Open mike 03/06/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 3rd, 2022 - 87 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 …

87 comments on “Open mike 03/06/2022 ”

  1. Jimmy 1

    Sounds like the police had a good night last night in Pakuranga arresting 12 people. Good result as long as its not a catch and release policy.

    Pakuranga arrests: Residents 'frightened' after gang incident in east Auckland overnight | Stuff.co.nz

    And Andrew Coster apologises!!!!!! He's obviously getting some pretty harsh feedback from the front line officers.

    Police Commissioner Andrew Coster apologises after backlash from officers over pursuit comments | Newshub

  2. Blade 2

    Mark Mitchell has had his meeting with Andrew Coster. According to Mitchell the meeting lasted two hours; was positive and Mitchell will respect the office of the police commissioner( why?). He wants police to get back to core policing.

    So fucking disappointing. I think of all the victims that crime will continue to churn out under Mitchell's watch as police minister. I really can't in all honesty continue to bag Poto Williams when her replacement will be little better.

    Sure, National may increase police numbers by 300. Open two closed police stations. Have a foot patrol every second day down Auckland's empty CBD. But that's just tinkering.

    1- Will they arm the police?

    2-Will they ban all gang patches in public areas?

    3- Will they build a huge super max prison so criminals who commit minor offences repeatedly with few consequences at present, can be jailed?

    Nope.

    Hell, I could cut drink driving offences by 20-35% overnight. I could get an 80% success rate in resolving who had killed a Maori baby. The whanau would be more than happy to cough up the offender.

    Then there's this paywalled BOPT headline:

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/gang-member-prison-rates-at-seven-year-low-but-proportion-of-incarcerated-gangsters-increases/SFTUUA23F2VQKYDYDOQEGXFIQY/

    https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/pollies-mps-mark-mitchell-and-megan-woods-on-mitchells-meeting-with-andrew-coster-the-pacific-and-mahuta-and-the-latest-polls/

    Aotearoa…a gangsters paradise.

    • Muttonbird 2.1

      According to Mitchell the meeting lasted two hours; was positive and Mitchell will respect the office of the police commissioner (why?)

      Would you prefer politicians with the police portfolio did not resect the office of the police commissioner?

      I don't think you would because this means police would be under direct control of the government which is, by definition, a police state.

      Mitchell has been told off for telling the police what to do in the media. He appears to have got the message which is good but his behaviour should worry all Kiwis; you can imagine the daily interference in police operations were he ever minister.

      • Blade 2.1.1

        ''Would you prefer politicians with the police portfolio did not respect the office of the police commissioner?''

        Respect is earnt. When the commissioner is not doing a good job, that should be pointed out to him and options explored. Mitchell failed on that account. The Commissioner and his office are basically intertwined.

        ''Mitchell has been told off for telling the police what to do in the media.''

        I know nothing of this. Could you explain further?

        • Muttonbird 2.1.1.1

          In this context respect is not earned, it is formally prescribed. See the two bullet points under definition 2 below:

          verb respect

          1. admire (someone or something) deeply, as a result of their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

            "she was respected by everyone she worked with"

          2. have due regard for (someone's feelings, wishes, or rights).

            "I respected his views"

            • avoid harming or interfering with.

              "it is incumbent upon all hill users to respect the environment"

            • agree to recognize and abide by (a legal requirement).

              "the crown and its ministers ought to respect the ordinary law"

          My reading was that in the meeting Mitchell had been asked by Coster to stop interfering in police operational matters via the media (told off). That's why he has said, "he will respect the office of the police commissioner".

        • AB 2.1.1.2

          Respect is earnt (2.1.1)

          Eh? Mitchell supposedly said "respect the office". That's nothing to do with individuals – it's respecting the constitutional arrangement that makes police operational matters a no go area for politicians. As Muttonbird said – without that, you've taken the first step towards a police state. Most likely, Mitchell said "respect the office" to make it clear that he didn't respect the individual. Mitchell has always appeared to me as a sub-verbal, incipient thug – not surprising he needs something as simple as the importance of this constitutional convention pointed out to him.

          • Pataua4life 2.1.1.2.1

            A reply to all.

            According to Mitchell the meeting lasted two hours; was positive and Mitchell will respect the office of the police commissioner

            I think you will find this statement was made in reference that he wouldn't talk about what was discussed in the meeting on the open airways and I can't find fault with that.

            As soon as Labour has gone so is Coster. History will show him a failure as is Poto Williams. Crime under Labour just like the public Service always goes up.

            • Muttonbird 2.1.1.2.1.1

              I think you will find this statement was made in reference that he wouldn't talk about what was discussed in the meeting on the open airways.

              That would be a first time for Mitchell.

            • Blade 2.1.1.2.1.2

              I wonder what was said off the record?

              • Peter

                Maybe off the record Mitchell told him that when the national/Act Government comes in they'll:

                1 – Arm the police

                2 – Ban all gang patches in public areas

                3 – Build a huge super max prison so criminals who commit minor offences can be jailed

                4 – Increase police numbers by 300.

                5 – Open two closed police stations.

                6 – Have a foot patrol every second day down Auckland's empty CBD

                7 – Cut drink driving offences by 20-35% overnight.

                Oh, and go along with ACT and liberalise gun laws.

            • Drowsy M. Kram 2.1.1.2.1.3

              In mid-February 2021, Coster's efforts to combat gang and gun violence were criticised by the National Party's Justice spokesperson Simon Bridges, who described Coster as a "wokester commissioner" in a Twitter post.
              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Coster#Police_Commissioner

              Simon who? History will show who of those two was the greatest failure.

              Coster's decision to rule out "enforcement action" was criticised by the National Party's police spokesman Mark Mitchell, who claimed that Coster had lost credibility as Police Commissioner. On 2 March, Police evicted the remaining anti-mandate protesters following a violent riot.

              Seems you’re right P4L, not only would Coster be gone under a National party-led govt, I doubt that he would have been appointed in the first place.

              https://www.transparency.org.nz/blog/transparency-and-intelligence

            • Incognito 2.1.1.2.1.4

              Crime under Labour just like the public Service always goes up.

              [links required]

          • Blade 2.1.1.2.2

            ''Eh? Mitchell supposedly said "respect the office". That's nothing to do with individuals – it's respecting the constitutional arrangement that makes police operational matters a no go area for politicians.''

            Like I said, the office of the commissioner and the commissioner( individual) are intertwined. The constitutional separation of the office from political interference is a given( but not proven over the years). The man in the street doesn't make such a fine distinction.

            ''Most likely, Mitchell said "respect the office" to make it clear that he didn't respect the individual.''

            That is supposition. If true, it means Mitchell is playing games hoping voters ( wink,wink) can read between the lines. Many won't.

            Again, if National had any intentions of introducing hardline policing, Mitchell should have gone after the commissioner… and it shouldn't have taken two hours. Two hours is a mighty long time. Maybe they had gingernuts, a latte and a chat about rugby.

        • Incognito 2.1.1.3

          Mitchell failed on that account.

          How do you know? Where you present at the 2-hour meeting? Did you read a full first-hand account in the media? No? Then you’re making up stuff again.

          The Commissioner and his office are basically intertwined.

          Nope

      • lprent 2.1.2

        Mitchell has been told off for telling the police what to do in the media. He appears to have got the message which is good but his behaviour should worry all Kiwis; you can imagine the daily interference in police operations were he ever minister.

        There is a reason why the police, armed forces, judiciary, and a few other branches are directly responsible to the crown. In other words at exactly the same level as parliament. Parliament allocates funding for them, but has no direct operational control. They are subject to the crown.

        Basically because no-one trusts a politicians over the long term. There are always a few idiots with a limited understanding of how our society operates at a structural level and inclined towards short-term stupidity.

        • Ad 2.1.2.1

          Similar could be said for many other Crown entities:

          ACC, NZSuperFund, NZTA, Kainga Ora, Crown Infrastructure partners, NZPost/Kiwibank, all Universities, Kiwirail, RBNZ, TVNZ, Transpower, the majority shareholdings in power generators, and a lot more.

          Some still respond to Ministerial direction and media grief, but often quite faintly. Some are statutorily protected. Most would have the independence to tell even the Minister of Finance where to stick it. A few have workarounds.

          Raises the question of how the new water entities will be treated as kinds of public entity.

    • KJT 2.2

      "1- Will they arm the police?

      2-Will they ban all gang patches in public areas?

      3- Will they build a huge super max prison so criminals who commit minor offences repeatedly with few consequences at present, can be jailed?"

      Maybe "they" will.

      National has a long track record of ignoring evidence and doing the things that increase, not reduce crime. Like sending minor offenders, the mentally ill, literacy challenged, and silly teenagers to "crime University"/Prisons. Dog whistling to those who ignore the evidence and think “tough on crime” actually works.

      The Police commissioner is heading towards evidence based approaches, that really do reduce crime. Reducing crime is the goal, is it not?

      Your revenge fantasies are the approaches that have been shown not to work. What will you say if your prescription is adopted and there is more crime, recidivism, and crime victims.

      • Blade 2.2.1

        ''Your revenge fantasies are the approaches that have been shown not to work. What will you say if your prescription is adopted and there is more crime, recidivism, and crime victims.''

        The day you front up with some original ideas of your own, is the day I will take you seriously. That goes for Peter above who's forced to copy my korero. frown

        But, to be fair, you sometimes fluke good points. For example:

        What will you say if your prescription is adopted and there is more crime, recidivism, and crime victims.''

        Good point. I would say. ''Well, I'm wrong. What I have suggested, hasn't worked. I'm sorry, we need to try something else. At least it's one strategy we can cross off the list.''

        See, I care about innocent victims. I want something that helps them. I don't have a ego regarding this issue. I'm not trying to protect an ideological position like so many on this blog. Hence my caning of those liberal sops who call themselves the National Party.

        • KJT 2.2.1.1

          Oh. I've fronted up with plenty of ideas about what works.

          Don't need "original ones". I leave that to people who have researched it at length. Who have proof of what works. I'll leave those who think their individual uneducated "opinions" mean jack shit, to Facebook warriors like yourself.

          If you cared about "innocent victims" you would, like me be advocating for approaches to crime reduction that works.

          I know it is over your head, but less crimes equal less victims.

          Your approach has been tried for decades. It doesn’t fucking work!

          Tough on crime nitwits, and politicians who pander to them, do not address underlying causes, so we get more victims.

          • Blade 2.2.1.1.1

            Look, your trouble is you are believing your own bullshit.

            Don't need original ones". I leave that to people who have researched it at length.

            You aren't capable of original ideas. People who have researched things at length don't have a mortgage on good ideas. If they did we wouldn't have as much crime as we have today.

            ''Your approach has been tried for decades. It doesn’t fucking work!''

            No, it hasn't. I have two original ideas to start with that haven't been tried.

            1-How to reduce drink driving offences overnight,

            2- How to make whanau cough up a suspected baby killer.

            • KJT 2.2.1.1.1.1

              Two that are not original and that have been tried and failed elsewhere.

              Eco-ing the "Sensible sentencing trust is hardly "original thought".

              • Blade

                That's a lie. Don't flounder around, provide a link.

                • KJT

                  To your "original thoughts"?

                  Don't think I want to rummage around in that mess.

                  • Blade

                    Provide a link. I'm calling you out. You are a liar. And you need to be shown as such. Your comments are vacuous and sloppy. You put nothing into your posts…and it shows.

                    • KJT

                      Really lost the plot. Eh.

                      It is OK to ask for help with your violent fantasies, you know!

                    • Blade

                      Don't deflect. I'm not letting you get away with lies and trolling when you can't muster an argument, or back yourself up. Here's an example:

                      ''Really lost the plot. Eh. It is OK to ask for help with your violent fantasies, you know!''

                      Sad bottom of the barrel stuff.

                      Of course you could apologise and admit you may have got things wrong. I had to do that yesterday.

                      Blade…
                      2 June 2022 at 9:54 pm
                      That was incorrect. My apologies.
                      What I should have wrote was ”I’m a beneficiary of the trust board,” not a member of the trust board.

                    • Incognito []

                      You did not have to correct yourself and apologise, you chose this on your own accord. We would have been none the wiser about your ‘error’. In fact, you had an earlier opportunity to correct your ‘error’ (here: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-31-05-2022/#comment-1891353), but you failed to do so then!?

                      Seems to me you’re making up stuff here to suit your narrative and when it does no longer suit your narrative you ‘correct’ it (aka twist & change). If so, that would be disingenuous and not commenting in good faith and it would mean we cannot take your comments at face value.

                    • Blade

                      You may have got the wrong end of the stick.

                      ''You did not have to correct yourself and apologise, you chose this on your own accord. We would have been none the wiser about your ‘error’. In fact, you had an earlier opportunity to correct your ‘error’ (here: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-31-05-2022/#comment-1891353), but you failed to do so then!?''

                      I had to correct myself when you pointed my error out indirectly because what I had written was factually incorrect. I hadn't previously corrected my error because I hadn't noticed it until your post.

                      ''Seems to me you’re making up stuff here to suit your narrative and when it does no longer suit your narrative you ‘correct’ it (aka twist & change). If so, that would be disingenuous and not commenting in good faith and it would mean we cannot take your comments at face value.''

                      Fair enough, I can't change your perceptions of me. Would your perceptions also apply to the KJT's comments above?

                    • Incognito []

                      My perceptions depend on context and (can) change over time. My perceptions of your comments don’t apply equally to comments by others.

                    • Blade

                      I got it.

                    • Incognito []

                      I sincerely doubt it but time will tell.

    • gsays 2.3

      Maybe try living in the States.

      The cops are armed, got a death penalty, super-max prisons, Hell they even have a incarceration industry they've gotta have crime under control…

      • tc 2.3.1

        Totally.

        National plan's been hatched watching 'Mayor of Kingstown' as a way to regenerate provincial NZ via incarceration.

      • Blade 2.3.2

        Their justice system is shot. They have regional police forces. They have poorly trained police who rely more on toys and gizmos to get the job done.

        But they send people away for life. They never taste freedom again. You can't commit crime if you are in jail.

        Check out my clip I posted the other day – China v USA.

    • Jimmy 2.4

      Interesting / scary comment on the video around 2:30' – "30% of enquiries to the dairy and small business Association from dairy / small business owners, was asking how they obtain a gun licence"

      They have decided to take security matters in to their own hands. It will only be a matter of time until one does fight back.

      https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/06/calls-for-pm-jacinda-ardern-to-declare-crime-crisis-as-dairy-owners-arm-themselves-amid-spike-in-violent-robberies.html

  3. aj 3

    Democracy means different things to different people. This is a short thread on the 2022 Democracy Perception Index Report 2022 – the world’s largest annual study on how people perceive democracy.

    It is commissioned by "The Alliance of Democracies Foundation", founded by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former NATO Secretary General and former Prime Minister of Denmark.

    Every year, this is by far the most interesting study on democracy because it doesn't rely on the opinion of "experts" but on people's actual perceptions.

    As such the results are often surprising and it raises profound questions of what democracy actually is.

    https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1532236805143027713.html

  4. Pataua4life 4

    Yes I know it behind a paywall. You can get a summery of facts over at the Daily Blog

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/sale-of-the-century-55-60-of-aucklands-large-scale-state-land-to-be-sold-for-private-ownership/F6WLWIURSPW2UMRKGUD5Z6PUTY/

    Good ole Labour, such a party of the left.

    wink

    [You’re now 2 links short of a Happy Meal. Put up the links or take a week off. In Pre-Mod until you oblige – Incognito]

    • Incognito 4.1

      Mod note

    • Pataua4life 4.2

      Only one Link short and here it is:

      https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/crime-at-a-glance-dec2020.pdf

      Bit old but the easiest one I could find.

      What is states – crimes against property has gone down. I suspect people are no longer reporting as they know the crime won't be resolved.

      Crime against people has gone up.

      I firmly believe that I am correct in my original statement.

      We know gun violence has gone through the roof. Auckland has more shooting incidence per week than Mahuta has MFAT meetings. Gang violence is out of control, Labour is soft on crime, it is just a fact that NZ knows

      [Nope, you’re still 2 links short and you’re wasting my time because this clearly doesn’t support your assertion.

      I don’t care if you go for the easiest one or if you genuinely believe your own assertions to be correct or what you suspect or if “it is just a fact that NZ knows”. I care about you providing evidential support for your claims, which shouldn’t be too hard if they’re correct, as you allege. If somebody else provides them for you in the meantime you’ll still receive a ban – how unfair is that? Put up or shut up.

      You did so well with your other link about the Public Service under Labour!

      Since you mention Mahuta again, a few days ago you hinted at corruption charges (https://thestandard.org.nz/nationals-policies-dont-add-up/#comment-1891222) but you never followed up on these when I asked you about it. Here’s your chance and use your words carefully. The odds have been raised to a fortnight ban – Incognito]

    • Ad 4.3

      Kainga Ora is now structured commercially so that it keeps delivering housing construction no matter which party is in parliament. It does this by ensuring that it raises its own capital through property sales, and then spends it on intensive housing on the remaining land. Might not sound particularly leftie in the socialist sense of controlling the means of production, but it's a way of extracting the politics out of it as much as possible.

      This has been going on for a while. The results you can see for yourself.

      If you went up to the Sky City revolving restaurant you might just see the extent of it from Pt England to Mangere to Oranga to Mt Roskill to Hobsonville to Northcote.

      Brand new high quality intensified integrated communities.

      • Poission 4.3.1

        Yeah so commercial they (this time last year) issued a 300m$ inflation bond( coupon rate 2.5%) going to be paying 7.5% for a longtime unless they get cost inflation out of their builds.

        • Ad 4.3.1.1

          I can't speak to their commerciality …

          … but best of luck to them if they can generate fixed price contracts that all the main banks seem to require for lending now.

          • Poission 4.3.1.1.1

            Debt has blown out to 7.1 billion,with new debt being around 4.2% .NZ building costs have increased by 20% last 12 months,Australia 9%.

            Australia also has seen building consents for new houses decrease by 33% over the last 12 months,and mortgage pain has not even started there.

            In the US where markets are better informed,construction costs responded in real time (as did unsold new housing stock) with lumber falling 55% in 2 months.( 58 cents a board foot)

            https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/commodities/lbs

      • Visubversa 4.3.2

        Absolutely. There are sites that are more suitable for the kind of medium density housing that Kainga Ora is delivering now, and there are sites that are not suitable for it. It makes sense to sell the latter, particularly if they are small, and fragmented from previous sell offs by National governments. Also some sites on major arterials are less suitable for the kind of community based developments and also need extensive noise attenuation and particulate control from 30 to 40 thousand vehicle movements per day. In many cases the private sector can develop these better.

  5. Adrian 5

    Dairy owners would have a far easier and safer life if they stopped pushing drugs like cigarettes and vape shit.

    • Ad 5.1

      So many of them are marginal that about half of them need to shut anyway.

      Not a fun prospect but it's more likely you will buy milk and bread from the petrol station anyway. It's just that kind of society.

  6. Jimmy 6

    Avoid Papakura at the moment, there has been a daytime shooting.

    Police operation underway in Papakura, Auckland – NZ Herald

  7. adam 7

    I'm going to talk smack about the propaganda coming out of businessnz.

    So if you don't like that sort of thing please scroll past – thank you.

    It's just another think tank from the school of hard right shitfuckery trying to manipulate the agenda with fake experts.

    With their half baked adds all over YouTube, full of fear and half truths.

    I'm surprised, they have not cried "think of the Children"

    https://www.yourworkyourway.co.nz/

    Greedy wankers are going to be greedy wanker I suppose. And screw working people actually getting a decent wage from you greedy scum.

    Working people will never get a fair go, when so many have let cupidity taint their souls.

    • weka 7.1

      I saw a meme earlier in those colours saying if 10% of people want a fair pay agreement 100% of people get it. Thought their comms team needed to sit and have a bit of a think about that.

  8. Ad 8

    June 9th is when the US January 6th Commission finally goes straight into prime time tv.

    (75) Pat Attention – YouTube

    According to the committee, they will "present previously unseen material documenting January 6th, receive witness testimony, preview additional hearings, and provide the American people a summary of its findings about the coordinated, multi-step effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent the transfer of power."

    That's our calendar next Friday.
    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-january-6-committee-hearing-june-9-primetime/

    This is when some of the darker group texts, QAnon influence, and attack orders get truly exposed as the insurrection plan they actually were.

    • Puckish Rogue 9.1

      Way past time he was shown the door.

    • Louis 9.2

      From your link "The data, given to the NZ Herald through the Official Information Act, showed annual assaults on staff increased in seven of the last 10 years"

      "He cited what he considered a long-standing problem"

      "In a statement, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis referenced the "prison crisis" inherited by the Government in 2017 when the prison population had increased beyond 10,000. Since then, it had reduced 27 per cent. However, he said more serious offenders – including gang members – had been locked up during this time which posed a risk to staff. "This brings its own challenges, particularly to staff who have to manage a heightened environment where mental health issues and methamphetamine addiction are also increasingly more prevalent," he said. Davis said staff deserved to feel safe and the Violence and Aggression plan was one way to reduce assaults. He referenced the $23 million from Budget 2022 given to hire an extra 64 staff across the three prisons facing the most challenges in this area – Auckland Prison, Christchurch Men's and Mt Eden. That was part of the extra 518 staff who would be hired during the next four years"

      • Blade 9.2.1

        First off, National aren't on duty. Labour is.

        Since then, it had reduced 27 per cent ( prison population)

        Question: where are the people who would have formally been in prison for more minor offences?

        ''However, he said more serious offenders – including gang members – had been locked up during this time which posed a risk to staff. ''

        Correct. However, the gang population is exploding. 10 years ago a major hole in gang numbers would have occurred with the number of gangsters now locked up. Nowadays the gangs always have the numbers to fill in shortfalls in their ranks.

  9. Blade 10

    ''National was on duty during that time.''

    Yes, but my point is they haven't been in the wheel house for the past 6 years – Labour has. The blood is on Labours hands. Just like Labours responsibility for crime will be passed on to National next year, regardless of what Labour has or hasn't done regarding crime.

    ''Do you have a link to cover your last paragraph?''

    No, I don't. There is no need. It is general knowledge and has been in the news time and again. In fact, on another blog, I pointed to a huge increase in gang numbers close to a year before the issue started being reported in MSM. How did I know? From extended family in the mob who told me about new recruiting methods being employed. It's all about numbers.

    • Louis 10.1

      You acknowledge that National were in power during that time, but then claim its all Labour's fault, despite efforts to address long standing issues. No one said it could be sorted over night. Consequences from the National government didn't suddenly disappear when National got kicked out in late 2017. It hasn't been 6 years.

      Well if you think Labour has blood on its hands, then so does National.

      "Just like Labours responsibility for crime will be passed on to National next year"

      Like Labour inherited the shambles National left and there is no guarantee that National will win the election next year.

      So you cant back yourself up. I am not surprised.

      • Blade 10.1.1

        You obviously can't understand what I'm writing, or you are being wilfully ignorant.

        I'm noticing when you Lefties run out of an argument you become surly and nasty very fast.

        I'll try one more time.

        National is not in power. Labour is. National cannot do a fucking thing about crime because they are not in power. Labour can do something about crime because they are in power. It matters not what National did before. It matters not what supposed mess National left Labour. It doesn't matter. But it matters big time for Labour because they are the government.

        BTW.., have you read that link you posted? Talk about a gift for people like me. It's also a record for future generations to understand the dynamics of failure when ideology trumps common sense and real world needs.

        Quote from your link. Talk about bs of the first water. Tell that crap to crime victims, frightened citizens and dairy owners.

        ”Government goal:

        This Government has made a commitment to create a more effective criminal justice system and safer New Zealand. Achieving these long-term objectives will require systemic reform consistent with New Zealand values and aspirations, across the whole of the criminal justice system and the social sector. This will involve public engagement, partnerships with iwi/Māori and other community groups, legislative reform, investment in new services and operational change – amongst other things.”

        • Louis 10.1.1.1

          "I'm noticing when you Lefties run out of an argument you become surly and nasty very fast"

          That's what you are doing and you are being deliberately obtuse.

          "showed annual assaults on staff increased in seven of the last 10 years"

          National had been in power during some of those years. Labour has only been in power since late 2017, not 6 years like you falsely claimed and they are trying to do something about it. You cannot discount National's time in govt because it doesn't suit your narrative. National left an appalling legacy.

          Re link, I don't think you understood it.
          “This Government has made a commitment to create a more effective criminal justice system and safer New Zealand. Achieving these long-term objectives will require systemic reform consistent with New Zealand values and aspirations, across the whole of the criminal justice system and the social sector. This will involve public engagement, partnerships with iwi/Māori and other community groups, legislative reform, investment in new services and operational change”
          So what’s wrong in that exactly?

          Tell me, when National were in govt, did you blame them for the “crime victims, frightened citizens and dairy owners” or have you conveniently forgotten the ram raids, the attacks on the dairies, liquor stores?

    • Incognito 10.2

      You’ve been told before that you can argue your opinions but not your facts.

      Yes, but my point is they haven't been in the wheel house for the past 6 years – Labour has.

      You are wrong! Megan Woods said in a debate in Parliament 2 days ago that they have been in government for four and a half years.

      It's all about numbers.

      You raised it, you should put up the numbers, and it is that simple. You cannot hide behind “It is general knowledge and has been in the news time and again” and some vague stuff you may have heard from your “extended family in the mob”. The media megaphone is rarely a good source of facts but a very good source for hype & emotion.

      You are an unreliable commenter with regards to facts and supporting claims of facts. You must lift your game or your comments will be moderated.

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    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    6 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    7 hours ago
  • 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
    7 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
    8 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
    11 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
    12 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
    12 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
    12 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
    13 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
    14 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
    16 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day 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
    2 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
    4 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 ...
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    10 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
    12 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
    12 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. ...
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    1 day ago
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