Open mike 03/03/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 3rd, 2023 - 69 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:


Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

69 comments on “Open mike 03/03/2023 ”

  1. PsyclingLeft.Always 1

    The Government is deploying Bailey bridges across six sites in the North Island to reconnect isolated communities impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland floods, Transport Minister Michael Wood says.

    “We’ve moved quickly with the support of NZDF assets to get Bailey bridges into the hardest-hit regions and restore pivotal transport routes for the communities.

    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/govt-rolling-out-bailey-bridges-cyclone-hit-areas

    Good onya Minister Michael Wood and Labour ! Great idea and implementation. Keep this up : )

  2. gsays 2

    There is something not right in Rob Campbell's employment woes.

    It seems unjust that the public knew anout his pending sacking from EPA in the day or two before it happened. RNZ had a Craig McCulloch saying a spokesperson for Minister Parker told McCulloch that his firing was pending.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018879999/rob-campbell-expected-to-lose-epa-chair-role

    Expect to see Labour's red colours to become more mauve as the election nears.

    Edit; this probably didn’t help;

    https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/business-of-health/te-whatu-ora-to-crack-down-on-health-consultant-spend

  3. This seems to be a shoot-yourself-in-the-foot action from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

    They commissioned an opinion poll asking landlords why they increased rents. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority cited increased costs – due to Government policy changes, and mortgage rises. [Whether that's the 'true' reason or not, it's the obvious answer when asked for an opinion]

    This appears to be a gift to the opposition, without any compensating benefit to the Government in additional data to fine tune policies.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/government-policy-changes-help-drive-rents-to-record-highs-government-survey-finds/GAOUK2SYUZBIPF6QL6YLRB4DIE/

    • Muttonbird 3.1

      The government policy related reasons were not a vast majority, or even a majority at all.

      The next most common reasons for putting up rent were all related to government policy changes: 32 per cent cited the costs of the Government’s healthy homes regulations, which enforce minimum quality standards around heating, insulation, ventilation, and dryness; and 26 per cent cited tenancy law changes enacted in 2020 that prohibited ending a periodic tenancy without reason and things like rental bidding.

      I'm no statistician but the 32% and 26% are not cumulative because they will mostly be the same people citing both (they could cite multiple reasons).

    • mikesh 3.2

      Mortgage payments are not a cost, but essentially an investment. Therefor they should not be a reason for increases in rent.

      • James Thrace 3.2.1

        Any “landlord” knowing there is a fixed cost ought to have their mortgages fixed at the lowest rate possible for the longest period. Add in roughly 10% for yoy increases for rates and insurance, and annual maintenance of roughly 5% of property value, its fairly easy to calculate what rent should be for the next 5 years at a minimum. Any annual increases is just greed.

        • mikesh 3.2.1.1

          If rent controls were to be introduced I think they should be set at an amount sufficient to cover expenses such as rates, insurance, maintenance, administration (if appropriate), but not interest (which is really the landlord's concern – the tenant should not be expected to pay extra rent simply because the landlord has taken out a large loan in order to get into the residential rental business). Add to that an appropriate percentage to provide the landlord with a margin of profit.

    • adam 3.3

      The greedy being greedy, cherry picking excuses for their greed.

      Who would have thought the herald would have given this so much coverage.

      I see this coverage, and people who promote it, as just more dirty politics.

      • AB 3.3.1

        Is there a new poll out next week? If so, the Herald will be in overdrive putting its thumb on the scales – and then talking endlessly about the poll afterwards if it favours their side. A pretty standard tactic from them.

  4. Adrian Thornton 4

    Looks like Bahkmut is about to fall to Wagner PMC forces…5000+ Ukrainian troops (many just territorials) in danger of encirclement, will Volodymyr Zelenskyy give the order to withdraw in time?..time is running out fast.

    Here is an update from Defense Politics Asia, one of the best and most neutral mappers on the net…though neutrality in analysis on this particular topic seems to be a dirty word for many on this site.
    Just like the word 'detente' or even more shockingly the words 'peace negotiations' have become a dirty words in Liberal circles, preferring the staunch backing of more death and destruction in Ukraine (well as long as it's Ukrainian men and boys being killed and destroyed, and not their own I assume)….As you can see, I still can't get over how seamlessly the Liberal class have become the most Hawkish/Ghoulish single class of people in the West…it was obvious for all who cared to observe that this class had gone wrong through the Trump years…but I personally never guessed just how broken they had become.

    …you only have to listen to someone like Kim Hill (or RNZ in general) once or twice on pretty much any Geopolitical subject to see how hyper reactionary and bloodthirsty the Liberal class has become today…yep up is down now, black is white..or should I say left is right?

    Anyway, for those interested in a reasonably neutral look at the sage unfolding on the ground in Bakhmut, here you go…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPGDqVnF1pk

    • tsmithfield 4.1

      Reports I have seen suggest the Ukrainians have been gradually withdrawing from Bakhmut.

      I have heard the "rumours" of Ukrainian rebellion as well. Just remember, as the report says, these rumours are being reported by the Russian side, that puts up ludicrous, totally obvious, false flag videos such as this. So, anything coming from the Russian side needs to be taken with truckloads of salt.

      Most commentators (including military strategists) I have seen are a bit bemused about why Russia is putting so much effort on Bakhmut as it is strategically insignificant. The Ukrainians have been using Bakhmut to burn Russian combat power. The Russian losses have been huge, often involving full frontal assaults with convicts who are treated as cannon fodder.

      So, Ukraine will likely lose Bakhmut after six months or so of defending a relatively small, insignificant town. But what does that say about the capability of the Russian military that it has taken them so long to accomplish such a trivial task?

      Looking at the big picture, even if Bakhmut falls, as it seems it will, the amount of territory Russia has gained since it lost Kherson prior to Christmas, has been absolutely negligible.

      The interesting thing will be to see what happens when the Ukrainians have favourable conditions for their own counter-offensive, and is able to deploy all the new weaponry from the west (Leopard tanks etc).

      This war has run a predictable cycle thus far:

      Phase 1. The Russians batter themselves senseless for minimal gains against determined Ukrainian defenders, thus weakening their capabilities.

      Phase 2. The Ukrainians exploit the resulting Russian weakness with counter offensives that reclaim huge amounts of Ukrainian territory (e.g., Russians being routed around Kyiv, Russians being routed around Karkhiv, Russians withdrawing from Kherson).

      We are currrently witnessing Phase 1. It won't be long before the Ukrainians have their turn.

      • Adrian Thornton 4.1.1

        "The Ukrainians exploit the resulting Russian weakness with counter offensives that reclaim huge amounts of Ukrainian territory"…I very much doubt that is going to happen…but what do I know.

        I do know this though..the Leopard tanks, in the numbers that are going to be provided and with amount of time for training/retraining the crews are going to only play an insignificant part in this war…infact the way the West goes on about new weapon systems changing the inevitable direction this war will play out, reminds one of the German high command from '43 onwards.
        I believe most serious commentators suggest the only possible way the Ukrainians could (maybe) defeat Russia, is with large scale NATO troop deployment…and surely not even the most demented Liberal warmonger wants that?…ie; WW3…but then who knows how crazed the defenders of Western hegemony have become..

        …actually quite crazed according to Malaysia’s longest-serving Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad….

        “the present war between Ukraine and Russia is caused by the Europeans’ love of war, of hegemony, of dominance”. He warned it “can be interpreted as the start of the Third World War”.

        https://twitter.com/chedetofficial/status/1628981908788088840

        • roblogic 4.1.1.1

          Get a grip mate. The "crazed defenders of western hegemony" aren't the ones blowing up civilians and committing war crimes.

          The defenders of Putin OTOH… 🤯

        • UncookedSelachimorpha 4.1.1.2

          I notice the "peace lovers" who go on about peace talks and moan about Ukrainian and western "war mongering", don't loudly condemn Russia for its attack (cause of the war) and loudly demand Russia withdraws its military from Ukraine (will end war).

          Instead they seem to back Russia, rather than peace.

        • tsmithfield 4.1.1.3

          Not only Leopard 2 tanks, but also the British Challengers, and a large number of upgraded Soviet tanks I think Poland is supplying. And, probably more importantly, the Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles.

          Anyway, you should go back and look at how the Ukrainians made rapid progress into the Kherson region. That was with a concentration of a number of tanks focussed on a specific area.

          I think that is how they will make progress in their next offensive as well. I expect they will concentrate their superior equipment on a specific strategic area to force a significant break through.

        • Stuart Munro 4.1.1.4

          Mahathir is an interesting choice. He has this much in common with Putin – nothing is ever his fault, and he has essentially chosen to be president for life. His handling of the Asian financial crisis was astute, but, like Trump, his utterances may be geared more for personal than public interest.

      • Sanctuary 4.1.2

        Bakhmut is a little more important than that. This map here explains the importance of Bakhmut as it shows the main heavily fortified lines of the Ukrainians in this region. This also explains importance of the Ukrainian victory in the Kharkiv offensive last September. The Russian attempts to recapture Lyman (and thence, one would imagine, Izium – time may pass but the terrain is a constant) only make sense if they have a plan for a grand encirclement of the Donets region with two pincers aimed at Barinvinkove. If the Russians are able to exploit a breakthrough at Bakhmut they can potentially outflank the very heavily fortified zones the Ukrainians have constructed by pushing to the west and south of Kramatorsk – not fatal since the September counter offensive but it would be a worrying development.

        Having said that, I doubt the ability of the Russians to engage in a large scale manoeuvre warfare exploitation of any opportunity presented by the fall of Bakhmut. The Donets region is at defensive dream, with numerous settlements that can be easily fortified and the general terrain of this part of the world offers endless strong positions. The recent Russian successes may have possibly come about due to a recent change in Russian infantry tactics, with the use of Wagner style infiltration tactics. These new tactics are essentially a re-invention of German WW1 stormtrooper tactics. These tactics are effective in breaking into and through a fortified zone, but as the Germans discovered in WW1 during the 1918 "Kaisers battle" offensives when using these tactics converting a breakthrough to a breakout is extremely difficult, and the elite Stormtroopers suffer heavy casualties. The loss of so many of your best troops eventually has a considerable blowback when the enemy counterattacks units that have been reduced to second or third class status by the stripping out of their best men and equipment.

        However, at the moment I would assess that these new assault tactics being used by the remaining high quality units (paratroopers etc) of the Russian army are too hot for the poorly trained Ukrainian territorial units to handle. But the Russians are suffering heavy losses of hard to replace men attacking poorly trained recruits, which can’t go on for much longer. In the attritional battle even if the Ukrainians are losing heavily themselves in their territorial units they are far easier to replace with new recruits than Russia’s long service professionals.

        • tsmithfield 4.1.2.1

          Your first link doesn't open. But I am quite familiar with what you mean.

          Bakhmut made a lot of sense when Russia held Lyman, because it gave the opportunity for a grand pincer movement to take the rest of the Donbass.

          But, now, Russia doesn't have Lyman, and looks highly unlikely to get it back now that the ground conditions no longer favour their winter offensive.

          I think there is a point to why Ukraine is defending Bakhmut. Firstly, it is fixing in place a lot of Russian forces that could have used elsewhere to better effect. Secondly, the Russians are losing a lot more forces due to them attacking strong defensive positions.

          I have seen a lot of criticism that the Russians have been spreading their offensive over a far too large front line, and that they should have been focussing their forces on one or two strategic points. That is how Ukraine managed to make rapid progress.

          But, at the moment, the Russians are just wasting a large amount of their combat power. Look at what is happening at Vuldhar. The Russians are continually attacking into a preprepared kill zone. At last count I think the Russians had lost 137 fighting vehicles to achieve nothing.

            • tsmithfield 4.1.2.1.1.1

              Yep. That works.

              It doesn't look like Bakhmut is a cakewalk for Russia, even now, btw.

              I don't know if you follow this guy. But he seems to give the most detailed and accurate tactical information on what is going on.

              It looks like the Ukrainians have reinforced the area, not by going into the Bakhmut cauldron, but rather by positioning to attack the Russian flanks of their pincer.

              A big problem for the Russians in this scenario is that it isn't like they are creating a pincer movement with nothing outside of that. The Ukrainians have a lot of forces outside of Bakhmut that they can deploy as they need to upset the Russian plans. Plus, the Russian pincers are largely in open fields which makes them very vulnerable to Ukrainian artillery.

              It would not surprise me at all if the Ukrainians counter attacked and pushed the Russians pincers back from Bakhmut, thus undoing a lot of what the Russians had been trying to achieve.

          • joe90 4.1.2.1.2

            At last count I think the Russians had lost 137 fighting vehicles to achieve nothing.

            Thread on the catastrophic disruption of RU fighting vehicles.

            • tsmithfield 4.1.2.1.2.1

              From what I have seen, around Vuldhar, the Ukrainians have mined all the fields. That has forced the Russians to attack along the only road.

              So, the rinse and repeat for the Ukrainians is to hit the lead vehicle. Because most of the Russian troops are noobs, they panic and swerve off the road, and run into mines.

              • joe90

                and run into mines.

                From down thread on why munitions they're carrying all but guarantees catastrophic disruption.

                https://twitter.com/blueboy1969/status/1630853233701797889

                • tsmithfield

                  Yes, those tanks and apcs are virtually steel coffins at the rate they are being destroyed. Can't be fun to be a Russian tankie.

              • Sanctuary

                Forget the western MBTs, Vuldhar tells us that without advanced demining combat AEVs like the M1150, or captured UR-77s, no armoured attack by either side is going to succeed even reaching the enemy main line of resistance (let alone achieve a mechanised breakthrough/breakout and subsequent operational freedom) if it has to attack across extensive minefields covered by unsuppressed observed artillery fire and crew served LAW/ATGW.

                Unlocking such positions requires a level of skilled combined arms assault that I don't think either side has.

                Given the right gear, a modern, well equipped army like any number of North Asian states, NATO or even Australia would make light work of these two sides. The Ukrainians are better than the Russian, but they are no NATO army.

                • Sanctuary

                  Thinking about it, I guess you could do a thunder run with all those MRAPs the Ukrainians have received and use them for percussive clearance. No would be killed by setting off the mines, and follow them with tanks and APCs/MICVs.

                  • tsmithfield

                    I expect mine clearing equipment would have been included with the gear provided by the west, along with training for demining.

                    They obviously have managed so far with that in terms of their offensives in Karkhiv and Kherson. Also, preparing the assault through a few weeks of intense bombardment likely clears out some of the mines. And, the Ukrainians probably have intelligence on where the Russian minefields are.

                    But yeah, the MRAPs would come in handy in that respect as well.

                • Stuart Munro

                  If the Russians knew what they were doing, they'd gap minefields with TOS weapons. The US & Israel have cleared mines with FAE attacks.

                  Can you use FA to clear minefields?
                  Sure, You can clear a path with Artillery, mortars, even grenades and belts of machinegun fire. Will it be perfect? No, nothing is perfect. What’s better, getting a quick and risky path, or getting a perfectly clearly path. Fuel Air explosives can do a very good job of clearing a path.

      • Scud 4.1.3

        The logical reason why the Russians have invested so much time, energy & manpower into Bakhmut. Is its the only major town in the Donbass not Russian hands?

        So if the Ukrainian Army has used Bakhmut as form Delayed Defence & then quietly withdrawals from Bakhmut?

        What would Russia be left with?

        Plus the Ukrainian Army with it superior long range fires can DF Bakhmut & turn it into a living hell.

        So far since the Ukrainian Autumn Offensive, Russia has managed only to recapture 85 Sq Km or 0.25% of Ukrainian Territory.

        Not much to show for last 12mths since Russia invaded 🇺🇦

  5. Rob Campbell has come out and said that he believes the real reason he was sacked from the two Crown Entity board roles, was that the Government is walking back from co-governance.

    But Campbell maintains that his removal was motivated by factors other than questions of impartiality.

    He said that since Hipkins became Prime Minister and Verrall became Health Minister the Government has shifted away from its co-governance agenda, something he had been supportive of.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/rob-campbell-speaks-out-once-again-after-being-fired-from-his-second-public-service-role/2I6OK23O7RBYTMKY7E42ZX3IQU/

    Does anyone think that is the case? That this is a strong signal that Hipkins is walking back the Ardern policy?

    • Muttonbird 5.1

      There's been a change in language and Mahuta was removed from local government, both presumably to stop scaring the racist horses on the right, but none of the co-governance policy has changed. Three Waters and Maori Health Authority still intact.

      Did Campbell even mention co-governance in his LinkedIn post?

      • Belladonna 5.1.1

        Post has now been removed – so I can't check, but my understanding that he did (indeed that was the context for the 'racist dog-whistling politics' comment)

        • Muttonbird 5.1.1.1

          The Taxdodgers’ Union still has a link to it.

          Co-governance is in speech marks, to indicate its status as an instrument with which people like to politic.

          Unbelievable that short little post caused so much fuss. And he only spoke the truth!

          • Tony Veitch 5.1.1.1.1

            Speaking truth to power !!

            The hypocritical NACT don't like that one little bit. Or, to quote Corporal Jones, "they don't like it up 'em!"

    • Ad 5.2

      Campbell has done excellent political work for Labour now that he's done his exit-interviews.

      • Sanctuary 5.2.1

        His railing against the governments retreat on co-governance was sweet sweet reassurance to the ears of anxious Pakeha NZ.

  6. Joe90 6

    World beaters in divorce rates, the thick end of 500,000 orphans, leading Europe in abortions per capita but still managed to convince far-right westerners you’re a bastion of traditional values.

    Or is it the anti LGBT laws and the right to knock the fam around with impunity?

    https://twitter.com/lama_redpajama/status/1631014825793933314

    https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/3/1/2155687/-Russia-hoping-to-attract-7-million-Conservatives

    https://www.ritmeurasia.org/news–2023-02-24–kto-poedet-v-rossiju-ideologicheskaja-immigracija-64849

  7. arkie 7

    Every New Zealander is spending $2000 a year on profits for the banks, anti-monopoly campaigner Tex Edwards says, and banks here have four times the mortgage margins of their British counterparts.

    He contrasts the home loan deals Kiwis get compared to Australians, or British people.

    ASB’s floating rate home loan is 7.99%, while the official cash rate is 4.75%, making for a difference of 325 basis points.

    Abbey National (UK) is 4.75% floating, compared to the Bank of England’s bank rate of 4%, making for a margin of 75 basis points.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/131386321/bank-profits-costing-new-zealanders-2000-a-year-each

    We are all being fleeced. Excess profit tax now.

    • mikesh 7.1

      Every New Zealander is spending $2000 a year on profits for the banks,

      Many are probably spending a lot more than $2000, while many a lot less. What matters is whether each person's spending is reasonable with regard to his borrowing, and whether the implied ten billion of profits is reasonable with respect to the banks' turnover, and with respect to the amount of capital invested.

  8. Anne 8

    There's a Change Org petition in progress:

    "Remove Hosking and Hawkesbury from Newstalk ZB".

    Nearly 9000 have signed in past 3 days but they want 10,000 at least before presenting it. I can't find a direct link to actual petition. Maybe somebody else can?

    It won't succeed of course but it's all good publicity for a good cause.

      • Anne 8.1.1

        Yes. I did try that address but its not the part you sign. But maybe you can link from it to the actual petition.

        I'm not well versed in linking procedures unless it is a direct cut and paste.

        • Drowsy M. Kram 8.1.1.1

          Hi Anne, I signed the ‘remove-HH’ petition after clicking on that link/address/URL.

          Can't remember all the details (sorry), but definitely typed my name and email address into the appropriate boxes and then clicked on a red 'Sign this petition' button (that button also had a padlock symbol on it).

          Once I had signed, the Change.org site remembered that I had signed and so doesn't display a 'Sign this petition' button when I revisit that link/address/URL.

          Ahh – I use Firefox as my web browser, but I could get the 'Sign this petition' button back by opening a different web browser (Safari) and pasting that link into the address/URL window.

          https://www.change.org/p/remove-hosking-and-hawkesby-from-newstalk-zb

          Just noticed that the petition was started by one of our former Mayors here in Palmerston North – go Heather Tanguay.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Tanguay

        • weka 8.1.1.2

          that is the link to the petition that can be signed. It might look different to you if you just signed.

          Can you please explain what the problem was for you in linking and we'll see if we can help.

          • Anne 8.1.1.2.1

            … that is the link to the petition that can be signed. It might look different to you if you just signed.

            enlightened

            I’m okay for most of it, but ever since lprent had one of his big overhauls a year or two or three back, I don’t know how to replace link addresses with my own choice of words.

      • Alan 8.1.2

        A complete and utter waste of time, ratings and advertising revenue trump any petition.

        • Muttonbird 8.1.2.1

          It got your attention, tho.

        • Stuart Munro 8.1.2.2

          Rubbish – Campbell had ratings out the wazoo, but wretched RW idealogues crashed their channels trying to substitute in gamey specimens like Paul Henry instead.

          The current idiot panels owe much to these policies – the public doesn't like their putrescent offerings, but will tolerate one or two as part of a group of wittering fools, for a while.

    • Ad 8.2

      At least the current Prime Minister Hipkins has the courage to front up with them, rather than like Ardern retreat like a political coward because feelings, or worse do something as asinine as trying to ban the most popular radio hosts in the country for actually doing nothing other than have an opinion the moist left don't agree with.

    • Muttonbird 8.3

      Just signed, felt good.

      Does anyone know if these two or any of the other imbeciles at ZB who downplayed the cyclone have apologised yet?

      • Anne 8.3.1

        Don't think so. Types like them shut up for a while until they think everyone has forgotten about it, then they do it over again.

  9. Anne 9

    Kim Hill interviews young Ch.Ch spokesperson re- the proposed Climate Action school strike planned for this afternoon:

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018880250

    What a refreshing change from the pitiful HdPA attempt of a few weeks ago.

  10. Please tell me this "Axe the APP TAX" is just more BS from National? There's no way a sane Labour caucus would introduce a new tax now?

    • adam 10.1

      It's not a new tax, it's getting the GST from things like Uber and AirBnB. Funny when national broadened the GST take, and taxed children there was never this level of outcry.

      Welcome to dirty politics — 2023 edition —

      • Darren Watson 10.1.1

        Sure. So as I understand it I already pay GST when I use a service like Uber anyway. It's just that if the contractor earns less than $60k PA as a sole trader or company or partnership they do not have to deal with passing the GST on to the government? I mean I claim GST on Uber rides as a GST registered sole trader… ispo facto there is a GST component even if the contractor I engage via Uber is not registered for GST. So exactly what is the proposed change?

        • Ad 10.1.1.1

          Why Minister Parker thinks he can get away with this "adjustment" when he was busted three months ago doing something very similar as an "adjustment" is unfathomable.

          Can we please get a decent Minister of Revenue?

          Russell would be the actual qualified obvious choice since Parker and Roberston are clearly overloaded.

          • mikesh 10.1.1.1.1

            The minister was quite right to propose the "adjustment". It was public pressure that induced him to change his mind. He should have stood his ground but when unreason rules, and the "great unwashed" are sharpening their pitchforks, what else could he do but back down.

        • mikesh 10.1.1.2

          The GST system works because the GST claimed back from the government is offset by the GST paid by the contractor. If the contractor is not charging you GST and handing the proceeds to the government then the government is losing money. It sounds fraudulent to me.

          Besides, you have to be able to produce GST invoices, as evidence of GST paid, to recover GST from the government. The contractor cannot supply a GST invoice unless he is charging you GST.

          • Darren Watson 10.1.1.2.1

            You do not need to get a GST invoice for amounts under $50. In fact now you don't need to produce anything but electronic proof, period. Unless something is zero rated anything you buy includes GST and you are perfectly entitled to claim the GST content of that expense against GST received. Imagine the chaos of only being able to accept rides from taxi and uber drivers who are GST registered.

  11. tWiggle 11

    Worth a listen to Kate Hannah of the NZ Disinformation Project. She gives an overview of the intersection and proliferation of conspiracy theories and anti-vax and anti-government rhetoric. Her analysis towards the end (15 min onwards) points a big finger to international far-right democracy disrupters in building movement momentum in NZ.

    Stuff youtube interview of Kate Hannah

  12. Sanctuary 12

    DeSantis's Florida – basically Putins Russia but with theme parks. And remember, DeSantis is the front runner for the GOP presidential nomination next year.

  13. roblogic 13

    Great thread, full of common sense

    https://twitter.com/aniobrien/status/1630853586279350272?s=46&t=YQYWab08lrynsGdyx3LLKg

    Trolling & gaslighting the NZ public with drag shows involving children, hmm i don’t see how that could backfire 🤔

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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
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