculation and fraud.

                The energy SOEs are powerful investments though because energy is not going out of business, in fact it is the feedstock of all business.

      • Draco T Bastard 3.2.3
        26 February 2013 at 2:17 pm

        State assets shouldn’t be run for a profit but for the good of the country. In other words, they should be run as services paid for through taxes.

        And, yes, that includes mining, the farming needed to ensure that everyone in the country is fed, building houses and dozens of other essential services.

        The private sector can have what’s left: McDs and hair cutting.

    • millsy 3.3
      26 February 2013 at 10:57 pm

      I dont recall the government owning supermarkets at any time during our history.

  4. NoseViper (The Nose knows) 4
    26 February 2013 at 10:15 am

    Russel Norman was good on radio this morning. As Lanthanide says, he gave some good facts and information. In contrast, listening to Labour’s Clayton Cosgrove, he was mainly rebutting Jokeyhen and defending Trevor Mallard. We want more information than that. The Labour opposition’s comment was about positioning themselves and answering false criticisms from Jokeyhen than bringing us up to date with the facts which Russel did.

    bad12 at 12.1 25/2 on Open Mike gave factual information. I wanted to know more so listened to Morning Report this a.m. when in a discussion on the subject Green Co-Leader Rusel Norman gave more detail.

    On Radionz Morning Report today – http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport
    08:09
    Greens say Government failed Solid Energy oversight
    The Green Party says the Government failed in its duty to oversee Solid Energy and its investments. (5′56″)
    Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3 | Embed

    Notes I took – e&oe
    * Jokeyhen said on 3/6/11 he supported the project turning lignite to brickets (briquettes?)
    the government wanted to expand.
    * Jokeyhen visited Invercargill and was vocal on Solid Energy.
    * The Crown Monitoring Unit which oversees government investments and the Shareholding Minister should have insisted on viewing a business case but never received one, and it is unknown if one was asked for.

    It appears that National have been indecisive about how to cope with energy and environment problems and that has caused problems to Solid Energy.
    * The move by Solid Energy into wood pellets for pellet burners some to be used domestically as a result of decreasing air pollution, was made unprofitable when National removed the measures that were to create a healthy price on carbon trading.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10842724
    * At one stage there was a requirement for part biofuel with a minimum content, then National decided to subsidise this, but later this was cancelled.

    Russel also made a point about the criticism that has been thrown at green energy investments that have been costly while the coal sector involved much larger costs.

    • bad12 4.1
      26 February 2013 at 10:36 am

      I believe the requirement for a bio-fuel content in diesel fuel was 5% and Solid Energy owned the company which turns large amounts of cooking oil used in New Zealand into bio-fuel,

      First the Slippery National Government scrapped the 5% bio-fuel requirement and replaced this with a subsidy which would have amounted to 45 cents a liter for anyone producing the 5% biofuel/diesel mix, 2 years later this subsidy was cancelled,

      As Solid Energy had built the lignite to diesel plan around being able to up it’s production of bio-fuels so as to have enough bio-fuels produced to attract the 45 cent subsidy to the 90 million liters of diesel it planned to produce from lignite coal in Southland the cancellation of the subsidy made the extraction of this lignite and it’s manufacture into diesel/bio-diesel uneconomic,

      Given the open support that Slippery the Prime Minister and Bill from Dipton,(who’s electorate all this infrastructure was being built within),repeatedly gave to Solid Energy’s plans to expand into bio and other fuels it then becomes easy to speculate that the big oil producers have used their clout to yank the Prime Ministers chain calling for a halt to such independent fuel production by this country…

  5. NoseViper (The Nose knows) 5
    26 February 2013 at 10:57 am

    Here’s a link to the Crown Ownership Monitoring Unit
    http://www.comu.govt.nz/publications/information-releases/valuation-reports/2011/

    The Solid Energy board looks solid and experienced.
    http://solidenergy.co.nz/index.cfm/1,139,0,0/Board-of-Directors.html

    Last September Ernst and Young praised Solid Energy’s position. Ernst & Young seem to specialise in energy business. It could be that Solid Energy and the government relied on their expertise and presentation.
    Some google info on Ernst and Young which I can’t bring up on PDF – a lack of expertise on my part. But these are headings that come up for Solid energy ernst young report (second one has new zealand added after solid energy
    [PDF]
    SOE Economic Profit Analysis – Prepared by Ernst & Young Rep
    [PDF] take Quick View and it offers HTML which merges columns together.
    Renewable energy country attractiveness indices – Ernst & Young

    Comment from scientists? who aren’t exact enough to include the year of their comment:
    http://sciblogs.co.nz/hot-topic/tag/solid-energy/

    A view from Australasian broking house JB Were –
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/solid-energy/news/article.cfm?o_id=362&objectid=10834685

  6. NoseViper (The Nose knows) 6
    26 February 2013 at 11:11 am

    Some interesting comments from the JB Were report linked above.

    Bernard Doyle, head of strategy in New Zealand, also argues the RBNZ should intervene to drop the value of the kiwi dollar.
    Prime Minister John Key dismissed concerns about an unstable financial system as “nonsense”, but Doyle’s comments come at a time of growing concern about the high value of the New Zealand dollar.

    “The RBNZ is one of the few central banks running relatively orthodox monetary policy,” said Doyle in a research note. It was a “rarity in the global economy,” with positive interest rates and no policy to print money.
    “Unfortunately, in a world where the major central banks are breaking all the rules, this is not an advantage,” he said.

    While intervention “should feel unnatural to government…passive government in the post-GFC world is equally dangerous.”

    In New Zealand, current monetary policy settings were “importing other people’s problems.”
    Doyle says the RBNZ should cut the benchmark official cash rate to below its current historic low point of 2.5 per cent, use new tools to lean against the potential for lower rates to create an unwanted housing boom, and put “soft caps” on the New Zealand dollar.
    Doyle suggests the RBNZ should accumulate New Zealand dollars at various price points, from 82.5 US cents through to 90 cents, at a time when the local unit has been consistently trading in recent days above 82.5 cents, and stood at 82.80 cents late today.

  7. Pascal's bookie 7
    26 February 2013 at 11:35 am

    National party is just so good at business and stuff, I’m sure Treasury stuffed up the OIA or something:

    http://www.greens.org.nz/press-releases/govt-encouraged-solid-energy-s-expansion-never-required-business-case

    • vto 7.1
      26 February 2013 at 11:38 am

      Does that mean that Key was yet again just making shit up and forgetting where the lies and truth meet?

      Fucking hell, who would buy a car off this man…

      • Arfamo 7.1.1
        26 February 2013 at 11:49 am

        Who would buy a car off Jonkey? I might. If it was a ministerial limo, the way he does business it’d probably only cost me a couple of bucks.

  8. tracey 8
    26 February 2013 at 12:02 pm

    Nice diversion by gosman etc… this thread is really about Mr key’s leadership, or lack thereof. The man whose background as a currency dealer so many thought would make him great, especially around things like businesses.

  9. felixviper 9
    26 February 2013 at 1:30 pm

    Funny how the right-wingers always bang on about how govt can’t run anything properly, and as soon as they get in power they prove it.

  10. bad12 10
    26 February 2013 at 2:42 pm

    We have to remember tho that all this was occurring after 2007-2008, when the Western Worlds economic out-looks all changed for the worst,

    Looking at the actions of both Slippery the Prime Minister and His Finance Minister, in who’s electorate the coal to bio-diesel plans of Solid Energy were centered, Bill from Dipton we would all have to wonder if they are not constantly over-dosing on Prozac or some other happy happy drug,

    As ‘Nose Viper’ has pointed out in the various links above, at the time when the price of coal on the international market was dropping from it’s historical highs as the international market shrunk it’s demand caused by the Bankers ‘derivative scam’ and various other international frauds being perpetrated by the Banking sector the price of the New Zealand Dollar continued to rise,

    The third leg in this triple whammy for the NZ coal industry was the introduction of of a large supply of shale gas replacing coal as the means of electricity generation in the USA which has created a huge over-supply of available coal on the international market and prices in 4 years have fallen by as much as 40% for a tonne of coal,

    So prices for coal have fallen 40%, the NZ$ is over-valued by 10-15 cents and there is a gross over-supply of coal on world markets,

    While all this is occurring Slippery the Prime Minister and His Finance Minister are gleefully extolling the virtue of Solid Energy’s alternative fuels strategy while at the same time ensuring this alternative fuel strategy becomes uneconomic by first scrapping the 5% bio-fuels requirement for diesel and then canning the , (up to 45 cents a liter), direct Government subsidy that they replaced the original 5% bio-fuel/diesel requirement,

    All the while of course claiming that they, (the National Government), can do nothing to intervene in the prospects of Solid Energy,

    What has occurred here is a total FAILURE of the SOE model, where Government has allowed Solid Energy to invest heavily by using borrowing as the means of expansion while every year, (except recently), taking as dividends large payments from Solid Energy,

    The electricity sector may have ‘got away’ with using the borrowing model for many years simply by dint of having us as the end users of the product trapped paying for that sectors expansion of it’s generation and the renewal of it’s infrastructure but sadly for Solid Energy it has no such demand within this country which would use the amount of coal it could supply,

    Could the States coal miner Solid Energy have avoided it’s $400 million dollar ‘debt baby’, in a word Yes, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand need only have been tasked with the creation of that debt with which the States miner is now choking upon and the international price of coal along with the high international value of the NZ$ could have been largely ignored as mined coal can be stock-piled until demand lifts internationally along with prices for such coal…

  11. bad12 11
    26 February 2013 at 5:54 pm

    Slippery’s national Government looking for a scape-goat for the FAILURE of the SOE model have blamed the Labour Government circa 2003 for it,

    Removing the 5% requirement for diesel to have as a mixture of bio-fuel wouldn’t have anything to do with such a failure would it???,

    Later scrapping a direct subsidy of up to 45 cents a liter for diesel to contain up to 5% of bio-fuels also wouldn’t have sunk Solid Energy’s business case for production of diesel from coal either according to this Government…

    • millsy 11.1
      26 February 2013 at 11:07 pm

      If Labour were serious about bio fuels they would have directed the CRI’s, Solid Energy, and others to create a viable biofuel mixture.

  12. Treetop 12
    26 February 2013 at 7:43 pm

    Talk about shooting yourself in the foot and then trying to blame Labour who have not had the control of Solid Energy since November 2008.

    Roll on budget 2013 and listen for the excuses.

    I can only conclude that Solid Energy did what the government does, (borrow, borrow and borrow), without keeping a close eye on what the market, high dollar was doing and the assets the company has.

    Muldoon would be proud of Key as Key was chasing a “little think big” and it is going to cost the tax payer.

    • vto 12.1
      26 February 2013 at 7:51 pm

      “Muldoon would be proud of Key as Key was chasing a “little think big” and it is going to cost the tax payer.”

      Yeah, well the best thing that could happen is have the / a government let companies like this go bust and let the bank risk on its loan materialise.

      That way banks would no longer lend to the state and that would be fucking great. Fuck the banks. And fuck corporate incompetence, And double fuck corporate incompetence in bed with political deception and rort.

      The alternative is fuck the taxpayer. About time the tables were turned. They need us more than we need them.

  13. bad12 13
    26 February 2013 at 11:34 pm

    The Prime Minister in the House today answering questions from Green Party leader Russell Norman claiming that He had no problem with Solid Energy’s plans to turn lignite coal into diesel as the coal prices remained high,

    At the least that’s misleading the House, another large piece of Bullshit emanating from the mouth of Slippery the Prime Minister,

    September 2008 International coal price = $150 US
    October 2008 International coal price = $111.50 US
    October 2010 international coal price = $71.25 US

    i have to wonder what exactly the shareholding Minister, Bill from Dipton, was doing while the bottom was dropping out of the international coal prices,

    Going on yet another drunken bender, getting over the constant hangover perhaps, New Zealand is foolish to vote for these people to run a country, i wouldn’t entrust them to run the corner dairy…

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Stories of varying weight

    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
    4 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    17 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    23 hours ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-07-26T23:29:37+00:00