New Zealand needs a Government that understands climate change

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, January 10th, 2019 - 47 comments
Categories: capitalism, climate change, Economy, Environment, ETS, farming, farming, global warming, john key, national, Politics, same old national, science, sustainability, uncategorized - Tags:

The Government is in negotiations with National to see if a consensus can be reached on climate change policy.  Judging by this recent contribution by Todd Muller published in Stuff the chances are not good.

He starts off with a chip at Generation Zero, why I am not sure, because Generation Zero have performed some outstanding, well thought through and compelling work. But Muller says this:

Despite the claims of Generation Zero, a pseudo-Green Party campaign machine which claims to represent the youth of New Zealand, the National Party has a strong track record on climate issues.

We are not a party of “climate villains” dragging our feet as they would paint, but rather a party of economic and environmental pragmatists who are taking a principled approach to climate change: allowing science to paint the picture, with technology leading the way, pacing ourselves at the pace of our competitors, and being relentlessly honest about the economic implications of the transition.

There is a lot to unpick in that second paragraph as well as a lot of rhetoric. From it you can safely say that one of National’s bottom lines will be that the economy cannot be damaged, that National wants to have its cake and eat it too. When will they realise or acknowledge that the economy depends on the environment stupid. There are no profits to be made in a destroyed world.

Muller describes National’s principles as “level-headed, pragmatic and measured approach that New Zealand would expect from National”. I would describe them as “rhetorical flourishes which refuse to acknowledge the severity of our current predicament”.

For instance why pace ourselves at the pace of our competitors? This means setting our pace the same as the shirkers and climate change deniers of which there are far too many. And the current trajectory is very scary. Everyone needs to do more.

And being relentlessly honest? This from the Government that was prepared to use fraudulent carbon credits to balance the books?

Muller then engages in rhetoric that Crosby Textor would have been proud to have called its own:

National is proud of its record on climate issues, but those who are dead set on New Zealand always moving harder and faster no matter the cost, often under the guise of “ambition”, will never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Who would have thought that emissions didn’t increase under National, but stabilised and then reduced by 2 per cent? Emissions are lower now than they were in 2008. This is compared to a 27 per cent increase between 1990 and 2006.



I am not sure how his figure was arranged at although I am sure there is a particular set of data National will use to back the claim.

There is some data here which suggests that decreasing sheep numbers had an effect as did the Global Financial Crisis. Whatever the cause a 2% decrease is nothing to celebrate.

And the outlook is pretty dismal.

And policies tend to have long term lead in times. The last Labour Government set an energy policy of 90% renewable by 2025 and started to implement this. National opposed it and tried to sabotage it. But according to Muller National is to thank for the change:

National increased our renewable electricity generation from 65 per cent to 85 per cent and implemented a world-class Emissions Trading Scheme that can be held up positively against any other trading scheme in the world. It covers more sectors and gases than the European ETS does – going further to include industrial methane, transport fuels and forestry.

As for the ETS if by “implemented” Muller means “sabotagued” then he has a point. Otherwise this is one big porkie.

Muller then accuses this Government of being radical environmental economy wreckers and of doing nothing different to the last Government within the space of two paragraphs:

Despite the Government’s virtue signalling and trumped-up rhetoric on climate issues, their actual policy response hasn’t been significantly different to that of the previous Government – in fact, the changes to the ETS currently being finalised were initiated by National.

The key difference in policy has been the Labour Government’s ban on oil and gas exploration – a change of direction that the National Party continues to oppose vigorously. This decision was pure politics with the Government’s own officials advising that banning oil and gas would cost our economy billions of dollars and likely lead to an increase in global emissions.

When will he realise that we need to leave new discoveries of oil in the ground and stop building highways if we want to become carbon neutral?

And finally Muller repeats the claim that to preserve our environment we have to wreck the economy. And that we are too small to matter.

Modelling provided to the Minister for Climate Change by NZIER indicated that achieving an all-gases zero emissions target by 2050 would reduce New Zealand wages by 60 per cent and GDP by 40 per cent. This may be palatable to Generation Zero, but I doubt the rest of New Zealand would agree.

When our total emissions account for 0.17 per cent of total global emissions, leadership isn’t being first, fast and famous. Leadership is taking what we already do well, food production, and doing it even better over time by investing in innovation and technology.

The technology claim is a joke and is something that the last Government used to talk about all the time.  For instance in 2015 I wrote this:

[John Key claimed] that within three to four years New Zealand’s scientists will have nailed the science regarding agricultural emissions of greenhouse gasses. From TV3:

“I am actually quite confident, over the next 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years, the world will adopt so many new technologies actually our carbon footprint will reduce.”

Agriculture contributes 48 percent of New Zealand’s carbon emissions, but Mr Key said technology to address that is not far away.

“My scientists tell me within three to four years they are going to have nailed that.”

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest, redemption is at hand.  John Key has the solution to Aotearoa’s greenhouse gas emission issues.  Is this why National has slashed funding of research into agricultural emissions? Because they have already discovered the solution?

Four years on and there is no sign of Key’s lauded technology appearing.

The first comment to Muller in the Stuff article nailed it:

Know a fence, Todd Muller, but I could give two shiny tosses as to what “all Parties can live with”. 

We are discussing the viability of the planet, so I’d rather chat about what I can live with, as in, the quality of the air I can live with- or the amount of drinking water I can live with. 

If you’re more concerned with the happiness of “the parties” and not concerned about the wellbeing of the citizens in the country your desperately seeking to govern then I think its time you go get a job in American politics and stay far away from here. 

Well put.

But the chances of a political accord on climate change being reached are?

The portents are not good.

Update:  This is a more recent graph that I have discovered which can be accessed from MPI’s website here.  The net emissions figure is obviously the most important one.

47 comments on “New Zealand needs a Government that understands climate change ”

  1. Ad 1

    Shaw’s approach reminds me of NZTA’s approach to the light rail project: say nothing (other than to very small groups) until it’s perfect. That’s a pretty high risk communicative strategy because it invites the extremes of all sides to be perpetually dissatisfied and do battle, as is breaking out with Gen Zero’s needless attack and Muller’s response.

    I’m still confident that Parker, Shaw, Muller, and Upton will table a bill and a framework that is credible and can endure any change of government.

    But it’s well overdue that both the government and National send out a joint signal that an agreement is likely. Or not. They should do so as soon as parliament begins.

  2. Sanctuary 2

    “…Four years on and there is no sign of Key’s lauded technology appearing…”

    For the technology to appear you first have to fund the scientists who will develop it, yet the previous National government defunded anything that might challenge their denialism and wishful thinking.

    Key and the rest of them engaged in massive magical thinking, where you either pretended the problem didn’t exist by not recording or measuring it or as an article of religious zealotry believed the magical mystical fairies of the market would come up with a wand that the government could wave and fix everything with.

  3. Andre 3

    It really twists my knickers when someone goes on about economics as a reason to drag their feet on getting serious about going to zero-emissions.

    Building new renewable electricity generation is a burst of well-paying skilled jobs. Operating and maintaining that renewable generation is long term steady skilled well-paying employment. As it happens, renewable energy is overall cheaper than fossil fuel generation, yet has higher employment for the same amount of energy produced. So there’s more economic activity from renewable generation cycling into local communities rather than getting stashed away by faraway rentiers.

    Getting serious about reducing our agricultural emissions is also likelier to lead to an economic boost. Doing the R & D, then implementing improved processes and products is all economic activity done by people in good well-paying jobs.

    Swapping as much of our energy use over to electric power rather than fossil generates good skilled high paying employment. Even better if we could get serious about doing it all here and tempt back really talented expats like Ian Wright of Wrightspeed.

    And now a question I’ve asked many times before and never had anyone even attempt to answer: What is good for New Zealand’s economy about paying billions of dollars to companies offshore in order to import filthy black stuff that just causes pollution when it’s burnt here?

    • Sanctuary 3.1

      Like right wing parties everywhere, National are increasingly becoming the corrupt voice of the big ends of town, who have it sweet right now thank you very much and want to lock in their economic advantage by stifling change.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.2

      It really twists my knickers when someone goes on about economics as a reason to drag their feet on getting serious about going to zero-emissions.

      People who do that are actually ignoring the economics in favour of their finances.

      As it happens, renewable energy is overall cheaper than fossil fuel generation, yet has higher employment for the same amount of energy produced.

      For now. Sooner or later the tech will be developed that will seriously reduce the number of people involved.

      So there’s more economic activity from renewable generation cycling into local communities rather than getting stashed away by faraway rentiers.

      National’s on the side of the rentiers.

      Getting serious about reducing our agricultural emissions is also likelier to lead to an economic boost. Doing the R & D, then implementing improved processes and products is all economic activity done by people in good well-paying jobs.

      Do you mean getting rid of the farms and developing stuff like this?
      Tesla’s new Solar Roof is actually cheaper than a normal roof

      Excessive farming is causing all sorts of problems and about the only way we can sort that out is to reduce the number of farms and return the land back to the wild.

      What is good for New Zealand’s economy about paying billions of dollars to companies offshore in order to import filthy black stuff that just causes pollution when it’s burnt here?

      Nothing. Muldoon seemed to understand that which is why he tried hard to make us energy independent.

      • Andre 3.2.1

        “For now. Sooner or later the tech will be developed that will seriously reduce the number of people involved.”

        It’s continually ongoing. For example:

        https://skyspecs.com/skyspecs-solution/autonomous-inspection/

        But like almost all technologies, developing and supporting those new technologies spawns new industries of their own. Employment doesn’t necessarily reduce, it changes and often even increases.

  4. Pat 4

    A consensus on CC policy may be preferable , although the overly touted position it is more likely to be adhered to is baseless, I suspect in the desire to present such the resulting policy will be of little real use ..especially with this sort of rhetoric from a party to it a matter of weeks away from its release and post the consultation on CC.

    Not a lot to be optimistic about

  5. Wayne 5

    How plausible is the graph showing a doubling of emissions from 2008 to 2025, which is only 17 years (from 50 million to 100 million tonnes CO2)?
    Our population will grow 25% over that time. The economy maybe 40%. So how would CO2 emissions double, even though at least some mitigation measures will be in place. It simply does not make sense.
    Some explanation is required.

  6. Dennis Frank 6

    Well done, a nicely-comprehensive critique. Funny picture, eh? Having driven that route quite a lot, I have to say the sign is misleading. The road itself is safe, but it is made unsafe by impatient drivers (like me) who compete to overtake.

    Advocating a four-lane highway is just dumb. The Waihi gorge will always be a bottleneck, so all it would achieve is to allow the most impatient drivers to reach the head of the queue, or further up it. Can’t make the travel time to Coro or Ak much different, more likely to jam up the gorge. A crawl would replace the current steady flow at 60/80kph. Anyone in a hurry takes the alternate route over the Kaimais. Duh!

    So he ain’t all that clever. Just a capable advocate for slow learners. His challenge is to reposition National more comprehensively by getting the bluegreens out of their kennel, and into public life. To do that, he has to prevail over the business as usual syndrome, and make MMP work for National again. That also applies to any National leadership contender of course. Currently, they’re all shirkers.

    • patricia bremner 6.1

      Yes, and the Karangahake Gorge between Paeroa and Waihi was undercut to the inth degree and is far from stable. Parts of the road tend to wash out or collapse.

  7. cleangreen 7

    Todd Muller; – cites this as his excuse for doing nothing?

    “Modelling provided to the Minister for Climate Change by NZIER indicated that achieving an all-gases zero emissions target by 2050 would reduce New Zealand wages by 60 per cent and GDP by 40 per cent.”

    Rubbish he speaks,

    If our climate change emissions do not keep pace with our goals set in our global agreements we alll will not have jobs other than learning to cope in a world flooded by high tides and constant weather bombs.

    Todd Muller should know that the forth largest economy globally ‘Germany’ is heading the way here in land freight services using more rail now and not using road freight as Muller advocates with his rubbish of using four lane roads for more trucks..

    Muller should be ashamed for turning away from using rail as a prime mover of freight as Germany is now doing.

    My son who is now in Germany says they are aggressively expanding using all rail services there, while NZ under National was closing down rail and Muller should be ashamed for his party’s disgusting policy of trying to totally destroy rail in NZ.

    Does he have interests in the ‘road freight industry’ we should be asking here????

    Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-10-shipping-freight-rail-environment.html#jCp

    According to the article, rail and inland water are less carbon intensive than roads, but inland water may in some places produce more carbon emissions than rail and ocean shipping. Although many rail systems in the world are electrified, U.S. freight trains run on diesel. The team suggests lowering emissions further by electrifying our rail systems, although this is very costly. In a similar fashion, electric vehicles and electrified roadways could also decarbonize road freight, although this is also expensive and the technologically is difficult to achieve.

    To encourage transitions to these lower-carbon options, the team recommends that policymakers put in place incentives to discourage road freight through tolls and taxes, and should support the construction of intermodal terminals that allow for shipments to be kept on rail as long as possible, before being efficiently and reliably transferred to road for last-mile delivery.

    Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-10-shipping-freight-rail-environment.html#jCp

    • Draco T Bastard 7.1

      Does he have interests in the ‘road freight industry’ we should be asking here?

      The roading lobby provides quite a lot of political funding.

      The team suggests lowering emissions further by electrifying our rail systems, although this is very costly.

      Electric trains are costly to put in place but are highly efficient and far more powerful than the diesel powered ones. One advantage is that they can use regenerative breaking.

      • KJT 7.1.1

        Electric trains are cheaper to build than trucks per unit of freight, and the cost of rail lines is almost an order of magnitude less than roads.
        Trucks have never had to pay as much as the build costs, they incur by using the roads.

        Shipping lanes, of course, cost nothing. However ports, unlike roads, are expected to make 12% on their opportunity costs.

        The road lobbies bribes, sorry funding, to National must be one of the best returns on investment in New Zealand. Almost as good as Pacific Island hotels.

        • Draco T Bastard 7.1.1.1

          If trucks had to pay their way rather than being heavily subsidised by everybody else then their business models would collapse. People would be queuing up to use the trains.

          Oh, wait, they already were but National run down rail as per their normal MO. Really, how much does the roading lobby pay the National MPs to get the bad decisions made?

  8. Robert Guyton 8

    I think National Party MPs loathe groups that have an activist air about them and that’s because they know those groups won’t follow process, keep to the set rules, will talk directly to the media and will mock those MPs who are used to adulation. Todd’s unnecessary attack here is typical of those National Party representatives, imo.

    • mickysavage 8.1

      It was jarring. Why when you are negotiating with the Greens would you publicly have a go at such a pro environment organisation?

  9. Robert Guyton 9

    Todd is ex-Fonterra.

  10. soddenleaf 10

    want good environment policy… ..ban biomass from refuse… …then see market for comfortables grow, national will oppose the entrepreneurical and claim victory for the GDP growth.

  11. soddenleaf 11

    want good environment policy… ..ban biomass from refuse… …then see market for compostables grow, national will oppose the entrepreneurical and claim victory for the GDP growth.

  12. Anne 12

    We are not a party of “climate villains” dragging our feet as they would paint, but rather a party of economic and environmental pragmatists who are taking a principled approach to climate change: allowing science to paint the picture, with technology leading the way, pacing ourselves at the pace of our competitors, and being relentlessly honest about the economic implications of the transition.: allowing science to paint the picture, with technology leading the way, pacing ourselves at the pace of our competitors, and being relentlessly honest about the economic implications of the transition.

    Excuse my language, but what a load of effing bloody garbage! What does it even mean?

    … a party of economic and environmental pragmatists who are taking a principled approach to climate change:

    Translation: We will not be rushed into any action that meets with the disapproval of our mentally challenged red-neck voter support.

    …allowing science to paint the picture, with technology leading the way,

    Translation: God only knows?

    …pacing ourselves at the pace of our competitors,

    Translation: We’ll wait and see what other counties are able to get away with not doing… then we’ll follow suit.

    being relentlessly honest about the economic implications of the transition.

    Translation: Much as we are willing to believe in CC, we also believe for political reasons that the NZ economy must take priority.

    In a nut shell:

    We intend to make incremental changes over time (?) as permitted by the state of the overall economy.

    When will these douche-bags realise this is not either a political or an economic consideration. CC waits for no-one. What’s the use of having a healthy global economy if the planet is dead and every living organism including human-kind wiped out.

  13. Greg #56 13

    https://www.niwa.co.nz/files/2018_Annual_Climate_Summary-NIWA.pdf

    From Brandolino’s Boys themselves: “The nationwide average temperature for 2018… was 13.41°C… This makes 2018 the equal 2nd-warmest year on record along with 1998, only placing behind 2016 [13.45°C]”. So last year was exactly the same temperature as back in 1998 – oops! – 20 years of no dangerous warming, no catastrophic change, no anything apart from some El Niño blips, same as it ever was, flat line fever.

    Page 4 continues: “Thus, the summer of 2017-18 claimed the record of New Zealand’s hottest summer formerly held by the summer of 1934-35.” Qué paso hombré? Eighty-three years we’ve been waiting to break the ‘At Last! A Decent Hot Summer!’ record? 1935 must’ve been existential™ AND sweltering™.

    On their penultimate (2nd-to-last) Page 38, the word ‘snow’ is finally mentioned: “21 February, the Crown Range was dusted with snow as a cold southerly pushed into the South Island in ex-Tropical Cyclone Gita’s wake. The Remarkables ski area near Queenstown reported 50 cm of snowfall, with drifts up to 1 metre deep.” Ex-cyclones dumping snow bang in the peak of high summer – what’s not to like about a little cool change. And it’s snowing in Fiordland tonight, 10 January, excellent. Chill.

    • Pat 13.1

      suggest you read the article again paying particular attention to the trends

      • Greg $56 13.1.1

        Pat, once was enough, thanks (of Brandolino’s BS). When he’s lived here 20 or 40 or more years, I may take him seriously: until then, he’s an imported foreign TV actor cum PR salesman with a mom-and-apple-pie dueling banjos hoe-down attitude. And ‘trends’? Like ‘fashions’?

        There are only two (2) sentences in the whole summary which are important: “This makes 2018 the equal 2nd-warmest year on record along with 1998” and “Thus, the summer of 2017-18 claimed the record… formerly held by the summer of 1934-35.” The rest is fluff.

  14. One Two 14

    +/- 20,000 satellites are expected to be launched over coming years as part of the earth orbit infrastructure for 5G telecomms…

    Combined with on earth infrastructure requirements, and the inherently, extreme radiative qualities of 5G…

    Negative impact to the environment, atmosphere and earths inhabitants, is highly probable…

  15. Brendon Harre 15

    Over the summer holidays I wrote an article about hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for the heavy and long distance end of the market. Plus grid scale batteries like pumped hydro replacing fossil fuel burning coal and gas electricity plants. The article got republished on Interest.co.nz where it was attacked by trolls. So I updated my article to be more trollproof (although now it is quite long).

    On the political front I see little sincerity from the National Party that they agree with the 2050 carbon zero goal or the 2035 goal of 100% renewable electricity production. I think new politicians like Todd Muller and Simon Bridges need to be be commiting to these goals without watering them down with vetos for *principles* or the *economy* to have climate change credibility.

    https://medium.com/land-buildings-identity-and-values/are-we-there-yet-hydrogen-trains-and-the-end-of-the-carbon-era-1f2ecd8926d9

    • Dennis Frank 15.1

      First impression: that graph you included of Norway car sales trends is a real humdinger!! Nats clinging to oil would be seriously spooked! Clearly that country is a strong contender for market leader on the global stage. I mean a market that is demonstrably transformational. On the road to sustainability. Way down it, too.

      • Dennis Frank 15.1.1

        Second: hydrogen fuel advocacy needs proof of concept via working models. Dismissal as `pie in the sky’ will be routine till the media feature any!

        “Hydrogen trains have a range of about 1000 km so can provide both suburban and regional South Island services. Refueling times are short (15min), which is similar to diesel trains. Hydrogen trains will require its own hydrogen production, distribution and storage facilities. On fixed rail routes this is not a too onerous constraint -the South Island rail network would only need 4 or 5 onsite production and dispensing facilities at strategic locations to provide full network coverage.”

        Sounds good as a strategy. If the Minister of Regional Development were able to get his head into Green thinking, he’d use this scenario to call for a feasibility study by his dept & govt scientist advisors.

        • Dennis Frank 15.1.1.1

          Third: kiwi businesses trending towards sustainability are an escalating trend. Better late than never. Must give credit where it’s due tho, eh?

          “New Zealand businesses want to be part of the zero carbon technological era. The New Zealand Hydrogen Association was formed in September 2018 by private sector companies with seed funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The founding members include Fulton Hogan, HW Richardson Group, Hyundai, Siemens (NZ), Green Cabs, Real Journeys, and Contact Energy. Toyota joined in November.”

          Okay, looks like hydrogen tech is advanced enough for heavy industry to climb aboard the bandwagon. Now let’s see them produce substance to accompany the hype…

          • Brendon Harre 15.1.1.1.1

            Dennis I am not saying we are definitely ‘there yet’ wrt hydrogen but there are indications of a possible path that is worth investigating.
            P.S I like the idea of getting the regional development minister working in this space.

          • Janet 15.1.1.1.2

            And when are the organic and SLM ( sustainable Land Management ) farmers who have been doing their bit for 30+ years get credit and recognition of their financial “sacrifice. ” They are leading the way we have to go. Its BACK a bit to the Future.

    • Andre 15.2

      I used to be a fan of hydrogen – back when NiMH batteries were the ducks nuts in battery tech and before I took a good look into what’s involved in handling hydrogen. (I had a boss that got wind of how much carbon fibre hydrogen storage tanks were selling for and thought we could make them. It didn’t take much research and explanation of the materials tech, monitoring and safety equipment needed and the overall hazards of hydrogen to send him off looking for some other next big thing). The difficulties of hydrogen coupled with how astonishing the improvements in battery tech have been recently means I’m now quite skeptical of hydrogen.

      You’ve touched on the round-trip efficiency and that hydrogen needs to be generated from some other energy source so it’s a method of storing energy, rather than a source. Phew, that usually needs to be covered at the start of a hydrogen discussion.

      As far as flammability goes, hydrogen has the second widest range of concentration that is flammable in air – only acetylene is worse. Natural gas and propane mitigate the flammability hazard by adding odorant, not possible with any candidate hydrogen fuel cell types. A hydrogen flame is also nearly invisible to human eyes, most of the light is UV.

      The way hydrogen permeates through most metals and embrittles them on the way through, and just pisses through any kind of polymer, means the design, engineering, maintenance and operators all need care and attention to detail several levels above what is needed to safely handle fossil fuels.

      The chart comparing Li-ion battery costs and installed capacity looks out of date. Tesla have claimed they expect to be below USD$100/kWh sometime this year at the cell level, and below USD$100/kWh at the battery pack level sometime next year. Energy density of lithium batteries is increasing as well, although nowhere near as dramatically as the price drop.

      It occurs to me there’s a fifth option for powering trains. Smaller battery backs and intermittent stretches of overhead electrification for charging plus powering the train where it’s lower cost to do so.

      Love the write-up on stored hydro. Also, when it comes to generating hydrogen from methane, there’s also techniques to do it by bubbling the methane up through specific molten metals. The carbon isn’t released to the atmosphere, it collects on top of the molten metal as a solid (presumably some kind of sooty dust).

      • Brendon Harre 15.2.1

        Hydrogen vehicles was the more speculative part of the report. Although the climate change question of what can be done at the heavy vehicle end of the market is probably one of the most difficult climate change questions. So worth thinking about.

        Interestingly it was the pumped hydro not the hydrogen vehicles that the trolls really attacked. Probably because it is genuinely doable.

        • Andre 15.2.1.1

          That is interesting about the trolls having a go at the pumped hydro.

          In the North Island I’ve long thought generation on the Waikato would be significantly improved with a few pumped hydro dams and lakes along its length. There’s very little storage in the lakes down the Waikato, so all the generation is more or less operated as run of the river controlled by the gates at Taupo. The ability to run water up into stored hydro lakes would really improve the flexibility to respond to demand changes.

          As far as transport vehicles go, another disadvantage is fuel cells aren’t good at rapid response to demand changes, and can’t regeneratively brake. So if hydrogen takes off, I wouldn’t be surprised to see fuel cell vehicles still carrying around substantial batteries for peak demand and regeneration, with the fuel cells just supplying the overall average demand. Kinda like a BMW i3 in range-extending mode.

  16. Jenny - How to get there? 16

    Todd Muller, who is supposed to be National’s climate change spokesperson, has lashed out publicly in an intemperate attack, on what he calls a Government “….blinded by Green ideology”.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/109826913/new-zealand-needs-a-government-that-isnt-blinded-by-green-ideology-nats

    As well as attacking the government for being “blinded by Green Ideology” Muller singled out the youth pressure group Generation Zero as a particular target for his vitriol

    “….a pseudo-Green Party campaign machine which claims to represent the youth of New Zealand…..”
    Todd Muller

    (I would be surprised if either of these two claims contained in this sentence are true. As far as I know Gen Zero are not the Green Party’s version of the Young Nats, as Todd Muller seems to be alleging. Nor have as far as I know  hav Gen Zero ever made claims to represent the youth of New Zealand)

    “National takes climate change seriously. That’s why have I been working behind the scenes with James Shaw negotiating a framework for an Independent Climate Change Commission to take the short-term politics out of what is a very long-term issue and guide the response of successive future governments.”
    Todd Muller

    This paragraph about sums up Todd Muller’s sleazy manipulative strategy; Paper over the differences in the here and now, on how to tackle climate change, And kick the can down the road twenty or thirty years. So we don’t act now.

    “The key difference in policy has been the Labour Government’s ban on oil and gas exploration – a change of direction that the National Party continues to oppose vigorously. This decision was pure politics with the Government’s own officials advising that banning oil and gas would cost our economy billions of dollars and likely lead to an increase in global emissions”.
    Todd Muller

    Todd Muller is a dirty liar. Where is his proof that the ban on issuing new oil and gas drilling permits will lead to an increase in global emissions?

    Muller has just deliberately decided to spread this lie, knowing full well there is no evidence to back it up.

    “Bi-partisanship is easier said than done, but both parties have to date been negotiating in good faith, and I am optimistic that we can find common ground for the good of New Zealand. We are working towards a framework that all Parties can live with, that will be enduring beyond the next change of Government.”
    Todd Muller

    This paragraph of Todd Muller’s attack piece contains his biggest lie of all.

    Todd Muller and Simon Bridges have both said that they will repeal the government’s ban on issuing new oil and gas exploration permits at the very next change of government. What’s bi-partisan about that?

    Nothing.

  17. Greg #56 17

    Pat, once was enough, thanks (of Brandolino’s BS). When he’s lived here 20 or 40 or more years, I may take him seriously: until then, he’s an imported foreign TV actor cum PR salesman with a mom-and-apple-pie dueling banjos hoe-down attitude. And ‘trends’? Like ‘fashions’?

    There are only two (2) sentences in the whole summary which are important: “This makes 2018 the equal 2nd-warmest year on record along with 1998” and “Thus, the summer of 2017-18 claimed the record… formerly held by the summer of 1934-35.” The rest is fluff.

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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
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