A new poll leaked to Stuff. The worst for the C of C since the election
A new poll, shared exclusively with Stuff, has Labour on 32% ahead of National on 31%, and Hipkins above Luxon as preferred prime minister on 22.7% compared with 22.1%. The poll, taken from November 22-28, has ACT and the Greens on 10% each, Te Pāti Māori on 7% – more than double its party vote in the 2023 general election – and NZ First on 6%.
For mine the best option is a wealth tax with restoration of the bright-line tax on existing property (or all residential investment property with a mortgage surcharge on existing investment property, excluding new builds).
But with the consideration that the wealth tax payments be seen as a down payment on any future estate tax.
Thus a wealth tax unpaid would be attached to the estate and one paid would be a down payment on any future liability on the estate.
For example 1% per annum for 15 years being about 1/2 a 30% estate tax pre paid.
The relevant point being at what level the wealth tax and estate tax is applied.
In jurisdictions with an estate tax, most do not pay any. And most wealth taxes include only the top 5-10%.
Since the report doesn't say why (no reference to any foreign investment) we can only surmise that French execs do it better than kiwis. Or perhaps the going rate for consultants on the global market favours the French (due to exchange rates)?
The back story is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Rail_Link – says the original plan was launched a century back. It has been mostly viewed with benign neglect since then by National & Labour, until a radical shift happened this century, and now capitalism is making it real. Via magical thinking, apparently.
7 is the magic number, as established by psych prof George Miller in the mid-20th century, in his best-seller of that name. So the thing is working like magic: it is becoming real. Googles AI Overview:
The Auckland City Rail Link (CRL) is funded by the Crown (New Zealand Government) and Auckland Council
Taxpayers & ratepayers, in other words. The sucking sound you hear in the background is made by dollars flowing from these 2 groups into the bank accounts of the 7 firms.
Originally the City Rail Link (CRL) was expected to cost $2-3 billion, but had since ballooned to $5.5b.
Ballooning costs amplify that sucking sound, and they are an essential feature of infrastructure development. Standard theory of banking (agreed cost/benefit conditions) got replaced by magical thinking then normalised by National and Labour, so wealth extraction by capitalists is a magical system working extremely well in Aotearoa today.
Close to commissioning major public transport systems, it's very common to bring in experts at both technical and governance levels to verify all the stages of signoff. There is zero in-country expertise for this here.
No, it's nothing to do with which firms are in the Link Alliance, but you can thank your lucky stars that Vinci are one of them because they are the recognised European experts in underground public transport systems.
Don't forget this system was started off by Labour's Mayor Len Brown, agreed to by Natioal's John Key, then supported by Labour's Ardern, and will be completed by National's Luxon and the hard-right Mayor Brown.
If you want transformational-scale public transport shifts, pony up. No one's going to give it to you for free.
Bollocks Koina. This is a deeply unpopular government after only 12 months in power. It is headed by a PM who is weak and has poor political and inter-personal skills.
The te tiriti bill, climate change denial and the ferries and Dunedin hospital debacles will see them lose significant votes. You don't piss off a million Maori and expect to win an election.
Borrowing money to give tax cuts to landlords and the better off will also cost them votes.
99.999999999999999999999% of people in this country don't read The Standard.
Too many 9s koina. You and I read (and post comments on) The Standard, so that's two "people in this country" (Aotearoa NZ?) who read TS.
And three other people have commented ["Bollocks Koina"; "The "concern" troll posts again!"; “Dry up you grumpy old scrote“] in this thread you initiated @5, so that makes at least five "people in this country" who read TS – always assuming they're five different people
Then there are the five other Standardistas who, like your good self, have commented on Open mike 01/12/2024, so that makes at least ten "people in this country" who read TS.
Ten out of 5,230,000 Kiwis is roughly 0.0002%, so at most 99.9998% "of people in this country don't read The Standard."
Yes – imho "this Government is amazingly popular" is an exaggeration, although there might be something to the notion that it's amazing our CoC govt’s approval rating is (still) hovering around 40%.
Research shows that individual acts of kindness and connection can have a real impact on global change when these acts are collective. This is true at multiple levels: between individuals, between people and institutions, and between cultures. This relational micro-activism is a powerful force for change – and serves as an antidote to hopelessness because unlike global-scale issues, these small acts are within individuals’ control.
the idea that small, interpersonal acts have large-scale impact is explained by what psychologists call cognitive dissonance
I've made the point onsite here previously that this psychological state is catalytic. That was from years of anecdotal evidence, so its good to see it validated by science.
Numerous studies support the power of individual acts of connection to drive larger-scale change.
That requires further clarification. Scaling up personal influence into collective contexts is generally acknowledged as a happening thing, but the theory to explain the effect remains too opaque currently.
Every human being is embedded in their own network with the people and world around them, what psychologists call their social ecology.
Social ecology is the Green view of culture. It focuses on ecosystemic relations between people and their operating arena. Power relations (drivers of politics) are a subset.
The rout of the Assad regime forces in Syria to the surprise Turkish backed rebel offensive is going to destroy the entire Russian/Iranian project in the region. Like it or not, it is a direct result of Israeli weakening of Hizbollah and Iran and the heroic ongoing Ukrainian resistance to Russian imperialist adventurism. Putin's new Axis is overstretched and starting collapse like a house of cards.
Surely the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and the sustained collapse of Lebanon would create more civic chaos, more growth in warring militias, and hence more military attacks around Israel, not less?
Given that the recapture of Aleppo appears to be spearheaded by fighters from Islamist groups, I don't know if that this new offensive is such a good thing, Sanctuary.
We have to ask why Turkey would back anti-regime forces in Syria. In my mind, the most likely reasoning is that it's an attempt to prolong the civil war in Syria by weaking the Assad regime and allow them to continue to cement their position as regional hegemon.
The fact that it will no doubt kill a whole bunch of troublesome Kurds on both sides is just a bonus.
Well placed sources say #Assad remains in #Moscow, while much of his family & close allies are also abroad — in #Russia & the #UAE. That adds a stunning extra angle to the collapse of northern #Syria.
Much of the build-up to the case has focused on a particular detail in the Scottish Government’s submission, which claims that maternity provisions can be extended to “pregnant men”. Aidan O’Neill KC, representing For Women Scotland, said in court this week that those two words are a “legal fiction”. And yesterday, far away from the Supreme Court in London, O’Neill received support from an unexpected source.
During a press conference in Edinburgh, Scottish First Minister John Swinney stated, in response to a journalist’s question, that males cannot become pregnant. Seated next to me in Courtroom 1 yesterday was former SNP MP Joanna Cherry, who noted online: “I am pleased that John recognises this biological reality, but I’m presently sitting in the UK Supreme Court watching his Government’s lawyers argue the opposite.”
The case began in 2018, when the Scottish Government passed a law which took as its definition of “woman” anyone who identifies as one. An advocacy group, For Women Scotland, challenged this in court and won.
But then the SNP replaced this with guidance suggesting the definition of a woman in the Equality Act 2010 is not just a person born female, but is also changed “for all purposes” by the Gender Recognition Act. Last year, For Women Scotland went to court once again to challenge that definition – but lost. The group’s appeal will now be decided by the Supreme Court. https://unherd.com/newsroom/supreme-court-puzzles-over-definition-of-woman/
So women will be legally defined by 10 men & 2 women. Could be a split decision, huh? I wonder if they will employ a genetics academic authority to get the fine print right. We must keep in mind that a paradigm shift applies here: trans folk user-defined identity categories. Academics are mostly anchored within antique paradigms.
I give Hipkins and most of labour a bit of slack leading into the last election. As a team the epidemic had exhausted them, Hipkins had covid and a crucial week off in the campaign, I don't give much slack to the MPs who footripped thier own players.
The European Federation of Journalists, EFJ, says starting January 20, it will discontinue posting content on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform X.
In a statement on its website, EFJ says it can no longer ethically participate in a social network whose owner peddles disinformation and propaganda.
Nick Rockel does a great job of putting Luxon in context. Jack worked so hard to get an answer from the verbose dodging Luxon. Do we respect luxon? Nah!
I am no fan of Candace Owens. I think she is a grifter who peddles conspiracy theories and has promoted many deeply anti-semitic things – but if enough New Zealanders wish to pay money to hear from her, they should be able to do so. The decision by Immigration NZ prevents them from being able to do so. https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2024/12/banning_candace_owens_from_nz_a_terrible_decision.html
Such ideological purity is like encountering a flower in the cultural desert. It's not as if he's criticising a govt decision – even if he actually is – it's that he's blaming an anonymous bureaucrat, but only by implying they got it wrong, because the wrong-doer is unaccountable to the public so its okay really. Nat think.
she is far from a fringe figure. She has interviewed one on one the President-Elect of the United States. Her YouTube channel has over 3 million subscribers and almost half a billion views. On Instagram she has over 5 million followers, Twitter 6 million and almost a many on Facebook. That is more than the entree NZ media combined.
Does he mean the entire NZ media combined? Or is he performing with eclectic literary flair? It does suggest the woman is a social influencer with considerable sway, so the authorities are running scared. Will Lux notice that his govt is clamping down on free speech? Only if Seymour realises he ought to push Lux's button.
This bit points to a primary dimensional driver, framed as triad:
we’re in a good position to identify just those impersonal social forces that foment unrest and fragmentation, and we’ve found three common factors: popular immiseration, elite overproduction and state breakdown.
To get a better understanding of these concepts and how they are influencing American politics in 2024, we need to travel back in time to the 1930s, when an unwritten social contract came into being in the form of Franklin D Roosevelt’s New Deal. This contract balanced the interests of workers, businesses and the state in a way similar to the more formal agreements we see in Nordic countries. For two generations, this implicit pact delivered an unprecedented growth in wellbeing across a broad swath of the country. At the same time, a “Great Compression” of incomes and wealth dramatically reduced economic inequality.
For about 50 years the interests of workers and the interests of owners were kept in balance, and overall income inequality remained remarkably low.
Embedded in that text is a supplementary triad: "workers, businesses and the state" which converts to labour/capital/state as the generic driver of development. Political scientists ought to spot this opportunity to endow their discipline with theory via intellect, since the metaphysical basis is so simply evident. Economists could then get in behind, to become rational for a change.
Hi,The thing that stood out at me while shopping for Christmas presents in New Zealand was how hard it was to avoid Zuru products. Toy manufacturer Zuru is a bit like Netflix, in that it has so much data on what people want they can flood the market with so ...
And when a child is born into this worldIt has no conceptOf the tone of skin it's living inAnd there's a million voicesAnd there's a million voicesTo tell you what you should be thinkingSong by Neneh Cherry and Youssou N'Dour.The moment you see that face, you can hear her voice; ...
While we may not always have quality political leadership, a couple of recently published autobiographies indicate sometimes we strike it lucky. When ranking our prime ministers, retired professor of history Erik Olssen commented that ‘neither Holland nor Nash was especially effective as prime minister – even his private secretary thought ...
Baby, be the class clownI'll be the beauty queen in tearsIt's a new art form, showin' people how little we care (yeah)We're so happy, even when we're smilin' out of fearLet's go down to the tennis court and talk it up like, yeah (yeah)Songwriters: Joel Little / Ella Yelich O ...
Open access notables Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored, Ecker et al., American Psychologist:Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of the claim that misinformation is not a significant societal problem. We argue that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as suggesting ...
What I’ve Been Doing: I buried a close family member.What I’ve Been Watching: Andor, Jack Reacher, Xmas movies.What I’ve Been Reflecting On: The Usefulness of Writing and the Worthiness of Doing So — especially as things become more transparent on their own.I also hate competing on any day, and if ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by John Wihbey. A version of this article first appeared on Yale Climate Connections on Nov. 11, 2008. (Image credits: The White House, Jonathan Cutrer / CC BY 2.0; President Jimmy Carter, Trikosko/Library of Congress; Solar dedication, Bill Fitz-Patrick / Jimmy Carter Library; Solar ...
Morena folks,We’re having a good break, recharging the batteries. Hope you’re enjoying the holiday period. I’m not feeling terribly inspired by much at the moment, I’m afraid—not from a writing point of view, anyway.So, today, we’re travelling back in time. You’ll have to imagine the wavy lines and sci-fi sound ...
Completed reads for 2024: Oration on the Dignity of Man, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola A Platonic Discourse Upon Love, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Of Being and Unity, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola The Life of Pico della Mirandola, by Giovanni Francesco Pico Three Letters Written by Pico ...
Welcome to 2025, Aotearoa. Well… what can one really say? 2024 was a story of a bad beginning, an infernal middle and an indescribably farcical end. But to chart a course for a real future, it does pay to know where we’ve been… so we know where we need ...
Welcome to the official half-way point of the 2020s. Anyway, as per my New Years tradition, here’s where A Phuulish Fellow’s blog traffic came from in 2024: United States United Kingdom New Zealand Canada Sweden Australia Germany Spain Brazil Finland The top four are the same as 2023, ...
Completed reads for December: Be A Wolf!, by Brian Strickland The Magic Flute [libretto], by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Emanuel Schikaneder The Invisible Eye, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Owl’s Ear, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Waters of Death, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Spider, by Hanns Heinz Ewers Who Knows?, by Guy de Maupassant ...
Well, it’s the last day of the year, so it’s time for a quick wrap-up of the most important things that happened in 2024 for urbanism and transport in our city. A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the blog and supported us in our mission to make ...
Leave your office, run past your funeralLeave your home, car, leave your pulpitJoin us in the streets where weJoin us in the streets where weDon't belong, don't belongHere under the starsThrowing light…Song: Jeffery BuckleyToday, I’ll discuss the standout politicians of the last 12 months. Each party will receive three awards, ...
Hi,A lot’s happened this year in the world of Webworm, and as 2024 comes to an end I thought I’d look back at a few of the things that popped. Maybe you missed them, or you might want to revisit some of these essay and podcast episodes over your break ...
Hi,I wanted to share this piece by film editor Dan Kircher about what cinema has been up to in 2024.Dan edited my documentary Mister Organ, as well as this year’s excellent crowd-pleasing Bookworm.Dan adores movies. He gets the language of cinema, he knows what he loves, and writes accordingly. And ...
Without delving into personal details but in order to give readers a sense of the year that was, I thought I would offer the study in contrasts that are Xmas 2023 and Xmas 2024: Xmas 2023 in Starship Children’s Hospital (after third of four surgeries). Even opening presents was an ...
Heavy disclaimer: Alpha/beta/omega dynamics is a popular trope that’s used in a wide range of stories and my thoughts on it do not apply to all cases. I’m most familiar with it through the lens of male-focused fanfic, typically m/m but sometimes also featuring m/f and that’s the situation I’m ...
Hi,Webworm has been pretty heavy this year — mainly because the world is pretty heavy. But as we sprint (or limp, you choose) through the final days of 2024, I wanted to keep Webworm a little lighter.So today I wanted to look at one of the biggest and weirdest elements ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 22, 2024 thru Sat, December 28, 2024. This week's roundup is the second one published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, ...
We’ll have a climate change ChristmasFrom now until foreverWarming our hearts and mindsAnd planet all togetherSpirits high and oceans higherChestnuts roast on wildfiresIf coal is on your wishlistMerry Climate Change ChristmasSong by Ian McConnellReindeer emissions are not something I’d thought about in terms of climate change. I guess some significant ...
KP continues to putt-putt along as a tiny niche blog that offers a NZ perspective on international affairs with a few observations about NZ domestic politics thrown in. In 2024 there was also some personal posts given that my son was in the last four months of a nine month ...
I can see very wellThere's a boat on the reef with a broken backAnd I can see it very wellThere's a joke and I know it very wellIt's one of those that I told you long agoTake my word I'm a madman, don't you knowSongwriters: Bernie Taupin / Elton JohnIt ...
.Acknowledgement: Tim PrebbleThanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..With each passing day of bad headlines, squandering tax revenue to enrich the rich, deep cuts to our social services and a government struggling to keep the lipstick on its neo-liberal pig ...
This is from the 36th Parallel social media account (as brief food for thought). We know that Trump is ahistorical at best but he seems to think that he is Teddy Roosevelt and can use the threat of invoking the Monroe Doctrine and “Big Stick” gunboat diplomacy against Panama and ...
Don't you cry tonightI still love you, babyAnd don't you cry tonightDon't you cry tonightThere's a heaven above you, babyAnd don't you cry tonightSong: Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin“Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so”, said possibly the greatest philosopher ever to walk this earth, Douglas Adams.We have entered the ...
Because you're magicYou're magic people to meSong: Dave Para/Molly Para.Morena all, I hope you had a good day yesterday, however you spent it. Today, a few words about our celebration and a look at the various messages from our politicians.A Rockel XmasChristmas morning was spent with the five of us ...
This video includes personal musings and 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). 2024 has been a series of bad news for climate change. From scorching global temperatures leading to devastating ...
Ríu Ríu ChíuRíu Ríu Chíu is a Spanish Christmas song from the 16th Century. The traditional carol would likely have passed unnoticed by the English-speaking world had the made-for-television American band The Monkees not performed the song as part of their special Christmas show back in 1967. The show's ...
Dunedin’s summer thus far has been warm and humid… and it looks like we’re in for a grey Christmas. But it is now officially Christmas Day in this time zone, so never mind. This year, I’ve stumbled across an Old English version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: It has a population of just under 3.5 million inhabitants, produces nearly 550,000 tons of beef per year, and boasts a glorious soccer reputation with two World ...
Morena all,In my paywalled newsletter yesterday, I signed off for Christmas and wished readers well, but I thought I’d send everyone a quick note this morning.This hasn’t been a good year for our small country. The divisions caused by the Treaty Principles Bill, the cuts to our public sector, increased ...
This morning’s six standouts for me at 6.30 am include:Kāinga Ora is quietly planning to sell over $1 billion worth of state-owned land under 300 state homes in Auckland’s wealthiest suburbs, including around Bastion Point, to give the Government more fiscal room to pay for tax cuts and reduce borrowing.A ...
Hi,It’s my birthday on Christmas Day, and I have a favour to ask.A birthday wish.I would love you to share one Webworm story you’ve liked this year.The simple fact is: apart from paying for a Webworm membership (thank you!), sharing and telling others about this place is the most important ...
The last few days have been a bit too much of a whirl for me to manage a fresh edition each day. It's been that kind of year. Hope you don't mind.I’ve been coming around to thinking that it doesn't really matter if you don't have something to say every ...
The worms will live in every hostIt's hard to pick which one they eat the mostThe horrible people, the horrible peopleIt's as anatomic as the size of your steepleCapitalism has made it this wayOld-fashioned fascism will take it awaySongwriter: Twiggy Ramirez Read more ...
Hi,It’s almost Christmas Day which means it is almost my birthday, where you will find me whimpering in the corner clutching a warm bottle of Baileys.If you’re out of ideas for presents (and truly desperate) then it is possible to gift a full Webworm subscription to a friend (or enemy) ...
This morning’s six standouts for me at 6.30am include:Rachel Helyer Donaldson’s scoop via RNZ last night of cuts to maternity jobs in the health system;Maddy Croad’s scoop via The Press-$ this morning on funding cuts for Christchurch’s biggest food rescue charity;Benedict Collins’ scoop last night via 1News on a last-minute ...
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 15, 2024 thru Sat, December 21, 2024. Based on feedback we received, this week's roundup is the first one published soleley by category. We are still interested in ...
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa 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 , ...
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
Uia te pō, rangahaua te pō, whakamāramatia mai he aha tō tango, he aha tō kāwhaki? Whitirere ki te ao, tirotiro kau au, kei hea taku rātā whakamarumaru i te au o te pakanga mo te mana motuhake? Au te pō, ngū te pō, ue hā! E te kahurangi māreikura, ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says people with diabetes and other painful conditions will benefit from a significant new qualification to boost training in foot care. “It sounds simple, but quality and regular foot and nail care is vital in preventing potentially serious complications from diabetes, like blisters or sores, which can take a long time to heal ...
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the government’s largest ever investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the government,” says Mr Seymour. “When this government assumed ...
Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora e mua - Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead. Māori recipients in the New Year 2025 Honours list show comprehensive dedication to improving communities across the motu that ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is wishing all New Zealanders a great holiday season as Kiwis prepare for gatherings with friends and families to see in the New Year. It is a great time of year to remind everyone to stay fire safe over the summer. “I know ...
From 1 January 2025, first-time tertiary learners will have access to a new Fees Free entitlement of up to $12,000 for their final year of provider-based study or final two years of work-based learning, Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Targeting funding to the final year of study ...
“As we head into one of the busiest times of the year for Police, and family violence and sexual violence response services, it’s a good time to remind everyone what to do if they experience violence or are worried about others,” Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence ...
Kiwis planning a swim or heading out on a boat this summer should remember to stop and think about water safety, Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop and ACC and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “New Zealand’s beaches, lakes and rivers are some of the most beautiful in the ...
The Government is urging Kiwis to drive safely this summer and reminding motorists that Police will be out in force to enforce the road rules, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“This time of year can be stressful and result in poor decision-making on our roads. Whether you are travelling to see ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Ripeka Lessels (Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa, and Ngāti Tūwharetoa)Ripeka Lessels had been an educator for 20 years before she decided to become involved in NZEI Te Riu Roa’s Māori governance body, Te Reo Areare. It’s here she believed she could do the most good for tamariki Māori.As someone who had ...
Opinion: Why is it that whenever we meet someone new, we default to asking about their job?We could ask almost any question about their interests, background, or values, but still we ask “So, what do you do?”It turns out, this common, seemingly innocuous phrasing carries much deeper undertones of perceived ...
Summer reissue: Flat and surrounded by hills and rising tides, it’s no surprise that South Dunedin is at risk of flooding. But nine years of preparation meant last week’s deluge wasn’t as bad as it could have been – and a future here still seems possible. The Spinoff needs to ...
Summer reissue: You don’t have to live a haunting life of unparalleled grief and sorrow to be a great children’s author, but it helps. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign ...
Summer reissue: Alex Casey meets the Southland principal who wrote and directed a feature length fantasy epic starring the whole school.The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be ...
Summer reissue: Madeleine Holden writes about her agonising first year of motherhood. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today.This essay contains descriptions of violence ...
Summer reissue: Increasing numbers of Māori are affiliating with tribal groups of under 1,000 members. What does it mean for Māoridom? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be ...
Fijivillage News A man has been charged with the rape and sexual assault of one of the Virgin Australia crew members in the early hours of New Year’s Day, near a nightclub in Martintar, Nadi. Police confirm he has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count ...
Asia Pacific Report Israel is forcing two hospitals in northern Gaza to evacuate under threat of attack as its ethnic cleansing campaign continues. Israeli forces have surrounded the Indonesian Hospital, where many staff and patients sought shelter after nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital was destroyed in an Israeli raid last week, ...
Navigating the shared challenges of climate change, geostrategic tensions, political upheaval, disaster recovery and decolonisation plus a 50th birthday party, reports a BenarNews contributor’s analysis.COMMENTARY:By Tess Newton Cain Vanuatu’s devastating earthquake and dramatic political developments in Tonga and New Caledonia at the end of 2024 set the tone ...
Summer reissue: Former All Black and recent Celebrity Treasure Island castaway Christian Cullen looks back on his life in TV. First published October 12, 2024. Every season of Celebrity Treasure Island brings with it a surprise breakout star, and often it’s the person you know the least about or have ...
“People comment a lot on how emotional I am.”The children’s minister says she’s always been an emotional person. It’s her way of coping with trauma.“Because if you bottle that up it turns into something quite nasty, right? It turns into anger, it turns into frustration, and you start to look ...
Comment: There are times when fiction anticipates life, and dystopian nightmares become real.Who would have thought that in New Zealand, a relatively wealthy country that was once proudly egalitarian, a version of The Hunger Games would play out?That a government would cut thousands of jobs, deny desperate families emergency food ...
Christopher LuxonWell, what I’d say to you about my New Year’s resolutions is that this year is going to be better than the last, probably, I mean I should think there’s a good chance of that happening, an even chance, there’s a narrow window, the odds are against us but ...
Summer reissue: The meltdown in the relationship between the key players in the fourth Labour government can be charted in an extraordinary exchange of correspondence. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and ...
Summer reissue: I read yet another study about toddlers, screen time and language development, and it sent me off the deep end. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to ...
Summer reissue: This year Tori Peeters competed at the Paris Olympics in the javelin. Ten years ago, Madeleine Chapman thought she might be in the same position. She talks to Peeters about what it takes to go all the way – and mulls her own life decisions in the process. ...
Summer reissue: He earned 5c for his first cut in 1955, and $35 for his last in March. Duncan Greive recalls the life of his late barber, ‘Young’ George Dyas, who never stopped snipping. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these ...
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Asia Pacific Report The UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, has called on “medical professionals worldwide” to suspend ties with Israel in an act of solidarity with the more than “1000 colleagues of yours” killed in Gaza over the past 14 months. Countless ...
The co-founder of Te Pāti Māori and architect of Whānau Ora will be remembered as a skilled political tactician who dedicated her life to the wellbeing of Māori, writes Miriama Aoake. Part of the hesitation of entering politics for any sane person is surely compromise. Compromise is essential in the ...
A stern but loving auntie, a woman of unshakeable principle, the very definition of a wāhine toa - those are just a few of the tributes flooding in for Dame Tariana Turia. ...
By Maram Humaid in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Journalists gathered at Gaza’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital expressed outrage and confusion about the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) decision to shut down Al Jazeera’s office in the occupied West Bank. “Shutting down a major outlet like Al Jazeera is a crime against journalism,” said freelance ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Katrina Mitchell-Kouttab As 2024 came to a close and we have stepped into a new year overshadowed by ongoing atrocities, have you stopped to consider how these events are reshaping your world? Did you notice how your future ...
By Talaia Mika of the Cook Islands News The Cook Islands will not pursue membership in the United Nations and the Commonwealth due to its inability to meet the criteria for UN membership and existing relationship with New Zealand, which fulfils Commonwealth membership requirements. Prime Minister Mark Brown has clarified ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ary Hoffmann, Professor, School of BioSciences and Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne Drosophila melanogaster.Deep Scope/Shutterstock The common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), more correctly called the vinegar fly, is a frequent visitor to ripe fruit in households around the world, where ...
So, what do we make of the Labour conference so far?
A new poll leaked to Stuff. The worst for the C of C since the election
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360505907/labour-leader-chris-hipkins-starts-his-pitch-tax-reform
Coughlan in the Herald
Edmonds focus on the challenges ahead (fiscal).
The societal issue (as per co-governance and the Treaty) and the speech of Willie Jackson.
https://archive.li/isJ2U#selection-4039.177-4039.229
On tax. The passing of a remit
The Labour Party has decided by “remit” to consider either either a wealth tax or a CGT, but not others new taxes (such as an inheritance tax).
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/labour-inches-closer-to-wealth-tax-or-cgt-after-membership-vote/XNVEHJCDJFGDJM5DNKQ3PUGH6Q/
For mine the best option is a wealth tax with restoration of the bright-line tax on existing property (or all residential investment property with a mortgage surcharge on existing investment property, excluding new builds).
But with the consideration that the wealth tax payments be seen as a down payment on any future estate tax.
Thus a wealth tax unpaid would be attached to the estate and one paid would be a down payment on any future liability on the estate.
For example 1% per annum for 15 years being about 1/2 a 30% estate tax pre paid.
The relevant point being at what level the wealth tax and estate tax is applied.
In jurisdictions with an estate tax, most do not pay any. And most wealth taxes include only the top 5-10%.
Poll in round figures:
COC=47%
Lab/Green/TPM = 49%
The return from investing in well-being.
Healthy Homes proves its worth.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/health-minister-shane-reti-lauds-impressive-healthy-homes-impact-but-cant-commit-to-funding-boost/CE7UWPHICVHOBDOICXH2PMHYSU/
Of course he can't commit, those funds are needed for landlord tax breaks.
When it comes to the fine art of (mis)management of infrastructure projects, kiwis tend to excel – but Auckland needs a higher level of expertise: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/535301/city-rail-link-french-executives-to-fly-to-nz-as-officials-raise-concerns-over-costs
Since the report doesn't say why (no reference to any foreign investment) we can only surmise that French execs do it better than kiwis. Or perhaps the going rate for consultants on the global market favours the French (due to exchange rates)?
The back story is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Rail_Link – says the original plan was launched a century back. It has been mostly viewed with benign neglect since then by National & Labour, until a radical shift happened this century, and now capitalism is making it real. Via magical thinking, apparently.
7 is the magic number, as established by psych prof George Miller in the mid-20th century, in his best-seller of that name. So the thing is working like magic: it is becoming real. Googles AI Overview:
Taxpayers & ratepayers, in other words. The sucking sound you hear in the background is made by dollars flowing from these 2 groups into the bank accounts of the 7 firms.
Ballooning costs amplify that sucking sound, and they are an essential feature of infrastructure development. Standard theory of banking (agreed cost/benefit conditions) got replaced by magical thinking then normalised by National and Labour, so wealth extraction by capitalists is a magical system working extremely well in Aotearoa today.
Close to commissioning major public transport systems, it's very common to bring in experts at both technical and governance levels to verify all the stages of signoff. There is zero in-country expertise for this here.
No, it's nothing to do with which firms are in the Link Alliance, but you can thank your lucky stars that Vinci are one of them because they are the recognised European experts in underground public transport systems.
Don't forget this system was started off by Labour's Mayor Len Brown, agreed to by Natioal's John Key, then supported by Labour's Ardern, and will be completed by National's Luxon and the hard-right Mayor Brown.
If you want transformational-scale public transport shifts, pony up. No one's going to give it to you for free.
The obvious question is what do the other 6 companies bring to the table?
Apart from a good suckle reflex of course?
The Left wing will not win back a political majority until 2029.
Not because of any Left policy or personal changes, or any thing the Right does either .
The left will get in Simply because the folk in the swing electorates
will swing left again like they swung right in 2023 .
It's a 75 year old pattern.
Certainly nothing to do with the economy or tax.
And what makes them swing?
Identity politics.
In the left wing swing they vote against the evil arrogant prejudice right wing bullies.
In the left wing swing they vote against minorities.
So what do the left parties do for the next 5 years of certain opposition?
Don't think of winning the election all the time that's what the right do.
Remind everyone that hate politics is what the Right wing is all about.
Promote the Left belief in the freedom of individual unique life style.
Don't let polls, popularity and elections always contaminate your true self.
Bollocks Koina. This is a deeply unpopular government after only 12 months in power. It is headed by a PM who is weak and has poor political and inter-personal skills.
The te tiriti bill, climate change denial and the ferries and Dunedin hospital debacles will see them lose significant votes. You don't piss off a million Maori and expect to win an election.
Borrowing money to give tax cuts to landlords and the better off will also cost them votes.
This is a one-term government.
Only if you read The standard and 99.999999999999999999999% of people in this
country don't read The Standard.
ZB and the Platform are saying this Government is amazingly popular.
Too many 9s koina. You and I read (and post comments on) The Standard, so that's two "people in this country" (Aotearoa NZ?) who read TS.
And three other people have commented ["Bollocks Koina"; "The "concern" troll posts again!"; “Dry up you grumpy old scrote“] in this thread you initiated @5, so that makes at least five "people in this country" who read TS – always assuming they're five different people
Then there are the five other Standardistas who, like your good self, have commented on Open mike 01/12/2024, so that makes at least ten "people in this country" who read TS.
Ten out of 5,230,000 Kiwis is roughly 0.0002%, so at most 99.9998% "of people in this country don't read The Standard."
Is our CoC govt “amazingly popular“?
Trolls love to exaggerate, which is one way to get a response.
Yes – imho "this Government is amazingly popular" is an exaggeration, although there might be something to the notion that it's amazing our CoC govt’s approval rating is (still) hovering around 40%.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_New_Zealand_general_election#Government_approval_rating
"ZB and the Platform are saying this Government is amazingly popular."
Well they would, wouldn't they?
Gotta say BG, if yr local political radar is anything like yr US election analysis and post mortem, Koina might be on the money. 😜
We will see in two years gsays.
Presumably you see enough Maori haters and climate change denier dinosaurs out there to re-elect this duplicitous and incompetent rabble.
See, yr making the same mistake again.
That only stupid people vote for Trump/racists and CC deniers vote for the CoC.
Incompetence was one of the accusations against the last regime. Ardern Hipkins, Woods, Parker then it tailed off quick.
The "concern" troll posts again!
The troll with nothing of any value posts again
Dry up you grumpy old scrote.
Whenever things seem bleak, remember this:
I've made the point onsite here previously that this psychological state is catalytic. That was from years of anecdotal evidence, so its good to see it validated by science.
That requires further clarification. Scaling up personal influence into collective contexts is generally acknowledged as a happening thing, but the theory to explain the effect remains too opaque currently.
Social ecology is the Green view of culture. It focuses on ecosystemic relations between people and their operating arena. Power relations (drivers of politics) are a subset.
The rout of the Assad regime forces in Syria to the surprise Turkish backed rebel offensive is going to destroy the entire Russian/Iranian project in the region. Like it or not, it is a direct result of Israeli weakening of Hizbollah and Iran and the heroic ongoing Ukrainian resistance to Russian imperialist adventurism. Putin's new Axis is overstretched and starting collapse like a house of cards.
Surely the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and the sustained collapse of Lebanon would create more civic chaos, more growth in warring militias, and hence more military attacks around Israel, not less?
Given that the recapture of Aleppo appears to be spearheaded by fighters from Islamist groups, I don't know if that this new offensive is such a good thing, Sanctuary.
We have to ask why Turkey would back anti-regime forces in Syria. In my mind, the most likely reasoning is that it's an attempt to prolong the civil war in Syria by weaking the Assad regime and allow them to continue to cement their position as regional hegemon.
The fact that it will no doubt kill a whole bunch of troublesome Kurds on both sides is just a bonus.
Erdogan closes in on his neo-Ottoman dream.
@Charles_Lister
Well placed sources say #Assad remains in #Moscow, while much of his family & close allies are also abroad — in #Russia & the #UAE. That adds a stunning extra angle to the collapse of northern #Syria.
https://x.com/Charles_Lister/status/1862897532256256063
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/middle-east/syria/attempted-coup-detat-taking-place-in-damascus/2024/11/30/
Pregnant men are where its at:
So women will be legally defined by 10 men & 2 women. Could be a split decision, huh? I wonder if they will employ a genetics academic authority to get the fine print right. We must keep in mind that a paradigm shift applies here: trans folk user-defined identity categories. Academics are mostly anchored within antique paradigms.
Debunking conspiracies aotearoa FB asks if Winston investigated himself as part2 of the covid response inquiry.
Quoting him at the time of covid measures: "No jab means no job, no parole".
Well, good speech from Hipkins at Conference.
Concrete in its promises, low on attacks, suitably indistinct on tax.
Commitment to full rail and ferry across Cook Strait, full build of Dunedin Hospital, more pay increases for workers, and a definite NO to AUKUS.
Not sure if this is the same guy that lost the election, but he was solid here.
I give Hipkins and most of labour a bit of slack leading into the last election. As a team the epidemic had exhausted them, Hipkins had covid and a crucial week off in the campaign, I don't give much slack to the MPs who footripped thier own players.
100% aj
Agree, and I was also pleased to hear him recommitting to reinstating smokefree legislation and undoing tobacco tax breaks.
Yes nice clear messaging from Labour.
ETTD strikes again.
.
Journalists flock to Bluesky as X becomes increasingly 'toxic'
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/bluesky-x-becomes-social-media-rcna181685
The European Federation of Journalists, EFJ, says starting January 20, it will discontinue posting content on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform X.
In a statement on its website, EFJ says it can no longer ethically participate in a social network whose owner peddles disinformation and propaganda.
https://nationwideradiojm.com/european-federation-of-journalists-to-stop-posting-on-x/
Nick Rockel does a great job of putting Luxon in context. Jack worked so hard to get an answer from the verbose dodging Luxon. Do we respect luxon? Nah!
https://nickrockel.substack.com/p/luxon-finally-shows
100% ianmac.
Farrar does a grump:
Such ideological purity is like encountering a flower in the cultural desert. It's not as if he's criticising a govt decision – even if he actually is – it's that he's blaming an anonymous bureaucrat, but only by implying they got it wrong, because the wrong-doer is unaccountable to the public so its okay really. Nat think.
Does he mean the entire NZ media combined? Or is he performing with eclectic literary flair? It does suggest the woman is a social influencer with considerable sway, so the authorities are running scared. Will Lux notice that his govt is clamping down on free speech? Only if Seymour realises he ought to push Lux's button.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/candace-owens-new-zealand-ban-b2655350.html
Interesting analysis of the deep undercurrents in US politics that played a part in That Man's victory a month ago:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/30/the-deep-historical-forces-that-explain-trumps-win
(Though I think it's a bit of a stretch to call Oliver Cromwell a revolutionary.)
This bit points to a primary dimensional driver, framed as triad:
Embedded in that text is a supplementary triad: "workers, businesses and the state" which converts to labour/capital/state as the generic driver of development. Political scientists ought to spot this opportunity to endow their discipline with theory via intellect, since the metaphysical basis is so simply evident. Economists could then get in behind, to become rational for a change.