Good news about the selection of Claire Szabo as Labour party president. I think she is well qualified to do a great job. She has certainly done good things at Habitat for Humanity.
She was surely the no.1 choice by far given who she was up against.
I take it you don't approve of the appointment of Claire? I think she will handle things significantly better than the last unionist. The handling of the complaints weren't exactly handled well by the last unionist Nigel Haworth.
IMO, your whole comment @ 1.1.2.1 was a misinterpretation of Jimmy’s comment @ 1.1.2, in which he highlighted or opined rather that newly elected President will handle of “the complaints” [my bold] better than the previous President, who, of course lost his job for exactly that reason.
Somehow, you took this to mean that the “party presidents sole prerequisite to fill the role is the ability to handle complaints” [sic] and that Jimmy “expect[s] the position to be a glorified councillor role” [sic]. In other words, you were making it up.
On the lack of any other evidence that szabo was better than phillips in Jimmy’s eyes, I was demeaning of Jimmy's statement that Szabo was the far superior candidate. Apart from Szabo not being a unionist and being able to handle complaints better in Jimmy's eyes, I am yet to be convinced that Jimmy's statement is true
edit – or that selecting a CEO over a Unionist a year out from an election was a good thing for the party.
[Ok, it seems it is time to wear my Moderator hat.
Jimmy opined that she would handle complaints better. That is a strong argument because the previous President lost his job because of his poor handling of complaints. I suppose this assertion by Jimmy @ 1 got up your nose “[s]he was surely the no.1 choice by far given who she was up against.” You reacted to it with and based on your assumptions but did not ask Jimmy for his reasons nor did you give a counter-argument as to why the other candidate was a better choice in your opinion. You were not interested in a debate or a contest of opinions, just in lashing out at Jimmy. As you said, you were “demeaning” Jimmy’s statements and opinions. By extension, you were also demeaning the choice of the successful candidate. Do you think you know better than the LPNZ?
Jimmy did not make the comparison between CEO and Unionist. In fact, it was you who came up with it @ 1.1.
Lastly, whether or not “selecting a CEO over a Unionist a year out from an election was a good thing for the party” is your question, not Jimmy’s.
Please stop demeaning people’s opinions and agree to disagree if you cannot reach a compromise position. Please stop attributing words or meanings to other commenters and stick to what is said, i.e. don’t make up shit. As long as you stick to the simple and lenient rules of this site, you’re free to provide your opinion here – Incognito]
Hopefully there are no more skeletons to appear. I think she will be far better than the other candidates at helping them to get re-elected in 2020. She is quite a smart lady……but then…thats just my opinion.
She has a music degree from Auckland, an education degree from Trinity in Dublin, a degree in commerce and administration from Victoria, and a masters in public administration from Harvard.
At Habitat for Humanity, she oversaw the operations of 11 charities that delivered housing to low-income people in New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Nepal.
When was he a trade unionist? I thought he was a retired Professor from Auckland University. He was, about 12 years ago the President of the University Staff Association but that isn't normally anything like a a professional full-time union job
You are absolutely correct. However I really don't think my interpretation can be regarded as anything other than warranted.
On the other hand I think Sacha's very funny suggestion may be a little, but only a little, unlikely.
Perhaps he was a member of Oswald Moseley's lot from before WW 2? That had various names, starting with The British Union of Fascists in 1932 but always included the word Union.
Nuance and context are not your strong suits apparently.
Habitat for Humanity New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with people of goodwill and families in housing need, to eliminate sub-standard housing.
We were involved with H4H for a number of years. Like all things human they aren't perfect or above all criticism, but we were impressed at the very real results they could deliver.
A good organisation, with good people doing mostly good things. Claire's background with them is a positive sign.
The organisation might be an NGO, but blairite neo liberals worshipped NGO CEO's. The perfect meld of Private and Public apparently.
This is not a criticism of Szabo per se, it's more questioning why Labour would choose a CEO over a Trade Unionist, at a time when Labour is losing touch with largely blue collar working electorates who need the unions more and more to ensure job security.
Your framing is a little off, IMO. They chose the better candidate and I’d like to think the reasons and criteria for this decision were broader and more nuanced than your comparison of CEO vs. Trade Unionist.
I have no idea about who worships whom or what but you obviously know more about this and think this is relevant to the election of President of the LPNZ.
Not all NGOs are non-profit organisations but that nuance is also lost in your comments.
Did you notice the two organisations with which she was associated- English language learning for migrants, and Habitat for Humanty New Zealand. Who? Read this.
its not <I>shining</I> paragons I’m after. It’s just not ngo pseudo neo-liberals. Think the blairite third way is good for society? Support Szabo. I’m allowed to reserve judgement
"Ardern’s experience of the past two years may have changed her perception of the neoliberal status-quo. Like David Lange before her, the Prime Minister appears to have entered office with a belief that economists, like electricians, were apolitical technicians. If the lights no longer come on – call an electrician. If an economy no longer delivers for the poor and the marginalised – then order Treasury economists to fix it. Two years on, there are signs that Ardern is beginning to grasp why “political economy” has always been a clearer term than “economics”. The wisely cynical are forever reminding us that “you can’t keep politics out of politics”. Well, it’s even more impossible to keep it out of economics!"
I'm reminded of some matter that Labour brought forward before one election and John Key was dismissive and annoyed because 'they were turning it into a political matter.' The understanding that everything is political, has somehow been disregarded and has slipped away to be replaced by the understanding that economics and business is everything that the country exists for; which is now the agreed axiom.
"The understanding that everything is political, has somehow been disregarded and has slipped away to be replaced by the understanding that economics and business is everything that the country exists for; which is now the agreed axiom"
True. (Hence the Ministry for Everything). And you can't really blame anyone that's grown up knowing nothing else (Jacinda for example).
It'll take a while for it all to be dismantled but as Rache used to say ….. "It won't happen overnight, but it will happen" (in this space going forward)
The man is dead, but NZ authorities cannot even tell his widow who he was working for.
Ordinarily, in a country with a non-FITH opposition, Lees-Galloway would be comprehensively grilled about this failure, no doubt largely attributable to the previous administration but clearly not fixed.
Health and safety, ACC, minimum wage legislation, none of it will survive if this kind of black economy is allowed to.
"The house where Yu died is located in an upmarket new development. A "sold" sign is planted freshly out the front. It has a quotable value of almost $2 million.
The new owner didn't have any details about the previous work on the house and the agent who sold the property declined to comment."
None of that BS stymies an investigation….for a property to get a CCC there is a paper trail and for a mortgage a CCC is required …and the real estate agent may not comment to a journalist but he/she should have a harder time denying officials
Edit
NZ isn't short of driven workers with useful skills – train them up in prison, turn it into more like a Borstal with decent facilities and respectful treatment of them as humans who have bad tendencies which need to be watched carefully, but try to get them making things, working under better conditions than this poor dead worker, and give them suspended sentences so they can work for a trial period, say 90 days which the employers are so keen on.
We regard ourselves as a practical nation rather than an intellectual one, but I fear we have fooled ourselves on the practical, and reject the intellectual. (Citizens who have skills and experience could do as well if they could choose their mix of advisers, not all bureaucrats.)
There is a better future for these young fellers if someone has the wit to guide and control them along the right path. Try giving them similar training to those given to puppies, who people in general seem to care more about than immature humans needing guidance. These prisoners showed initiative to get to their home-made home brew; puppies will do a lot for treats. Try that psychological approach; set small goal, reward for achievement, then another, same or extra coaching, discussion about why,
Chief custodial officer Neil Beales said they were found climbing in and out of a skip on 29 October.
They were drunk on home-brew, which can be made from fermenting fruit and sugar.
All five prisoners were sacked from the workshop and three were moved to the Otago Corrections Facility.
"This is clearly unacceptable. Prisoners who take part in employment activities and industry training are expected to take this privilege and responsibility seriously," Mr Beales said.
Seriously?? They are dying for some fun, and after a long period of not having any, overdid it. They are immature and need to learn control and with the right training program would go from being puppies to mature dogs with a healthy attitude, keeping themselves and their aggressive urges under control.
Agreed – shouldn't be a big deal – bit of a swim in summer is hardly sociopathy – we had water fights pretty much every day when I started fishing – no-one got hurt.
If it's rehabilitation they should be learning home brewing – and moderate as opposed to binge drinking culture – they'll want those skills outside.
Part of it though, is systematic prejudice against employing NZers. The liquor store owner knows no kiwi will accept no or short pay, much less paying their boss for an employment history for immigration purposes. The hort labour contractors know no kiwi will pay them up to ten grand for a job. But the government has fallen down on the job, allowing these rorts to become not merely feasible, but standard.
So, never mind telling us about all the new cops – how about a few dozen extra immigration and labour inspectors.
This shit is rampant. Half the construction sites out in the Eastern Suburbs were populated by imported Chinese labourers (scaffolding in particular), everyone's being paid under the table, there's no discernible chain of command, minimal paperwork, safety is a hilarious joke and whenever an inspector shows up they scatter like cockroaches when someone turns the lights on. My step-son was out there and he said the number of shady operators was jaw-dropping.
Aussie is the same and their buildings are falling apart.
Still, these are workers and should have workers rights, ACC cover, and everything else applicable. The story really annoyed me because I see a scumbag employer flouting NZ law at every turn and getting away with it, while the victim's family suffers and has no recourse unless they have Triad connections. At the very least both ACC and IRD should hammer these guys with ongoing audits, penalties etc and council should do everything it can to ensure the workers are legit and the buildings will not be a threat to life in the future.
I'm guessing the employer will continue on unimpeded.
If coming down hard on it I wonder if the govt are fearful of generating ammunition for contrary lobbyists. The build rate would slow right down and we might see headlines like 'The coalition oversees a build rate of negative 20 houses.'
I do agree with contributors above and if a slowing build rate is the price of cleaning up the black economy we should pay it. Officials should walk onto random sites and ask to be directed to the boss, shoulder tap him and advise him he has been selected for an IRD, ACC and employee status audit. I think news of such a program would spread through the black economy operators like an Aussie bushfire and the fines, tax due etc imposed would go a long way to financing such a program.
There is an LBPs name and number tied to the site and that LBP is tied to a company and he/she responsible for subbies re control….there are areas of control and pressure that can be applied IF the will is there.
someone gets injuries on a major site all hell is released. A little housing site, nothing. Someone died here and from my reading the inaction is at the highest level of concern. And we now have a Labour led govt. 🤢
what we close our eyes to, we ACCEPT
Tinkering and 'failed' restructures ain't going to cut it either. I'm not sure I L-G is to blame totally either, other than it's taking a while to realise where the problems lay. I'll not be surprised if he's dropped in the muck again before too long.
I was amused to look at MBIE's website yesterday (after seeing that link, and knowing the work Anu Kaloti and others have been doing for years now) where they're encouraging people to either ring an 0800 number or Crimestoppers where they see examples of exploitation. It's only recently MBIE have been taking the problem seriously – past couple of years – but unfortunately they can't seem to walk and chew gum at the same time.
(Calls to Crimestoppers often result in nothing happening, and everything to do with INZ and the Labour Inspectorate is now regarded with such cynicism that if it wasn't so serious, it'd be a joke)
It might actually take a few more cases of Ministers being embarrassed before anything substantial happens.
ILG is to blame in principle, more than in fact. But having inherited a box of bastards – the kind of mess that takes a lot of unraveling – is it too much to ask for clear evidence that the matter is being addressed? We the people pay him pretty well to shoulder that responsibility.
/Agree. I'm trying to be as charitable as possible on account of his apparently being a nice guy – or so I'm told. (Probably too nice)
On another thread somewhere, I think Weka and others were referring to 'low hanging fruit' that could have been picked instead of being left on the tree to burn the coalition's political capital. Things like this are low hanging fruit.
There are a few things that should've been made very clear from the outset (via channels of course) ….. such as
Any public servant that thinks it OK to employ the likes of T&C to spy on people isn't suited to the public service.
Likewise, any public servant that worked alongside the likes of a James Casson and said nothing isn't fit to be a public servant.
I could go on. But also any politician that thinks the sort of behaviour and pushback we've seen from some in the senior ranks and does nothing about it probably deserves to lose an election
Do you mean he is not to blame for "In total, these changes are estimated to reduce net migration by 20,000-30,000. Without these changes there would be up to 10,000 more houses needed and up to 20,000 more vehicles on our roads annually. Our immigration system will be regularly reviewed to ensure it is functioning well." . Given that the last years net increase was larger than before Labour came into govt.
If you cannot keep a promise DON'T make one. Thanks to this govt. for being the problem AND not the solution.
What I do recall of Labour's immigration policy (as opposed to what has been implemented as a coalition), was a third tranche to its policy directed at bolstering the regions.
I remember making a submission at the time that immigration policy was going to be the bull in the China shop, and when Labour and Greens were formulating policy, and that the system and administrative structure as it stood was not good for purpose – reliant on sustained growth for an economic benefit (and all its associated ticket clippers), rather than sustainable growth for a healthy society.
We have this "According to MBIE, a total of 475,920 people were in this country on work, residence or student visas at the end of October, almost 10% of the total population and up 3.6% compared to the same time last year.
That included 202,917 people on work visas,187,164 on residence visas and 85,839 on student visas."
As someone earlier here said NZ imports cheap labour to allow marginal business to thrive, and undercut/suppress local wages. So we have business using govt. welfare to allow an increasing large portion of the pop. to only marginally exist/survive.
I've always believed that if the only way a business, ANY sort of business can survive is by underpaying people a livable wage, then it is NOT a viable business. And the system we've designed/copied/stolen and continue to operate is reliant on all that (including what's usually an enterage of needless ticket clippers) will eventually fail. In fact the longer it's allowed to go on, the probability of a more disruptive (even violent) outcome is possible.
You can look at any of them where exploitative practices have taken hold – whether its a Chorus outsourcing to outsourcers, or supermarkets, or restaurant chains, or what's going on in the building sector – the system we've designed/stolen/copied/opted for has been one that enables all that.
And now that people are beginning to wake up to it all (some politicians included), it's designers/plagiarists/adherents to the current economic orthodoxy are feeling a little uneasy – as they should be.
It'll have to run its course a little longer however. It's probably a little bit too late for Jacinda to get out her Mark Richardson index finger and wave it the directions where deserved. I just hope she gets another term so that a little more of her transformational ' and 'kind' vision' (Christ I hate that word) is progressed. (I just watched Q+A and the interview with Tame. I think she's got the message)
There's still quite a bit of that low hanging fruit across various portfolios she'd be able to fall back on, but she better be quick
Boris was possibly in the drama club when he was at uni. If not he still hankers to perform and clown in the footlights, though not as perceptively as Monty Python. Boris is a snake of a different order.
Something happening involving building – a step up, hooray! But the Marlborough Council had not been given a handout so they rubbish it. Could that be what is behind the obstacles put this Council put in the way of tiny houses? The Council might like developers with whom they have buddy relationships?
Anyone thinking of building or living in a relocatable home is strongly encouraged to get in touch with council to discuss their options.
Options = how the council can gouge everything possible from you. Next big issues in Marlborough will be unconsented treehouses and illegal rain water collections.
Building consent rules are there for very good reasons. This guy was a builder so is basically some kind of scam artist if he doesn't think the rules apply to whatever he was building.
Tiny houses can be great but there definately needs to be some law changes to allow for them without jeopardizing public health or the local communities that they will wind up going into. For example, any log burners should comply with fire safety (indeed the whole tiny house should) and be compliant with the most stringent air pollution standards in NZ (alternatively, compliant within the district or otherwise permanently removed).
Maybe only one THOW should be allowed on a property at any one time unless at a specified and consented site. Consent fees must be applied to all THOW to pay for oversight and compliance costs but perhaps at a reduced rate subsidised by government and the taxpayer to help get people into housing. Suitable financial or othet deterrents could be applied to deter breaches (e.g. dumping of sewerage or of rubbish, illegal water connections or electrical connections).
Not keen on the most stringent air pollution standards for logburners. It makes them incredibly expensive – not to construct, but for the manufacturer to recover their certification costs. And it's a nonsense, with road traffic contributing a huge proportion of the suspended particulate matter in city air. It's things like this which drive up cost without increasing value that need to justify themselves before being imposed with all the weight of local authority. Because of their small size tiny houses typically use the smallest logburners, and don't make excessive use of them – or the occupants would roast.
I agree that having the most stringent air pollution standards would probably make all current tiny log burners ineligible as it is so expensive to get certification. However, in some places (depending on local weather, geography and type and quantity of solid fuel burners) winter air pollution regularly exceeds the WHO maximums for PM 10 particulate sizes in addition to other sorts of air pollution. I think everybody should have some basic constraints on the pollution that they create – whether you live in a big house or a tiny house, similarly for car exhausts or agricultural or industrial or anything else.
I don't have any references for the above statements about PM10 but the info is easily found on regional council websites such as ECAN Environment Canterbury.
There are larger size very low emmision burners but no tiny ones yet that I know of in NZ. I don't know what the solution is to heating a tiny home is but if it was to be located in a city or town with winter pollution issues surely they could either go gas or electric heating.
This leads me back to my main concern – the complexity of regulating for this relatively new type of housing and the unintended problems caused by no or poor regulation.
It's certainly tough in places like Christchurch when there's a temperature inversion layer roofing over the smog in winter. But the vehicle particulates are as much tyre dust as exhausts. Both tiny houses, and larger roads, are better screened by vegetation. Breaks the wind, reduces noise, and soaks up a proportion of undesirable matter.
There certainly need to be rules about tiny houses but you sound too rigid. There needs to be an area where there are allocated places for them to go, perhaps a leased spot where there are services to hook up to.
Greywarshark – I was being a bit provocative but I do think there need to be some really well-thought out law changes – in my opinion people with tiny houses should bear some of the cost of compliance otherwise others (ratepayers and the rest of us) will have to bear the burden of any negative effects and the cost for the extra burden on infrastructure etc.
One of the great benefits of tiny houses is the flexibility of where they can be placed so some THOW "villages" would work and be useful but they could also be placed on private property.
One of my concerns is unintended consequences e.g. unscrupulous landlords set up multiple substandard THOWs on a property and rent them out at high prices.
I am actually really pro tiny houses and really want them to work for everybody including the communities that they turn up in.
Well I feel like you but just wanted to emphasise that the approach is too negative at present with some Councils needing to set up reasonable protocols for differing areas and types of scheme.
Edit:
This from Bowalley Road on P the drug to beat all drugs, that reaches parts of you that other drugs never found. Sounds like shit, but that word isn't strong enough to convey how bad it is.
For thinking people to read and be aware of. A different sort of setback from what we have encountered so far, which are legion. Those of us trying to keep an overview, can we be as positive as possible, while not ignoring the things going on, or we'll get too cast down; I will anyway.
Letter to – Grant Robertson Labour finance Minister.
Dear Grant, – Our NGO has represented the community since 2001 on issues of community environmental and residential public health and wellbeing; quote;
“In association with other Community Groups, NHTCF and all Government Agencies since 2001.
• Health and wellbeing.
• East Coast Transport Project”
Today 2nd December 2019,
the Labour Party has announced that a large infrastructure funding will get a big increase now.
All of the press in in a buzz over the reported infrastructure funding boost that will be made here.
Our east coast communities also now await the funding boost to our regional Gisborne/HB rail freight/passenger services that need to be made here.
National had decimated our regions rail services during their time and had left these regions without rail services for 7 long years since 2012.
end;
Abridged;
So Labour In the year of refection and in mirth we wish you a merry Xmas and a very successful shining 2020.
I usually are the holder of that cup, but we need to believe will get better as the human spirit claims we do or we become despondent disturbed and depressed but I hope this 2020 does become better for everyone.
And thank you kind Sir. And a Merry Christmas to you.
However I must apologise for the description of the rain. A friend who saw it has pointed out to me the other, rather unfortunate, meaning to "golden rain". I had completely overlooked it and I really didn't mean to wish that on you.
Still, I am a little cheered by the CB poll that has just come out. I now see why Grant was so keen to get out some "transformational" projects like doing up the toilet blocks or suchlike at the schools. He would have known from his parties own polls what was coming up on the CB poll and anything must look better than the last two years of failure when going into the summer break.
I’m always puzzled as to why people seem so easily buoyed or depressed by poll results, particularly CB polls of all things. Seems to me they have a problem. I often wonder whether they also believe horoscopes or read them with slight smile, just in case there’s a kernel of truth in there somewhere 😉
I couldn’t find it in the Companies Register of the NZ Companies Office although they clearly claim to be an NGO and a company. I’m probably looking in the wrong place.
It doesn’t let them off the astroturfing hook; this has been alleged here previously and I think there is an element of truth in it. Apparently, it is just one person and his family, not a genuine community group. All I’m after is evidence to the contrary.
Some people state (in error more usually) that they are an NGO when they actually mean to state that they are a non-registered NFP (not for profit) which as Weka, pointed out, could be anyone or anybody.
You allude (justifiably) to the expectation by the wider public along with social media contributors and readers that when identifying as an NGO, he/she/it holds him/her/itself out as being an identifiable, non government organisation.
Indeed, most limited liability companies are NGO's too.
The issue you raise is quite valid. I just wish that representatives of/from various communities would get their acronyms sorted.
As pointed out by Weka, it appears to be a legitimate New Zealand Incorporated Society and where incorporated societies are allowed to be part of (say a shareholder or stakeholder of) another entity such as a company.
This is sometimes where the NGO expression can be misinterpreted whereby they wish to assert that they are not connected to government (central, regional or local) but that they may still derive some benefit from a commercial operation not being associated with government.
Most usually, in New Zealand they will simply state themselves to be INC or INCP to avoid confusion. Sometimes the term; “incorporated group” will suffice.
I'm ok with a single person and their family running a community group, but I agree I wouldn't call it an NGO (which has a more formal status).
However, CEAC is as a registered Incorporated Society, and that means there are rules around members and such. I'm not going to link, but on the face of it, it seems legit to me.
Got an message from a mate in China saying that pretty much every banks in his city is having what we would call a BANK RUN. Traffic is stalled, while people madly trying to get their cash out of their banks. It's been happening for days on end, and now police and military are standing outside the banks. His bank accounts have been frozen and he's been told he can not take any money out of China.
Triggers are going to be somthing for historians weka. Could have been the the fact other banks have collapsed or been taken over by the state. Or it could be as simple as a rumour. We going to have to wait to learn what triggered this.
Blowback from the Social Credit program is a possibility too. I've been told by people who are there that your bank card not working is often the first sign your rating has taken a hit, or your public transport card.
thanks adam, I wasn't sure how that worked. Is the reason for it less like to be known because it's China, or would this happen elsewhere too? (a run starts and the cause isn't necessarily known).
I didn't have time to read it but put the links and dates. There has been uncertainty since March this year. So what triggered it at that time is relevant too.
Yeah he been told he can't take any money out. This is different from the daily cap, he glad he was being paid in US dollars into a account in Japan.
How wide spread, not sure, another mate said he hadn't seen any runs, he is living in a major city. But another mate in a rural area says the Runs have been going off and on for about a month now.
So I wonder what future alternatives for the People's Republic of China banking system?
Maybe it will be the first really significant major economic nation to move away from cash entirely, except at very low (village type) level, more at small value barter alternative than anything else.
How about their centrally managed financial institutions (that is, those banks and other financial service institutions aligned to the Central Party) announcing the widespread launch of their own crypto-currency system backed by the thousands and thousands of tonnes of gold reserves (real gold, that is) which they apparently have squirreled away?
Not sure if it's connected but here, Northern Thailand ,there were more that what's seems usual Chinese changing many big bricks of Chinese notes for baht.
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Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
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Wow …has everyone slept in today?
Good news about the selection of Claire Szabo as Labour party president. I think she is well qualified to do a great job. She has certainly done good things at Habitat for Humanity.
She was surely the no.1 choice by far given who she was up against.
Labour’s neo-liberaliam shone through with the election of a CEO over a unionist
So, business as usual. No surprises.
I take it you don't approve of the appointment of Claire? I think she will handle things significantly better than the last unionist. The handling of the complaints weren't exactly handled well by the last unionist Nigel Haworth.
So a party presidents sole prerequisite to fill the role is the ability to handle complaints?
Either the Labour Party is expecting loads of skeletons to come out of the closet or you expect the position to be a glorified councillor role
Either your reading comprehension is severely lacking, because that’s not what Jimmy said or implied, or you’re simply trolling.
Jimmy's only recommendations in favour of Claire so far are
1) not a unionist and,
2) should supposedly handle complaints better than haworth.
can you show me something else i'm supposed to have read in Jimmy's comment that wasn't there?
IMO, your whole comment @ 1.1.2.1 was a misinterpretation of Jimmy’s comment @ 1.1.2, in which he highlighted or opined rather that newly elected President will handle of “the complaints” [my bold] better than the previous President, who, of course lost his job for exactly that reason.
Somehow, you took this to mean that the “party presidents sole prerequisite to fill the role is the ability to handle complaints” [sic] and that Jimmy “expect[s] the position to be a glorified councillor role” [sic]. In other words, you were making it up.
On the lack of any other evidence that szabo was better than phillips in Jimmy’s eyes, I was demeaning of Jimmy's statement that Szabo was the far superior candidate. Apart from Szabo not being a unionist and being able to handle complaints better in Jimmy's eyes, I am yet to be convinced that Jimmy's statement is true
edit – or that selecting a CEO over a Unionist a year out from an election was a good thing for the party.
[Ok, it seems it is time to wear my Moderator hat.
Jimmy opined that she would handle complaints better. That is a strong argument because the previous President lost his job because of his poor handling of complaints. I suppose this assertion by Jimmy @ 1 got up your nose “[s]he was surely the no.1 choice by far given who she was up against.” You reacted to it with and based on your assumptions but did not ask Jimmy for his reasons nor did you give a counter-argument as to why the other candidate was a better choice in your opinion. You were not interested in a debate or a contest of opinions, just in lashing out at Jimmy. As you said, you were “demeaning” Jimmy’s statements and opinions. By extension, you were also demeaning the choice of the successful candidate. Do you think you know better than the LPNZ?
Jimmy did not make the comparison between CEO and Unionist. In fact, it was you who came up with it @ 1.1.
Lastly, whether or not “selecting a CEO over a Unionist a year out from an election was a good thing for the party” is your question, not Jimmy’s.
Please stop demeaning people’s opinions and agree to disagree if you cannot reach a compromise position. Please stop attributing words or meanings to other commenters and stick to what is said, i.e. don’t make up shit. As long as you stick to the simple and lenient rules of this site, you’re free to provide your opinion here – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 2:40 PM.
Good one incognito,![yes yes](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/thumbs_up.png)
Some are very upset at labour shinning again.
Hopefully there are no more skeletons to appear. I think she will be far better than the other candidates at helping them to get re-elected in 2020. She is quite a smart lady……but then…thats just my opinion.
She is quite a smart lady.
She is indeed:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12289804
When was he a trade unionist? I thought he was a retired Professor from Auckland University. He was, about 12 years ago the President of the University Staff Association but that isn't normally anything like a a professional full-time union job
Thanks Alwyn, for pointing that out. FWIW, nobody mentioned trade unionist.
True. Could have been an Irish unionist. #quals
Or the International Democrat Union (IDU).
Maybe even a taxpayers unionist..
You are absolutely correct. However I really don't think my interpretation can be regarded as anything other than warranted.
On the other hand I think Sacha's very funny suggestion may be a little, but only a little, unlikely.
Perhaps he was a member of Oswald Moseley's lot from before WW 2? That had various names, starting with The British Union of Fascists in 1932 but always included the word Union.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Union_of_Fascists
Nuance and context are not your strong suits apparently.
Habitat for Humanity New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with people of goodwill and families in housing need, to eliminate sub-standard housing.
Charities Registration: CC28026
https://habitat.org.nz/
We were involved with H4H for a number of years. Like all things human they aren't perfect or above all criticism, but we were impressed at the very real results they could deliver.
A good organisation, with good people doing mostly good things. Claire's background with them is a positive sign.
She was also involved with Language Partners – another very positive non-profit – the folk who got me into ELT back in the day.
The organisation might be an NGO, but blairite neo liberals worshipped NGO CEO's. The perfect meld of Private and Public apparently.
This is not a criticism of Szabo per se, it's more questioning why Labour would choose a CEO over a Trade Unionist, at a time when Labour is losing touch with largely blue collar working electorates who need the unions more and more to ensure job security.
Your framing is a little off, IMO. They chose the better candidate and I’d like to think the reasons and criteria for this decision were broader and more nuanced than your comparison of CEO vs. Trade Unionist.
I have no idea about who worships whom or what but you obviously know more about this and think this is relevant to the election of President of the LPNZ.
Not all NGOs are non-profit organisations but that nuance is also lost in your comments.
Did you notice the two organisations with which she was associated- English language learning for migrants, and Habitat for Humanty New Zealand. Who? Read this.
https://habitat.org.nz/about/
She was a CEO and will therefore have top management experience- a good qualification for a party president.
But somehow, Climaction, to then accuse her election as a shining example of neo-liberalism is a logical jump that you might need to explain more.
Especially if you are choosing to criticise somewhat egregiously someone with a management report like this.
https://management.co.nz/article/young-executive-year-claire-szabó-change-leader
Pronounced shinning according to clean green.
its not <I>shining</I> paragons I’m after. It’s just not ngo pseudo neo-liberals. Think the blairite third way is good for society? Support Szabo. I’m allowed to reserve judgement
Szabo was mentioned at Te Standard two days ago – were you asleep? 🙂
Just having the weekend off!
"Ardern’s experience of the past two years may have changed her perception of the neoliberal status-quo. Like David Lange before her, the Prime Minister appears to have entered office with a belief that economists, like electricians, were apolitical technicians. If the lights no longer come on – call an electrician. If an economy no longer delivers for the poor and the marginalised – then order Treasury economists to fix it. Two years on, there are signs that Ardern is beginning to grasp why “political economy” has always been a clearer term than “economics”. The wisely cynical are forever reminding us that “you can’t keep politics out of politics”. Well, it’s even more impossible to keep it out of economics!"
https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/102826/chris-trotter-argues-jacinda-arderns-year-delivery-was-naivety-very-particular-kind
They have proven to be slow learners but let us hope that learn they have
I'm reminded of some matter that Labour brought forward before one election and John Key was dismissive and annoyed because 'they were turning it into a political matter.' The understanding that everything is political, has somehow been disregarded and has slipped away to be replaced by the understanding that economics and business is everything that the country exists for; which is now the agreed axiom.
"The understanding that everything is political, has somehow been disregarded and has slipped away to be replaced by the understanding that economics and business is everything that the country exists for; which is now the agreed axiom"
True. (Hence the Ministry for Everything). And you can't really blame anyone that's grown up knowing nothing else (Jacinda for example).
It'll take a while for it all to be dismantled but as Rache used to say ….. "It won't happen overnight, but it will happen" (in this space going forward)
The recent death of a black economy construction worker in Auckland highlights how completely out of control our erstwhile immigration policy is.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/117551892/death-of-a-migrant-under-the-table-workers-building-aucklands-multimillion-dollar-homes
The man is dead, but NZ authorities cannot even tell his widow who he was working for.
Ordinarily, in a country with a non-FITH opposition, Lees-Galloway would be comprehensively grilled about this failure, no doubt largely attributable to the previous administration but clearly not fixed.
Health and safety, ACC, minimum wage legislation, none of it will survive if this kind of black economy is allowed to.
Find it difficult to believe that an investigation couldnt identify the individuals involved in the construction of any building if the will was there
Aye, there's the rub.
You can imagine the home owner who decided to hire shonky builders may suddenly become uncommunicative..
you can…and then you can imagine the lack of a CCC
Yet the article says this one has been sold with nary a mention of missing paperwork.
"The house where Yu died is located in an upmarket new development. A "sold" sign is planted freshly out the front. It has a quotable value of almost $2 million.
The new owner didn't have any details about the previous work on the house and the agent who sold the property declined to comment."
None of that BS stymies an investigation….for a property to get a CCC there is a paper trail and for a mortgage a CCC is required …and the real estate agent may not comment to a journalist but he/she should have a harder time denying officials
Can you sell a house without one?
only for cash,,,and theres still a paper trail
Edit
NZ isn't short of driven workers with useful skills – train them up in prison, turn it into more like a Borstal with decent facilities and respectful treatment of them as humans who have bad tendencies which need to be watched carefully, but try to get them making things, working under better conditions than this poor dead worker, and give them suspended sentences so they can work for a trial period, say 90 days which the employers are so keen on.
We regard ourselves as a practical nation rather than an intellectual one, but I fear we have fooled ourselves on the practical, and reject the intellectual. (Citizens who have skills and experience could do as well if they could choose their mix of advisers, not all bureaucrats.)
There is a better future for these young fellers if someone has the wit to guide and control them along the right path. Try giving them similar training to those given to puppies, who people in general seem to care more about than immature humans needing guidance. These prisoners showed initiative to get to their home-made home brew; puppies will do a lot for treats. Try that psychological approach; set small goal, reward for achievement, then another, same or extra coaching, discussion about why,
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/404562/drunk-prisoners-swim-in-skip-attack-guard
The inmates were meant to be working in the engineering workshop at Christchurch Men’s Prison, where their tasks included filling skips with water to check for holes.
Chief custodial officer Neil Beales said they were found climbing in and out of a skip on 29 October.
They were drunk on home-brew, which can be made from fermenting fruit and sugar.
All five prisoners were sacked from the workshop and three were moved to the Otago Corrections Facility.
"This is clearly unacceptable. Prisoners who take part in employment activities and industry training are expected to take this privilege and responsibility seriously," Mr Beales said.
Seriously?? They are dying for some fun, and after a long period of not having any, overdid it. They are immature and need to learn control and with the right training program would go from being puppies to mature dogs with a healthy attitude, keeping themselves and their aggressive urges under control.
Agreed – shouldn't be a big deal – bit of a swim in summer is hardly sociopathy – we had water fights pretty much every day when I started fishing – no-one got hurt.
If it's rehabilitation they should be learning home brewing – and moderate as opposed to binge drinking culture – they'll want those skills outside.
Part of it though, is systematic prejudice against employing NZers. The liquor store owner knows no kiwi will accept no or short pay, much less paying their boss for an employment history for immigration purposes. The hort labour contractors know no kiwi will pay them up to ten grand for a job. But the government has fallen down on the job, allowing these rorts to become not merely feasible, but standard.
So, never mind telling us about all the new cops – how about a few dozen extra immigration and labour inspectors.
This shit is rampant. Half the construction sites out in the Eastern Suburbs were populated by imported Chinese labourers (scaffolding in particular), everyone's being paid under the table, there's no discernible chain of command, minimal paperwork, safety is a hilarious joke and whenever an inspector shows up they scatter like cockroaches when someone turns the lights on. My step-son was out there and he said the number of shady operators was jaw-dropping.
Aussie is the same and their buildings are falling apart.
Still, these are workers and should have workers rights, ACC cover, and everything else applicable. The story really annoyed me because I see a scumbag employer flouting NZ law at every turn and getting away with it, while the victim's family suffers and has no recourse unless they have Triad connections. At the very least both ACC and IRD should hammer these guys with ongoing audits, penalties etc and council should do everything it can to ensure the workers are legit and the buildings will not be a threat to life in the future.
I'm guessing the employer will continue on unimpeded.
Paying labourers on $500 a week says to me there is not a labour shortage, just a shortage of labour that is happy to be exploited.
If coming down hard on it I wonder if the govt are fearful of generating ammunition for contrary lobbyists. The build rate would slow right down and we might see headlines like 'The coalition oversees a build rate of negative 20 houses.'
I do agree with contributors above and if a slowing build rate is the price of cleaning up the black economy we should pay it. Officials should walk onto random sites and ask to be directed to the boss, shoulder tap him and advise him he has been selected for an IRD, ACC and employee status audit. I think news of such a program would spread through the black economy operators like an Aussie bushfire and the fines, tax due etc imposed would go a long way to financing such a program.
Great idea David Mac. Psychology is a subtle weapon.
You'd think. Wonder how often they do.
There is an LBPs name and number tied to the site and that LBP is tied to a company and he/she responsible for subbies re control….there are areas of control and pressure that can be applied IF the will is there.
Nailed in one “ If there is a will”
someone gets injuries on a major site all hell is released. A little housing site, nothing. Someone died here and from my reading the inaction is at the highest level of concern. And we now have a Labour led govt. 🤢
what we close our eyes to, we ACCEPT
Se 2.1.1 above Stuart.
Tinkering and 'failed' restructures ain't going to cut it either. I'm not sure I L-G is to blame totally either, other than it's taking a while to realise where the problems lay. I'll not be surprised if he's dropped in the muck again before too long.
I was amused to look at MBIE's website yesterday (after seeing that link, and knowing the work Anu Kaloti and others have been doing for years now) where they're encouraging people to either ring an 0800 number or Crimestoppers where they see examples of exploitation. It's only recently MBIE have been taking the problem seriously – past couple of years – but unfortunately they can't seem to walk and chew gum at the same time.
(Calls to Crimestoppers often result in nothing happening, and everything to do with INZ and the Labour Inspectorate is now regarded with such cynicism that if it wasn't so serious, it'd be a joke)
It might actually take a few more cases of Ministers being embarrassed before anything substantial happens.
ILG is to blame in principle, more than in fact. But having inherited a box of bastards – the kind of mess that takes a lot of unraveling – is it too much to ask for clear evidence that the matter is being addressed? We the people pay him pretty well to shoulder that responsibility.
/Agree. I'm trying to be as charitable as possible on account of his apparently being a nice guy – or so I'm told. (Probably too nice)
On another thread somewhere, I think Weka and others were referring to 'low hanging fruit' that could have been picked instead of being left on the tree to burn the coalition's political capital. Things like this are low hanging fruit.
There are a few things that should've been made very clear from the outset (via channels of course) ….. such as
Any public servant that thinks it OK to employ the likes of T&C to spy on people isn't suited to the public service.
Likewise, any public servant that worked alongside the likes of a James Casson and said nothing isn't fit to be a public servant.
I could go on. But also any politician that thinks the sort of behaviour and pushback we've seen from some in the senior ranks and does nothing about it probably deserves to lose an election
It must be hard to concentrate on doing a good job when your staff are helping run crap like the Sroubeck affair to embarrass you.
Do you mean he is not to blame for "In total, these changes are estimated to reduce net migration by 20,000-30,000. Without these changes there would be up to 10,000 more houses needed and up to 20,000 more vehicles on our roads annually. Our immigration system will be regularly reviewed to ensure it is functioning well." . Given that the last years net increase was larger than before Labour came into govt.
If you cannot keep a promise DON'T make one. Thanks to this govt. for being the problem AND not the solution.
https://www.labour.org.nz/immigration
What I do recall of Labour's immigration policy (as opposed to what has been implemented as a coalition), was a third tranche to its policy directed at bolstering the regions.
I remember making a submission at the time that immigration policy was going to be the bull in the China shop, and when Labour and Greens were formulating policy, and that the system and administrative structure as it stood was not good for purpose – reliant on sustained growth for an economic benefit (and all its associated ticket clippers), rather than sustainable growth for a healthy society.
You decide which has come to pass
We have this "According to MBIE, a total of 475,920 people were in this country on work, residence or student visas at the end of October, almost 10% of the total population and up 3.6% compared to the same time last year.
That included 202,917 people on work visas,187,164 on residence visas and 85,839 on student visas."
As someone earlier here said NZ imports cheap labour to allow marginal business to thrive, and undercut/suppress local wages. So we have business using govt. welfare to allow an increasing large portion of the pop. to only marginally exist/survive.
https://www.interest.co.nz/property/102752/work-visa-approvals-9-year-ago-residence-visa-approvals-128
I've always believed that if the only way a business, ANY sort of business can survive is by underpaying people a livable wage, then it is NOT a viable business. And the system we've designed/copied/stolen and continue to operate is reliant on all that (including what's usually an enterage of needless ticket clippers) will eventually fail. In fact the longer it's allowed to go on, the probability of a more disruptive (even violent) outcome is possible.
You can look at any of them where exploitative practices have taken hold – whether its a Chorus outsourcing to outsourcers, or supermarkets, or restaurant chains, or what's going on in the building sector – the system we've designed/stolen/copied/opted for has been one that enables all that.
And now that people are beginning to wake up to it all (some politicians included), it's designers/plagiarists/adherents to the current economic orthodoxy are feeling a little uneasy – as they should be.
It'll have to run its course a little longer however. It's probably a little bit too late for Jacinda to get out her Mark Richardson index finger and wave it the directions where deserved. I just hope she gets another term so that a little more of her transformational ' and 'kind' vision' (Christ I hate that word) is progressed. (I just watched Q+A and the interview with Tame. I think she's got the message)
There's still quite a bit of that low hanging fruit across various portfolios she'd be able to fall back on, but she better be quick
Brexit –
Boorish is sugaring the pill before the workers realise just how sick they will be after Brexit.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2019/nov/29/buy-british-boris-johnson-promises-more-state-aid-for-jobs-after-brexit-video
Boris was possibly in the drama club when he was at uni. If not he still hankers to perform and clown in the footlights, though not as perceptively as Monty Python. Boris is a snake of a different order.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2iHwcNj1wM
22/11 Report on meeting of Parties.
https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2019-50525245 : General election 2019: Sturgeon says indyref2 needed because of Brexit
Something happening involving building – a step up, hooray! But the Marlborough Council had not been given a handout so they rubbish it. Could that be what is behind the obstacles put this Council put in the way of tiny houses? The Council might like developers with whom they have buddy relationships?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/404394/cavalier-builder-fined-over-five-unconsented-tiny-homes-in-backyard
Options = how the council can gouge everything possible from you. Next big issues in Marlborough will be unconsented treehouses and illegal rain water collections.
Building consent rules are there for very good reasons. This guy was a builder so is basically some kind of scam artist if he doesn't think the rules apply to whatever he was building.
Tiny houses can be great but there definately needs to be some law changes to allow for them without jeopardizing public health or the local communities that they will wind up going into. For example, any log burners should comply with fire safety (indeed the whole tiny house should) and be compliant with the most stringent air pollution standards in NZ (alternatively, compliant within the district or otherwise permanently removed).
Maybe only one THOW should be allowed on a property at any one time unless at a specified and consented site. Consent fees must be applied to all THOW to pay for oversight and compliance costs but perhaps at a reduced rate subsidised by government and the taxpayer to help get people into housing. Suitable financial or othet deterrents could be applied to deter breaches (e.g. dumping of sewerage or of rubbish, illegal water connections or electrical connections).
Not keen on the most stringent air pollution standards for logburners. It makes them incredibly expensive – not to construct, but for the manufacturer to recover their certification costs. And it's a nonsense, with road traffic contributing a huge proportion of the suspended particulate matter in city air. It's things like this which drive up cost without increasing value that need to justify themselves before being imposed with all the weight of local authority. Because of their small size tiny houses typically use the smallest logburners, and don't make excessive use of them – or the occupants would roast.
I agree that having the most stringent air pollution standards would probably make all current tiny log burners ineligible as it is so expensive to get certification. However, in some places (depending on local weather, geography and type and quantity of solid fuel burners) winter air pollution regularly exceeds the WHO maximums for PM 10 particulate sizes in addition to other sorts of air pollution. I think everybody should have some basic constraints on the pollution that they create – whether you live in a big house or a tiny house, similarly for car exhausts or agricultural or industrial or anything else.
I don't have any references for the above statements about PM10 but the info is easily found on regional council websites such as ECAN Environment Canterbury.
There are larger size very low emmision burners but no tiny ones yet that I know of in NZ. I don't know what the solution is to heating a tiny home is but if it was to be located in a city or town with winter pollution issues surely they could either go gas or electric heating.
This leads me back to my main concern – the complexity of regulating for this relatively new type of housing and the unintended problems caused by no or poor regulation.
It's certainly tough in places like Christchurch when there's a temperature inversion layer roofing over the smog in winter. But the vehicle particulates are as much tyre dust as exhausts. Both tiny houses, and larger roads, are better screened by vegetation. Breaks the wind, reduces noise, and soaks up a proportion of undesirable matter.
There certainly need to be rules about tiny houses but you sound too rigid. There needs to be an area where there are allocated places for them to go, perhaps a leased spot where there are services to hook up to.
Greywarshark – I was being a bit provocative but I do think there need to be some really well-thought out law changes – in my opinion people with tiny houses should bear some of the cost of compliance otherwise others (ratepayers and the rest of us) will have to bear the burden of any negative effects and the cost for the extra burden on infrastructure etc.
One of the great benefits of tiny houses is the flexibility of where they can be placed so some THOW "villages" would work and be useful but they could also be placed on private property.
One of my concerns is unintended consequences e.g. unscrupulous landlords set up multiple substandard THOWs on a property and rent them out at high prices.
I am actually really pro tiny houses and really want them to work for everybody including the communities that they turn up in.
Well I feel like you but just wanted to emphasise that the approach is too negative at present with some Councils needing to set up reasonable protocols for differing areas and types of scheme.
I BEE
T(h)e Earl of East Bluff.
Where the why meets the for sure.
Firstly, for my First One opinion on hot Mike of the day: Laws and Orders.
If you, ewes, me, myself and I ain't dun or said nuffin' wrong, we've got nuffin' to worry about.
Wha ?
Edit:
This from Bowalley Road on P the drug to beat all drugs, that reaches parts of you that other drugs never found. Sounds like shit, but that word isn't strong enough to convey how bad it is.
https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2019/11/a-bi-partisan-commitment-to-x-ing-p.html
For thinking people to read and be aware of. A different sort of setback from what we have encountered so far, which are legion. Those of us trying to keep an overview, can we be as positive as possible, while not ignoring the things going on, or we'll get too cast down; I will anyway.
When I first read this comment I thought that you were replying to "whetherreport" at comment 6.
It seemed pretty appropriate to that comment somehow.
It could well have applied to me (and my intro post), but I don't know if this was what he (greywarshark) intended his post to highlight.
Besides, I'm can be a crazy writer without the use of such products, but by comparison you could liken it in a way.
You remind me of somebody…
He just can't stay away.
Well Greywarshark
here's our regional community wish-list for ‘father Grant Xmas’
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1912/S00005/ceac-wants-funding-for-rail-freightpassenger-services.htm
Letter to – Grant Robertson Labour finance Minister.
Dear Grant, – Our NGO has represented the community since 2001 on issues of community environmental and residential public health and wellbeing; quote;
“In association with other Community Groups, NHTCF and all Government Agencies since 2001.
• Health and wellbeing.
• East Coast Transport Project”
Today 2nd December 2019,
the Labour Party has announced that a large infrastructure funding will get a big increase now.
All of the press in in a buzz over the reported infrastructure funding boost that will be made here.
Our east coast communities also now await the funding boost to our regional Gisborne/HB rail freight/passenger services that need to be made here.
National had decimated our regions rail services during their time and had left these regions without rail services for 7 long years since 2012.
end;
Abridged;
So Labour In the year of refection and in mirth we wish you a merry Xmas and a very successful shining 2020.
" a very successful shining 2020.".
And I'm sure he wishes you the same thing. May any rain that falls on you be golden.
I’m afraid that any shining that goes on next year will be, for most people like the film of that name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shining_(film)
Gee Alwyn it's not like you to be so negative.
I usually are the holder of that cup, but we need to believe will get better as the human spirit claims we do or we become despondent disturbed and depressed but I hope this 2020 does become better for everyone.
Merry Xmas to you too.
And thank you kind Sir. And a Merry Christmas to you.
However I must apologise for the description of the rain. A friend who saw it has pointed out to me the other, rather unfortunate, meaning to "golden rain". I had completely overlooked it and I really didn't mean to wish that on you.
Still, I am a little cheered by the CB poll that has just come out. I now see why Grant was so keen to get out some "transformational" projects like doing up the toilet blocks or suchlike at the schools. He would have known from his parties own polls what was coming up on the CB poll and anything must look better than the last two years of failure when going into the summer break.
I’m always puzzled as to why people seem so easily buoyed or depressed by poll results, particularly CB polls of all things. Seems to me they have a problem. I often wonder whether they also believe horoscopes or read them with slight smile, just in case there’s a kernel of truth in there somewhere 😉
The "why" has never bothered me so much as the "how". The rollercoaster can't be healthy.
There we go again 🙁
Where is that NGO of yours registered and what is the name/URL of its website?
Do you know that that astroturfing gets banned here on TS? If you don’t know what astroturfing is I’d suggest you look it up.
This? https://www.bizdb.co.nz/company/9429043063611/
Although lots of community groups aren't registered anywhere (which is valid).
Ta
I couldn’t find it in the Companies Register of the NZ Companies Office although they clearly claim to be an NGO and a company. I’m probably looking in the wrong place.
It doesn’t let them off the astroturfing hook; this has been alleged here previously and I think there is an element of truth in it. Apparently, it is just one person and his family, not a genuine community group. All I’m after is evidence to the contrary.
Some people state (in error more usually) that they are an NGO when they actually mean to state that they are a non-registered NFP (not for profit) which as Weka, pointed out, could be anyone or anybody.
You allude (justifiably) to the expectation by the wider public along with social media contributors and readers that when identifying as an NGO, he/she/it holds him/her/itself out as being an identifiable, non government organisation.
Indeed, most limited liability companies are NGO's too.
The issue you raise is quite valid. I just wish that representatives of/from various communities would get their acronyms sorted.
Thank you.
The link that Weka provided suggests that they are indeed registered but I could not confirm that!?
What you describe is a deceitful online behaviour AKA astroturfing. Politicians are not the only ones who should be held to a high(er) standard.
I'll give you the details in the back end.
As pointed out by Weka, it appears to be a legitimate New Zealand Incorporated Society and where incorporated societies are allowed to be part of (say a shareholder or stakeholder of) another entity such as a company.
This is sometimes where the NGO expression can be misinterpreted whereby they wish to assert that they are not connected to government (central, regional or local) but that they may still derive some benefit from a commercial operation not being associated with government.
Most usually, in New Zealand they will simply state themselves to be INC or INCP to avoid confusion. Sometimes the term; “incorporated group” will suffice.
I'm ok with a single person and their family running a community group, but I agree I wouldn't call it an NGO (which has a more formal status).
However, CEAC is as a registered Incorporated Society, and that means there are rules around members and such. I'm not going to link, but on the face of it, it seems legit to me.
Got an message from a mate in China saying that pretty much every banks in his city is having what we would call a BANK RUN. Traffic is stalled, while people madly trying to get their cash out of their banks. It's been happening for days on end, and now police and military are standing outside the banks. His bank accounts have been frozen and he's been told he can not take any money out of China.
https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3039563/guo-shuqing-watchdog-chinas-us40-trillion-banking-and
do you know what triggered that?
Nov 14 2019 Australian Financial Review https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/china-regulators-move-to-defuse-jitters-after-two-bank-runs-20191114-p53aju
Nov 14 2019 https://www.caixinglobal.com/2019-11-14/cx-daily-chinas-bank-regulators-try-to-defuse-bank-run-jitters-101483162.html
This from June 2019 from reuters – https://www.reuters.com/article/china-market-banks/china-introduces-risk-hedging-tool-for-bank-debt-amid-market-jitters-about-smaller-lenders-idUSL4N23H271
This from March 2019 – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-20/chinese-banks-record-fundraising-signals-industry-jitters
what triggered it?
Triggers are going to be somthing for historians weka. Could have been the the fact other banks have collapsed or been taken over by the state. Or it could be as simple as a rumour. We going to have to wait to learn what triggered this.
Blowback from the Social Credit program is a possibility too. I've been told by people who are there that your bank card not working is often the first sign your rating has taken a hit, or your public transport card.
thanks adam, I wasn't sure how that worked. Is the reason for it less like to be known because it's China, or would this happen elsewhere too? (a run starts and the cause isn't necessarily known).
I didn't have time to read it but put the links and dates. There has been uncertainty since March this year. So what triggered it at that time is relevant too.
That's concerning, did they say how wide spread it is? Military outside banks and frozen accounts…..whats going on.
Edit: Would it be because of the new daily cap when withdrawing offshore? https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2126252/china-puts-us1500-daily-personal-cap-overseas-bank-card
Cheers for the link. Interesting reading, $40 trillion is a massive financial sector, the exploitation potential would be enormous.
And what up with the recent news about having to register ones phone with facial id…
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50587098
Yeah he been told he can't take any money out. This is different from the daily cap, he glad he was being paid in US dollars into a account in Japan.
How wide spread, not sure, another mate said he hadn't seen any runs, he is living in a major city. But another mate in a rural area says the Runs have been going off and on for about a month now.
So I wonder what future alternatives for the People's Republic of China banking system?
Maybe it will be the first really significant major economic nation to move away from cash entirely, except at very low (village type) level, more at small value barter alternative than anything else.
How about their centrally managed financial institutions (that is, those banks and other financial service institutions aligned to the Central Party) announcing the widespread launch of their own crypto-currency system backed by the thousands and thousands of tonnes of gold reserves (real gold, that is) which they apparently have squirreled away?
Not sure if it's connected but here, Northern Thailand ,there were more that what's seems usual Chinese changing many big bricks of Chinese notes for baht.
been happening for a month or more apparently.
https://news.bitcoin.com/another-bank-run-highlights-chinas-brewing-financial-crisis/
one positive is the chinese banking system is isolated…but they are our biggest customer
I have been looking into what is being done with recycled plastics now. In the North Island. good for fence posts.
For instance: https://www.recycling.kiwi.nz/solutions/soft-plastics/products
https://www.futurepost.co.nz/