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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
"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”.
In case you missed it …here are the defenders of Western hegemony that I am pointing out…but you might know them already I think..they are the same ones who just gave us 20 years of war Afghanistan..even today arm and facilitate an endless civil war in Yemen, armed extremist head choppers in Syria..probably still do?….and of course, set the Middle East on fire with Iraq and lots lots lots more…
..but for some reason known only to yourself, you would have us all believe that these same violent extremists, with a track record that would make even the most brutal dictator proud, are now arming the Ukrainians for altruistic/moral/ethical reasons…mate the only one around here who needs to get a grip on reality is you my friend….the longer this NATO proxy war in Ukraine goes on, the happier the US war machine and it's close military allies are…the US thrives on endless war, or haven't you worked that out yet?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 🇺🇦
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.
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?
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)
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?
Russia is a ticking time bomb. Aside from the demographic collapse, Putin has also cratered the economy with his idiotic war. Happiness is down, alcoholism is up.
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.
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.
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.
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.
… that is the link to the petition that can be signed. It might look different to you if you just signed.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
DeSantis's Florida – basically Putins Russia but with theme parks. And remember, DeSantis is the front runner for the GOP presidential nomination next year.
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A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Helal, Assistant Dean (Sustainability), The University of Melbourne Dubai skylineAleksandarPasaric/Pexels Since ancient times, people have built structures that reach for the skies – from the steep spires of medieval towers to the grand domes of ancient cathedrals and mosques. Today ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Musole, PhD Law Student, University of New England Girts Ragelis/ShutterstockRecent trends show Australians are increasingly buying wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These electronics track our body movements or vital signs to provide data throughout the day, with ...
Papua New Guinea experienced a significant earthquake on 24 March in East Sepik and there has also been recent flooding there and in surrounding provinces. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yousuf Mohammed, Dermatology researcher, The University of Queensland Maridav/Shutterstock You wake up, stagger to the bathroom and gaze into the mirror. No, you’re not imagining it. You’ve developed face wrinkles overnight. They’re sleep wrinkles. Sleep wrinkles are temporary. But as your ...
The Environment Select Committee has just announced that 60 percent of individuals who asked to speak at the hearings will not be heard. This equates to almost 700 people who made individual submissions and more than 1000 more who made a form submission. ...
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is performing Swan Lake around the country. What kind of dream does the ballet sell?Before going to see the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform Swan Lake, I had about as much familiarity with the plot of this ballet as could be expected from having ...
A new poem by Auckland poet Eamonn Tee. High Tide at Local Maxima It is only going to get worse. The streams will be narrow and fickle. The week will bend and buckle like a pot-bellied waist. You will make it to the weekend with one ...
The New Zealand entrepreneur behind beauty business Ethique is gearing up to launch a new eco-venture. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Our thirst for a tasty bevvy is insatiable, but it comes with a hefty plastic price for the planet: 580 billion ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 James by Percival Everett (Mantle, $38) A retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from ...
By Kamna Kumar in Suva Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Henry Puna stressed the importance of media freedom and its link to the climate and environmental crisis at the 2024 World Press Freedom Day event organised by the University of the South Pacific’s journalism programme. Under the theme “A Planet for ...
Tara Ward previews a new local TV series offering alternative visions of motherhood. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. A woman is clambering up the side of her two-story house, clinging desperately to a drainpipe. Nearby, her child is perched on the ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is supportive of the cross-party approach to climate adaptation announced by the Minister of Climate Change today. ...
The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) welcome today’s announcement from Government around a bipartisan inquiry into an enduring climate adaptation framework for New Zealand. ...
The Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by the Department of Internal Affairs, and Minister Brooke Van Velden, to abandon proposals to further regulate online speech. ...
Its new building in Wellington will not be nearly big enough for all its records, and it has also run out of money to build its new storage facility in Levin. ...
BusinessNZ is congratulating the Minister of Climate Change for his work in achieving cross-party consensus for a way forward on climate adaptation. ...
Recent research reveals the repeal of smokefree measures is not only bad for our health, but also the economy. The Government has repealed various smokefree measures to ensure it keeps collecting $1.2 billion a year in tobacco taxes, in order to pay for tax cuts already being delivered to ...
The club’s surprisingly good season is built on the desire to prove a random A-League YouTuber wrong… and a few other factors.“There’s no way that Wellington Phoenix play finals this year. I can’t see it happening at all.” Those are the words of Lachlan Raeside, an Australian football content ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By César Albarrán-Torres, Senior Lecturer, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology Apple TV+ As one of billions of bilingual individuals in the world, it disappoints me when a film or TV show with characters of a non-English-speaking background is ...
The under-utilised course is a waste of space, and with a little political will, it could be turned into something better. For the duration of her stay in Wellington, my long-suffering cousin listened to me rant about golf courses. They’re bad for the environment: water intensive and pesticide heavy. They ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab, Podcast at MissPerceived, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows US fertility rates dropped 2% in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Corderoy, Medical doctor and PhD candidate studying involuntary psychiatric treatment, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney shop_py/Shutterstock Picture two people, both suffering from a serious mental illness requiring hospital admission. One was born in Australia, the other in Asia. Hopefully, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Treby, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University P.j.Hickox, Shutterstock Peatlands store more carbon per square metre than any other ecosystem on Earth. These waterlogged, mossy bogs beat even dense rainforests for their ability to act as carbon reservoirs. Under the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Goss, Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra Government spending on health has been growing so rapidly that a decade ago the then health minister Peter Dutton called it “unmanageable” and “unsustainable”. Health spending grew in real terms by ...
New Zealand's largest electricity distributor is warning the country to hurry up with controls around charging electric vehicles or face unnecessary bills running into the billions. ...
New Zealanders have been asked to conserve energy this morning to combat a possible electricity shortfall, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A call to conserve power New Zealand is facing a possible electricity shortfall, with people up ...
Writer Rebecca K Reilly breaks down the national book awards. What are the Ockhams?The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are our annual national awards for books published for adults, and have existed in this form since 2016. There are four categories: Fiction, Poetry, General Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction. There ...
Wellington City Council should keep its 34% ownership share in Wellington International Airport, argue Unions Wellington spokespeople Finn Cordwell and Ashok Jacob. Insanity, as the saying goes, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Wellington City Council (WCC) is yet again proposing to dispose ...
New Zealand’s largest book publisher has undergone drastic changes this week, leaving its future role in local publishing uncertain. Two of the most recognisable local publishers in New Zealand are among those restructured out of Penguin Random House, it was announced this week. Head of publishing Claire Murdoch will leave ...
In 2021 the Public Interest Journalism Fund launched the Te Rito Journalism project, a $2.4 million initiative to boost diversity in New Zealand’s newsrooms. The initiative was in response to the decades-long shortage of Māori and Pacific journalists in the media industry. It was billed as New Zealand’s ...
The Black Ferns Sevens appeared to be a mile behind Australia at the halfway point of the 2023-24 SVNS international circuit. Winless in three tournaments, a cup quarter-final exit in Perth was one of their worst results. To add insult to injury, talismanic skipper Sarah Hirini had been ruled out ...
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Good onya Minister Michael Wood and Labour ! Great idea and implementation. Keep this up : )
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
Heresy–cracking down on bludging, parasitic consultants.
John Tamihere has a new podcast and had Rob Campbell on in episode #3…
https://open.spotify.com/episode/08v0NuHmmQdfT6Tyk8RcWX
and on Apple etc. of course…
Rob was refreshingly honest.
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/
The government policy related reasons were not a vast majority, or even a majority at all.
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).
Mortgage payments are not a cost, but essentially an investment. Therefor they should not be a reason for increases in rent.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
"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
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… 🤯
In case you missed it …here are the defenders of Western hegemony that I am pointing out…but you might know them already I think..they are the same ones who just gave us 20 years of war Afghanistan..even today arm and facilitate an endless civil war in Yemen, armed extremist head choppers in Syria..probably still do?….and of course, set the Middle East on fire with Iraq and lots lots lots more…
..but for some reason known only to yourself, you would have us all believe that these same violent extremists, with a track record that would make even the most brutal dictator proud, are now arming the Ukrainians for altruistic/moral/ethical reasons…mate the only one around here who needs to get a grip on reality is you my friend….the longer this NATO proxy war in Ukraine goes on, the happier the US war machine and it's close military allies are…the US thrives on endless war, or haven't you worked that out yet?
‘Al Qaeda is on our side’: how Obama/Biden team empowered terrorist networks in Syria
Former Israeli PM Bennett says U.S. ‘blocked’ his attempts at a Russia-Ukraine peace deal
Former German Chancellor Merkel admits the Minsk agreement was merely to buy time for Ukraine’s arms build-up
Washington owes world an explanation of Nord Stream explosion
So, even if that were all true, how does it justify Russia invading Ukraine and committing large numbers of war crimes?
I don’t whataboutism does you much favours in justifying your position.
Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia give far more of their annual defense budget (and GDP) to arm Ukraine than the USA, UK, France etc.
All former victims of Russian colonisation, who know what it means.
NATO proxy war? Weird way to think about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "NATO made me do it"?
Hang on, didn't the USSR have it's own conflict with the Afghani people first? One could argue that they started that generational war.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
hmmmm, this link https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-370-summary/
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.
Thread on the catastrophic disruption of RU fighting vehicles.
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.
From down thread on why munitions they're carrying all but guarantees catastrophic disruption.
https://twitter.com/blueboy1969/status/1630853233701797889
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 🇺🇦
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.
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?
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?
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)
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!
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!"
Campbell has done excellent political work for Labour now that he's done his exit-interviews.
His railing against the governments retreat on co-governance was sweet sweet reassurance to the ears of anxious Pakeha NZ.
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
Russia is a ticking time bomb. Aside from the demographic collapse, Putin has also cratered the economy with his idiotic war. Happiness is down, alcoholism is up.
What a mess.
Russians are fewer, poorer and more miserable than a decade ago | The Economist
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.
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.
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.
https://www.change.org/p/remove-hosking-and-hawkesby-from-newstalk-zb
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.
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
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.
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.
A complete and utter waste of time, ratings and advertising revenue trump any petition.
It got your attention, tho.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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?
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 —
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Have a giggle about the Gig Tax: https://bills.parliament.nz/v/6/d5894797-4e05-4cd5-a11e-0b28520e3a19?Tab=history
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
DeSantis's Florida – basically Putins Russia but with theme parks. And remember, DeSantis is the front runner for the GOP presidential nomination next year.
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 🤔