Open mike 03/12/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 3rd, 2022 - 43 comments
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43 comments on “Open mike 03/12/2022 ”

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  1. Ed 1
    3 December 2022 at 6:44 am

    Bryan Bruce’s excellent documentary on Tuesday showed the consequences for our nation when we abandoned socialism for extreme neoliberal policies. It was a rare reminder of reality in our highly propagandised nation.

    It demonstrated how we have destroyed our society for the benefit of the ultra rich. It’s not just the poor who are suffering now. They were thrown under the bus in the 1980s. It’s now the middle class who are being devoured by this extreme form of capitalism.

    We have neoliberal managers now – not politicians. The country is owned and run by large foreign owned corporations thanks to the wretched work of Roger Douglas and Ruth Richardson.

  2. Ed 2
    3 December 2022 at 6:53 am

    Caitlin Johnstone is another important voice to be heard in our increasingly propagandised world.

    An Australian writer with real insight and style, she offers a refreshing alternative to the 24/7 neocon world view we are subjected to.

    https://caitlinjohnstone.com/

    • Jenny are we there yet 2.1
      3 December 2022 at 10:28 am

      Hi Ed I took your advice and endorsement of Caitlan Johnstone and clicked on the link your provided, only to discover that Caitlan Johnstone is a big supporter of Russian imperialism and war.

      "Bryan Bruce’s excellent documentary on Tuesday showed the consequences for our nation when we abandoned socialism for extreme neoliberal policies……"

      Following the popular people's revolt that toppled the Soviet Union, neo-liberal oligarchs formed from ex-soviet bureaucrats seizing their opportunity subjected Russia to an even more extreme form neo-liberal take over than that suffered by New Zealand.

      Russia Under Yeltsin and Putin: Neo-Liberal Autocracy on JSTOR

      The neo-liberal model in Russia, as in other countries, was based on two fundamental principles: privatization and financial stabilization. By the beginning of 1998 it seemed that both tasks had been achieved. The ruble was stable, and the remaining state enterprises could be counted on one’s fingers…..

      https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt18fsb8z#:~:text=The%20neo-liberal%20model%20in%20Russia%2C%20as%20in%20other,state%20enterprises%20could%20be%20counted%20on%20one%E2%80%99s%20fingers.

      The Crisis of Neo-Liberal Economics in Russia

      The neo-liberal paradigm was forced upon the Russian people, turning the 1990s into a chaotic nightmare……

      Boosted by high oil prices, Putin managed to alleviate the crisis of the 1990s and to provide a short-lived sense of prosperity in the 2000s….

      …..despite the restoration of some of the Soviet symbolism, corporate capitalism engendered by the reforms of the 1990s has been consolidated.2 Putin’s economic agenda remains neo-liberal to its core.

      ….The structure of the economic development and the character of domestic and international economic ties are overlooked in the economic analysis. This is done intentionally to conceal the true nature of imperialist economics in general,….

      https://revolutionarydemocracy.org/rdv26n1/RafaelMartinez.htm

      Big nations will try to dominate small nations. Small nations will resist.

      This is the nature of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

      Ed, what Caitlan Johnstone and other pro-invasion, pro-war ideologues don't acknowledge, is that Russian expansionism is also a product of the neo-liberal orthodoxy of perpetual growth on a finite planet which leads nations not just into conflict with the natural world but into conflict with each other. Just as every other major imperialist country, Russia is trying to outsource its economic crisis to other smaller subject nations if it can.

      • Beverly 2.1.1
        3 December 2022 at 11:14 am

        Hi Jenny are we there yet , I've been reading Caitlin Johnstone for a while now and find her take on Russia and US refreshingly free from what I assume to be propaganda. My take is that she's not taking sides, has an anti-war stance and sees what unfolds quite clearly – ie she sees through the propaganda.

        • Joe90 2.1.1.1
          3 December 2022 at 12:19 pm

          My take is that she's not taking sides, has an anti-war stance and sees what unfolds quite clearly – ie she sees through the propaganda.

          On both her site and twitter account Johnston fails to dislose her position as an OP Ed columnist for Russia Today.

          She's taken a side.

          https://www.google.com/search?q=caitlin+johnstone+site%3Art.com&oq=&aqs=chrome.2.69i176j35i39i362l2j46i39i199i362i465j35i39i362l11.-1j0j7&client=tablet-android-samsung-nf-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

          • RedLogix 2.1.1.1.1
            3 December 2022 at 12:28 pm

            Another agit-prop pundit who never saw a totalitarian regime she couldn't love. A quick scan of her website reveals a veritable potpourri of anti-Western memes and smears – that ironically enough she could only publish freely in the same western countries she hates so much.

            All the while pleading a fake 'neutrality'; yet the big tell is who they do not criticise.

            I have come to the conclusion that people like this are essentially attention-seekers, thriving on contrarian positions as an extended form of click-bait.

            • mikesh 2.1.1.1.1.1
              3 December 2022 at 3:25 pm

              Russia was never going to transition from a communist dictatorship to democracy overnight. Boris Yeltsin tried that, and what a disaster that turned out to be; one cannot blame the Russians for being distrustful of democracy post Boris. Gorbachev seemed to have the right idea, ie to liberalise more slowly, promoting glasnost and perestroika as a start.

              It's quite narrow minded to simply write off autocracy as a form of government if circumstances are not right for it. Democracy took many centuries to develop in the West.

              • RedLogix …
                3 December 2022 at 5:01 pm

                A fair point to some degree. I would go on to add that I think the current forms of democracies we are familiar with in the west are not necessarily ideal or final either. We cannot be complacent nor smug about our own record or state of development – all politics being in a process of evolution.

                For a broader perspective this interactive map gives shows the various degrees of democratic development globally.

                From this it can be seen that across the Asia land mass, the Middle East and the northern swathe of Africa, democracy is either nascent, fragile or downright missing in action. It is not an original geopolitical observation to note the nations with good access to maritime trade and securable borders tend to be further down the democracy path; while the land locked powers are frequently stalled in authoritarianism. (Why this should be so would make for another interesting thread.)

                Nonetheless it is a matter of profound regret to see Putin and Xi Xinping actively driving their regimes away from the modest progress they had made – regressing deeper into authoritarianism and tyranny. Comparing countries on a scale of democratic accountability is fraught because there are so many historic and geopolitical variables to account for – but you can ask 'what direction are they heading in?'

                • mikesh …
                  4 December 2022 at 11:31 pm

                  Are any of the so called "democracies" providing Russia and China with suitable role models? Certainly not the USA or GB, or even the EU. Russia and China are at least not embracing neoliberalism. Neo liberalism seems to have been introduced into Russia under Yeltsin. Putin is struggling to stamp it out.

                  • RedLogix …
                    5 December 2022 at 9:54 am

                    Let me know if you can spot any of your favorite authoritarian non-neoliberal countries on this list:

                    https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-50-best-countries-to-live-in.html

                    (There a lots of such lists online – Russia does not appear on any of them.)

                    • mikesh …
                      5 December 2022 at 12:49 pm

                      I wouldn't want to live in Russia. Did I ever claim hat I would.

                    • RedLogix …
                      5 December 2022 at 1:26 pm

                      Well about 20 years ago I did live there. There was a moment in my life when I was single, I had employment and friends. After working for four months I found myself very much at home with the people, although initially I had found public life grim and foreboding. I almost stayed; there was a moment getting on a train to leave when my life could have easily taken a completely different path.

                      In private the people I was with were intelligent, well read and good company. But there was almost no trust in the public domain. Generations of trauma have left a terrible mark on them, and I think part of the casual brutality we are seeing in Ukraine now is a manifestation of this. Life is tough, especially for the men. I would not want to romanticise it, but a hard country that produces a tough people capable of surviving it. An along with this has come a culture imbued with paranoia, and a sense of always being second best to the West.

                      There is no single factor to blame. They live in a crap geography, with a relatively poor agriculture, transport and climate. They have been historically invaded over 50 times, from the Mongol hordes onward. And the horrors of the Stalinist era they did to themselves; as they did the collapse of the 90's. Yes an ill-conceived lurch toward unconstrained market economy was a bad start, but the Soviet system had collapsed under it's own contradictions, and only the security services capable of holding the empire together. With no democratic accountability it all folded in on itself in a kleptocratic collapse.

                      The city I was living in was still very much a Soviet one, and it reeked of that terrible failure. Poverty in a hot country is one thing, in a cold country it is terrible to see.

                      Until about 2008 I was hopeful Putin might lead Russia into the modern world, but the wounds of the past remain unhealed, unreconciled. His was a historic opportunity and he failed it. And here we are tragically at war with them again.

                      Do not imagine for a second I do not feel the grievous waste of life and treasure in the Ukraine. On both sides. But a sick, wounded Russian empire is in it's violent, dangerous death throes and the rest of us are involved whether we like it or not.

                    • mikesh …
                      5 December 2022 at 6:55 pm

                      The main lesson learned from WWI was that in future wars the countries with oil, or with access to oil, would have an enormous advantage over those that lacked that resource. I think WWII started because, with Germany lacking oil, Hitler wanted access to a source he could be sure of: hence the launch of Barbarossa to capture Russian oil fields, and possibly Rommel's activities in the Middle East

                      Since then, with oil being traded in US dollars, oil has underpinned the status of the dollar as the world's reserve currency. The US is determined to keep things that way and sees Russia, a major oil producer, as threatening the dollar's status, so they see a need to hobble Russia. I think the war in Ukraine has been fomented by the US for that purpose. Putin I think has played into their hands. Still, the outcome is not yet certain.

                      The irony of it all is that the "oil age" may shortly be coming to an end – being killed by global warming.

      • mikesh 2.1.2
        4 December 2022 at 11:21 pm

        The fall of the Soviet system was brought about by a collapse of oil prices – there was, at the time, a world wide oil glut. This caused such great hardship that Gorbachev had little choice but to dismantle Sovietism, though I think Yeltsin may have forced his hand.

      • mikesh 2.1.3
        4 December 2022 at 11:44 pm

        Russian expansionism is also a product of the neo-liberal orthodoxy of perpetual growth on a finite planet which leads nations not just into conflict with the natural world but into conflict with each other. Just as every other major imperialist country, Russia is trying to outsource its economic crisis to other smaller subject nations if it can.

        Russian expansionism is a myth. What Russia is trying achieve in Ukraine is reestablish the status quo ante 2014 when they had the use of Crimea with access by land through the (ostensively) friendly Ukraine. Though of course they would like to stop Ukraine joining NATO as well.

  3. Robert Guyton 3
    3 December 2022 at 8:21 am

    Co-governance work set to be put on hold

    "An election-year halt on co-governance work is the likely outcome when Cabinet meets this month to decide the next steps to fulfil commitments under the United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples."

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/co-governance-work-looks-set-to-be-put-on-hold

    • weka 3.1
      3 December 2022 at 8:49 am

      disappointing but this is probably sensible for two reasons. One is I want Labour to be able to form government again at the end of next year. Two is that I want us as a country to take the time to work through the issues and bring people along. There's some chance of the former, I don't hold a huge amount of hope for the latter, but expect that there will be many people working away in the background and in communities on that.

  5. Shanreagh 5
    3 December 2022 at 9:05 am

    Same. If Jacinda Ardern's parents had wanted her name to be Jacinta they would have registered this name.

    But they did not.

    Case closed.

    • Mac1 5.1
      3 December 2022 at 9:16 am

      Imagine the furore if he had allowed 'Jacinta'! Between Scylla and Charybdis on that one.

      • Robert Guyton 5.1.1
        3 December 2022 at 9:53 am

        If they allowed "Jacinta", they also have to give the nod to "Jabcinda" and "Taxcinda".

        A conundrum of Homeric proportions.

      • Anne 5.1.2
        3 December 2022 at 10:04 am

        Wilful ignorance (and this Jacinta thing is exactly that) should never be rewarded.

      • Muttonbird 5.1.3
        3 December 2022 at 6:43 pm

        Easy enough to manage, all he needed to do given they got the right person is to accept the answer with a note and correction of the spelling.

        They are Brits so the NZ PM is not front and centre for them every day.

        Those people should be celebrated. The Chaser, who had zero idea, not so much.

  6. Robert Guyton 6
    3 December 2022 at 9:58 am

    "Well I feel very indigenous – how Māori are you?’”

    Kaipara mayor asks Māori ward councillor: 'How Māori are you?'

    Worth checking the article out just to see the photo of the mayor (warning: it will solidify your prejudice 🙂

    The spelling in the link is another 🙂

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/300755547/kaipara-mayor-asks-mori-ward-councillor-how-mori-are-you?fbclid=IwAR0ZO-ZH_jBiunBy4OrsBLPBQy-U8VIHEb3_RLpN9ZefQGDEsfRx-K_ClH4

    • Nic the NZer 6.1
      3 December 2022 at 11:39 am

      Isn't it the mayors natural role to wind all the councilors up and prevent the council from actually achieving anything?

  7. pat 7
    3 December 2022 at 10:54 am

    "Driving EVs could be banned in Switzerland unless in cases of “absolutely necessary journeys” in stage three of the power conservation plans. The country also plans a stricter speed limit on highways in the recently proposed action plan, which has yet to be adopted."

    https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Switzerland-Considers-Electric-Vehicle-Ban-To-Avoid-Blackouts.html

    Less than 4% of the Swiss fleet is currently plug in.

    https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/statistics/mobility-transport/transport-infrastructure-vehicles/vehicles/road-vehicles-stock-level-motorisation.html

    • Poission 7.1
      3 December 2022 at 11:50 am

      Switzerland is on Eurogrid,they import from Germany,France,and Austria (reexporting some to Italy) 2022 car registration rules require 15% of new cars to be electric this year,increasing to 50% by 2025.

      The absurdity is they are at present importing around 27% ( of capacity) from Germany with a co2 content of 625g /kw/h .

      They are also paying 8 euro a megawatt for the euro certificate to say they are using high carbon electricity.

      Here with EV there will be increased load constraints for Auckland,and there will be increased limits on when charging will be available,as the project for charging constraints starts to rollout (similar to ripple control) with smart metering and time windows>

      • pat 7.1.1
        3 December 2022 at 2:03 pm

        Yes saw their power imports and the fact that over 20% of current vehicle sales are plug in….capacity problems in a wealthy country with less than 4% of the fleet demonstrates the scale of the problems ahead for all of us.

        Energy is the basis of our productivity and we will have to apportion it by mechanisms other than solely relying on markets.

        • Poission 7.1.1.1
          3 December 2022 at 8:35 pm

          The projected costs for NZ to 2030 are 33 billion$,to bring us to 98% renewable electricity and enable electrification of the Vehicle fleet to around 50%.

          The pricing is around 1/3 each for generation,transmission,and distribution.One emerging problem is the increase of generation from overseas actors,where profits will go off shore (to reward investment),which is somewhat dampened by industry looking to increase its distributed generation lessening both grid reliance,and transmission and distribution costs and losses.

          Europe in more trouble with coal shortages in Germany and Poland ( causing spike in Australian newcastle index to 400 a ton),drawdowns of gas inventory underway as demand increases with severe cold forecasts.

          https://twitter.com/welt/status/1598585003801206789

          • pat 7.1.1.1.1
            3 December 2022 at 8:43 pm

            Those numbers look very aspirational….from memory our average vehicle lifespan is something like 14 years….and probably just as well if we are relying on generation/distribution investment….8 years might just about get it signed off.

            • Poission 7.1.1.1.1.1
              3 December 2022 at 9:03 pm

              Well the reviewers when they kicked the renewable policy into the future,suggested that the government objectives were aspirational,whilst a number of companies are just getting on with efficiency gains and installations that do not need RMA or consultation or even worse for the politicians a ribbon cutting event.

              This year demand will be down around 1500 gwh,around the lowest for 15 years,and with record hydro storage at present,reduced need for irrigation,there will be good reserves till the winter high risk period.

  9. Muttonbird 9
    3 December 2022 at 9:11 pm

    Subclass 444 Special Category visa. It's all in the name.

    Australia has shown their colours and this piece of administration has to go. Kiwis should have to apply for visas to Australia just like citizens from any other country. That way Australia could vet who they wanted to accept and we would not have them dumping their highly trained criminals on our doorstep.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/12/revealed-where-australian-501-deportees-blamed-for-spike-in-crime-across-new-zealand-are-living.html

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    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

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