Open mike 03/07/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 3rd, 2015 - 55 comments
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55 comments on “Open mike 03/07/2015 ”

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  1. Tautoko Mangō Mata 1
    3 July 2015 at 7:44 am

    Joe Biden’s message is a blatant push for NZ to sign TPPA.

    “New Zealand has never been a more “consequential” partner of the United States than now, says US vice-president Joe Biden in a video recording to mark a US Independence Day celebration in Wellington tonight hosted by US ambassador Mark Gilbert.
    Mr Biden made a special mention of the work the two countries are doing to get the Trans Pacific Partnership deal among 12 countries completed.
    “Our nations, the United States and New Zealand and our people have always been bound together by the common commitment to a more democratic, open and prosperous and secure world,” he said “and as we continue our nation’s rebalance strategy in the Asia Pacific region, partners like New Zealand have never been more consequential.
    “Nowhere is that more clear than in the remarkable progress we have made together in the Trans Pacific Partnership.”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11474848

    “consequential” – as in consequential threats of suing NZ by large multicorporations under the Investor State Dispute Settlement part of the TPPA?

    “more democratic”: like people only being able to make submissions AFTER the TPPA is signed and only at the discretion of the select committee in the 15 days before Cabinet can sign it off is more democratic??.
    http://itsourfuture.org.nz/explanation-of-nzs-treaty-making-process/

    “open” – as in the proposed TPPA text being available to the public and not just the interested multicorporations and to be kept secret for 4 years after signing???

    “prosperous” – as in the nonexistent cost benefit analysis of TPPA for NZ?

    “secure world” – as exemplified by Iraq where the current situations resulting from .US foreign policy.

  2. James Thrace 2
    3 July 2015 at 7:59 am

    I see the press council found against the NZ Herald and their atrocious behaviour against Amanda Bailey.

    • odot 2.1
      3 July 2015 at 8:25 am

      I feel that these points were critical in this judgement: (taken from the herald story http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11475095):

      “• The Herald columnist, Rachel Glucina, had misrepresented as PR rather than newsgathering the basis on which she was conducting the interview that led to the article (subterfuge).

      • The columnist’s and her brother’s connections with the cafe owners and the columnist’s connection with John Key were not disclosed (conflict of interest).”

      I have just one follow up question about this: did the herald specifically send Glucina to cover this story because of her affiliation with the PM? Because if so, that makes Glucinas’ bosses as implicit in this complete f*** up of a piece of ‘journalism.’

      At the end of the day, once Glucina found out the facts behind this story, she should have handed it off to a co-worker that didn’t have a conflict of interest. That would have been the professional and non-deceitful thing to do…

      • Charles 2.1.2
        3 July 2015 at 8:42 am

        “…she should have handed it off to a co-worker that didn’t have a conflict of interest…”

        That would still have been conflict of interest. Parsing a string of facts automatically includes bias of the person arranging the information. So unless she gave a string of facts to the “disinterested collegue”:

        Couch
        House parnell
        27 year old woman
        man
        talk
        etc etc…

        It would be the same story. She could only have said to someone not working for the Herald, “Hey look over there, that’s a story!” The editor of the Herald immediately saw the problem and tried to cover it up, in real time, what was it… four times?

        If the judgement (is accurately descibed and) says the employers were the Herald intermediary…

        “• Said the Herald had spoken to the cafe owners in the early evening and while they said they had thought the article was for all media, they “were comfortable with the fact that they would appear in the paper the following day”. They were and remained the Herald’s intermediary with Ms Bailey, and were supplied with their (and her) quotes so that all could see what would be published the next day.

        Then the timeline of events means The Herald knew what Glucina was about to do before she did it. All the problem was, was that they weren’t smart enough to present the story without breaking rules of good journalism.

        It doesn’t much matter though. The horse has bolted. And if, say, your job at Gilmours is about to end for good in a few weeks, not only will you not give a shit about the finer points of journo-crapping, you already know how people with power lie. And nothing will save the reputation of the Herald now. People who read it by choice are too far gone to hear any sense.

    • tinfoilhat 2.2
      3 July 2015 at 8:40 am

      That’s not how I read it.

      From a quick review of the ruling it appears to me that the Press council have shamelessly protected their own apart from a token acceptance that there was a breach of principle 10 all other complaints haven’t been upheld, disgraceful.

      • Charles 2.2.1
        3 July 2015 at 9:00 am

        Yep, if you read the “discussion of conflict of interest”, so much was left out, it’s like they say, “We accept there is a foul odour in the room resembling shit, however we do not accept that we are ignoring a large turd somewhere nearby.” They simply shrug their shoulders and say, “There’s no way of knowing what was said by who to whom.” Quite the “investigation”.

    • ianmac 3.1
      3 July 2015 at 9:48 am

      Never mind Nigel. Serco is different in NZ. Our immensely competent Ministers would never enter into any dodgy contracts with Serco. Trust them? Sure can! Huh!

  4. Charles 4
    3 July 2015 at 9:05 am

    If only we were dogs, it would be so easy to be happy, happy, happeeey

    I only realised The Juliana Hatfield Three had released a “new” album, yesterday. Where have I been hiding?

  5. Molly 5
    3 July 2015 at 10:05 am

    Herald headlines: Entrepreneur Mum makes flying visit.

    The article burbles a bit about how a Google executive is a mother AND won an award a Viaduct ceremony last night, in its usual patronising manner. Most wouldn’t even know her name – even after reading the article.

    But, hey, the supreme award was won by some woman called Helen Clark.
    “Kea chief executive Craig Donaldson labelled her a “remarkable and inspiring Kiwi” who was making her mark on the global stage while maintaining close links to home.”

    I’m sure the editors had wished that there was some instantly recognisable name to headline that article…. oh, how disappointing for them…

  6. Adrian 6
    3 July 2015 at 10:06 am

    Thanks for the Guardian link Nigel, great read. After 2 months on and off in England The Guardian was such a breath of fresh air each morning especially after the pap that passes for journalism here. If only…….

    • vaughan little 6.1
      3 July 2015 at 1:37 pm

      the guardian has an interesting history. you should check out its founding story some time.

  7. Sabine 7
    3 July 2015 at 10:09 am

    Why would our National Government give this company any more money? How many blind trusts hold shares in Serco?

    http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jul/02/serco-rupert-soames-outsourcing-privatisation?CMP=fb_gu

    ————————————————————————————–
    The trouble started in the spring. A young civil servant, a fast-streamer in the Ministry of Justice, noticed strange numbers in the documents submitted by Serco and G4S (another large outsourcing company) as the firms prepared to renew two electronic tagging contracts that they held with the British government. Since 2005, the two companies had earned around £700m from monitoring thousands of criminals, suspects and recently released convicts via tracking devices attached to their ankles – a practice introduced by the Home Office to reduce prison costs in 1999. But according to the junior civil servant, whose findings were initially dismissed, they were overcharging the state.

    The paperwork that embodies government outsourcing, the physical contracts themselves, tells you a lot about how vexatious the whole business is. Capturing exactly what the state wants done on its behalf – the running of a railway system, the rehabilitation of prisoners – can produce dizzying piles of paper for even mundane tasks. The government chivvies its contractors to do a thousand things correctly. Private companies seek to minimise their risks, and ensure a quiet profit at the end of the day. Everyone covers their arse furiously. The documents that emerge are hundreds of pages long, dense with KPIs (key performance indicators) and SLAs (service level agreements) and kept secret from the customers – us, the public – whom they are supposed to benefit. Once they are signed, they are rarely looked at again.

    For the tagging contracts, it was decided that it was up to the crown, and not G4S or Serco, to decide when individuals should be fitted with a tag. This made sense, but it gave rise to an aberration. The companies came to regard monitoring cases as open or closed on the basis of letters they received from the courts and prisons, rather than anything to do with the physical fitting or taking off of tags. They billed the state until they had a document telling them not to, even if the subjects had died, disappeared or were no longer wearing a tag. G4S’s computers were set to continue billing to 2020; Serco’s to the year 3000.

    ———————————————————————————————————-

    .

  9. ianmac 9
    3 July 2015 at 11:00 am

    A very sad accident in Ashburton?
    “A mother and three children may have died from the fumes of a car left running in the garage to keep the battery “ticking over”.

    • Hateatea 9.1
      3 July 2015 at 12:21 pm

      I saw and heard the Fire Command Centre truck go screaming past at 4.30 yesterday and have been following this as information emerged. Truly sad 🙁

      Last night’s coverage by TV3 was appalling presenting a rumour as fact. I thought Stuff and TVNZ were more cautious in their reporting. This is sad enough without sections of the media making things up or speculating out loud.

  10. Philip Ferguson 10
    3 July 2015 at 12:57 pm

    Some views from inside Syriza in Greece about the current situation, the important referendum on austerity on Sunday, etc:
    https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/eyewitness-in-greece-we-need-a-no-vote/

  11. Philip Ferguson 11
    3 July 2015 at 1:14 pm

    Fonterra showing once again that NZ employers are just as bad as ‘foreign’ ones: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/fonterra-treating-workers-like-cattle/

    • Draco T Bastard 11.1
      3 July 2015 at 1:39 pm

      All employers are just as bad as each other and they’re all bad for society. This is why I suggest we move to a full cooperative business model. Get rid of the employers.

      • adam 11.1.1
        3 July 2015 at 1:45 pm

        Could not agree more Draco T Bastard.

      • TheContrarian 11.1.2
        3 July 2015 at 3:33 pm

        Speak for yourself – my current employer is great.

        But Draco, if you want to start a co-op work-place you have every right to start one. Make sure you don’t do it at an orchard though – because orchard workers are stupid and pig ignorant.

        • Draco T Bastard 11.1.2.1
          3 July 2015 at 3:52 pm

          Oh, I’m sure that a co-op of teenagers would do wonders working an orchard. Great short term learning experience for them. But you’re right – it would be stupid for me, or anybody my age, to be an orchard worker as it would be a waste of the education and experience I have. That would be in the general nature of a 40+ year old person doing basic manual labour.

          BTW, that guy isn’t pig ignorant because he’s an orchard worker but because he obviously hasn’t educated himself beyond what he learned at high school and indications are that he failed that as well.

          Now fuck off troll.

          • McFlock 11.1.2.1.1
            3 July 2015 at 4:02 pm

            Have you ever worked in an orchard?

            Because it’s not just picking and thinning. You’d be amazed at how much folk need to know about the life cycle of fungi, hazmat handling, bureaucratic processes, and so on.

            And then of course when I had a short stint thinning fruit in an orchard, I also had the impulse in the off-time to read plato (sort of the flipside of now where I sit on my arse all day using my brain on abstractions, so tend to have more physical and creative hobbies of an evening, TS notwithstanding).

            I’m not saying the guy is an autodidactic polymath, but I suspect that his role on the orchard involves more knowledge and creativity in a wider range of subjects than being a corporate-trained lower-middle manager.

            • weka 11.1.2.1.1.1
              3 July 2015 at 4:06 pm

              what guy are you talking about?

              • McFlock …
                3 July 2015 at 4:36 pm

                The father of that kid who got suspended for making that speech about teachers. DTB has a bee in his bonnet that orchard workers over 30 must be idiots, or something.

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  3 July 2015 at 9:47 pm

                  Didn’t you get the memo? The stupid idiot wasn’t suspended.

                  Oh, and BTW fuckwit, I haven’t mentioned 30s anywhere.

                  • McFlock …
                    3 July 2015 at 10:53 pm

                    Meh – whatever. It was totally the most important story of the day to get the details right on. /sarc

                    As for mentioning the thirties, that’s true: you referred to it as “doing the job of someone in their teens”, so anyone working in an orchard in their twenties is also “pretty much” stupid from the world-weary perspective of some dude who was a manager at mcdonalds once or something. /sarc

                    But then nothing ever changes in six months in an orchard, spring is the same as summer and autumn is the same as winter. /sarc

                    By the way, I made sure to tag each paragraph as sarcastic, just so the sarcasm didn’t slip passed your piercing analytical skills on this issue. /sarc

            • Draco T Bastard 11.1.2.1.1.2
              3 July 2015 at 4:14 pm

              So, I take it that you choose it as a lifetime career then? Just as I wouldn’t and I expect nobody else to either and for the same reasons: 1) You’d get bored in six months because nothing ever changes and 2) It’s physically damaging to you and thus likely significantly decreasing your enjoyment of later life.

              • McFlock …
                3 July 2015 at 4:32 pm

                Funnily enough, I was sort of shit at it. Either thinned too much so the branch was in danger of dying, or too little so it was in danger of breaking and would produce substandard fruit. But the workplace was absolutely beautiful.

                The workers who weren’t seasonals (students or holidayists on the piss at night) did actually know their shit. Latin names and everything, if that sort of thing rocks your world.

                But then the fact that you claim nothing ever changes inside six months in an orchard strongly suggests you have no fucking idea.

                • TheContrarian …
                  3 July 2015 at 4:38 pm

                  “But then the fact that you claim nothing ever changes inside six months in an orchard strongly suggests you have no fucking idea.”

                  Of course Draco has an idea, his crowning achievement is managing a McD’s once. Which for some reason makes him think he can insult others for being orchard workers.

              • marty mars …
                3 July 2015 at 5:24 pm

                bored in 6 months and physically damaging? – being an orchard worker is not like sitting in an unnatural position at a desk for hours under artificial light sucking in air conditioned exhales doing ‘work’ that bores in 1 month and mentally and physically damages many, but each to their own. We will need many orchard workers not too far in the future.

              • weka …
                3 July 2015 at 8:01 pm

                Draco, I think you are way off base here. I have a friend in her 30s who loves orchard work. She’s fairly high up the chain now because she’s learned the skills to get the better job, but because it’s a small orchard that means lots of manual labour. This is skilled, knowledgeable work. There are other things she might choose to do for the long term if she lived somewhere else but this is the good job that is available to her where she lives and she lives there out of choice i.e. she’s not going to move somewhere else to chase a career.

                I’ve also known older people who do seasonal orcharding work because it means they can work when they want and have long periods of time in the year when they don’t have to work. When I did some fruit picking when I was 20, the work was paid by how much you picked and it was the older people who made the most money by a long shot. Experience and wisdom outstripped young bodies.

                I wouldn’t generalise from all that. There are people whose bodies get wrecked, and there are people who find the work boring. But you can’t generalise it in the way you do either.

                • TheContrarian …
                  3 July 2015 at 10:23 pm

                  It’s not just “way off base”. It’s insulting, presumptuous, classless, arrogant and snobbish.

          • TheContrarian 11.1.2.1.2
            3 July 2015 at 4:35 pm

            I’m just going to leave this here:
            http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01072015/#comment-1037643

            Basically you don’t shit about the faimly, the man, the daughter, anything outside what you have read in The Herald yet you feel you are justified in insulting someone based upon their job title and what their daughter said. Basically that makes you a fucking asshole.

        • Molly 11.1.2.2
          3 July 2015 at 4:10 pm

          … likely the result of hiring and training practices, and a fundamental knowledge of what exploitation is occurring…

      • weka 11.1.3
        3 July 2015 at 3:56 pm

        “This is why I suggest we move to a full cooperative business model. Get rid of the employers.”

        How would that work? I can think of lots of situations where a cooperative model would be good, but also some where it wouldn’t eg a situation where a single person owns a business and employs people on a seasonal basis.

        edit, would be interested to know how the orchard one would work too. Is that a cooperatively run team that gets contracted into whatever orchard is needed?

        • Draco T Bastard 11.1.3.1
          3 July 2015 at 4:27 pm

          a situation where a single person owns a business and employs people on a seasonal basis.

          I don’t think anybody should be able to own a business, not even shares in a business, as it’s little better than outright slavery.

          The business would be a separate legal entity that would be run cooperatively by the people who work there. People brought in short term would have an equivalent say in the running of the business.

  12. half crown 12
    3 July 2015 at 1:23 pm

    Is this the real reason why Key is so keen on the stupid flag referendum?

    http://www.postmanproductions.org/?p=3153

  13. adam 13
    3 July 2015 at 1:43 pm

    I don’t know what say – Sad, just really sad. I would not wish this upon any family.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/69932917/adelaide-crows-coach-phil-walsh-found-dead-in-his-home

  14. Barbara 14
    3 July 2015 at 1:55 pm

    Has anybody noticed lately how The Listener has been slowly sanitised. We now have a lifestyle magazine filled with leader stories about health, health and more health, food columns, films and movies and other useless fluff. Once it was a great read full of critical analysis and information that was really informative. Jane Clifton’s weekly column was pithy and tongue in cheek about the “goings on” in the house with the two main parties and now all you read about is anything but. The media seems to be giving the government of the day a hell of a wide berth. Mark Sainsbury was filling in for Jane Clifton’s political column in the latest Listener and he burbled on about Colin Craig, NZ First and the Greek crisis. Nothing that could rock the boat.

    Now we can have major legislation passed and nobody ever hears anything about it – the MSM offers nothing that is important with their news programmes, the Listener has abdicated its role as well so where do we turn to, to get relevant information which is our right in a democratic country – we may as well have no news and current affairs on at all, as we never hear the important stuff which is going to affect each and every one of us.

    Democracy has disappeared in this once lovely country – I am old and feel very worried for the younger generations as they have no experience of our country when citizens could participate in the democratic process, were not kept in ignorance and newspapers did their jobs properly – they will never know how good we once had it – now the ballet box is nothing but a farce.

    • John Shears 14.1
      3 July 2015 at 2:16 pm

      Thanks Barbara what a sad story about our wonderful country.

    • weka 14.2
      3 July 2015 at 4:02 pm

      I stopped reading the Listener quite some years ago (which was a big deal having read it all my life). There was a big change after the 90s (around the time that Gordon Campbell left), when it stopped printing the cutting edge political articles. Much later I realised I was only reading it for the TV pages and reviews and I could access that kind of content online. It’s a magazine for people that like Jim Mora and The Panel 😉 (i.e. it suits people who want their middle class values or prejudices affirmed).

      I did notice something recently about the music reviewers leaving because they were being told what to write.

    • Anne 14.3
      3 July 2015 at 4:46 pm

      Now we can have major legislation passed and nobody ever hears anything about it – the MSM offers nothing that is important with their news programmes… we may as well have no news and current affairs on at all, as we never hear the important stuff which is going to affect each and every one of us.

      Absolutely Barbara. I stopped reading The Listener a long time ago because of the obvious bias and sanitation. In the past couple of months it has been particularly noticeable that the MSM, in all its forms, appear to be avoiding contentious political issues or reporting on them in a weak and non-informative way. And this at a time when we have been confronted by one government initiated scandal after another!

      I have also thought about commenting here because my “conspiracy detector” is getting very twitchy. What is going on? Is the MSM being overtly or perhaps covertly threatened in some way? Only yesterday there was talk on this site about the fact a couple of major news outlets in NZ have received “threatening letters” about a certain issue which has links to an arm of government. It does not auger well for the health of our democracy.

      Edit: Just noticed weka’s comment: blockquote>I did notice something recently about the music reviewers leaving because they were being told what to write.

      This is what I suspect is happening. The journos and reporters are being told what… and what not to say.

      • Anne 14.3.1
        3 July 2015 at 4:59 pm

        Ran out of time: Edit should read

        I did notice something recently about the music reviewers leaving because they were being told what to write.

        This is what I suspect is happening. The journos and reporters are being told what… and what not to report.

    • greywarshark 14.4
      3 July 2015 at 5:12 pm

      One front cover some years back on the trends in interior decorating and I thought Oh no, that’s the finish. Now it appeals to the university trained man, or woman particularly, with conventional middle class concerns about being naice, prosperous and looking stylish and being well informed to match ‘the sort we want to mix with’.

    • greywarshark 14.5
      3 July 2015 at 5:18 pm

      Keep listening and watching what goes on at Radionz. If we don’t watch that continually, we will turn around and find that it has been given up to the trivially minded like the commercial stations. I love RNZs end of the week funny nutty session at 11.45 am but it is good just because it’s not like that all the time.

      And who is taking part in the RNZ Talk discussions? Really if you don’t try to be involved in what is good, it won’t stay around and wait for you. If you don’t know how to access it, ask and I’ll explain how I do it. It is a new venture for them, and the more used, the more it will be kept and make Radionz stronger.

  15. Penny Brright 15
    3 July 2015 at 3:33 pm

    PROTEST! 4 July Independence from USA / TPPA CORPORATE CONTROL of NZ!

    Send US Vice-President Joe Biden back a message he cannot ignore!

    US Vice-President Joe Biden has sent an unprecedented
    message to New Zealanders

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/69910752/us-vicepresident-joe-biden-sends-nz-an-independence-day-message

    Thinking, aware New Zealanders don’t want a BAR of the TPPA and corporate enslavement of our country and our people!

    SEIZE THE MOMENT!!

    STAND UP AND BE COUNTED!!

    NO! NO! NO WAY JOE!
    THE TPPA HAS GOT TO GO!

    WHEN: Saturday 4 July 2015

    TIME: 3 – 5pm

    WHERE: Outside US Consulate
    23 Customs Street
    Auckland City

    _______________________________________________

    Please come if you care and SHARE this post!

    (Forwarded by Penny Bright)

  16. millsy 16
    3 July 2015 at 4:56 pm

    A small town has a big vision to close the digital divide and it gets chopped thanks to petty small minded-ness. Wairoa was going to implement town wide free wifi, which would have made internet a public utility and allowed those low incomes to access this service. But the rednecks poured cold water on it.

    http://m.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11475216

    It goes to show that everytime local government tries to build somehing up, they get hammered.

    • Charles 16.1
      3 July 2015 at 5:16 pm

      “The Wairoa branch of Federated Farmers said it was a service which “should be left to the market to determine”.”

      I can’t figure out if they mean they approved of the idea, process and it’s subsequent scrapping (because it sounds like “the market” determined it was unwanted), or if they didn’t approve of the idea, or the process and would prefer people pay a private company, individually, for everything (their definition of “the market”). I guess we’ll never know.

      • millsy 16.1.1
        4 July 2015 at 12:37 am

        Well if it was free irrigation, then FF would be backing it 200%, that’s for sure.

        Meanwhile, the left wing Madrid (or is that Barcelona?) mayor announces plan to reverse her predecessor’s act of naming a public square in honour of Margaret Thatcher.

        Oh I wish we had hard core progressive left wing local body leaders…

      • Descendant Of Sssmith 16.1.2
        5 July 2015 at 1:38 pm

        It would be a major step forward if all the government funding going into internet infrastructure was conditional upon all areas and citizens receiving a free wi-fi broadband allowance of up to 1 gig per day.

        Providers can then just compete for those who need more than that.

        It would be great if all NZer’s had free internet for everyday use.

        Would be a great leveler between the haves and the have nots and would create much more equity of opportunity for all.

        If I’m not going to hit my limit for the month I quite often take off my security for neighbours to use the excess til the end of the billing month.

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    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    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
    16 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
    19 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
    19 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
    23 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

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