Open Mike 03/09/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 3rd, 2016 - 72 comments
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72 comments on “Open Mike 03/09/2016 ”

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  1. Julia Schiller 1
    3 September 2016 at 7:08 am

    You may have heard that Wilson Security has decided being associated with rape & abuse is bad for their bottom line. Less than 48 hours before today’s Australia-wide & Newmarket protests and calls for boycott (they are part of Wilson Offshore Group, which also owns Wilson Parking), they announced that they won’t continue running Nauru and Manus Island detention centres once their existing sub-contract is up next October.

    Their announcement states they’ve been “professional” in fulfilling their duties and are “proud” of their performance.

    So our protest this afternoon goes on, as 13 more months of the status quo is simply unacceptable. These modern day concentration camps must be closed immediately.

    If you share my disgust at the degradation of New Zealand’s good reputation under Key, don’t wait until next year’s election to reclaim our moral leadership. Come along today and tell Australia to #CloseTheCamps Stand in solidarity with the members of Whistleblowers, Activists and Citizens Alliance (waca.net.au/Boycott_Wilson) And let’s challenge Wilson’s social license as I don’t want a corporation this unethical (they are also implicated in HK’s biggest bribery & corruption scandal, appear in the Panama Papers and haven’t been obeying Australian filing requirements) operating in New Zealand.

    Today
    Newmarket, Lumsden Green, Broadway and Khyber Pass
    1 PM
    http://bit.ly/2bai4UP

  2. Sirenia 2
    3 September 2016 at 8:58 am

    Now that Celia’s not standing she can be frank (and mostly astutely accurate) about the Wellington mayoral contenders. Not surprisingly, nice Justin Lester comes out top.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/83803202/celias-choice-wadebrown-delivers-frank-assessment-of-capitals-mayoral-contenders

    • alwyn 2.1
      3 September 2016 at 9:21 am

      Did you read the comments that followed the article in the paper?
      I personally find Celia a very pleasant person but she was out of her depth as Mayor. The comments that follow the article are much more anti than I would be.
      However I think the Island Bay cycleway fiasco was the last straw. An excellent wide, safe road that is now too narrow for the buses and seems to have accidents every week. There are very few cyclists who use it and those who do don’t even use the cycle lanes most of the time. I think they find them too dangerous to ride along.
      Sorry Celia but it is time to go. Your term will not be remembered as a great one for the city.

      • Sirenia 2.1.1
        3 September 2016 at 10:00 am

        Celia was a very effective and largely consensus and mildly green mayor. The cycleway was a visionary attempt at making a wide street cycle friendly. Having the cycleway next to the footpath is the way it is done in cycle friendly cities. No reason why large cars need to park on both sides of any street. A blogger spent several hours driving up and down the cycleway a few weeks ago and found numerous children and families cycling or playing and counted over 600 driveways with no problems of people coming in or out. So a beat up by the very powerful car and driving brigade. Most mayoral candidates are also stuck on the addiction to driving a personal car without regard to the urgent needs of environmental survival. Light rail is only a possibility with one or two of them eg Justin Lester.

        • Bearded Git 2.1.1.1
          3 September 2016 at 10:05 am

          +1 well spoken Sirenia. The car lobby hates to be crossed. Good job Celia.

        • Stephanie Rodgers 2.1.1.2
          3 September 2016 at 10:30 am

          The hyperfocus on roads! roads! roads! by some of the Wellington mayoral candidates (especially Nick Leggett and Jo Coughlan) is bizarre. It’s just not an issue which dominates the narrative here the way it does in Auckland.

        • alwyn 2.1.1.3
          3 September 2016 at 1:43 pm

          I guess I have to ask.
          Do you live in Wellington?
          Have you actually seen, walked along and driven on the road concerned?
          Did you see it, walk on it and drive on it before they started putting in the cycle lane?
          If the said blogger thinks there are no problems how do they account for the string of accidents?
          Do you really think 87% of the Island Bay residents are stupid?
          http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1603/S00268/switch-the-cycleway-back-island-bay-has-spoken.htm

          • Stephanie Rodgers 2.1.1.3.1
            3 September 2016 at 4:45 pm

            That survey is a joke. It was self-selected, offered no “don’t know” options, and was heavily promoted by an organisation which is openly anti-cycleway.

            Yes, there are issues with the cycleway, and yes, a lot of people are angry about it, but the anti-cycleway lobby only make themselves look ridiculous using such shabby “data” to support their case.

        • mauī 2.1.1.4
          3 September 2016 at 6:57 pm

          Yep it would be interesting to see how the candidates promoting $1 billion of new roading marry that up with the impending incineration of Africa from climate change.

  3. Colonial Viper 3
    3 September 2016 at 9:14 am

    Seems that none of a roughly dozen Blackberries that Clinton used while Sec State can be found. How odd.

    • Ad 3.1
      3 September 2016 at 10:19 am

      Key destroys his every week and gets a fresh one.

    • Lanthanide 3.2
      3 September 2016 at 11:19 am

      Sounds like they’ve been professionally disposed of. So what’s the problem?

      • Sabine 3.2.1
        3 September 2016 at 11:33 am

        Hilary is the problem.

        • reason 3.2.1.2
          3 September 2016 at 10:24 pm

          [lprent: A warning to readers in the same style as this pointless conspiracy dipshit.

          ‘reason’ appears to be a dickless wonder who appears to think he has something important to say. However that reason appears to be invisible unless you too happen to be a obsessed misogynist fuckwit quite obviously with a skull riven with syphilitic holes.

          On reading ‘his’ material it appears that the only thing he has is claims that are of as a dubious provenance as his implied claims of intellectual power. But of course the pathetic dimwit manages to read trash like the bloody awful UK Daily Mirror.

          Be warned. ]

          Killary Clinton is a blood thirsty woman who often when I look at her eyes, or hear her brittle forced laugh, or see her pain-full insincere forced smiles, appears to me more than a little crazy ……..

          I fear Bill sticking his dick in quite a few women and the worldwide exposure of this could be deadly …..

          Humiliated repeatedly by Bill …. the world talking and sniggering about it …..we could all burn for this …..

          More seriously though……… she supported the illegal invasion of Iraq ….. and still seems to believe the American game plan of George Bush, rumsfield etc to go to war and change the governments of 7 nations in the middle east region ( Iraq, Lebbanon, Syria, Libiya, Sudan, Somallia, Iran ) ………….. after the great success of Afghanistan.

          It was all supposed to take 5 years ……. and not involve millions of refugees flooding Europe.

          But back to Hillary ……… I’ve recently watched the short doco ,.. “Hillary Clinton’s Business of Corporate Shilling & War Making (2016) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUeHZMfQ-Uc

          In it she claims,….. as an excuse,…. that she voted for the illegal Iraq invasion because Bush offered her $20 Billion for New York city ………… it’s at the 19 minute mark ….

          It just got me wondering what price crazy horse Wayne Mapp and the pony tail perv had in mind for our blood money ……https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COuQfs0VSs8

          http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/banksy-new-york-horses-night-vision-2369375

          [lprent: Yep, I think I got the style of ‘reason’ about right – but I couldn’t quite descend to the level of stupidity. But I guess that journos at the mirror know their audience. ]

          • Stephanie Rodgers 3.2.1.2.1
            3 September 2016 at 10:47 pm

            This is just vicious, nasty personal bullshit. I’ve said it once and will apparently keep saying it until 8 November (if not 8 November 2024): there are more than enough real, serious things to criticise Hilary Clinton for. This endless stream of “she’s a crazy illuminati sex-starved bitch” misogynist conspiracy theorising just makes her critics look ridiculous.

          • reason 3.2.1.2.2
            4 September 2016 at 9:34 am

            Gosh ….Sorry Stephenie and Lprent ………….. let me mansplain and try to dig my way out.

            First of all I blame Bill for being a selfish randy dick…….. no partner should be disrespectful like that…. casual indiscretions are a form of relationship and mental abuse imo.

            Personally if I had a political career path that meant I had to stay with a serial cheater to attain my ambition ……such a toxic arrangement would make me angry and twisted…. there would be no warm fluffy s and it would all be cold prickly s and sad campers ….

            Being gender specific it should be common knowledge and recognized that it is most often men who ‘end the world’ when they can not control their partner or they feel that their love has been ‘betrayed’ ….

            familicide and murder suicides that result from relationship psychosis is most often done by men …

            Threats to kill are most often an abusive mans tools of control ……..

            Women may get bitter over an unhappy relationship …… but its men who most often go psychotic and kill …

            My bad taste joke of Hillary being a bitter woman and ready to nuke the world and emasculate Putin all because of Bills very public blow jobs is irrelevant to my honest view of her being a dangerous psychopath …….. In the Thatcher or Albright mold …,

            “Leslie Stahl said to Albright, “We have heard that a half-million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And — and, you know, is the price worth it?”
            Madeleine Albright replied, “I think this is a very hard choice, but the price — we think the price is worth it.”…..

            Trump strikes me as a rich bullying Archie Bunker …. with his racist sexist bigotry and sweeping white american stereotypes .

            Joe Aprio, guns and chain gangs seem to be part of the Trump vision for ‘making america great again’…..

            This is a good documentry on the con that is the Donald …. and it reveals amongst other things that he raped his wife Ivana when their marriage was breaking up …and it insinuates he paid her so his attack would not have legal or criminal consequences . Documentary The Mad World of Donald Trump (Full). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M08RYheIuI…

            It’s also an interesting doco when you think that the bottom of the gene pool white trash racist rednecks on display in support of Trump are fearful gun nuts ……….

            Its impossible for me to know out of Hillary and Donald which ones dishonesty will be the worst for the world and the usa should they win …

            I’d guess Trump internally and Hillary externally

            I suspect Hillary will drop more bombs and kill more people than Trump if she gets to be the commander in charge of their military industrial complex…..

            I’d also expect more death squads and Killings in South America Kissenger style under Hillary with her support for the Honduras coup being a recent example…

            “Earlier this week, the former secretary of state publicly defended her role in the 2009 coup in Honduras that ousted democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya. Since the coup, Honduras has become one of the most violent places in the world. “http://www.democracynow.org/2016/4/13/hear_hillary_clinton_defend_her_role

            http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/gonzalez-clinton-policy-latin-american-crime-story-article-1.2598456

            “bloodshed reigns supreme in Honduras today, not only in terms of its astronomically high murder rate, but also for activists, LGBT persons, journalists and indigenous leaders. At least 174 LGBT persons have been killed in Honduras since 2009. According to Global Witness, 101 environmental activists were murdered between 2010 and 2014, including Berta Cáceres, a fearless environmentalist who fought for indigenous land rights”

            https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/04/19/hillary-clintons-dodgy-answers-on-honduras-coup/?utm_term=.858fde411cd6

            • reason 3.2.1.2.2.1
              4 September 2016 at 10:42 am

              p.p.s I put ‘the mirror ‘ link up for people on limited bandwith who did not want to watch a video ….. I selected it from a random google search of ‘banksy+crazyhorse and liked the big colorful photos showing the artwork and the related story seemed accurate on a skim read.

              It’s not a site I usually visit….and I’ve make a mental note that it can make people madder than Whaleoil

              At least I ad blocked the tory? house of mirrors in my 30 seconds there

    • McFlock 3.3
      3 September 2016 at 8:32 pm

      A bit like trumps tax returns…

  4. Paul 4
    3 September 2016 at 9:39 am

    Sad to hear Waatea 5th Estate has finished.

  5. Pasupial 5
    3 September 2016 at 12:46 pm

    [edit; this fixed itself as soon as I posted, but it’s unusual not to be able to see comments until you make one yourself] It’s past noon and OM has no visible comments – is this a glitch, or is there some huge event on that I’ve totally missed?

    There’s a good piece on the Corbyn campaign over on TDB by Keith Locke (which I don’t have open just now). For those who avoid the site, this link regarding the “rampacked” train is enlightening:

    http://www.beyondtheheadlines.co.uk/2016/08/23/the-london-to-newcastle-virgin-train-was-ram-packed/

    TLDR is that the “empty” seats were reserved rather than vacant. So, even though the Labour leader probably could’ve grabbed one and been shielded by his status, he instead chose to sit with those who would’ve been chucked off if they’d tried that.

    These included a mother with baby. At which point I have to wonder about those other passengers who had seats but let her remain: “…on the floor between the carriages because there wasn’t enough room for me and my two children to get seats…”. You can’t blame all of that on Virgin’s mismanagement, even if that’s where it started.

    • save nz 5.1
      3 September 2016 at 1:20 pm

      Yes Keith Locke’s piece is great on Corbyn.

      “If the YouGov poll is accurate Jeremy Corbyn will easily be re-elected as British Labour leader. He polls 62% to his opponent Owen Smith’s 38% and leads in every region and age group.

      Corbyn’s opponents have tried every trick in the book to dent the Labour leader’s support.

      The party’s national executive, then with an anti-Corbyn majority, voted to exclude 130,000 new members from voting. That only seems to have riled those longer-term members who could vote.

      Then Labour deputy leader Tom Watson tried red-baiting, claiming the party was being taken over by hard-left “Troskyist entryists”. Jeremy Corbyn responded by asking Watson to “do the maths – 300,000 people have joined the Labour Party. At no stage in anyone’s most vivid imagination are there 300,000 sectarian extremists at large in the country who have suddenly descended on the Labour Party.”

      Corbyn’s supporters have also been accused of nastiness towards Owen Smith, yet Smith himself has called Corbyn a lunatic.

      The almost daily mass media scandal-mongering about Corbyn has fallen flat. They thought they’d finally nailed the Labour leader when Richard Branson released a video appearing to disprove Corbyn’s claim that he couldn’t get a seat on one of Branson’s over-crowded trains. Corbyn had been photographed sitting on the floor. It transpired that Corbyn had witnesses to testify the seats were taken or reserved. The net result was more publicity for Corbyn’s campaign to re-nationalise Britain’s broken rail system.

      At bottom it’s Corbyn’s policies that so frighten the Labour Right. ”

      http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/09/03/dirty-tricks-against-corbyn-not-working/

    • Paul 5.2
      3 September 2016 at 1:22 pm

      To follow the news about Corbyn without the media bias, follow the Canary.

      http://www.thecanary.co/

  6. save nz 6
    3 September 2016 at 1:36 pm

    This is interesting – home ownership world statistics. Australia are ahead of us, as are Romania (no 1), Cuba, Singapore, India, Russia, Mexico, Finland, Israel, etc etc

    We are 37th.

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

    • Olwyn 6.1
      3 September 2016 at 1:56 pm

      The problem with us, at 37, is that we treat home-ownership as the norm, and renting as something you do until you get around to buying. As home-ownership gets further and further out of reach, renting continues to be treated as something casual and temporary. Many of the countries lower on the list have stable, long-term renting as a central feature of their housing policies. We have embraced the worst of both worlds – a home-owning culture whose homes are unaffordable.

      • save nz 6.1.1
        3 September 2016 at 2:14 pm

        That is why I think NZ should be aiming for the top of home ownership or at least as high as some of the other countries – i mean if Finland and India can do it – you have to wonder about NZ.

        People who are vulnerable should have access to State houses, and those that don’t need a permanent home such as students and families on contracts etc should be the private rentals which are well run.

        While some lefties advocate renting for life like Germany, the reality is, you are reliant on the government and with a change in government such as in NZ in the 1980’s and beyond, government ideology can affect you so much more than if you could control housing yourself.

        • Olwyn 6.1.1.1
          3 September 2016 at 2:58 pm

          I can see your point, especially given the way governments that are backed by the powerful can get away with almost anything. In my eyes, either model would be better than the worst features of both models harnessed together.

  7. Reddelusion 7
    3 September 2016 at 2:40 pm

    Who decides who is vulnerable, the line between individual accountability and hand up vs hand out, not rewarding stupidity or laziness. So only the truly vulnerable are looked after The problem with most comment here is. you just want to dish it out willy nilly and throw others people’s money at every perceived problem or inequity and assume if you do so all will be well with no unintended consequences in respect of how economic actors will react to such signals. As such demonstrated in many so called socialist experiments

    • Paul 7.1
      3 September 2016 at 2:51 pm

      New Zealand is not suffering from a socialist experiment.
      It is suffering from a neoliberal experiment.

      New Zealand was fundamentally a socialist country from 1935 to 1984.
      Since the Douglas led coup d’état, employment, the country’s wealth and independence have all declined.
      Inequality, poverty, obesity, crime, rates of imprisonment, drug abuse, and foreign ownership have all surged.
      Trust, home ownership and a sense of community have all declined.

      32 years on and the experiment has become a nightmare for most New Zealanders.

      • Reddelusion 7.1.1
        3 September 2016 at 6:09 pm

        The rose tinted glasses are strong on you Paul

        • One Anonymous Bloke 7.1.1.1
          3 September 2016 at 7:23 pm

          Paul can take them off, but there’s nothing you can do about your grossly distended amygdala, nor your propensity to lie and smear.

    • Gangnam Style 7.2
      3 September 2016 at 2:51 pm

      Jeez lighten up Red, the sun is shining, etc….

    • One Anonymous Bloke 7.3
      3 September 2016 at 7:20 pm

      Who decides?

      Not you, that’s for sure: there are plenty of appropriate measures and you’ve rote-learned rejection of all of them.

      National are fucked if you outlaw “rewarding stupidity or laziness”.

      you just want to dish it out willy nilly

      Flaccid smears are the best you can do: cf: appropriate measures.

      others people’s money

      My taxes are not your money, shithead.

      We know exactly how “economic actors” respond to left wing policy because unemployment fell to its lowest level since the 1970s in 2007. Meanwhile, you have some rote-learned smears to dribble.

      Your arguments aren’t arguments, your opinions aren’t yours. Choke on it.

    • Stephanie Rodgers 7.4
      3 September 2016 at 10:51 pm

      It’s interesting how the Right always demand we draw “a line” between the “really” deserving and the evil disgusting bludgers who are apparently waiting around every corner.

      When they get into power, that line gets drawn shorter and shorter until eventually everyone’s on the wrong side of it.

      Me? I care about people. So if a few people get a bit extra, in order to ensure everyone has the basics covered? That’s the margin of error for having a heart.

  8. Paul 8
    3 September 2016 at 2:48 pm

    The Herald fails again.
    Reports on the P epidemic.
    Fails to make any connection with the country’s embrace of neoliberalism and consequential exponential growth in inequality.
    Pity there are no journalists at the Herald, who might have heard of the Spirit Level.

    http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spirit_Level:_Why_More_Equal_Societies_Almost_Always_Do_Better

    http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vxetq4u2bK4

    • Reddelusion 8.1
      3 September 2016 at 6:02 pm

      Why do you keep reading the herald when you outlined all those wonderful publication the other day that agree with your world view. Stop punishing yourself unless self flagellation is your thing

    • Chuck 8.2
      3 September 2016 at 6:03 pm

      Well that’s a first…blaming the P issue on neoliberalism!

      Heck maybe the Headhunters and Hells Angels etc…all embrace neoliberalism?

      • Colonial Viper 8.2.1
        3 September 2016 at 6:24 pm

        The free market at its best

      • mauī 8.2.2
        3 September 2016 at 6:36 pm

        They’re a symptom, have you not been following that the Government blames everything on the gangs too. A convenient scapegoat.

      • save nz 8.2.3
        3 September 2016 at 10:33 pm

        Well Chuck you have to wonder how all that P gets into NZ, we are an island after all. Great that MAF etc have their funding cut so less staff to patrol the borders and we welcome anyone into this country no questions asked.

        Apparently its a tie up made in Heaven between the well organised Head Hunters joining forces with the Chinese Triads who bring in the raw ingredients.

        Not sure what happened to the war on P that John Key was waging.

        He seems to be more interested in getting ideal P making conditions – globalism at work.

      • Draco T Bastard 8.2.4
        4 September 2016 at 12:49 pm

        Heck maybe the Headhunters and Hells Angels etc…all embrace neoliberalism?

        Top down hierarchical societies?

        Yep, pure bloody capitalism.

  9. b waghorn 9
    3 September 2016 at 4:42 pm

    this is what comes up when i opened my standard link Lprent then i clicked home and it came to the site.

    • lprent 9.1
      3 September 2016 at 6:18 pm

      Should be fixed now. There was a plugin with a very bad habit..

      Amongst other things it removed the CSS (cascading style sheets) which are what makes the site look the way it does. What you saw was the naked site showing the top menus.

      • Anne 9.1.1
        3 September 2016 at 6:32 pm

        Umm… it’s still happening. Got to hit ‘home’ to get to home page. And the individual gravatars have gone.

        • Francis G 9.1.1.1
          3 September 2016 at 9:14 pm

          I see the same thing. Not sure if it helps, but this is the error I get for most of the images on the page:

          cdn.thestandard.org.nz uses an invalid security certificate.

          The certificate is only valid for the following names:
          cloudfront.net, *.cloudfront.net

          Error code: SSL_ERROR_BAD_CERT_DOMAIN

        • lprent 9.1.1.2
          3 September 2016 at 9:36 pm

          Off seeing my parents offshore (again).

          Will look at it again when I get home.

  10. Sabine 10
    3 September 2016 at 6:16 pm

    interesting times

    http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37241727

    “With South Korea’s biggest shipping company filing for bankruptcy protection, the vessels, sailors and cargo of Hanjin Shipping are stuck in limbo, stranded at sea.
    Ports, fearing they will not get paid, refuse to let them dock or unload.
    That means the ships are forced to wait for Hanjin, its creditors or partners to find a solution.
    It’s a case of unprecedented scale, with experts expecting the deadlock to last for weeks, if not months.
    “[It is] a major disaster for the shipping companies and for the companies that own the goods in those containers,” Greg Knowler, maritime and trade analyst with IHS Markit, told the BBC from Hong Kong.”Quote end.

  12. Chris 12
    3 September 2016 at 11:16 pm

    Joyce dealing to these students is ridiculous and unnecessary.

    Interesting, though, that it’s the Migrant Workers Association that’s taking up their cases.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/83854095/indian-community-blames-nz-authorities-schools-for-student-deportations

    Maybe the unions in NZ could take a leaf out of the association’s book and widen its catchment to include representing the interests of the unemployed? The unemployed would benefit from the support that unions can provide (on a whole bunch of levels from practical to cultural), and the unions get to be relevant again in the face of changing employment patterns/values. It’d be a win/win. Heck, in these changing times the unions – while they mightn’t currently know it – need the unemployed more than ever. They should get to work.

    • save nz 12.1
      4 September 2016 at 9:13 am

      That’s not a bad idea. How about an unemployed person’s union?? Sound’s like with what is going on with WINZ it is the most needed unions for it’s clients. I mean $1000 motel bills for emergency housing, being chucked out of your state house due to ‘p’ levels that are the same as bank notes, being put in prison for apparently being in a relationship while on the DPB, having your benefit constantly stopped or being overpaid or underpaid. Do the unemployed need a union??? Hell Yeah!!!

  13. Chris 13
    4 September 2016 at 11:47 am

    I’m suggesting more along the lines of the existing unions making that work part of their core business. There are already beneficiary advocacy groups like the Auckland Action Against Poverty and there are beneficiary advocacy services in other places like Napier and Gisborne and no doubt other places. But the power the unions would give the unemployed would be massive. A mandate for that happening would be the changing labour market, the need for a UBI etc etc.

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    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    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

  • 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
    18 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
    21 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
    22 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
    24 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
    1 day 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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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. ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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