* Big delays are expected in the Auckland CBD on Friday morning due to a section of Victoria St West still being closed.
* The busy road, between Nelson St and Hobson St, closed afternoon when a panel fell from an apartment building.
* Auckland Transport is advising people to consider using alternative modes of transport into the CBD.
* The weather will be slightly better than yesterday, with only occasional showers forecasted, mainly in the afternoon.
Meh! So what? It is still going to take me just 10 minutes to get to work, rain or shine. Looking outside it looks a bit ok… I’m not going to get damp on my ride today.
A couple of years ago, I’d have been interested in these kinds of blockages. When there is any blockage in the CBD or motorways, then Auckland crawls to a halt. Not just where the problem is, but back along roads 10s of kilometres away.
This is a direct result of piss poor decisions made by central and local government as a direct result of stupid short sighted dipshits – like Mike Hosking and his ancestral shock jocks more interested in their ratings than reality.
But I cycle to work every day down the Grafton cycleway. It means that instead of taking between 15 and 45 minutes, it now takes 9-10 minutes. I pass over the people sitting in stalled or slow cars on the expensive motorway as I travel on cheap cycleways.
Look at a Mike’s recent rant about bike paths. Mike is apparently a technophobe too ignorant to add a link (here is).
There is not a lot to understand when it comes to the cycleway, it’s peddled (no pun intended) by zealots who are driven by ideology.
They operate on the “build it and they will come” scenario, except they have built it, and we didn’t come. When it all becomes obvious it doesn’t work it leads to anger frustration and upset for the rest of us who feel duped — hence the bikelash.
Ah no. It is mostly ‘peddled’ by cyclists and ex-cyclists who have been forced off the roads by fuckwit drivers who (apparently like Mike) who seem to be intent on trying to kill them.
I used to cycle to school in Auckland when I was a kid. Many years ago I had to give up and confined my cycling to the open road in the country. These days there are few parents who allow their kids to ride to school. It is too dangerous because of the cars. Instead they drive them to school – in the rush hours.
The number of cars on the road has increased dramatically in the last 50 years. The cars have gotten far larger. And of course the population has gotten far larger in Auckland.
It is a rare household today that doesn’t have the same number of vehicles as the number of adults with licenses. This is why the berms are illegally filled with parked cars and Wilsons parking taking in money hand over fist.
What hasn’t increased in proportion to the population and vehicles is the available land and road space. It never will. Land is simply too valuable to keep getting covered by bitumen for space hogging cars carrying a single person.
The same conservatives who will whine about the small amounts of room taken up with foot paths and bike paths, are also exactly the same whinging arseholes who don’t want to pay for expensive roads in cities. This isn’t hard to determine. All you have to do is to look at the expenditures on urban roads compared to the conservative nature of governments.
For instance it was no coincidence that roads planned by National’s “Roads of National Significance” were largely planted in the countryside. But the great dearth of building urban roads in Auckland coincides with National’s proxy Citizens and Ratepayers controlling councils in the urban area.
Now look at what was actually said in the article Mike Hosking was referring to.
The team observed that opposition to bike lanes often erupted only when lanes were being built, when planners and bike lane supporters had assumed the job was done.
“The level of opposition encountered can genuinely take people by surprise, and it’s tapping into an underlying concern about change.”
From their interviews, they found strong support among the cycling community for new lanes, largely for safety reasons.
Yeah, that is right. Despite the large amounts of public notification, planning, meetings budget allocations and all of the other bullshit that slows down the actual creation of cycle lanes – the whining only ever seems to start when they get built. That is because whingers like Mike Hosking simply aren’t interested in their community or the actual hard jakka that is required to maintain society. Like other hard line conservatives like Mike, they are often unproductive parasites who are only interested in their own convenience.
Somehow they appear to find it strange that other ratepayers would like to have safe places to cycle.
And Mike, our court fool, was a simple liar when he said :-
Last time I wrote about this questions had been raised about estimates for some Auckland cycleways and the reality when it was actually measured seemed to bear little resemblance to what they’d forecast by way of usage.
Umm I remember that (and again it’d be very helpful if our fool could put in links).
The basic problem was that the raisers of the question apparently couldn’t read estimates, and in particular the time column. They were saying that the expected user numbers in a decade should be expected to happen immediately after opening. It is hard to take this kind of twaddle seriously.
The reality is that growth in cycling along bike paths is growing rapidly. It is also measurable because there are automatic counters on most of the paths. Greater Auckland blog periodically does posts on them. Generally most cycle ways start growing in users a few years after they’re constructed and then grow in percentage double digits year on year.
What is noticeable is what happens when the final connections in the bike paths are connected up. An April GA post looked the North Western cycle way.
Perhaps the most impressive, given it’s not coming off as low of a base as others and the constant growth it’s seen over the last few years, remains the NW Cycleway at Kingsland which is almost certainly benefiting from recent addition of the Ian Mckinnon Cycleway. To give a sense of scale for the increase, back in March-2011 just 11k were recorded at this location for the whole month. This March 40k were and this meant that during the month the 30-day rolling average peak at just under 1,400 bikes a day.
That is a lot of people off the roads using the space of a footpath. You can see the recent year on year growth. And I’m certainly noticing the increased numbers of cyclists where I intersect on the last part of the NW cycle way – especially at the terminating lights.
People like this person who has done about 7000 kms commuting and dropping the kid off.
It’s been a year since I’ve started biking to work, and this is a summary of my thoughts and observations. I work in Newmarket and live in Te Atatu Peninsula. My one way trip is about 17.5km and it takes me about 35-40 mins. I cycle every workday.
Mostly they have cycle ways but..
I’ve only had a few experiences with being squeezed against the curb (generally buses along Park Rd) or really close passes, but it never feels quite safe to be on the road. I ride quite defensively – and when I don’t feel it’s safe to overtake me, I take the lane. I have been shouted at a few times, but I haven’t encountered other intentionally threatening behaviours.
Generally motorists and parked cars aren’t intentionally dangerous. They’re just careless and need to be segregated from other more vulnerable rate payers who aren’t interested in taking up enormous areas of roadways.
I’m a bit worried about this myself. Later in the year, work is moving to a different location and I’m going to have to ride on roads and semi-segregated lanes. But coincidentally, my preparatory new hi visibility helmet arrived this morning while I was writing this post….
In the meantime, I feel sympathy for those parked on the roads this morning. I’m heading off for my 10 minute commute with a lit up helmet.
Updated with a few editorial cleanups after I got to work. Helmet works great, turning signals and all. Not sure how well the automatic braking system operates. How am I going to be able to test it?
Isn't Hosking the one who wants all public transport canned? So everyone can enjoy the pleasure of driving themselves to work and observing all the others 'driving' to work? And parking, um, where?
I must get a bell on my bike to warn pedestrians on shared footpaths.
In London some footpaths are dual use and they work OK but dedicated bike lanes are better. Some Underground Stations have huge bike stands outside the door. So go the support for a NZ massive trend towards biking. And with a flash helmet like that even Mike could not deny seeing you as he tries to accidentally run you down.
Compulsory Ferraris I say. Lacking the 'excellence' and 'personal responsibility' to afford one? Then die in a ditch loser! Roads are for winners (like Mike).
And another great way of unclogging the roads would be if everyone worked less. Didn't some guy back in the '70's say we would all be working 10-hour weeks by now due to technology? Clearly Toffler was extraordinarily naive about the nature of capitalism – or believed that technology somehow transcended the economic system within which it was deployed.
I had to go to Ponsonby after work yesterday afternoon rather than straight home to Mt Eden, so I jumped on an InnerLink in Queens St and got caught in the almighty traffic shit-fight in Nelson/Victoria Streets. While I was sitting on the bus (like forever) watching the cyclists flying along the Nelson Street cycle way and wondering what the hell was going on it crossed my mind that of course my normal commute home i.e. train from Britomart to Kingsland station would have been completely immune to the chaos on the roads.
Hosking is the most selfish, self centred and ill-tempered "journo" in the country. I haven't read any of his contributions for years but feedback suggests he's worse than ever.
Look at his most recent tantrum over the demise of plastic bags. He doesn't give a damm about the awful consequences. All he's interested in is his own personal inconvenience. The rest of us get on with finding alternatives but no… he's too precious. He has to bellow his annoyance to all and sundry. In short, he's a narcissist.
What's the bet he complained that he should be behind the pay wall too cos he's NZ's premium current affairs expert.
Yet Hosking gets listened to muchly. What does that say about a large number of NZs who must find him agreeable in his constant bad-tempered argument. I think people who listen to him need to think for themselves, they might find they can become problem solvers instead of joining his followers who are all constipated, curmudgeonly cyclops.
TalkBack radio outlets like ZB and radio live are based on opinionators agitating and pitching memes. Their advertisers don't want the independent thinkers.
Heard a piece in a cab from the mediawanks stable that would've had them seeing the authorities if broadcast in Oz.
Wilfully inaccurate to manufacture consent with hand picked callers aligned. Immigration dogwhistling.
Dedicated cycleways are OK but in Christchurch they all have curbs so people with mobility issues are effectively shut out of every area that has a cycle path. People with walkers have to use the precious energy walking out of their way to find a gap as do people in wheelchairs. To be honest the town planners have not taken into account the ageing population and the fact that in 10 years time the cycle ways should have been constructed to accommodate mobility scooters and wheelchairs as there will be more people using these than bikes.
Ye Lucy so true. Nelson has a big number of retirees but their needs are overlooked in the rush to get modern, and help non-car users. We need to make it easier to get public transport, and have a toll system that starts to lessen car use for a start. And shared pathways need to have median fences. It has taken ages and tons of crashes for authorities to finally stop blaming individuals for not driving perfectly, and usually once they are up the crashes go way down.
That the authorities are allowed to introduce fast moving mechanical devices on footpaths, in a city with many old people and where Green Prescriptions advise people to walk more for good health and a relief from stress. The ability to do so has at the same time been jeopardised by thoughtless she'll-be-right planning; just a repeat of the bone-headed approach of not bothering to ensure suitable and safe lanes appropriate for users.
Ironic that Hoskin's rant today is about centralising the health system and bemoaning that different regions set their own policy.
Not that I don't think centralisation isn't necessary but it's odd to see him and Farrar champion the practise while railing against it so hard in other areas of social policy – education, for instance.
LOL. I've often wondered how I'd react to him if he turned up in the audience. Possibly walk off and refuse to entertain him. Possibly bend over for the cheque…
I think the size of the check is the determinate factor. We all dance for the organ grinder, but his is a particularly pernicious piece.
Absolutely. I'm gonna recycle your beard joke on furry folk in the audience (passing cloud). Bloody good line. Impromptu, yours?
Heres one for the greenies.
Speaking of #metoo. Pandas are a pack of wife beaters. That's why they're not breeding. Give them a bamboo buffet and running water, ambient music, years to figure it out. Whadda ya got? Two black eyes, no babies.
That having been said, where there are no cycle lanes cycling still has the issue with either being squished by heavy machinery, or squishing people who are just walking along. That's just a fact of putting thousands of people together: someone will screw up and hit someone else. The trouble with cyclists is that if one is a jerk and acts like a hazard, there's no reggo to report.
An interesting idea someone floated was to abandon "vehicle", "pedestrian" and "cycle" designations and run the same lanes as speed criteria: <10kph, 10-30kph, 30+kph. That would deal to new tech (e.g. scooters, "It") as well as keep everyone safe because speeder just flip into the next lane to avoid slower people.
Would need wider roads and pavements to get the lanes and need to put a rego on the walkers as well.. But personally I'd prefer fully separated lanes with a barrier. It is a whole lot safer for everyone.
I have had issues with some pedestrians on the combined cycle/walkway taking up the whole of the path in both directions going one way despite the clearly marked lanes, especially around the university. Apparently it makes talking to each other much easier when you are doing it 5 kids wide. But most pedestrians are pretty good about using the lanes, just as I am pretty good about how I use pedestrian pavements.
The only injury I have had so far was from my own inattention. Was crossing the off-ramp on Newton road just down the hill from home one very rainy night. Was watching for cars, and missed a runner coming down the hill. Spotted him out of the side of my eye as I started to cross from a standing start, jerked, and slid the front wheel out from under me. Belted my right knee on the road.
Nearest to a serious accident that I have had was some munter on Don McKinnon drive on the old cycle/walkway. After dusk one friday night, on a blind corner, without turning his car lights on, he'd backed almost all the way across the cycleway from his parked position to try to get on to the road. I came down the hill on the bike at about 20km watching out for walkers in the cycle lane (the usual problem) and didn't have lot of time to react to a car lunging out backwards into my path. I think that the driver was rather startled as I started to scream at him. He certainly reversed direction and went out the correct way pretty damn fast.
But it is a continual issue, especially at my age. Nothing heals particularly fast any more.
I’ve seen some cyclists doing some pretty appalling things as well. Mostly going across pedestrians crossing with the lights against them. Frigging dangerous.
I have had issues with some pedestrians on the combined cycle/walkway taking up the whole of the path in both directions going one way despite the clearly marked lanes…
I got a broken bone in my hand out of that one – too old to be doing emergency stops when I come round a corner and find the path completely blocked by pedestrians 5-abreast.
Scares the hell out of me. These days I slow down before corners and try to contain my temper with gaggles of young 'adults' trying to kill themselves.
In my general accumulation of safety equipment, I've ordered a programmable battery powered horn so I can give a good raspberry (or whatever else I want to plug in) as the 'horn' sound. I was thinking about programming the noise of a old diesel land rover and programming it to turn on loudly just before known blind corners..
I'll be heading out more on to the road – I wonder what volume I can get off it. See if I can penetrate the thickness between me and car drivers…
Pedestrians like that piss me off, too, but I've never thought something like "holy fuck I would have been flying if that prick had been two inches to the left, I swear his caot brushed the hairs on the back of my hand" about pedestrians.
Look at the Mess he has got Auckland into! I think we are all hoping he doesn't go over the edge in St Helliers. There are enough dead fish there already.
He has been hopping in and out of gentlemens pockets for years. And knows nothing of real life. He goes under the famous Blanket of ZB. It's time they washed and rinsed that smelly Blanket out.
You do realise a lot of people don't live a 10 minute bike ride from their work and have to live fricken miles away to afford a place and there are no trains or buses?
Oh yeah. That is what I mean about conservatives being short sighted. I brought here deliberately because of the transport screwup I saw coming.
Back in late 1997 I looked at how National and their proxy C&R had been running Auckland into the ground. I figured that they would retain control for some time in Auckland doing the same stupid things. Encouraging inwards migration, not putting in parking or roads, selling off critical assets, not fixing the public transport or water or sewerage and generally being short-sighted conservatives – whoc couldn't be trusted to not screw things up in the long term.
So I brought a inner city apartment right next to the end of all of the motorways, near the hub of what public transport remained operating, and close to the largest concentration of work in NZ in my chosen field.
I was right on.
The only thing that was irritating was the leaky building crap and the changes to the legislation requiring cavity wall when repairs were made to a monolithic wall. I also made sure that where I brought was properly inspected by the council – so the C&R arseholes would up paying for the repairs despite their stupid inspector privatisation.
I'd have also preferred to have a bit more area. But I couldn't find an apartment at the time with a larger floor area and a high ceiling.
But when the traffic got to be a pain, I shifted to public transport for a while. Then I stopped taking jobs that were more than a 10 minute commute. I could do it because of forethought.
Conservatives suck at forward thinking… Hosking is just a prime example.
What were the estimates for the usage of cycling lanes prior to them being built?
And what is the usage now? You appear to know the numbers. Why not provide the people who don't remember ever having seen them? Not everyone reads the Herald you know, and I presume they were published there. Then we could have someone who follows the approach recommended in this post.
"Umm I remember that (and again it’d be very helpful if our fool could put in links)."
Will dig them out when I have time – maybe after I fix search.
However they were written up at Greater Auckland blog when Hosking went inane. Look there I’d you want them sooner. They specialise in that type of data.
I don’t think that I have ever seen them the herald. They aren’t very good on detail (or links) and perhaps you should request Hosking should do that… After all he is paid for it I am not.
"Oh yeah. That is what I mean about conservatives being short sighted. I brought here deliberately because of the transport screwup I saw coming.
Back in late 1997 I looked at how National and their proxy C&R had been running Auckland into the ground. I figured that they would retain control for some time in Auckland doing the same stupid things. Encouraging inwards migration, not putting in parking or roads, selling off critical assets, not fixing the public transport or water or sewerage and generally being short-sighted conservatives – whoc couldn't be trusted to not screw things up in the long term.
So I brought a inner city apartment right next to the end of all of the motorways, near the hub of what public transport remained operating, and close to the largest concentration of work in NZ in my chosen field."
Sorry LP – but "Auckland" is no-longer just "CBD" (did you miss the Dame Bazley dissonance ?)
Just what is your "work" ? – if "the largest concentration of work in NZ in my chosen field." – is at the end of all the motorways ?
The majority of Aucklanders do not live or work in the CBD – have no need to commute to the CBD – and from what I can see, significant CBD employers are contracting headcount. (Skycity excluded)
Auckland CBD is a minion in the future of AUCKLAND.
You appear to have not read the comment carefully without introducing your biases
The highest concentration in the country of programming jobs of the type I prefer (essentially ones who build software doe export) are within 5km of where I live.
All of the transport routes for Auckland isthmus converge here.
Also relevant in 1997 was that this was one of the few places in the country you could get good comms.
It was a case of live in near the transport or work offshore. I chose here in the city fringe (why would I live in the CBD? It has always sucked in there for any kind of transport).
And I anticipated that the short sighted dumbarse conservatives couldn't run Auckland properly…
From where I live I could get to Albany, and Manakau and much of the west within 20 minutes by car in 1998. All that has happened since then was that my limits have contracted because the traffic got worse. Now on average at rush hours it takes 30 minutes to get to Penrose or over the bridge. But I still have the highest choice of employers within 20 minutes. Now with bike lanes, 20 minutes gets me most of the way to the parts of west Auckland nowhere south or north (no bike lanes). But most places in the city fringe and every where in the CBD. I also get excellent comms.
Still max choices for a programmer.
Your comment is just nuts… Try reading mine for a change.
Yes – I do read and respect your ascriptions – you are rarely infallible in reason. I just wish to emphasise the trend of irrelevance of location in contemporary commerce.
Getting somewhere quickly is a virtue of diminishing value – hospitals and good curries excluded.
I used to think that as well – 20 years ago. I'm glad now that I was cautious about moving to Glenorchy and coding from there (the lack of decent comms was finally the deciding factor).
20 years ago I was programming education simulations running on US servers targeted mostly at US customers. So I started working from home and running a team of programmers remotely. Worked well. Still does – my partner is slowly building a business that does a lot of content and QA based on the same thing. She works with people scattered everywhere – quite a few in New York for some reason.
I still do those. I just got off a wee R&D project where I was working with a team that was mostly in Austin Texas, others in aussie, and a couple of us in Auckland. Daily standups via webex. That was mostly code for androids and providing sources for generic data analytics.
But these days I work mostly by writing code for specialised vertical market bespoke hardware – it is more fun. That means I need to be at or very close to mechanical, electronics, system, firmware, testing and god knows what other kind of engineers all the time when I'm on those projects.
I need to have someone who can actually measure the voltage on a line. Someone who can find and fix a crimped rs485 line. Someone who can test the actual power on a power amp. Looks that the frequencies actually being transmitted. Or solder a wire into a PCB to get around a flaw in a prototype board.
Similarly I need to be around those bods because they need to get me to look at what they're seeing. They need me to immediately fix the blocker that they just showed me. It is a VERY collaborative process.
Sure I could probably do the project managers and project engineers and other programmers remotely. But it is a hell of a lot faster when we get a few relevant people in a room together. The easiest way to do that is to have them in the same location. Similarly the suppliers of prototype gear. Sure we can do a lot from overseas with PCBs etc. But hell – we test production, assembly and QA processes here before shipping them elsewhere. We have what is essentially a prototype manufacturing plant to do it.
I write export code. Most of which is about making sure that it works, and increasingly that is causing R&D and bespoke concentrations rather than dispersal. This isn't hard to see – it is why you're seeing the bigger cities getting even bigger.
This is the 3rd of of 5 firms of this kind that I have done the last decade and a bit. It isn’t hard to find work of this export kind in Auckland. But I’ve lived in Hamilton, Dunedin, Wellington in NZ, and it wasn’t and still isn’t possible in any of those. You can find a couple of firms, but that is it. A paucity of opportunity. There are more in ChCh, but half of the people I know of there are actually working for Auckland firms (including my line boss). They move there for the housing prices and spend a lot of time in Auckland hotels.
So for many things you can do everything from anywhere. But not everything, and especially not over decades, and also the really high value things that I like to work on.
Yep – a few Albany / East Tamaki / Constellation initiatives fit your brief in AUCKLAND. RS485 hardwired issues are often mitigated in the field by ZigBee adoption – those old differential gambits have no place in delivering to a contemporary GPIO dependent environment – too much sporadic E out there.
Which R&D concentrations are specifically in Auckland ?
It would be weird to restrict your residential locale apropos the odd escalated issue – but it is fair to seek reason. I live outside the CBD fringe – but coastal, the echo of surf resonates.
I have now realised that CBD proximity is not critical – so much is Rosedale and Rosebank.
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.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..Setting the stageQuestion: How does one make money, when something stands in the way?Answer: Get rid of that thing. Or at least dilute it.Present Day, Aotearoa New ZealandIn his Beehive media statement, Seymour recently ...
It’s another Friday and it has been a big week in Auckland. We hope everyone’s excited to be in the final stretch of the year! Here’s some of the stories that have caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely ...
It must be your skin, I'm sinkin' inIt must be for real, 'cause now I can feelAnd I didn't mind, it's not my kindIt's not my time to wonder whySongwriter: Gavin Rossdale.As the year winds up, I’m feeling a bit mentally drained, so today’s newsletter is one of reminiscing. Today, ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with: on Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay saying New Zealand would not buy emissions credits overseas, effectively admitting we’ll renege on our Paris commitments. (RNZ) ...
The Government has promised 17 Roads of National Significance, but the brutal truth is that it cannot afford them. So Transport Minister Simeon Brown yesterday announced that from now on, tolls and other user charges will be the way New Zealand pays for new roading infrastructure. Tolls are likely ...
Video above. These videos are also designed for those not versed in the detailed subject matter so excuse any repeats of Health NZ facts you are aware of from reading Mountain Tui for too long!Recently, I read a Substack article which, on my brief skim, lamented the rise of critiquing ...
Open access notablesGlobal emergence of regional heatwave hotspots outpaces climate model simulations, Kornhuber et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences:Multiple recent record-shattering weather events raise questions about the adequacy of climate models to effectively predict and prepare for unprecedented climate impacts on human life, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Here, we ...
.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..As I wrote on 3 December:“One bad poll for a government can be dismissed as “rogue”. Two? That’s damaging.”Three bad polls? That is when Red Alert lights start flashing; klaxons start to blare; and ...
Photo by Kyaw Tun on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and ...
Let's say I want to run a marathon, but I’m not keen on all that running.At the registration desk I say, I want to start at the last kilometre. What's the fee for that?They tell me,We don't offer that option. You have to do the whole race.I reply,Yeah but I ...
The Government’s rewrite of the Marsden Fund’s investment plan and terms of reference demonstrates a complete lack of understanding and risks undermining the breadth of research that is essential for the wellbeing and prosperity of New Zealanders, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting President Rachel Mackintosh. “Humanities and social science ...
The Government has announced further changes to the personal grievance regime that will make it even tougher for workers, and changes to the Marsden Fund investment plan to stop funding for humanities and social sciences research. Workers at Kinleith mill are worried that they will lose even more jobs. A ...
This article by Lela Nargi originally appeared in Knowable Magazine, a nonprofit publication dedicated to making scientific knowledge accessible to all. Sign up for Knowable Magazine’s newsletter. Ralph Loya was pretty sure he was going to lose the corn. His farm had been scorched by El Paso’s hottest-ever June and ...
The humanities and social sciences panels of The Marsden fund will be disbanded and no longer supported, because “real impact on our economy will come from areas such as physics, chemistry, maths, engineering and biomedical sciences,” said Judith Collins. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMorena. Long stories short in Aotearoa’s ...
Come with me, and you'll beIn a world of pure imaginationReach out, touch what was onceJust in your imaginationDon't be shy, it's alrightIf you feel a little trepidationSometimes, these things don't needExplanationSongwriters: Anthony Newley / Leslie Bricusse.If you don’t ask, you don’t get... Dream big, or go home… Ask for ...
This post is essentially an update on a very similar one I wrote seven years ago. Hamilton: City of the Future, the intervening years have confirmed those speculations. The case for good passenger rail service between our biggest city and its fast growing neighbour remains compelling. Below I offer a ...
The warnings from the Treasury about the state of the country’s finances are starting to appear on a regular basis. So far, they have been delivered by Treasury’s Chief Economic Advisor Dominick Stephens, and yesterday, he faced the Finance and Expenditure Committee to answer questions on Treasury’s long-term thinking about ...
For much of 2024, centre stage has been taken by (a) the government’s relentless attacks on all forms of Māori empowerment and (b) by the wholesale embrace of mid-1980s style austerity policies, which even the most conservative economies in Europe abandoned a decade ago. Easy to miss that the government ...
2014, directed by Tim Burton I didn’t expect to be watching a Harvey Weinstein movie today. How it happened was, I had a few hours to kill before my regular afternoon streamer came on, so I was browsing Netflix looking for something I hadn’t already seen that didn’t look terrible, ...
Subjection!Poor, unloved, disparaged, AT. What a thing to happen.In the Game of Thrones version, smirking Little Lord Simeon orders them to disrobe and commands them to parade along K Road, across the rainbow crossings, down Queen Street to Britomart while being pelted with trash, rotten produce and Big Mac boxes.Here ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting President Rachel Mackintosh is saying that the Government’s proposal to further weight the scales in favour of employers in personal grievance cases will make workplace culture worse and harm efforts to create a fair playing field for workers. “Making the personal grievance regime even tougher ...
The final ETS auction of the year was held today, resulting in a partial clearance: 4 million of the available 11.1 million units were sold, at the minimum price of $64/ton. Once you add in March's partial sale, the government managed to sell just over 7 million tons all year ...
In the cradle of the civilised disobedience derivedFrom a forlorn weeping widow crying tearsthat don’t see eye to eyeKeep the well fullA thirst forgotten A misery made for twoThat’ll use you then throw you awayThat’ll use you then throw you awayThat’ll use you then throw you awaySong: Nowhere.Today, I’m feeling ...
The CTU Rūnanga is asking affiliates to support postal workers and get out and make submissions against contracting out postal delivery, to stop job cuts and ensure fair pay and conditions for postal workers. The Postal Workers Union is fighting NZ Post’s plans to replace postal workers with contracted couriers. ...
Health Minister Shane Reti has even more cuts in his sights. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMorena. Long stories short on Wednesday, December 4, with more detail and analysis in the podcast above:Health Minister Shane Reti says spending cuts will continue for an extra year into 2027 because of a ...
Auckland Transport has long been a easy punching bag for the public, politicians and media, sometimes deservedly so, other times not. That could all be about to change following an announcement yesterday by the Browns – Wayne and Simeon. Greater Auckland is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew ...
The latest polls are in.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. And who could have guessed that a government that destroys the economy (‘economic vandalism on steroids’), tears up our public health system (‘National is BAD for health’), de-stabilises Crown-Māori relations (‘largest protest in modern history’), eviscerates environmental progress and protections ...
As Kermit the frog said, it isn’t easy being green. A Select Committee yesterday heard how difficult it was for the country’s electricity grid operator, Transpower, to prepare for the electrification of New Zealand that will be required if we are to meet net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Their ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.One bad poll for a government can be dismissed as “rogue”. Two? That’s damaging.A recent Talbot Mills done for the Labour Party - released on 1 December - had startling results that would’ve raised ...
Some millions of years ago, our ancestors learned the trick of standing upright. This made it much easier to reach the bottles on the top shelf and surely aided our progress towards splitting the atom.It also made us more vulnerable. Giving birth became more perilous. Our infants - needing to ...
The last time residents of Waimate received a nitrate warning was only two years ago. In 2022, the Glenavy township in South Canterbury were unable to drink their own water for over four months due to it containing nitrate levels high enough to kill an infant. This restriction was lifted ...
Labour held its party conference over the weekend, and Chris Hipkins gave a speech promising to make the current coalition a one term government. Along the way he made some policy promises: restoring free prescriptions, resuming the Smokefree Aotearoa policy, restarting the build of Dunedin hospital, restoring state housing investment, ...
Hi,I wanted to share something that’s been on my mind a bit lately, and I’m not quite sure how to say it besides expressing this idea that on some days I feel like throwing myself into the sea.I am saying this metaphorically — don’t worry — but it’s just this ...
Good morning, here’s a quick wrap up of 10 developments:1. HEALTH: AUSTERITY BUDGETFront-line hospital workers told jobs could soon be gone(RNZ / Lauren Crimp)The government is set to fire non-clinical front line roles in Auckland as part of its cost saving measures. This includes teams who support clinical logistics, ...
Today NZNO healthcare workers are striking for safe staffing and fair pay. More job losses are on the line at NZDF due to budget deficits. In political news, Chris Hipkins is trying to build some momentum following the Labour Party conference.Union coverage NZNO: 36,000 Health NZ nurses to ...
With your feet in the air and your head on the groundTry this trick and spin it, yeah (Yeah)Your head will collapse, and there's nothing in itAnd you'll ask yourselfWhere is my mind?Where is my mind?Where is my mind?Songwriter: Black FrancisClear craniums are the order of the day. Not to ...
After around 10 years of delays and frustration, Auckland Transport are finally going to make Gt North Rd greater. In an update sent out yesterday, they said: We are pleased to advise that we have appointed JFC Ltd to deliver the work and they’ll be starting work early January. The ...
The way through our $100 billion-plus infrastructure deficit will not be eased by Chris Bishop’s approach. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Chris Bishopunveiled his major infrastructure funding and financing plan yesterday that made clear borrowing with public debt to build infrastructure would be a last resort, with private ...
According to Social Development Minister Louise Upton her latest crackdown on the unemployed is just “common sense.” Oh, really. Upston is threatening to reduce or cancel the income of an increasing number of people already living on the breadline – unless they spend more of their scarce money on the ...
It has been remarked that the only truly original invention in The Hobbit is the hobbit himself. Tolkien stole his dwarves from the Poetic Edda (albeit, he redefined the spelling of the plural). The trolls and the manner of their death are also borrowed from Norse tradition. Gandalf is rooted ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). We're choking our planet with pollution - whether that's greenhouse gases or plastics. But these two crises are deeply connected - ...
Kia ora kotou, and I hope everyone is having a good start to their week. Usually I try to be a bit more themed and connected and essay-like in what I write, but it’s been too long since I got anything out at all and the topics I keep meaning ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
The Green Party has welcomed the OECD urging the Government to re-examine separating ‘gentailers’ to make a fairer electricity market for New Zealanders. ...
Today’s Government announcement to limit farm forestry conversions tinkers around the edges, instead of focusing on the real problem and stopping pollution at the source. ...
The Government’s new initiative to get people off the benefit won’t address the core drivers of poverty such as low incomes, lack of access to adequate housing and lack of employment opportunities. ...
Labour is urging ACC to divest from companies identified by the United Nations as complicit in the building and maintenance of Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. ...
This week was the start of the bank inquiry hearings into banking competition. The inquiry was confirmed in the NZ First/National Coalition agreement. 140 submissions were received on the inquiry, and we will hear from over 60 submitters including all the major banks. ANZ, New Zealand's largest bank, was first ...
Entering politics is a privilege afforded to very few and, as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Being an MP is a call to service. Whatever your politics you have a duty to show up. Whatever your party's policy, you have made a promise to those who ...
Throughout New Zealand it is difficult to think of a sports club, charity, church group, festival, foundation, or service organisation that does not owe its existence, effectiveness, or success to the contribution of older New Zealanders. October 1st is International Day of Older Persons so please take a moment to consider ...
Today New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill that will restore democratic control over transport management in Auckland City by disestablishing Auckland Transport (AT) and returning control to Auckland Council. The ‘Local Government (Auckland Council) (Disestablishment of Auckland Transport) Amendment Bill’ intends to restore democratic oversight, control, and accountability ...
There is one topic that is the great human leveller, and that is of death and dying. One day, we will all have to face it, and I am of the belief that being able to pass away with grace and dignity is a vital, basic, human right. How we ...
Spring is here which means the start of the A&P show season. Those treasured community days where town meets country. There's no rural-urban divide here, just a chance to meet up with family and old friends and celebrate all things that make rural New Zealand so special. I'm embarking on ...
Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, is calling Luxon’s leadership a joke after it was revealed this morning on Q+A that ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill was not a bottom line. "New Zealand officially has a laughing-stock Prime Minister whose leadership folded as he trades away the rights of tangata whenua ...
In an interview with Q&A this morning, the Prime Minister refused to say whether he would commit to meeting the Paris Agreement, the international climate agreement which commits all countries to act locally to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. ...
The Government’s latest change to the Employment Relations Act has no justification apart from making it easier to sack employees without having to follow due process. ...
Today the Court of Appeal has found the Serious Fraud Office has been acting indiscriminately and unlawfully throughout an eight year long investigation.The SFO has shown their incompetence and arrogance and shown to be abusing their authority to conduct its own overreaching and unlawful fishing expeditions. The Court of Appeal said the SFO has relied on its misuse of compulsory interview ...
The Green Party says the report from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 Response underlines the need for proper investment in our health system so we are prepared for future pandemics. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki is demanding that the Police Minister immediately remove the heavy Police presence in the Matapihi community, as hundreds of officers saturate the Western Bay of Plenty area. “Minister Mitchell must intervene immediately and order the removal of the armed Police presence in ...
Early childhood education needs to be treated as a public good, say Labour, the Green Party, and Te Pāti Māori in their newly released report of findings from public hearings they held into the Government’s ECE Regulatory Review. ...
Te Pāti Māori is calling the Government’s first year a catastrophe for Māori, following a year of policies that have done nothing but marginalise tangata-whenua. Today marks one year since the coalition was sworn into power. “This year has been an absolute catastrophe for Māori. This Government has fast-tracked us back ...
The Government’s decision to push for significant fare increases on buses and trains over the next few years is a huge blow to communities across the country. ...
The Government’s directive to councils to increase bus and train fares substantially over the next few years is a bitter pill to swallow for communities across the country. ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop’s speech to Community Housing Providers today should have been titled ‘we want you to build houses, but we refuse to spend money so you’re on your own’. ...
Support staff across Aotearoa have been dealt yet another devastating blow with the release of the latest collective agreement offer from the Government. ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to cut red tape and increase the value of exports by making it easier for exporters to deliver safe New Zealand food to more markets, says Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard. “Food exports are the bedrock of our economy, so when industry asked ...
The Government welcomes a new report which confirms the way Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) is taught in schools isn’t fit for purpose, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “In a world that’s rapidly changing, young people deserve every opportunity to be equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announced that applications will open today for the $5 million Mental Health Promotion Fund for organisations to run campaigns that promote mental wellbeing while at the Digital Mental Health Summit. “Strengthening the focus on prevention and early intervention is one of my key priorities. Our ...
A first-of-its-kind report launched today lays the groundwork for growing the visibility of New Zealand’s ethnic communities through data, Ethnic Communities Minister Melissa Lee says. “Too often and for too long, ethnic communities have largely been invisible in public sector data. As a result, their voices have not always been ...
Changes to collective bargaining will help rebalance the rights and consequences of industrial action, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says. A bill to allow for pay deductions in response to partial strikes will be introduced today. “Partial strikes are industrial actions that normally involve turning up to ...
The Government is issuing strategic leasing guidance to agencies to ensure more efficient use of taxpayer dollars where the private sector is better placed to own and maintain infrastructure, Infrastructure Under-Secretary Simon Court says. “On a basic level, strategic leasing is like any other government leasing arrangement, where the government ...
The Government is pushing ahead with moves to increase banking competition by boosting Kiwibank and taking steps to ensure the Reserve Bank places greater importance on competition in the sector, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “The change will enable the New Zealand-owned bank to more vigorously compete against the ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has launched a new public health campaign to prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorder by promoting alcohol-free pregnancies. FASD is the leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disorders in New Zealand, causing lifelong physical, behavioural, learning and mental health problems. “The impact of FASD in ...
Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy has been appointed as the new chair of the Climate Change Commission, the independent Crown entity that provides the Government advice, monitoring and reporting to support New Zealand’s transition to a climate-resilient, low emissions future, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “I’m pleased that Dame ...
The Government is proposing commonsense changes to reduce the upfront cost of building, while maintaining robust energy efficiency standards, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “We know from a social investment point of view that Kiwis do much better when they have access to affordable, insulated, secure housing. “However, ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has announced the introduction of legislation to amend the Racing Industry Act 2020 which will extend TAB NZ’s current land-based monopoly for sports and racing betting to online. The Racing Industry Act established TAB NZ for the purposes of funding the racing industry. It provides ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has today announced two new appointments to the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority (EECA) Board.John Carnegie and Vijay Goel have both been appointed as members for three-year terms which will begin on 6 January 2025 and end on 5 January 2028.“As Minister for Energy, my goal ...
1. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rt Hon Winston Peters MP and Minister of Defence Hon Judith Collins KC MP hosted Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence the Hon Richard Marles MP and Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator the Hon Penny Wong on 6 December in ...
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says good progress is being made in the response to the detection of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, but there is more work to do. “Rigorous testing and monitoring continue to show no confirmed signs of the disease in chicken farms outside of Mainland ...
Up to $3 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund has been allocated for pre-construction development of the Tukituki Water Security Project in Hawke’s Bay, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. The grant for the project, which is being co-funded by the Tukituki Water Security Project, is limited to work to ...
A two-year temporary closure banning the take of pāua from Waimārama south of Hastings will support efforts by local iwi to rebuild pāua stocks, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The closure includes Waimārama Beach and Ocean Beach, two beaches popular with holidaymakers and recreational fishers. Ngāi Hapū o ...
Four new appointments have been made to the New Zealand Post Ltd (NZ Post) board, Acting State-Owned Enterprises Minister Chris Bishop says. “NZ Post is one of New Zealand’s largest State-owned enterprises with revenue of around $1.2 billion and total assets of around $1.5 billion. It is the designated universal ...
Ministers responsible for Climate Change, Forestry, Conservation and Land Information today announced that Cabinet has agreed to explore public-private partnerships to plant trees on Crown land, supporting New Zealand’s climate change targets and creating more jobs. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says that nature-based solutions is a key part to ...
New international data validates the Government’s plan to transform maths education in New Zealand, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the longest-running, large-scale international assessment of mathematics and science and takes place every four years. While 2023 results show an improved ...
The Government is partnering with Hawke’s Bay farmers and the Regional Council to improve farm productivity and build resilience against adverse weather events, Minister of Agriculture Todd McClay announced today at a ceremony in Hawke’s Bay. “The Government is co-investing $995,000 to grow the Land for Life (LFL) pilot programme ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed his visit to New Caledonia, New Zealand’s closest neighbour. “Over the last few days, we have listened to and learned from a wide range of people in New Caledonia - so that we can better understand the acute challenges it faces,” Mr Peters says. ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that Christchurch North College, The BUSY School, Te Rito, Te Kura Taiao, Ecole Francaise Internationale Auckland and North West Creative Arts College will open in term one 2025 as charter schools. “This announcement is another significant step in the Government’s efforts to ...
Dame Jo Brosnahan DNZM QSO has been appointed chair of the Heritage New Zealand Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Dame Jo has extensive governance and business experience which has been recognised in various Honours, notably in 2023 when she was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order ...
Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey has welcomed the data released today about the hospitality and tourism workforce. “Two of my key priorities include supporting the people who make up the tourism and hospitality workforce and growing the value of international tourism. In order to grow New Zealand’s international tourism ...
Wellington commuters will benefit from a $137.2 million funding boost that will deliver long overdue upgrades to substations on the city’s metro rail network and improve the reliability of services, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Our Government is committed to delivering infrastructure that reduces congestion, boosts productivity to support economic growth, ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says Lotto NZ has granted $434 million to the community in the past financial year, an increase of 15 percent from the previous year. “It’s fantastic to see an increase in funding going to important community projects, providing opportunities for New Zealanders to ...
The Government has launched an ambitious review of New Zealand’s competition rules to combat monopolies and improve economic productivity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Improving competition is one of the most important ways to boost productivity and lift living standards,” Mr Bayly says. “When competition is working ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins will host the second Australia and New Zealand Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ANZMIN) in Auckland tomorrow. “The ANZMIN is an important trans-Tasman forum for strengthening our alliance relationship and developing shared approaches to foreign policy, security, and ...
The Government has approved funding to increase staffing at Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre, ensuring a critical boost in its search and rescue operations, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say.“Our Government is delivering an annual funding boost to New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre to ...
The Government will carefully consider the findings of the independent review on New Zealand’s biogenic methane science and targets, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts, and Associate Ministers of Agriculture Andrew Hoggard, and Mark Patterson have announced today. The panel of highly regarded, New Zealand ...
The Government has agreed to fund new courthouses for both Whanganui and Papakura to help improve access to justice and court timeliness, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Minister Nicole McKee say. “In both cases the current buildings are not fit for purpose and need to be replaced. Staying put ...
The New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) auction today has resulted in a partial clearance, showing work to restore credibility in the market is working, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Today’s auction result shows the market is moving in the right direction to restore credibility in the NZ ...
Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins today announced an updated plan for the Catalyst Fund to be laser focused on clear outcomes and priority research areas. “We are taking a more strategic approach to science funding across the board, as we seek to deliver greater economic impact for ...
Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins today announced the Government has updated the Marsden Fund to focus on core scientific research that helps lift our economic growth and contributes to science with a purpose. “The Government has been clear in its mandate to rebuild our economy. We are ...
Removing rewards for poor employee behaviour Good afternoon everyone, and thank you Malcolm for that lovely introduction. It’s wonderful to be here today at MJH Engineering. Thank you to the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce and MJH Engineering for inviting me to speak and share some exciting announcements with you ...
The Government has released its Māori Education Action Plan which sets out its approach to deliver better outcomes in the classroom for Māori students, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “25 per cent of learners within our schooling system are Māori. While many achieve excellent results, on average Māori experience worse ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says it is important employees are not rewarded in the personal grievance system for poor behaviour or performance and is introducing changes to personal grievances to strengthen employee accountability. “Simplifying personal grievances is a policy ACT campaigned on, in particular, removing the ...
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts have today announced clear rules to limit farm to forestry conversions entering the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). “These changes deliver on a key election commitment to protect food production for farmers while providing ETS certainty for foresters,” Mr ...
New rules will be introduced that require fuel companies to hold at least 10 days of jet fuel near the country’s busiest airport to provide resilience against supply disruptions, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says. “For more than seven years fuel companies have held jet fuel supplies at lower than ...
New Zealand’s international education sector is rebounding strongly, up 24 per cent year-on-year and 6 per cent above 2023 totals, Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds says. “With 73,535 enrolments between January to August 2024, more enrolments have been achieved in just two terms this year than we saw ...
RNZ Pacific Parliamentarians in Tonga will meet on Christmas Eve to select the kingdom’s new prime minister, Speaker of the House Lord Fakafanua has confirmed. He told RNZ Pacific that Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni’s resignation on Monday ahead of a second motion of no confidence was unprecedented. However, he said the ...
Last week, the CEO of United Healthcare was shot and killed in New York. Today, we assess the suspect’s reading habits. Disclaimer: There is a slight possibility that someone with the same name and same face also has a Goodreads account and an interest in environmentalism and the healthcare industry. ...
Alex Casey talks to the owners of some of the country’s smallest cinemas about how they’re surviving – and even thriving – in 2024. To sit in the foyer of Ethel’s Cinema in Akaroa is to feel smack bang in the epicentre of the 600-strong Banks Peninsula community. The coffee ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rajeev Pillay, Postdoctoral Fellow in Ecology, University of Northern British Columbia We are now in the middle of the sixth mass extinction, caused by our emergence as a planet-shaping force. Species are going extinct far faster than the average natural rate of ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 21-year-old explains why she’s always on the hunt for a bargain. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female. Age: 21. Ethnicity: NZ European. Role: Second-year baking ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caroline Gurvich, Associate Professor and Clinical Neuropsychologist, Monash University Felicity Tai/Pexels By 2050, around 135 million people worldwide will be living with dementia. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Women are more likely than men to develop Alzheimer’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Senior Lecturer, Animal Behaviour, Flinders University On Granite Island off South Australia, a colony of little penguins is fighting to survive. About two decades ago, the penguins numbered 1,600 adults – now there are just 30. It is important ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robin Smit, Adjunct Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney Road transport is responsible for a substantial share of global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. So reducing these emissions is a high priority. In the European Union (EU), CO₂ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Coates, Program Director, Economic Policy, Grattan Institute Iryna Inshyna/Shutterstock How much do you need to save for a comfortable retirement? It’s a big question, and you’ll often hear dire warnings you don’t have enough. But for most Australians, it’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wendy Hargreaves, Senior Learning Advisor, University of Southern Queensland Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock Christmas is the season to be jolly, but it’s wrapped in some cheerless trials. There’s car park mania, pre-dawn pilgrimages to purchase seafood, and the ever-perplexing question, “What should I buy ...
The ‘ Explosive Truths’ report commissioned by Greenpeace delves into the history of LNG accidents, highlighting a lack of transparency, underestimated risks to human safety, and failing safety protocols. ...
An abrupt introduction set the tone as RNZ's Kim Hill sat down for a long chat with the former British Prime Minister, to ask if he's trying to "salvage" his career. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Ogden, Associate Professor in Global Studies, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Downtown Mumbai.Getty Images Anyone who has followed New Zealand’s protracted trade negotiations with India will know any new announcement of progress needs to be taken with a grain ...
Te Pāti Māori hits a high, but not at the expense of Act, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Police have started recording the number of young people ordered into custody, but the Police Association says "any number" of nights in custody is "too high". ...
Shanti Mathias visits a volunteer-run milk bank, where donated breast milk is processed and distributed to newborns in need. The milk is in bottles with light blue tops, neatly labelled, the three fridges humming steadily to keep the liquid cool. But a closer look at the milk shows not the ...
The last buttons will be counted out on Dominion Road at the end of January. At the large wooden counter towards the back of the store, Derrol Lamb measured two meters of cream poly cotton from a roll of fabric. Once out, he deftly ran big silver scissors along the ...
Comment: The media industry ends 2024 in real financial and strategic trouble. As jobs go and products and shows die, some in the media hope for salvation that will very likely never come, from a form of compulsory shakedown of the global social media and search platforms, Facebook and Google.As ...
When the world’s largest investor bought out SolarZero, and other global financiers came on board alongside a government green bank to help it grow, its future seemed secure.But two weeks ago, the New Zealand start-up was put into liquidation by its directors and staff were given the shock news to ...
Dame Anne Salmond agrees with the NZ Initiative on one aspect of cuts to universities’ research funding – and why it could accelerate the brain drain The post Anne Salmond: Research cuts an own goal appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Isn't Hosking the one who wants all public transport canned? So everyone can enjoy the pleasure of driving themselves to work and observing all the others 'driving' to work? And parking, um, where?
I must get a bell on my bike to warn pedestrians on shared footpaths.
In London some footpaths are dual use and they work OK but dedicated bike lanes are better. Some Underground Stations have huge bike stands outside the door. So go the support for a NZ massive trend towards biking. And with a flash helmet like that even Mike could not deny seeing you as he tries to accidentally run you down.
Compulsory Ferraris I say. Lacking the 'excellence' and 'personal responsibility' to afford one? Then die in a ditch loser! Roads are for winners (like Mike).
And another great way of unclogging the roads would be if everyone worked less. Didn't some guy back in the '70's say we would all be working 10-hour weeks by now due to technology? Clearly Toffler was extraordinarily naive about the nature of capitalism – or believed that technology somehow transcended the economic system within which it was deployed.
I had to go to Ponsonby after work yesterday afternoon rather than straight home to Mt Eden, so I jumped on an InnerLink in Queens St and got caught in the almighty traffic shit-fight in Nelson/Victoria Streets. While I was sitting on the bus (like forever) watching the cyclists flying along the Nelson Street cycle way and wondering what the hell was going on it crossed my mind that of course my normal commute home i.e. train from Britomart to Kingsland station would have been completely immune to the chaos on the roads.
Hosking is the most selfish, self centred and ill-tempered "journo" in the country. I haven't read any of his contributions for years but feedback suggests he's worse than ever.
Look at his most recent tantrum over the demise of plastic bags. He doesn't give a damm about the awful consequences. All he's interested in is his own personal inconvenience. The rest of us get on with finding alternatives but no… he's too precious. He has to bellow his annoyance to all and sundry. In short, he's a narcissist.
What's the bet he complained that he should be behind the pay wall too cos he's NZ's premium current affairs expert.
Yet Hosking gets listened to muchly. What does that say about a large number of NZs who must find him agreeable in his constant bad-tempered argument. I think people who listen to him need to think for themselves, they might find they can become problem solvers instead of joining his followers who are all constipated, curmudgeonly cyclops.
TalkBack radio outlets like ZB and radio live are based on opinionators agitating and pitching memes. Their advertisers don't want the independent thinkers.
Heard a piece in a cab from the mediawanks stable that would've had them seeing the authorities if broadcast in Oz.
Wilfully inaccurate to manufacture consent with hand picked callers aligned. Immigration dogwhistling.
Hosking is an "Opinionist" rather than a Journalist. I don't know if he has any qualifications in anything other than kissing up to the NACTs.
Hosking has clearly forgotten that the undisputed champion of cycle ways was his hero-John Key.
Dedicated cycleways are OK but in Christchurch they all have curbs so people with mobility issues are effectively shut out of every area that has a cycle path. People with walkers have to use the precious energy walking out of their way to find a gap as do people in wheelchairs. To be honest the town planners have not taken into account the ageing population and the fact that in 10 years time the cycle ways should have been constructed to accommodate mobility scooters and wheelchairs as there will be more people using these than bikes.
Ye Lucy so true. Nelson has a big number of retirees but their needs are overlooked in the rush to get modern, and help non-car users. We need to make it easier to get public transport, and have a toll system that starts to lessen car use for a start. And shared pathways need to have median fences. It has taken ages and tons of crashes for authorities to finally stop blaming individuals for not driving perfectly, and usually once they are up the crashes go way down.
That the authorities are allowed to introduce fast moving mechanical devices on footpaths, in a city with many old people and where Green Prescriptions advise people to walk more for good health and a relief from stress. The ability to do so has at the same time been jeopardised by thoughtless she'll-be-right planning; just a repeat of the bone-headed approach of not bothering to ensure suitable and safe lanes appropriate for users.
Ironic that Hoskin's rant today is about centralising the health system and bemoaning that different regions set their own policy.
Not that I don't think centralisation isn't necessary but it's odd to see him and Farrar champion the practise while railing against it so hard in other areas of social policy – education, for instance.
Hosking? HOLD MY F*#%IN' BEER!
LOL. I've often wondered how I'd react to him if he turned up in the audience. Possibly walk off and refuse to entertain him. Possibly bend over for the cheque…
I think the size of the check is the determinate factor. We all dance for the organ grinder, but his is a particularly pernicious piece.
Now I'm curious Bleep. What sort of audience?
Comedy. You'd be surprised who turns up at times. I've had a hiatus but back at it now.
You're joking!
Recycling is in.
New material from old material?
Absolutely. I'm gonna recycle your beard joke on furry folk in the audience (passing cloud). Bloody good line. Impromptu, yours?
Heres one for the greenies.
Speaking of #metoo. Pandas are a pack of wife beaters. That's why they're not breeding. Give them a bamboo buffet and running water, ambient music, years to figure it out. Whadda ya got? Two black eyes, no babies.
Hosking's a cock.
That having been said, where there are no cycle lanes cycling still has the issue with either being squished by heavy machinery, or squishing people who are just walking along. That's just a fact of putting thousands of people together: someone will screw up and hit someone else. The trouble with cyclists is that if one is a jerk and acts like a hazard, there's no reggo to report.
An interesting idea someone floated was to abandon "vehicle", "pedestrian" and "cycle" designations and run the same lanes as speed criteria: <10kph, 10-30kph, 30+kph. That would deal to new tech (e.g. scooters, "It") as well as keep everyone safe because speeder just flip into the next lane to avoid slower people.
Would need wider roads and pavements to get the lanes and need to put a rego on the walkers as well.. But personally I'd prefer fully separated lanes with a barrier. It is a whole lot safer for everyone.
I have had issues with some pedestrians on the combined cycle/walkway taking up the whole of the path in both directions going one way despite the clearly marked lanes, especially around the university. Apparently it makes talking to each other much easier when you are doing it 5 kids wide. But most pedestrians are pretty good about using the lanes, just as I am pretty good about how I use pedestrian pavements.
The only injury I have had so far was from my own inattention. Was crossing the off-ramp on Newton road just down the hill from home one very rainy night. Was watching for cars, and missed a runner coming down the hill. Spotted him out of the side of my eye as I started to cross from a standing start, jerked, and slid the front wheel out from under me. Belted my right knee on the road.
Nearest to a serious accident that I have had was some munter on Don McKinnon drive on the old cycle/walkway. After dusk one friday night, on a blind corner, without turning his car lights on, he'd backed almost all the way across the cycleway from his parked position to try to get on to the road. I came down the hill on the bike at about 20km watching out for walkers in the cycle lane (the usual problem) and didn't have lot of time to react to a car lunging out backwards into my path. I think that the driver was rather startled as I started to scream at him. He certainly reversed direction and went out the correct way pretty damn fast.
But it is a continual issue, especially at my age. Nothing heals particularly fast any more.
I’ve seen some cyclists doing some pretty appalling things as well. Mostly going across pedestrians crossing with the lights against them. Frigging dangerous.
I have had issues with some pedestrians on the combined cycle/walkway taking up the whole of the path in both directions going one way despite the clearly marked lanes…
I got a broken bone in my hand out of that one – too old to be doing emergency stops when I come round a corner and find the path completely blocked by pedestrians 5-abreast.
Scares the hell out of me. These days I slow down before corners and try to contain my temper with gaggles of young 'adults' trying to kill themselves.
In my general accumulation of safety equipment, I've ordered a programmable battery powered horn so I can give a good raspberry (or whatever else I want to plug in) as the 'horn' sound. I was thinking about programming the noise of a old diesel land rover and programming it to turn on loudly just before known blind corners..
I'll be heading out more on to the road – I wonder what volume I can get off it. See if I can penetrate the thickness between me and car drivers…
Pedestrians like that piss me off, too, but I've never thought something like "holy fuck I would have been flying if that prick had been two inches to the left, I swear his caot brushed the hairs on the back of my hand" about pedestrians.
Crikey – I thought Mr Hoskin was a Mr Fixit.
Look at the Mess he has got Auckland into! I think we are all hoping he doesn't go over the edge in St Helliers. There are enough dead fish there already.
He has been hopping in and out of gentlemens pockets for years. And knows nothing of real life. He goes under the famous Blanket of ZB. It's time they washed and rinsed that smelly Blanket out.
Nailed it, thankyou for calling out this muppet.
His article on marijuana legalization is almost as narrow minded and short sighted as this self centered opinion on cycleways.
Just out of interest
You do realise a lot of people don't live a 10 minute bike ride from their work and have to live fricken miles away to afford a place and there are no trains or buses?
Who's faults that?
Oh yeah. That is what I mean about conservatives being short sighted. I brought here deliberately because of the transport screwup I saw coming.
Back in late 1997 I looked at how National and their proxy C&R had been running Auckland into the ground. I figured that they would retain control for some time in Auckland doing the same stupid things. Encouraging inwards migration, not putting in parking or roads, selling off critical assets, not fixing the public transport or water or sewerage and generally being short-sighted conservatives – whoc couldn't be trusted to not screw things up in the long term.
So I brought a inner city apartment right next to the end of all of the motorways, near the hub of what public transport remained operating, and close to the largest concentration of work in NZ in my chosen field.
I was right on.
The only thing that was irritating was the leaky building crap and the changes to the legislation requiring cavity wall when repairs were made to a monolithic wall. I also made sure that where I brought was properly inspected by the council – so the C&R arseholes would up paying for the repairs despite their stupid inspector privatisation.
I'd have also preferred to have a bit more area. But I couldn't find an apartment at the time with a larger floor area and a high ceiling.
But when the traffic got to be a pain, I shifted to public transport for a while. Then I stopped taking jobs that were more than a 10 minute commute. I could do it because of forethought.
Conservatives suck at forward thinking… Hosking is just a prime example.
What were the estimates for the usage of cycling lanes prior to them being built?
And what is the usage now? You appear to know the numbers. Why not provide the people who don't remember ever having seen them? Not everyone reads the Herald you know, and I presume they were published there. Then we could have someone who follows the approach recommended in this post.
"Umm I remember that (and again it’d be very helpful if our fool could put in links)."
Will dig them out when I have time – maybe after I fix search.
However they were written up at Greater Auckland blog when Hosking went inane. Look there I’d you want them sooner. They specialise in that type of data.
I don’t think that I have ever seen them the herald. They aren’t very good on detail (or links) and perhaps you should request Hosking should do that… After all he is paid for it I am not.
Updated: a two minute search
directly on the topic
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2018/11/13/the-heralds-latest-cycling-smear/
locations for data.
https://www.bikeauckland.org.nz/resources/cycling-facts-figures/
this one is just amusing
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12159988
and so is this
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/15-11-2018/if-you-think-cycleways-are-financially-disastrous-wait-till-you-hear-about-roads/
LP – why are you so CBD centric ?
"Oh yeah. That is what I mean about conservatives being short sighted. I brought here deliberately because of the transport screwup I saw coming.
Back in late 1997 I looked at how National and their proxy C&R had been running Auckland into the ground. I figured that they would retain control for some time in Auckland doing the same stupid things. Encouraging inwards migration, not putting in parking or roads, selling off critical assets, not fixing the public transport or water or sewerage and generally being short-sighted conservatives – whoc couldn't be trusted to not screw things up in the long term.
So I brought a inner city apartment right next to the end of all of the motorways, near the hub of what public transport remained operating, and close to the largest concentration of work in NZ in my chosen field."
Sorry LP – but "Auckland" is no-longer just "CBD" (did you miss the Dame Bazley dissonance ?)
Just what is your "work" ? – if "the largest concentration of work in NZ in my chosen field." – is at the end of all the motorways ?
The majority of Aucklanders do not live or work in the CBD – have no need to commute to the CBD – and from what I can see, significant CBD employers are contracting headcount. (Skycity excluded)
Auckland CBD is a minion in the future of AUCKLAND.
You appear to have not read the comment carefully without introducing your biases
The highest concentration in the country of programming jobs of the type I prefer (essentially ones who build software doe export) are within 5km of where I live.
All of the transport routes for Auckland isthmus converge here.
Also relevant in 1997 was that this was one of the few places in the country you could get good comms.
It was a case of live in near the transport or work offshore. I chose here in the city fringe (why would I live in the CBD? It has always sucked in there for any kind of transport).
And I anticipated that the short sighted dumbarse conservatives couldn't run Auckland properly…
From where I live I could get to Albany, and Manakau and much of the west within 20 minutes by car in 1998. All that has happened since then was that my limits have contracted because the traffic got worse. Now on average at rush hours it takes 30 minutes to get to Penrose or over the bridge. But I still have the highest choice of employers within 20 minutes. Now with bike lanes, 20 minutes gets me most of the way to the parts of west Auckland nowhere south or north (no bike lanes). But most places in the city fringe and every where in the CBD. I also get excellent comms.
Still max choices for a programmer.
Your comment is just nuts… Try reading mine for a change.
Lynn
Yes – I do read and respect your ascriptions – you are rarely infallible in reason. I just wish to emphasise the trend of irrelevance of location in contemporary commerce.
Getting somewhere quickly is a virtue of diminishing value – hospitals and good curries excluded.
I used to think that as well – 20 years ago. I'm glad now that I was cautious about moving to Glenorchy and coding from there (the lack of decent comms was finally the deciding factor).
20 years ago I was programming education simulations running on US servers targeted mostly at US customers. So I started working from home and running a team of programmers remotely. Worked well. Still does – my partner is slowly building a business that does a lot of content and QA based on the same thing. She works with people scattered everywhere – quite a few in New York for some reason.
I still do those. I just got off a wee R&D project where I was working with a team that was mostly in Austin Texas, others in aussie, and a couple of us in Auckland. Daily standups via webex. That was mostly code for androids and providing sources for generic data analytics.
But these days I work mostly by writing code for specialised vertical market bespoke hardware – it is more fun. That means I need to be at or very close to mechanical, electronics, system, firmware, testing and god knows what other kind of engineers all the time when I'm on those projects.
I need to have someone who can actually measure the voltage on a line. Someone who can find and fix a crimped rs485 line. Someone who can test the actual power on a power amp. Looks that the frequencies actually being transmitted. Or solder a wire into a PCB to get around a flaw in a prototype board.
Similarly I need to be around those bods because they need to get me to look at what they're seeing. They need me to immediately fix the blocker that they just showed me. It is a VERY collaborative process.
Sure I could probably do the project managers and project engineers and other programmers remotely. But it is a hell of a lot faster when we get a few relevant people in a room together. The easiest way to do that is to have them in the same location. Similarly the suppliers of prototype gear. Sure we can do a lot from overseas with PCBs etc. But hell – we test production, assembly and QA processes here before shipping them elsewhere. We have what is essentially a prototype manufacturing plant to do it.
I write export code. Most of which is about making sure that it works, and increasingly that is causing R&D and bespoke concentrations rather than dispersal. This isn't hard to see – it is why you're seeing the bigger cities getting even bigger.
This is the 3rd of of 5 firms of this kind that I have done the last decade and a bit. It isn’t hard to find work of this export kind in Auckland. But I’ve lived in Hamilton, Dunedin, Wellington in NZ, and it wasn’t and still isn’t possible in any of those. You can find a couple of firms, but that is it. A paucity of opportunity. There are more in ChCh, but half of the people I know of there are actually working for Auckland firms (including my line boss). They move there for the housing prices and spend a lot of time in Auckland hotels.
So for many things you can do everything from anywhere. But not everything, and especially not over decades, and also the really high value things that I like to work on.
Yep – a few Albany / East Tamaki / Constellation initiatives fit your brief in AUCKLAND. RS485 hardwired issues are often mitigated in the field by ZigBee adoption – those old differential gambits have no place in delivering to a contemporary GPIO dependent environment – too much sporadic E out there.
Which R&D concentrations are specifically in Auckland ?
It would be weird to restrict your residential locale apropos the odd escalated issue – but it is fair to seek reason. I live outside the CBD fringe – but coastal, the echo of surf resonates.
I have now realised that CBD proximity is not critical – so much is Rosedale and Rosebank.
What language is that? What bubble are you from?