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National announces ACC privatisation

Written By: - Date published: 5:26 pm, October 22nd, 2009 - 59 comments
Categories: ACC, national/act government, privatisation - Tags:

acc-undermine-200National is going to privatise ACC. As part of the deal for support on its ACC cuts and levy hikes from the Maori Party and ACT, it will be privatising ACC’s Work Account (the part paid by employers for workplace accidents).

First, there will be a perfunctory report provided by the ACC Stocktake Group, a group of handpicked Righties. This report due in June next year, of course, will make all sorts of fabulous claims about the benefits of privatisation without any real evidence to back it up and claim that ACC will collapse or be eaten by wild dogs or something if privatisation doesn’t go ahead.

After the report, the Government will push through privatisation legislation (under urgency, no doubt).

Businesses (except a few big businesses and the ideologues) don’t want this. The cost of finding the appropriate private provider, the risk of the provider collapsing, and the likelihood of higher levies after a period of loss-leading make privatisation a bad deal for small and medium size businesses.

For workers this is bad news too. They will be less likely to get coverage, and more likely to have to fight an insurance company through the courts to get anything. Payouts will be smaller.

The court system will be clogged with insurers fighting claimants, ACC, and each other over who pays.

We know this will happen because that’s the experience overseas in countries not fortunate enough to have ACC.

The only people who win from this are the big Aussie insurers who stand to rip $200 million a year from our economy in profits. Ultimately, that $200 million will come out of your pocket.

[BTW, in the House yesterday, both Nick Smith and Tony Ryall admitted that the supposed ‘savings’ from National’s ACC cuts will be borne by the health budget instead. Like I said, the costs don’t disappear just because they’re cut from ACC. They haven’t even bothered to work out how big the cost to Health will be.]

59 comments on “National announces ACC privatisation ”

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  1. Lanthanide 1
    22 October 2009 at 6:01 pm

    “The cost of finding the appropriate private provider, the risk of the provider collapsing, and the likelihood of higher levies after a period of loss-leading make privatisation a bad deal for small and medium size businesses.”

    Then the small and medium size businesses can stay with ACC, which will still be an option.

    • RedLogix 1.1
      22 October 2009 at 6:29 pm

      The whole point of privatising the worker accounts is that it guts the profitable part of the business out from ACC and gives it to private companies. Otherwise why would these private insurers do it? It then leaves the rest of the business in an unsustainable loss making position.

      Which National can then kill off at their leisure.

      • Gordon Shumway 1.1.1
        22 October 2009 at 7:21 pm

        Redlogix – putting aside whether or not privatising ACC is a good idea, you’re looking at the issue from the wrong perspective if all you’re considering is “profitability”.

        It’s also wrong to say the REASON for privatising any part of the ACC is to “give” it to private companies. You might disagree with, or fail to understand, the reasons, but you can at least acknowledge that the Leftwing isn’t the only side trying to serve New Zealand’s best interests.

        In deciding whether government should or shouldn’t be doing something, whether or not it’s profitable isn’t necessarily a major consideration.

        FYI, often private enterprise can do things more efficiently (= profitably) than government because of specialist knowedge (e.g. through international networks), nimbleness, willingness to take risks, etc. That’s one of the reasons why private enterprise can be willing to pick up former government enterprises even if they are not showing a track record of profitability. Will less on its plate, Government can then concentrate resources and attention on other areas, such as education etc.

        • Daveo 1.1.1.1
          22 October 2009 at 7:26 pm

          But if you read the PwC report you’ll see that it’s cheaper than comparable privately operated systems such as Australia’s. Against every international benchmark ACC comes up tops.

          Because, while the private sector is more efficient at doing some things, there are other areas where it’s better off with the public sector. The actual evidence tells us ACC is the latter.

          • logie97 1.1.1.1.1
            22 October 2009 at 7:58 pm

            It may be a long bow to be drawing, but is there anything to learned from the “Leaky Buildings” debacle. Is there any possibility, given the trail of history of fraud (e.g.Equiticorp) liquidations and major failings of local investment organisations/pension funds, where some less than scrupulous insurer or employer sees a bad risk coming up and simply changes its trading name and “writes off” its liabilities and starts trading under another name. What risks to its employees then… I smell a rat around here somewhere.

        • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.2
          22 October 2009 at 8:00 pm

          but you can at least acknowledge that the Leftwing isn’t the only side trying to serve New Zealand’s best interests.

          Why? When it’s fairly obvious that the political right don’t give two hoots about NZ and care only for themselves.

          • Galeandra 1.1.1.2.1
            22 October 2009 at 9:47 pm

            The proper noun you require is hooton, isn’t it? As in ” don’t give two hootons about NZ’?

  2. CMR 2
    22 October 2009 at 6:29 pm

    Great! I was becoming concerned that the present government did not possess the courage to do this. ACC truly is a misconceived, mis-administered welfare agency. I hope the government doesn’t follow Shipley’s government’s duplicity and pin the “tail” of ancient claims on the productive contributors of today.

    • RedLogix 2.1
      22 October 2009 at 6:32 pm

      I take it that then you would be happy then to restore the right to sue for accidents?

      Are you a lawyer CMR?

    • Daveo 2.2
      22 October 2009 at 6:42 pm

      Really? That’s not what Price Waterhouse Coopers said. Piss off back to talkback until you get yourself informed.

      • Gordon Shumway 2.2.1
        22 October 2009 at 7:23 pm

        Daveo – if Price WaterhouseCoopers come up with some suggestions on, for example, reform of the tax system, would you accept those suggestions verbatim? Or would you “piss of back to talkback”, as you so eloquently put it?

        • Daveo 2.2.1.1
          22 October 2009 at 7:30 pm

          PwC obviously has a commercial bias, so I’d take that into account. That’s why it’s such a big deal when they actually come out in favour of public ownership.

          Face it, the evidence we have is that ACC is as efficient or more efficient than any other comparable system. So how’s it going to squeeze out another $200m in profit for the insurance industry? Simple, up go the levies and down goes the coverage.

  3. bobo 3
    22 October 2009 at 6:45 pm

    So is the average worker going to get back their right to sue back then.. if this gov is all about choice….

  4. Hemebond 4
    22 October 2009 at 6:55 pm

    Is there a really good article that explains exactly how well ACC is running and what National have done to convince everyone it’s going bankrupt? I have several work colleagues that believe Nationals changes are fantastic for everyone.

  5. Swimmer 5
    22 October 2009 at 7:32 pm

    Well we never saw that coming now did we 🙄 I shudder to think how this is going to pan out in the next two years.

    • Ron 5.1
      22 October 2009 at 8:07 pm

      It’ll pan out the same way as last time.
      Workers will get screwed, businesses will waste resources trying to work out which is the best cover and then find out their workers aren’t covered when they need to be, Labour will get back in and put things back the way they were and we’ll all breath a sigh of relief.

  6. Nick C 6
    22 October 2009 at 7:53 pm

    Dear Marty G

    Stop lying. National are not ‘privitising’ ACC, they are opening it up to competition. There is a difference.

    http://libertyscott.blogspot.com/2009/10/manipulation-of-language.html

  7. Lindsey 7
    22 October 2009 at 8:08 pm

    Amazing how Rodney is spinning this as people getting a choice in ACC providers. The choice is for the employer, not the employee!

  8. Rodel 8
    22 October 2009 at 8:17 pm

    Just another John Key ‘confirm and deny’ policy.

  9. gingercrush 9
    22 October 2009 at 8:57 pm

    Hmm I agree in principle to opening up the employers account to insurers. I think it can give lower compliance costs for employers and gives far more choice which is important.

    But as the past week has proven for me and my partner. Insurance companies are absolute assholes. That you weren’t the one causing the accident doesn’t matter. Hell they don’t even seem to investigate the actual crash. They merely treat you like a common criminal expecting you to remember when you got your speed fines etc and then find any excuse to refuse paying up.

    If this happened last week I would have said a huge yes to ACC being opened up to competition. I still think its right. But to actually have experienced the wrath of insurers and how they operate. I am very weary.

    • logie97 9.1
      22 October 2009 at 10:54 pm

      Ginger – so the ideologue in you says toe the party line. But the realist in you says otherwise. Congratulations on admitting your parties’ shortcomings and welcome to the real world.

  10. toad 10
    22 October 2009 at 10:30 pm

    Yep, Marty. Business lobbyists are severely dividided on this.

    The ideolugues, who believe it will work, versus the pragmatists, who know on the evidence from the experiences of 1999-2000, that it does not work.

  11. BLiP 11
    22 October 2009 at 10:45 pm

    And, once again, on the very day bad news is announced by National Ltd® where’s that nice Mr Key – he’s off on holiday!

    Gotta protect that brand, eh fellas?

  12. Libertyscott 12
    22 October 2009 at 10:57 pm

    The title of the post is a complete lie, and you know it, like I’ve said here.

    http://libertyscott.blogspot.com/2009/10/manipulation-of-language.html

    Was NZ Post privatised? Because it’s been open to private competition since 1998.

    Was Solid Energy privatised? Because private coal companies can mine in New Zealand.

    Was Genesis, Mighty River Power and Meridian privatised? Because privately owned power generators can freely compete with them.

    Was TVNZ privatised? Because there is an free market to establish television channels.

    etc.

    So why lie blatantly and claim ACC is to be privatised? The press statement talks about competition, there is nothing about selling ACC.

    Isn’t it just because you find it easier to gain public traction by claiming it is privatisation (‘a bad thing’ to many people) rather than opening up a monopoly to competition (‘a good thing’ to many people)?

    Come on be honest, you’re just spinning this because there is likely to be more public sympathy for the government if you told the truth.

    • BLiP 12.1
      22 October 2009 at 11:17 pm

      What part of the word “privatisation” do you not understand?

      • Libertyscott 12.1.1
        22 October 2009 at 11:26 pm

        Oh dear.

        Privatisation = sale of government owned enterprise or organisation.

        Which part of that definition do you not understand? Is it too simple for you?

        Let me continue.

        Air NZ had its entire domestic business opened up to competition in 1983, under the Muldoon government, but was it privatised then? No.

        Telecom’s statutory monopoly was abolished in 1989, but was it privatised then? No.

        Opening up a market that a government entity has a total monopoly on, to other providers is not privatising that entity, it is called introducing competition.

        How hard is that to grasp? That is why I don’t believe the use of the term is accidental – it is deliberate, for propaganda purposes.

        • Daveo 12.1.1.1
          22 October 2009 at 11:32 pm

          From Wikipedia:

          Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector (government) to the private sector (business).

          In a broader sense, privatization refers to transfer of any government function to the private sector including governmental functions like revenue collection and law enforcement.

          (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privatization)

          Sounds like you need to work on your definitions.

          • Libertyscott 12.1.1.1.1
            22 October 2009 at 11:50 pm

            Wikipedia is not a recognised source of dictionary definitions, and I don’t think the Wiki source – “Chowdhury, F. L. ‘’Corrupt Bureaucracy and Privatisation of Tax Enforcement”, 2006: Pathak Samabesh, Dhaka” – is likely to be an appropriate source for a definition applied in the New Zealand context.

            New Zealanders know privatisation as a “sell off”, you know that. You’re just trying to excuse the use of a “negative” term to describe something typically seen as “positive” (regardless of the merits of it).

            • Daveo 12.1.1.1.1.1
              22 October 2009 at 11:54 pm

              That’s the best you’ve got? That ‘New Zealanders’, by which you mean yourself, don’t traditionally understand it like that.

              Well I’m sorry, but the left’s technically correct on this one. It’s privatisation, we’re going to keep calling it that, and we’re right.

              I’m just amazed you don’t see the propaganda aspect of National referring to it religiously as ‘competition’ rather than ‘privatisation’. You don’t think they’ve paid thousands of dollars and spent hours in focus grouping to agree on that wording?

            • BLiP 12.1.1.1.1.2
              22 October 2009 at 11:59 pm

              Spin, spin little spinner that you are. Don’t like wikipedia? Here’s three more, direct from capitalist web sites.

              Privatisation
              Involves a private enterprise or syndicate purchasing a government asset or service.

              Privatisation
              A procedure to pursue a free-market economy for state-owned companies, and make them available for new investments by inviting private businesses to assume part or full ownership and management.

              Privatisation
              When sector cannot be specified. Including general state enterprise restructuring or demonopolisation programmes; planning, programming, advice.

    • Daveo 12.2
      22 October 2009 at 11:27 pm

      It’s really simple. Those are all examples of SOEs acting like private companies and facing competition.

      When you take a public service like the ACC work account that used to be operated by the state, and you now have the private sector provide it, that is privatisation. The asset may not be sold, but the scheme has become privatised.

      Even Merrill Lynch understands that, and referred to it as privatisation in their report that said the insurance industry stands to make $200m a year out of it.

      When Labour ended competition of ACC it was called re-nationalisation. What’s the opposite of nationalisation? Oh yeah, that’s right, privatisation.

      Just think about it for a second scott. And then ask yourself why National have tried so hard to get the media calling it ‘competition’ rather than ‘privatisation’.

    • Armchair Critic 12.3
      22 October 2009 at 11:30 pm

      “…you’re just spinning this…”
      Takes one to know one. Pot, kettle etc.
      “…there is likely to be more public sympathy for the government if you told the truth”
      And there is likely to be less public sympathy for the government if they told the truth. Actually, I would just like to see them stop lying about there being a crisis in ACC. If they were to tell the truth they would have to say that what they are doing will increase costs and decrease cover/service. Hardly a good way to sell policy – better to stick with lies.
      And you can stick with semantics – call it whatever you want, and I will do the same. The essence of it is that we get less for more. Thanks Notional government, I’m (not) loving it.

    • Armchair Critic 12.4
      22 October 2009 at 11:35 pm

      And the plural of “was” is “were”. Use “was” when discussing one thing. Use “were” when discussing two or more things. If you don’t understand this, I doubt you can grasp much about privatisation, either.

    • Ag 12.5
      23 October 2009 at 2:05 am

      The difference is that the examples you give are quite different from the provision of universal public insurance.

      It’s a moot point whether a number of postal services are cheaper than one. In some countries, postal services might be a natural monopoly, which means either public ownership or regulation is likely required.

      But if private competition with ACC would eventually cripple the public option by having all the lesser risks go private, then the public option may well become insolvent and we will probably have to reintroduce the right to sue. That’s great for the lawyers, but it will end up costing New Zealand more than a publicly run ACC, and the cost to insure companies against lawsuits will likely rise (because someone has to pay the lawyers).

      ACC is a good deal for both workers and employers, because it keeps settlements reasonable and protects both from the predations of the legal community.

      Captcha: public (!)

  13. Libertyscott 13
    22 October 2009 at 11:39 pm

    Daveo: So they ARE all state owned – but facing competition. Not privatised.

    Like ACC will be, for only ONE part of its business.

    Nobody is saying the ACC work account will be privatised, just others will be able to provide a parallel service and employers can choose those providers. Many may not.

    It is still competition. Is it privatised when ACC has 90% of the business, 60% of the business, 40% of the business?

    Are you saying ACC is that bad, that many employers will leave it en masse?

    Besides which, much of ACC wont face competition. Non-work accidents remain with the state owned monopoly.

    National have called it competition because, it is. The “renationalisation” was the re-regulation, I’m not approving of that terminology either. Merrill Lynch is hardly known for it’s expertise in public policy, so if it makes a mistake, so be it.

    You can privatise ACC and retain a monopoly, you can privatise ACC and open it up to competition, or you can retain ACC and open it up the competition.

    The third is happening.

    That’s where the debate should lie, but calling it privatisation is fiction. Every privatisation in New Zealand’s history has involved a sale – there is no sale here.

    • Daveo 13.1
      22 October 2009 at 11:48 pm

      You just don’t get it. It’s a public service whose functions are being farmed out to the private sector. Workers will now no longer have their accident insurance provided by the state, it will be provided by a private insurer making a profit.

      That fits the commonly accepted definition of privatisation, and it’s the definition used by John Key’s old employer, Merrill Lynch. It’s also the definition used by everyone who refers to Labour re-nationalising ACC.

      Let’s spell it out for you simply. ACC the bricks and mortar institution is not being privatised, but the ACC scheme is. That’s what we’re talking about when we say ACC is being privatised.

      I actually think the problem here is you’ve just taken a very narrow and inadequate definition of the term ‘privatisation’.

  14. Libertyscott 14
    22 October 2009 at 11:57 pm

    Daveo: You are wrong. A private insurer may NOT necessarily provide accident insurance for an employer and by extension a worker. It will have a choice.

    You have at least admitted ACC is NOT being privatised.

    However, you are wrong. The scheme is only being opened to competition, for one account. It is entirely plausible that if ACC was an excellent performer levying employers according to risk and operating at very low margins, that it could face no competition, or that competition may only win a small fraction of the business.

    In NZ the postal service was once a “public service” until 1987, was it privatised since then? No.

    Same applied to NZ Railways until 1983 when it ceased to be a government department, was it privatised in 1977 when trucks were allowed to haul freight in competition with it for distances beyond 40 miles (but not beyond 150km)?

    • Daveo 14.1
      23 October 2009 at 12:04 am

      You really don’t seem to get it do you? The ACC scheme is being privatised, first the work account but possibly others according to Key.

      Merrill Lynch understands it, the insurance industry understands it, why can’t you?

      I realise there’s going to be a “public option” with the work account, but that’s within a privatised system where workers will have no choice over who their provider is. I remember well having my employer tell me who my accident compensation provider was back in 1999.The fact there was a public provider within the privatised market made no difference to me.

      Your comments about how ACC will compete and show its worth are absurd. You don’t understand that it’s not that ACC the corporation is great at competing in a private market, it’s that the ACC scheme performs efficiently as a government monopoly. Remove the government monopoly and you remove the source of the efficiency.

      I fail to understand why you keep banging on about SOEs and comparing them to core public services like ACC. Frankly I’m bored of your semantics. I’ve shown you that what’s happening to ACC’s work account fits the definition of privatisation. End of argument.

  15. Libertyscott 15
    23 October 2009 at 12:05 am

    Daveo:

    “I’m just amazed you don’t see the propaganda aspect of National referring to it religiously as ‘competition’ rather than ‘privatisation’. You don’t think they’ve paid thousands of dollars and spent hours in focus grouping to agree on that wording?”

    Yes, you both play propaganda. You know you’re doing it on this, by refusing to mention the words monopoly and competition, and stretching privatisation to mean “NOT selling a government asset” but allowing private providers to compete with it.

    The games continue whichever side is in power, playing with language, but unable to call a spade a spade.

    I think calling it competition and greater private sector involvement in the ACC sector is rather balanced and honest, and I’m no Nat.

    • Daveo 15.1
      23 October 2009 at 12:08 am

      No, you’re a guy with a personal political interest in privatisation, but you realise the public won’t go for it. So you call it competition. Don’t pretend you’re neutral here.

      Anyway, I’m bored of your semantics. I’ve shown it’s privatisation, that’s the end of the argument. Others can make up their own minds.

      • Libertyscott 15.1.1
        23 October 2009 at 12:25 am

        You can’t accusing me of hiding what I support, I DO support all ACC accounts being open to competition and then privatisation of ACC, and return of the right to sue.

        I’m not concerned about whether the public “goes for it” or not at the moment, I’d just like an honest debate.

        • BLiP 15.1.1.1
          23 October 2009 at 12:48 am

          You’re not interested in an honest debate. You are seeking to supplement your ill informed, half-literate and deceitful post on your own weird little site. I suggest that you accept you have made a twat of yourself both here and on your site and quietly go away with your tail tucked firmly between your hind legs. Perhaps its too much to expect that you have learned your lesson on this occasion but I am sure there will be plenty more opportunities to come.

          • Libertyscott 15.1.1.1.1
            23 October 2009 at 1:07 am

            “Learned my lesson”? Oh yes, how dare I challenge the intellectual giants of the left on The Standard, I’m not worthy.

            I’m not the only one to say this, and wasn’t the first on this thread to challenge you on it.

            Most of your examples to support your case do quite the opposite, blatantly. The evasiveness is astonishing. If you can find examples where NO private ownership is introduced into a government owned entity is called partial privatisation, I’ll reconsider my position. There are none in New Zealand. Just because the Nats called it “renationalisation” didn’t mean it was right.

            However, you’ve now degraded to name-calling, insults and a veiled threat. That speaks volumes.

            • BLiP 15.1.1.1.1.1
              23 October 2009 at 2:22 am

              Your constant shifting of the goal posts on your definitions speaks larger volumes.

        • Skyler_ak 15.1.1.2
          11 November 2009 at 9:26 am

          “You can’t accusing me of hiding what I support, I DO support all ACC accounts being open to competition and then privatisation of ACC, and return of the right to sue.”

          Why on earth do you want to do that? Have you not seen the documentary Sicko? Be careful what you wish for…. it just might happen.

  16. Libertyscott 16
    23 October 2009 at 12:09 am

    Oh and if you use your Wiki definition you’ll find none of that remaining article supports your definition. The types of privatisation talk of issuing shares, sale or vouchers (free shares).

    Can you identify another case in New Zealand (or another country) where this sort of introduction of competition is called privatisation?

  17. Libertyscott 17
    23 October 2009 at 12:20 am

    What entities are you talking about that were “privatised” but remained government owned?

    You gave no examples.

  18. Libertyscott 18
    23 October 2009 at 12:45 am

    Yes, let’s examine all of them to see if they answer my question:

    1. “USA” example said “Most privatization programs begin with a period of partial privatization in which only non-controlling shares of firms are sold on the stock market” so it is about a sale. Fail.

    2. “India” example said “Privatization in India is mostly limited to the diffuse sale of minority stakes in firms” so it is about a sale. Fail.

    3. “Bangladesh” example in the text talks about the Jute industry and starts with “In 1982 the military regime in Bangladesh privatized 31 of the 62 mills in the jute industry, while retaining the remainder in the public sector” which was about returning ownership of jute mills nationalised (by force) previously to their original private owners. Fail.

    4. “China” example is about introducing partial and full private ownership of state owned enterprises. Fail.

    5. “Australia” example is about Telstra, which was a partial sale. Fail.

    6. “Chile” is about part sale of Sipetrol, so introducing a private owner into the company. Fail.

    7. “Peru” not a reliable source, being a US Democratic Party forum quoting what others say about Peruvian retirement. Needs more information.

    8. “Russia” not enough information, article requires payment.

    So at best, 6 out of 8 examples you give back up my definition that privatisation is about ownership, not about competition. However, I would like more information about whether the Peruvian and Russian examples are about a transfer of ownership or leaving the state involved as it, and letting competition in and calling it part privatisation.

    All references to privatisation I find support it being about sale, introducing private capital or distributing shares to the public.

    • BLiP 18.1
      23 October 2009 at 1:09 am

      Perhaps you might like to do your own research before simply mouthing the Crosby/Textor spin lines. But, carry on if you wish, there’s something satisfying in watching you continue to make a complete twat of yourself.

      You asked for examples where privatisation occurred but the government kept a controlling interest. The fact that you cannot see that those example provided show exactly that is indicative of your confusion on this matter – confusion driven by the fact that you now know you are on very shakey ground with a tremulous definition of what privatisation is. You are further confused if you think, as you seem to, that this is anything other than the commencement of the full take over by the private sector of ACC.

      Where on Earth do you get the idea that privatisation must always involve the creation of shares? As the definitions provided to you above, privatisation is defined by private sector business groups as involving the take-over of some or all or the functions previously provided by the state. It might, perhaps, lessen the impact on New Zealanders if National Ltd® were to get some cash for the ACC functions being privatised but John Key is simply giving them away to his mates. This makes the privatisation of ACC even more galling.

      Why don’t you pop down to the book shop and purchase a fourth form economics textbook and do some reading. You could even write a practise essay on the benefits the privatisation of the blood testing services in Auckland has had on locals. You’ll then be able to sit back and watch the same impact on efficiency and delivery of service as ACC falls into the hands of foreign owned multinationals.

      • luva 18.1.1
        23 October 2009 at 5:45 am

        Why do you have to resort to personal insinuations and comments about someones intelligence to prove you are right. I do find that quite juvenile and petty. I also see you have changed again from calling the government National Inc to National Ltd. Not quite sure what you are proving there.

        Economics is not and never will be a science. What you think is an economic benefit is not necessarily what your neighbour thinks is an economic benefit.

        Back to privatising I see Labour has now proposed selling quite a few state assets as it is not in the public interest to own them. They have recognised that in these dire economic times when debt is spiralling it is best to concentrate on core services and get rid of things that are not really performing. I see they all so talking about cuts to funding as this is now absolutley necessary to balance the books.

        Unfortunatley it is the Labour government in the UK that is proposing these measures. Not our 27% opposition. They, unlike our Labour party, have some intellectual honesty and are at least trying to make the difficult decisions needed to get debt under control.

        If only our Labour party could recognise the same and come up with some solutions to fill the huge holes that are appearing in all the goverment accounts.

  19. Rodel 19
    23 October 2009 at 10:53 am

    Douglas and Prebble managed to worm their way into the Labour caucus by deception and then reveal their true right wing colours and it took a while before Lange and the left put a stop to it.
    The same thing has happened with National. Key, with his multinational string pullers is actually the real ACT leader and the gullible nats haven’t yet realised it.
    Hide, the tail and Key, the dog are all of the same animal.
    Do we have to wait till NZ is destroyed before the nats who really care about our country – and there are some- put a stop to these idiots.

  20. Ixion 20
    11 November 2009 at 5:20 pm

    Support the motorcyclists. They’re fighting your fight.

    Parliament grounds . Nov 17th , high noon.

  21. David Kerstens 21
    19 November 2009 at 11:32 pm

    Privatization of things such as POWER…HOSPITALS…PRISONS…ACC… is aways a bad idea.

    NATIONAL is going to privatize ACC… sell it off for a ****load of money to someone interested in making money therefore ACC will be giving less compensation payouts to poor working class New Zealanders because its not owned by a government that cares about poor people having expensive accidents. I have noticed ACC has been charging more already since NATIONAL took power. NATIONAL doesn’t care about helping poor people having expensive accidents… NATIONAL CARES about MONEY.

    NATIONAL privatized our New Zealand owned Dams a while ago. Now we have Contact Energy and Trustpower, two privately owned power companies. Have any of you National/Act voters noticed that power costs more than it did when it was publicly owned under Labour. Either you don’t care because you earn alot and like the better tax rates the rich get from National/Act and you don’t care about the majority of working class with expensive power bills and people with disabilities getting lesser sickness benefits OR you’re to stupid to realise anything that matters and you get bored of whoever’s in Power and think “DUHHH TIME FOR A CHANGE IM GONNA VOTE NATIONAL”

    NATIONAL will not hesitate in trying to privatize prisons and our entire health system. Look at the cost of healthcare in America… You really don’t have to be Einstien to get it. Imagine handing prison inmates to a Private institution intested in MONEY…. alot of people in prison are not guilty because the majority of people are stupid and the jury is made of random people and it’s very likely that these people in prison will be colder and hungrier and more vulnerable because warmth and food and prison guards cost MONEY

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  • The big question for Labour: Will Hipkins have any more success than Ardern did with the top priorit...
    Chris  Hipkins,  after  he became prime minister, committed  to defeating the  cost-of- living crisis. He  proceeded to make a  bonfire of policies  that were at  the  heart of Jacinda Ardern’s administration.  But, as   Richard Prebble pointed out this week, “the government has not just U-turned, it has repudiated the ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    10 hours ago

  • Reality check.
    There are some wellness, crystal-gazing, holistic spiritual guidance types in my disaster-hit coastal community who insist that the power of positive thinking will overcome the physical and material damages incurred by the community. They object to restrictions on road travel … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    11 hours ago

  • High Performance Instability in the Financial Sector
    Evaluating the recent crashes of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and Credit Suisse in Switzerland plus two other banks (perhaps more by the time you read this) needs to begin with a review of the inevitable instability in the financial sector. The financial sector is inherently unstable, like military ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    11 hours ago

  • The week in review
    1. We see here new police minister Ginny Andersen. Which larger than life NZ political figure was her great-uncle?a. Rob Muldoonb. Bill Andersenc. Richard John Seddond. Norman Kirk2. We see here archival footage of Ginny Andersen coming out of her electorate office to ask ex-tobacco lobbyist Chris Bishop if he ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    14 hours ago

  • Nash splashes out with a $900,000 investment in the blue economy (or is it more corporate welfare?)
    Buzz from the Beehive Stuart Nash, speaking as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, one of his remaining portfolios after he was dropped down the Hipkins Government batting order, has drawn attention to the blue economy and its potential. Nash says the government is investing in the blue economy, or – ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    15 hours ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 24
    Photo by Josh Mills on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:The runs on Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank on the west coast of the United States that forced the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    17 hours ago

  • Weekly Roundup 24-March-2023
    Roundup is back! We skipped last week’s Friday post due to a shortage of person-power – did you notice? Lots going on out there… Our header image this week shows a green street that just happens to be Queen St, by @chamfy from Twitter. This week (and last) in ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    18 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the Keen-Minshull visit
    After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will enable her to hold rallies in Auckland and Wellington this weekend, and spread her messages of hostility against an already marginalised trans community. Neo-Nazis may, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    18 hours ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nucl...
    * Bryce Edwards writes – The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    19 hours ago

  • Wayne Brown's #Auxit moment
    Boomers voted him in, but Brown’s Trumpish moments might spook Aucklanders worried about what a change to National nationally might mean. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has become our version of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, except without any of the insatiable appetite for media appearances. He ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    19 hours ago

  • Bryce Edwards: NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nuclear submarines
    The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as part of its Aukus pact with the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    20 hours ago

  • Posie Parker vs Transgender Rights.
    Recently you might have heard of a person called Posie Parker and her visit to Aotearoa. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. So let’s start with who this person is, why their visit is controversial, and what on earth a TERF is.Posie Parker is the super villain ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    22 hours ago

  • Select Committee told slow down; you’re moving too fast
    The chair of Parliament’s Select Committee looking at the Government’s resource management legislation wants the bills sent back for more public consultation. The proposal would effectively kill any chance of the bills making it into law before the election. Green MP, Eugenie Sage, stressing that she was speaking as ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    24 hours ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2023
    Open access notables  The United States experienced some historical low temperature records during the just-concluded winter. It's a reminder that climate and weather are quite noisy; with regard to our warming climate,, as with a road ascending a mountain range we may steadily change our conditions but with lots of ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • What becomes of the broken hearted? Nanny State will step in to comfort them
    Buzz from the Beehive The Nanny State has scored some wins (or claimed them) in the past day or two but it faltered when it came to protecting Kiwi citizens from being savaged by one woman armed with a sharp tongue. The wins are recorded by triumphant ministers on the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Acceptance, decency, road food.
    Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour sabotage
    Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Is bundling restricting electricity competition?
    Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Westland Milk puts heat on competitors as global dairy demand  remains softer for longer
    Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products  has  put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with  a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    * Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • A miracle pill for our transport ills
    This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here.   A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
    The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
    Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    4 days ago

  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago

  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    7 days ago

  • Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
    When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago

  • Radical Uncertainty
    Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • Jump onto the weekly hoon on Riverside at 5pm
    Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
    In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • Snakes and leaders
    And so this is Friday, and what have we learned?It was a week with all the usual luggage: minister brags and then he quits, Hollywood red carpet is full of twits. And all the while, hanging over the trivial stuff: existential dread, and portents of doom.Depending on who you read ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • This station is Karanga-a-Hape, Chur!
    When I changed the name of this newsletter from The Daily Read to Nick’s Kōrero I was a bit worried whether people would know what Kōrero meant or not. I added a definition when I announced the change and kind of assumed people who weren’t familiar with it would get ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Greens don’t shy from promoting a candidate’s queerness but are quiet about govt announcement on...
    There was a time when a political party’s publicity people would counsel against promoting a candidate as queer. No matter which of two dictionary meanings the voting public might choose to apply – the old meaning of odd, strange, weird, or aberrant, or the more recent meaning of gay, homosexual ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 17
    Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:PM Chris Hipkins announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but which blew up ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Slow consenting could create $16b climate liability by 2050
    Even though concern over the climate change threat is becoming more mainstream, our governments continue to opt out of the difficult decisions at the expense of time, and cost for future generations. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Now we have a climate liability number to measure the potential failure of the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • THOMAS CRANMER: Challenging progressivism in New Zealand’s culture wars
    Thomas Cranmer writes  Like it or not, the culture wars have entered New Zealand politics and look set to broaden and intensify. The culture wars are often viewed as an exclusively American phenomenon, but the reality is that they are becoming increasingly prominent in countries around the world, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
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  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
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  • First Chief Clinical Advisor welcomed into Coroners Court
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  • Next steps for affected properties post Cyclone and floods
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  • Conference of Pacific Education Ministers – Keynote Address
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  • State Highway 5 reopens between Napier and Taupō following Cyclone Gabrielle
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  • Appointment of Judge of the Court of Appeal and Judge of the High Court
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  • Statement from the Prime Minister on Stuart Nash
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