I think it’s reasonable to assume that in many cases the family moving into the 800k Kiwibuild homes will have sold their $450k home to do so or freed up a rental.
The price isn’t as important as the supply.
The Auckland market has pulled back 8.2% in 12 months, I think that’s more than noise.
I think the people buying Kiwibuild houses will be those with a good bit of equity in $500k houses.
Yes, that was the pitch but I think first home buyers are unlikely to move into homes priced in the upper quartile, they never have. It’s an unrealistic expectation.
“I know that as Leader of the Opposition I’m supposed to complain about everything.
But that’s not my style.”
No no no no no! A thousands times no! Ten thousand thundering typhoons and billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles this makes me angry!!!!!
Part of the reason Labour went through so many leaders and were in the doldrums for so long was (apart from being generally poo) because they opposed absolutely everything, everything National did was wrong, if National had said the grass was green Labour would said no its blue
We (ok me) don’t want National to oppose everything because not everything Labour, NZFirst or the Greens will say is wrong (sure its mostly wrong but even a stopped clock is right twice a day) I want National to oppose that which needs opposing and supporting that which should be supported because that’ll show National are actually taking note of whats going on and not just running on auto pilot
Its now National who is opposed to everything even when they previously said they supported/ would consider some issues.
We saw that on very first day of parliament when the reduction in Mps on select committees which they and labour worked for in last parliament became ‘hell no we wont go lower’
National will oppose everything that Labour/NZGreens and NZFirst do because it’s against their ideology of giving all state assets to the already rich and empowering the already rich over the poor.
BTW, Labour did support a few things National did. Sometimes that was because it was right but, more often than not, because Labour are still following the failed neo-liberal ideology.
This government’s adopted National’s Social Security (Legislation Rewrite) Bill pretty much in its totality – complete with sanctions – after it said it would oppose it. Good on you, Labour – you can always be trusted to do what you think is right.
Our local National Party MP, Sarah Dowie is leading the charge! She complains about everything! . She even complains about things the Government might, at a stretch, vaguely consider perhaps doing a bit of. Her press releases and letters to the editor are a constant bore; other writers of letters to the editor have labled her a “show pony” and accurately accuse her of always wanting to be noticed. The National Party are following the Dowie prescription and squawking at every passing zephyr. It’s eroding their support but they can’t see it. The polls might declare a high following, but deeper down, they’re losing support by the yap yap day.
The double face palm reminds me of the triple hand shake. Hasn’t Jacinda done well; she’s not fallen off the stage and broken her arm, made an exhibition of herself camping it up on the catwalk, made soap or cannibal jokes nor yanked anyone’s hair; seems odd not to have a sociopath for a PM.
Well shanking a whole industry without any consultation at all could be considered slight sociopathic given how many lives are going to be, at the very least, disrupted
Also not sure if its narcissistic or just plain vanity to take nice, pr positive pics with school kids before closing their schools down
Well shanking a whole industry without any consultation at all could be considered slight sociopathic given how many lives are going to be, at the very least, disrupted
Considering the damage that that industry is doing – no it couldn’t.
Knowing the damage and yet trying to keep it going is the sociopathic action and it’s what National does all the time across many industries.
What would of been the point consulting ? The oil companies would have rallied their supporters and lunched a massive fight back . We elect leaders to lead . The on it’s knees Nat pack don’t know the meaning of the word
Ear to the ground, Pucky, ear to the ground – don’t you know nuttin”? In any case, your claim that the industry is ended is, sadly, not the case. Leaders have to “make the call” sometimes and this one is a minor one, despite your biggering.
You know like how National stated before the election it was going to partially sell off some of the power company shares
They didn’t start a conversation on that at all. They simply said that they would sell them off and did so despite the majority (~70%) being against them doing so.
If they were honestly having a conversation and listening to the owners then they would have stopped the sale.
“they said what they were going to do”
But they hadn’t asked New Zealanders if that’s what they wanted to do. When they did and New Zealanders said, NO, they did it anyway! Pucky??
Or they could have not got enough votes to win the election which meant while people didn’t want them to do the partial sell down it wasn’t a big enough deal to change their votes
It is a bit of a head scratcher, the nurses union recommending the latest proposal.
I wouldn’t hold my breath over the nurses accepting the pay offer.
For RNs (the majority of nurses), the offer has delayed the final proposed two steps, other than that, no change.
The difference in the ‘new’ deal is that it includes senior nurses and health care assistants.
The latest offer considerably reduced what I would have received under the rejected offer. I have no inclination to now accept less. All the NZNO have done by recommending acceptance is fuel anger, its not for a paid union official to try and sway the membership. The feeling among Nurses is one of having been shafted by both the employer and Union.
Have you put up your hand to join the negotiating team at Nurses Union or work on the background in your specialty for the lead negotiators ? How about being a local rep ?
So well within one generation most these “affordable houses” will have just become part of our obscene national obsession of using our homes as commodities, while working class families will never have that security.
Not sure what planet you on, but the spiteful levels have dropped measurably. I know you love your spite, but the rest of us like the break from it.
As for hard ideology, you get your lot destroyed peoples live to score cheap political points. I guess you never had to deal with anyone who was kicked out of their home over the P lie.
It will take a long time to get even close to Key levels of lying, a long, long, long time.
As for lying well I’d point out the TPP, sorry the CPAPTPP or whatever its called but I can’t because there were so many conflicting press releases on what Labour was, or wasn’t going to do
I’d also point out what the current government parties said they’d do pre-election vs post-election but apparently its ok now because you have to wait for the negotiations to see whats really going to happen
James has a peculiar fascination with this event. He nearly wet himself with excitement over the potential for partisan political point-scoring at the time (implying that the Labour Party enabled a sexual predator), and eventually copped a ban.
Whereas, if an evidence-based ranking of organisations that enable sexual exploitation in NZ was constructed, I reckon that the legal profession, the police, the military and the National Party would all out-rank Labour. “Look to your sins.”
or children being sexually attacked at a youth camp
….or appointing the chair of the law and order select committee, despite your knowledge of a police inquiry into the alleged behaviour of a prominent New Zealander….
So people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, roast busters. May I remind you, that your mate Key said “boy’s will be boy’s” about that crew of rapists, and effectively stomped on an enquiry.
Yep the gnats pretended there was no issue and watched families living in cars – laughing and mocking the poor then and blaming them now imo. That is why the gnats are disliked so much and why there no name team will fade into oblivion.
‘So if you take the average wage a a production worker ($38000) + the average wage of a full time cleaner ((35,000) total $73000 figure in rent and two children…..”
Of course they cant afford to rent and pay a mortgage… but thats not the intention but the mortgage replaces the rent.
And please dont wave LVRs of 20% as they dont apply to new houses.
Since when is there some sort of ‘left credentials’ now. Decided by you of course. Spare us the purity of your ideology .
this aint the ‘party line’ anymore
The purity of ideology is not a prerequisite for party membership or ammunition for attempted shaming of others for not being ‘pure enough’ ideologically. ??? Perhaps?
Oh look the argument of the weak of mind, “purist”. I don’t have a party or did you miss that memo. Anymore “red” baiting you wanna practice, or will you wait for your Tory mates to give you some more attack lines?
Socialism does have this annoying thing, where economics matters. It puts the economic interests of working people and poor first. I know bit hard for corporate liberal’s to comprehend, but some really good books out their that can explain it.
Stupid game that requires ‘penalty shootouts to decide a game’
if it was up to me , I would remove goal keeper from field for the extra time period to make goals easier. The other way is to make goal bigger for these sort of games or other rule changes like sending off for professional fouls or penalty goals
Extra time and sudden death. Then count up the number of corners awarded if need be, It’s how it used to be done.
This crap of penalty shootouts…why bother with all the preceding however many minutes?
Meanwhile, for the sake of ‘everyone’ in Wales and Scotland, and the insufferable bullshit they’d have to endure if England won this, any support I may be offering is for “anyone but”.
As a long suffering Fulham and England fan, you have to enjoy these moments and dare to dream for a day or two.
They are the highest ranked team on the bottom half of the draw. That does not guarantee anything, but there has never been a better opportunity since 66 to advance to the final.
as a long suffering though currently happy Burnley fan i felt a bit sorry for Colombia and their fans….couldnt beleve Southgate bringing Dier on rather than Rashford….too negative and so it turned out…still I too am starting to dream a bit
Yep his outrage is volcanic… when someone else has stuffed up. Maybe as mayor he should be FINANCIALLY penalised every time a beach closes due to excessive poos – all elected officials too and their managers.
Basically KIwibuild is little more than a government subsidy for developers.
And yes I know that some middle class families who rent because they are priced out of the house buying market will benefit by being able to “get on the property ladder”. That is not where the most serious need is. The most serious need is further down the income scale, where families don’t have any roof at all.
If the government wanted to address homelessness, (which if we were being honest, is not the purpose of Kiwibuild).
Instead of being put on the housing market, possibly better use might be made of these properties if they were nationalised and made state rentals.
This would make accommodation available at the bottom of the market, where it is most needed, instead of in the middle of the market, where people at least still have some other choices.
Just to remember another bold adventurer, Andrew McAuley R.I.P. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_McAuley Sea kayaking
In 2003, he made the first non-stop kayak crossing of the Bass Strait.[3]
In 2004, he kayaked across the Gulf of Carpentaria.
In 2006, he led an expedition in the Australian Antarctic Territory where they paddled over 800 km within the Antarctic Circle.[4]…
The documentary of McAuley’s journey, Solo, incorporated video footage recovered from one surviving memory stick in his camera, as well as interviews with people on his team during the expedition. It begins with the distress call he made on the evening of 9 February: “Do you copy? This is kayak one. Do you copy, over? I’ve got an emergency situation. I’m in a kayak about 30 kilometres from Milford Sound. I need a rescue. My kayak’s sinking. Fell off into the sea and I’m going down.”[9]
McAuley’s wife Vicki McAuley wrote a book, Solo, about him and his final voyage.[12]
In the same summer, a specially-constructed two-person kayak crossed the Tasman Sea at a more northerly route. The competitive spirit may have played a part in McAuley’s determination to make the journey when he did.[9] A song has recently been written about his final journey by Australian composers Paul Jarman and Phil Voysey, entitled “Towards Infinity”.
“New Zealand unquestionably needs maritime surveillance aircraft – we use them for maritime search & rescue, fisheries patrols, and damage assessment after tropical cyclones. But we don’t need high-tech sub-hunters, for the simple reason that we are not threatened by submarines. Seriously, where are these mythical submarines they are expected to find? And if this fantasised threat is expected to exist not now, but a decade or two in the future, then that suggests that we get the hugely expensive sub-hunting electronics (which makes up a huge chunk of the inflated cost of these aircraft) in that decade or two, not now.
Basicly, high-end military equipment in the absence of any real threat is a vanity purchase. All it does is allow generals to feel like they’re keeping up with the Aussies, while enabling them to get involved in more American wars. There are far better things we could be spending that money on, like schools, hospitals, and state houses, which will make far of a difference to the safety of New Zealanders than expensive, pointless sub-hunting electronics ever will. We should ditch this contract and buy something cheaper which actually serves our needs.”
IS
Where does your computer, phone or internet device come from?
How much does NZ exports go by ship?
How much does NZ imports come by ship?
How much wealth comes from NZ exports which pays for education, health, welfare etc?
What’s the best way to achieve the in-direct military approach attack when combined with direct attack on critical infrastructure, cyber and bio warfare (agriculture and horticulture).
How did the French spooks/ SF personal who bombed the Rainbow Warrior escaped by using a yacht and what else?
What’s the best way to attack NZ and maintain surprise and pauseable deinalability, the direct approach or the indirect approach?
What’s best way to sink a ship and stuff up NZ economy at the same time
Should we be more worried about the indirect military attack or the direct attack on NZ and which achieves the biggest amount of bang, but doing it with the economy of force?
Does globalisation leave NZ vulnerable to an indirect attack either in NZ or else where within the Asia- Pacific?
Resource thief in a Climate Change environment how you stop that when countries are give the current international rules base the two finger salute?
I’ll be back later after some gardening with some interesting trade facts IRT to shipping in the Asia Pacific and current tends.
A “couple” of questions, Ex?
More like a cluster 🙂
Okay: Noel Leemings, lots, lots, plenty (but there are other ways), sneaky means, cunningly, sneakily, wiv a bomb?, no, yes, tricky!
“K”?
So, we’re screwed, right? Gotta play the game and muscle up? Is that what you think, KiwiF?
Or maybe, just maybe – we could put our collective dicks away for a while, and sort out real problems – rather than tacitly support this continuous war that has been happening globally for the last thirty odd year.
Point I’m trying to make is since the start of this Neo Liberalism / Goblalisation B/S has left NZ quite vulnerable as NZ is an export base economy. So if NZ doesn’t want to or can’t maintain it Sea Lanes Of Communication (SLOC) then NZ’s economy turns to shit rather fast because if you can’t import, then it is highly unlikely that you will be able to export which in turns leads to some sort of economic downturn or collapse etc.
It’s not about the size of one’s dick or the size one’s tits etc, but about having an independent Defence, Trade, Foreign Affairs and Aid Policies within the recognised International Base Rules Principles. If NZ can’t and isn’t prepared to defend, protect these Principles then what does NZ stand for?
And if you think unarmed Neutrality is going to protect you then good luck with that because it aren’t and if it’s a one state nation that comes knocking then your basic human rights are toast, which I know is a fact from my time in East Timor in 99-00 Peacekeeping at what the TNI did from 1975.
Way to miss my point. In a big way – so you support the war machine, for the war machines sake? Ever done any reading on the collapse of the economy’s of the fascist states of Europe? Here a short summary, war economy has a limited life span, before it effectively bankrupts itself and leaves it’s population in abject poverty. Spain and Portugal have never really recovered. Italy is still a basket case, and Germany got lucky, it got the Marshall Plan.
We need to work out how to do this smarter, otherwise we really are in the crapper.
Exkiwiforces the US generally makes more reliable military equipment with a long life the C130 and p3 orion are testament to that.
If a war started how long would it Take to be operational from order date.
5 yrs plus by then it will be over?
Depending on the threat matrix at the time, if you have already have level of full operational capability (FOC) then the usual time fame would be around 2-3yrs tops as you won’t run down existing capability until the last 2-3 aircraft has been delivered.
What happen to the ACF is that The No Mates Party started to rundown the A4’s before the F-16’s arrived and when that got caned, the cost for regeneration of A4’s become a sticking point for the incoming government when ET turned to a shit fight. The plan was to keep the Macchi’s flying to maintain a IOC level which will be then be able to force generate an ACF SQN with initial IOC within 18 mths and a full operational capability with 18- 24mths later. But to regenerate the ACF will now take between 5- 10yrs at minimum.
The one’s that got caught were the recon/ logistics team not the direct action team (DAT) who escaped by yacht which they later scuttle half way between Norfolk Is and New Caledonia where they were picked by a French boomer which the RN had asked NZ to find when it didn’t turn up on station. That’s when the penny dropped for some people high up and anyway from what I’ve heard over the yrs is that P3 guys found the boomer and ask permission to drop a few a depth charges but someone brink.
To R G at 10 : Sad that this common-sense approach has taken so much energy
over the decades yet still needs propounding . Many thanks for bringing it to notice again.
Heather, in the ideal world I wish there was not a cent spent on a Nations Security budget as I know what war is and it’s effects, but in the real world in which I live unfortunately we have to spend money on a Nations Security and for a nation like NZ it economic wealth is heavily dependent on open and free Sea Lanes Of Communications which can vulnerable to sub- surface and surface interdiction.
The last two World Wars has seen Foreign Nations attempt to interdict our SLOC through the use of Submarines, Armed Merchant ships disguised as tramp ships conducting surface attacks and laying Sea mines, in modern times a Direction Attack in NZ using a yacht and submarine and then we have the RNZN Frigate Canterbury F421in East Timor during the INTERFET operation chasing one, possibly two type 209 subs from the TNI Navy inside ET’s 12 mile limit. God only knows what they will do when we finally kick the assholes out of West Papua, but going on their form guide from ET it will be an ugly operation of undertake and at least a Chap 6 Mission.
And I will refer back to my comment https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04-07-2018/#comment-1499639. That the indirect attack is more likely to happen to NZ than a direct attack aka an over the beach, air assault attack which requires an awful lot of manpower, equipment and a bloody long logistical nightmare where as an indirect attack requires bugger all manpower and equipment which requires a bugger logistics foot print. It doesn’t mean it has to be in NZ waters which accounts for 10% of the worlds surface water for an indirect attack, it can be at the Singapore hub/ the South China Sea, the North Asia box, the MER Sea Lanes etc.
Then we throw in Climate Change which is going to bring a whole host of other problems as well.
The indirect attack is the most likely and dangerous to NZ interests than a direct attack as a lot of things need to fall into place before its a goer and even then there is no guarantee of success.
I don’t why the left is so fixated on the direct attack/ approach when the indirect means is a lot easier to achieve, but then again they probably don’t study Military tactics, Military logistics , Military History and future Military tends within the Asia/ Pacific Region at University.
I have listened to many of the arguments and justifications for the announced details of Kiwibuild eligibility but sadly can only conclude how out of touch with reality Twyford (and Cabinet) appear with this decision…..it increasingly appears that the Minister is struggling with this key policy area for the coalition, but more importantly for the electorate.
The only way for Kiwibuild not to be a shambles is for a reboot of the old MOW and a return of the old Housing Corp mortgages. The government knows this but knows there will be a political fall out.
That may be an option but they have really sent the wrong message with the criteria for this particular policy….the question is why?..are they so out of touch with real life that they are incapable of seeing how it will be viewed by the average punter or is there some twisted logic behind it?..either way it dosnt provide for those it purports to be targeted at and yet provides for those that dont need it, as if we have a surfeit of housing FFS
Good morning The AM Show I say tasers are a better tool for the police than guns the police have to deal with sycophants people whom have not control on there actions every day and these people put the police lives at risk at least with a taser the person has more chance of serviving the incident.
Sunny Nelson its warm during the summer and very cold in the winter Queen Town has a big lake to ballance out the temperature fluctuations.
Duncan it would be nice if ECO MAORI got paided for all the hits to my post the courts will be dealing with this in the near future. I’m not anti police just anti courpt police.
I see trump got a lesson from the Norwegian Prime Minister he does not mince words just how Eco Maori likes it do what you say and say what you do a link is Below on trump.
We do have a shortage of skilled workers you know who is to blame for this national I say make sure that the workers you import skills cannot be found in the local work force.
You see I hear of stories about foreigns coming here and they are shearmilking in one season you see a lot of people have more respect for Foreigners than they have for Tangata whenua and that’s stuffed up eco Maori can see this behaviour a mile away.
Ka kite ano
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
The cure got high prices IS high prices.
Kiwibuild assists wealthy couples, foreign buyers, interfering with natural market response which collapses from the top down.
WHY?
NZ Resident is a foreigner imho
I think it’s reasonable to assume that in many cases the family moving into the 800k Kiwibuild homes will have sold their $450k home to do so or freed up a rental.
The price isn’t as important as the supply.
The Auckland market has pulled back 8.2% in 12 months, I think that’s more than noise.
Kiwibuild was originally only for 1st time home buyers – But that has now changed as has the price range. “KiwiBuild homes will only be sold to first home buyers”
https://www.labour.org.nz/kiwibuild
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/361025/kiwibuild-eligibility-couples-can-earn-up-to-180-000
But where are we to find in Auckland 50,000 buyers able to qualify to purchase a “kiwi build” ?
I think the people buying Kiwibuild houses will be those with a good bit of equity in $500k houses.
Yes, that was the pitch but I think first home buyers are unlikely to move into homes priced in the upper quartile, they never have. It’s an unrealistic expectation.
So why did Labour imply that they would be?
“The Auckland market has pulled back 8.2% in 12 months”
Not Kiwibuild homes – they are over 8% from their promised price even before one has been built.
Kiwibuild house prices will be subjected to market forces.
I think labour was pretty clear on the “sale” cost of them in their promises. Of course – its not whats happening now.
“I know that as Leader of the Opposition I’m supposed to complain about everything.
But that’s not my style.”
Simon Bridges
https://www.national.org.nz/speech_to_fieldays_on_climate_change
“I know that as Leader of the Opposition I’m supposed to complain about everything.
But that’s not my style.”
No no no no no! A thousands times no! Ten thousand thundering typhoons and billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles this makes me angry!!!!!
Part of the reason Labour went through so many leaders and were in the doldrums for so long was (apart from being generally poo) because they opposed absolutely everything, everything National did was wrong, if National had said the grass was green Labour would said no its blue
We (ok me) don’t want National to oppose everything because not everything Labour, NZFirst or the Greens will say is wrong (sure its mostly wrong but even a stopped clock is right twice a day) I want National to oppose that which needs opposing and supporting that which should be supported because that’ll show National are actually taking note of whats going on and not just running on auto pilot
Arrgggh, Hulk smash puny National strategists!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msRaooooyds
I didnt see National out there complain about the TPP when Labour signed it.
And that was a biggie.
Thats nonsense.
Its now National who is opposed to everything even when they previously said they supported/ would consider some issues.
We saw that on very first day of parliament when the reduction in Mps on select committees which they and labour worked for in last parliament became ‘hell no we wont go lower’
and more
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/360621/domestic-violence-bill-unfair-to-small-businesses-national
Man, you’re delusional.
National will oppose everything that Labour/NZGreens and NZFirst do because it’s against their ideology of giving all state assets to the already rich and empowering the already rich over the poor.
BTW, Labour did support a few things National did. Sometimes that was because it was right but, more often than not, because Labour are still following the failed neo-liberal ideology.
This government’s adopted National’s Social Security (Legislation Rewrite) Bill pretty much in its totality – complete with sanctions – after it said it would oppose it. Good on you, Labour – you can always be trusted to do what you think is right.
Even when it’s been proven wrong.
Our local National Party MP, Sarah Dowie is leading the charge! She complains about everything! . She even complains about things the Government might, at a stretch, vaguely consider perhaps doing a bit of. Her press releases and letters to the editor are a constant bore; other writers of letters to the editor have labled her a “show pony” and accurately accuse her of always wanting to be noticed. The National Party are following the Dowie prescription and squawking at every passing zephyr. It’s eroding their support but they can’t see it. The polls might declare a high following, but deeper down, they’re losing support by the yap yap day.
“The polls might declare a high following, but deeper down, they’re losing support by the yap yap day.”
IMHO its less that and more this:
https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-a35af10f8d87a3bf953f4dee9141e4df
The double face palm reminds me of the triple hand shake. Hasn’t Jacinda done well; she’s not fallen off the stage and broken her arm, made an exhibition of herself camping it up on the catwalk, made soap or cannibal jokes nor yanked anyone’s hair; seems odd not to have a sociopath for a PM.
“seems odd not to have a sociopath for a PM”
Well shanking a whole industry without any consultation at all could be considered slight sociopathic given how many lives are going to be, at the very least, disrupted
Also not sure if its narcissistic or just plain vanity to take nice, pr positive pics with school kids before closing their schools down
Considering the damage that that industry is doing – no it couldn’t.
Knowing the damage and yet trying to keep it going is the sociopathic action and it’s what National does all the time across many industries.
So ending the industry without any ideas of what the people working, or supporting, it will do is all good with you?
Good job that they didn’t do that then isn’t it?
And if they had done that I’d expect them to make training and support available so that those people can change careers.
But, then, I think such support be permanently available as industries are often taken over by new knowledge.
With 30 years advance warning? Fine by me.
What would of been the point consulting ? The oil companies would have rallied their supporters and lunched a massive fight back . We elect leaders to lead . The on it’s knees Nat pack don’t know the meaning of the word
Because when its such a contentious, and important, issue you’d think there’d absolutely be a positive conversation about it
You know like how National stated before the election it was going to partially sell off some of the power company shares
You know as well as I do the sell off hated by most . And in no way was the reason the nats got elected.
Nd I have not heard a single person in my sphere complain about the oil shut down
Yet they still announced prior to the election rather than simply waiting to be elected and then running it
“We elect leaders to lead”
– So you’ll have no issues when National gets back in and decide to make some changes, without consultation of course
It would be their right if they got elected wether i like it or not is irrelevant.
And the stopping of oil exploration permits was indicated before the election. No matter how much National want to lie about it.
To bwaghorn, ok fair enough
To Draco, when or where was it indicated?
Ear to the ground, Pucky, ear to the ground – don’t you know nuttin”? In any case, your claim that the industry is ended is, sadly, not the case. Leaders have to “make the call” sometimes and this one is a minor one, despite your biggering.
In their policies leading up to the election as you’re quite aware of.
https://thestandard.org.nz/who-gives-a-hooton-about-climate-change/
https://thestandard.org.nz/government-blocks-off-shore-oil-and-gas-drilling/
They didn’t start a conversation on that at all. They simply said that they would sell them off and did so despite the majority (~70%) being against them doing so.
If they were honestly having a conversation and listening to the owners then they would have stopped the sale.
Pucky don’t care. His mind is made up.
Bollix, they said what they were going to do if they won the election. Labour dropped this after they won the election, big difference.
“they said what they were going to do”
But they hadn’t asked New Zealanders if that’s what they wanted to do. When they did and New Zealanders said, NO, they did it anyway! Pucky??
Or they could have not got enough votes to win the election which meant while people didn’t want them to do the partial sell down it wasn’t a big enough deal to change their votes
Not that. The “partial sell down” was a crock, as most NZers recognised. Do you, Pucky, hold that it was wise?
And the majority of people said, after National won the election, that they didn’t want National to sell state assets.
But National did anyway. This was, of course, fully undemocratic.
This is supposedly a democracy where the will of the people is actually taken into account.
It was in their election policies. So, no, they didn’t drop this after the election.
Who says Slick doesn’t have a sensa yuma?
It is a bit of a head scratcher, the nurses union recommending the latest proposal.
I wouldn’t hold my breath over the nurses accepting the pay offer.
For RNs (the majority of nurses), the offer has delayed the final proposed two steps, other than that, no change.
The difference in the ‘new’ deal is that it includes senior nurses and health care assistants.
The latest offer considerably reduced what I would have received under the rejected offer. I have no inclination to now accept less. All the NZNO have done by recommending acceptance is fuel anger, its not for a paid union official to try and sway the membership. The feeling among Nurses is one of having been shafted by both the employer and Union.
Have you put up your hand to join the negotiating team at Nurses Union or work on the background in your specialty for the lead negotiators ? How about being a local rep ?
didnt think so
How do you know that I dont ?.
My reaction upon hearing the latest offer and the unions recommendation to take it, was not flash.
I do not understand the union’s stance.
Perhaps the strike is the way, sends an expensive message to DHB and is a great way to unify and empower a workforce.
Affordable houses with a $180,000 cap or in other words a couple earning $3500.00 p/w that they can sell within 3 years…what a fucking joke.
So if you take the average wage a a production worker ($38000) + the average wage of a full time cleaner ((35,000) total $73000 figure in rent and two children…they will never be able to afford an “affordable home”
https://www.payscale.com/research/NZ/Job=Production_Worker/Hourly_Rate
https://www.payscale.com/research/NZ/Job=Cleaner/Hourly_Rate
So well within one generation most these “affordable houses” will have just become part of our obscene national obsession of using our homes as commodities, while working class families will never have that security.
It is a disgrace.
Thats Labour and this coalition for you.
Just like national, but not as cruel about it.
I think its mores just like National, but not as upfront about it.
It is nice to not have the spitefulness, hard ideology, and lies though.
Let me know when we have a government like that
Not sure what planet you on, but the spiteful levels have dropped measurably. I know you love your spite, but the rest of us like the break from it.
As for hard ideology, you get your lot destroyed peoples live to score cheap political points. I guess you never had to deal with anyone who was kicked out of their home over the P lie.
It will take a long time to get even close to Key levels of lying, a long, long, long time.
Red this and tell me it isn’t spite or ideology thats causing it: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?
c_id=1&objectid=11946622
As for lying well I’d point out the TPP, sorry the CPAPTPP or whatever its called but I can’t because there were so many conflicting press releases on what Labour was, or wasn’t going to do
I’d also point out what the current government parties said they’d do pre-election vs post-election but apparently its ok now because you have to wait for the negotiations to see whats really going to happen
spite causes broken links?
Well shit…
lol I know the feeling only too well
One point, and then you missed Willy Jackson’s take on it. The whole Maori caucus take on the issue for instance – or did you do that on purpose?
As for you not understanding MMP, that really is your problem. That said, some of us remember the broken promises of the 4th national government.
“I guess you never had to deal with anyone who was kicked out of their home over the P lie.”
or children being sexually attacked at a youth camp
Idjit.
James has a peculiar fascination with this event. He nearly wet himself with excitement over the potential for partisan political point-scoring at the time (implying that the Labour Party enabled a sexual predator), and eventually copped a ban.
Whereas, if an evidence-based ranking of organisations that enable sexual exploitation in NZ was constructed, I reckon that the legal profession, the police, the military and the National Party would all out-rank Labour. “Look to your sins.”
Too complex, Drowsy, if you want to reach James, keep it simple! !
IF… He’s beyond my ‘reach’, but keep up the good fight!
….or appointing the chair of the law and order select committee, despite your knowledge of a police inquiry into the alleged behaviour of a prominent New Zealander….
So people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, roast busters. May I remind you, that your mate Key said “boy’s will be boy’s” about that crew of rapists, and effectively stomped on an enquiry.
Yep the gnats pretended there was no issue and watched families living in cars – laughing and mocking the poor then and blaming them now imo. That is why the gnats are disliked so much and why there no name team will fade into oblivion.
the $180K is a cap not a floor.
‘So if you take the average wage a a production worker ($38000) + the average wage of a full time cleaner ((35,000) total $73000 figure in rent and two children…..”
Of course they cant afford to rent and pay a mortgage… but thats not the intention but the mortgage replaces the rent.
And please dont wave LVRs of 20% as they dont apply to new houses.
This is what happens when your committed to hard right economics, even as you espouse your left credentials cap in hand.
Since when is there some sort of ‘left credentials’ now. Decided by you of course. Spare us the purity of your ideology .
this aint the ‘party line’ anymore
What do you mean..”this aint the ‘party line’ anymore”?
The purity of ideology is not a prerequisite for party membership or ammunition for attempted shaming of others for not being ‘pure enough’ ideologically. ??? Perhaps?
Oh look the argument of the weak of mind, “purist”. I don’t have a party or did you miss that memo. Anymore “red” baiting you wanna practice, or will you wait for your Tory mates to give you some more attack lines?
Socialism does have this annoying thing, where economics matters. It puts the economic interests of working people and poor first. I know bit hard for corporate liberal’s to comprehend, but some really good books out their that can explain it.
En-ger-land
Football is coming home
Big call to make with a few games to go.
Stupid game that requires ‘penalty shootouts to decide a game’
if it was up to me , I would remove goal keeper from field for the extra time period to make goals easier. The other way is to make goal bigger for these sort of games or other rule changes like sending off for professional fouls or penalty goals
Get rid of the offside rule.
Extra time and sudden death. Then count up the number of corners awarded if need be, It’s how it used to be done.
This crap of penalty shootouts…why bother with all the preceding however many minutes?
Meanwhile, for the sake of ‘everyone’ in Wales and Scotland, and the insufferable bullshit they’d have to endure if England won this, any support I may be offering is for “anyone but”.
3-0
3-0 what ?
England beat Colombia by only one penalty goal? I didn’t realise Colombia played rugby…
Ask James.
“Big call to make with a few games to go.”
3-0 was the big (and incorrect) call I made on the AB / Lions tour.
Called the election wrong too. Patterns.
Reckoned The Greens were toast. Wrong!
Thought meat-eating had a future. As above.
Voted blue/yellow – ewwww!
2 ticks blue !
It 100% does.
as they are hovering just above 5% – I might well be right on that one.
I did indeed.
But I only got the last one wrong. More right than wrong on that front.
You’re so often wrong, James – I wonder if you’ve ever been right!
OK – that made me laugh.
As a long suffering Fulham and England fan, you have to enjoy these moments and dare to dream for a day or two.
They are the highest ranked team on the bottom half of the draw. That does not guarantee anything, but there has never been a better opportunity since 66 to advance to the final.
as a long suffering though currently happy Burnley fan i felt a bit sorry for Colombia and their fans….couldnt beleve Southgate bringing Dier on rather than Rashford….too negative and so it turned out…still I too am starting to dream a bit
Any arsehole dumping oil should be named, shamed and put out of business and get 10000 hours community service imo
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/361041/illegal-oil-dumping-case-goes-to-court
Goffle comes to the party with his indignation plate please. Quietly ignoring the poo on the beach.
Yep his outrage is volcanic… when someone else has stuffed up. Maybe as mayor he should be FINANCIALLY penalised every time a beach closes due to excessive poos – all elected officials too and their managers.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/105221856/kiwibuild-registration-more-people-than-homes-within-hours
“The Government is only expecting to build 1000 of its 100,000 affordable homes before July 2019 as the build programme ramps up.”
Sure they will…
I am still to see any evidence that 1 of those houses is a house that would have not have been built without kiwibuild.
You could quite possibly be right about that EiE
Basically KIwibuild is little more than a government subsidy for developers.
And yes I know that some middle class families who rent because they are priced out of the house buying market will benefit by being able to “get on the property ladder”. That is not where the most serious need is. The most serious need is further down the income scale, where families don’t have any roof at all.
If the government wanted to address homelessness, (which if we were being honest, is not the purpose of Kiwibuild).
Instead of being put on the housing market, possibly better use might be made of these properties if they were nationalised and made state rentals.
This would make accommodation available at the bottom of the market, where it is most needed, instead of in the middle of the market, where people at least still have some other choices.
Great that kayaker Scott Donaldson makes it across Tasman on his second try.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/105168174/Trans-Tasman-kayaker-Scott-Donaldson-nears-Taranaki-beach
https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/nation-world/article214180639.html
(Good coverage and image from Idaho Statesman.)
Donaldson was forced to abandon a previous attempt in 2014 when he was within sight of the New Zealand coastline after he was hit by a storm.
Just to remember another bold adventurer, Andrew McAuley R.I.P.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_McAuley
Sea kayaking
In 2003, he made the first non-stop kayak crossing of the Bass Strait.[3]
In 2004, he kayaked across the Gulf of Carpentaria.
In 2006, he led an expedition in the Australian Antarctic Territory where they paddled over 800 km within the Antarctic Circle.[4]…
The documentary of McAuley’s journey, Solo, incorporated video footage recovered from one surviving memory stick in his camera, as well as interviews with people on his team during the expedition. It begins with the distress call he made on the evening of 9 February: “Do you copy? This is kayak one. Do you copy, over? I’ve got an emergency situation. I’m in a kayak about 30 kilometres from Milford Sound. I need a rescue. My kayak’s sinking. Fell off into the sea and I’m going down.”[9]
McAuley’s wife Vicki McAuley wrote a book, Solo, about him and his final voyage.[12]
In the same summer, a specially-constructed two-person kayak crossed the Tasman Sea at a more northerly route. The competitive spirit may have played a part in McAuley’s determination to make the journey when he did.[9] A song has recently been written about his final journey by Australian composers Paul Jarman and Phil Voysey, entitled “Towards Infinity”.
Oh – might get some action now – be good if all churches and Christians in the US did this.
‘Baby Jesus ‘detained’ in US immigration protest’ – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44704580
Not the baby Jesus!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLFQd8OjU90
I know, could be too soon.
“New Zealand unquestionably needs maritime surveillance aircraft – we use them for maritime search & rescue, fisheries patrols, and damage assessment after tropical cyclones. But we don’t need high-tech sub-hunters, for the simple reason that we are not threatened by submarines. Seriously, where are these mythical submarines they are expected to find? And if this fantasised threat is expected to exist not now, but a decade or two in the future, then that suggests that we get the hugely expensive sub-hunting electronics (which makes up a huge chunk of the inflated cost of these aircraft) in that decade or two, not now.
Basicly, high-end military equipment in the absence of any real threat is a vanity purchase. All it does is allow generals to feel like they’re keeping up with the Aussies, while enabling them to get involved in more American wars. There are far better things we could be spending that money on, like schools, hospitals, and state houses, which will make far of a difference to the safety of New Zealanders than expensive, pointless sub-hunting electronics ever will. We should ditch this contract and buy something cheaper which actually serves our needs.”
IS
Nothing wrong with having inter-operability with our allies and having high-end equipment allows for more options so I’m not against this purchase
Goose 🙂
Just a couple of questions Robert?
Where does your computer, phone or internet device come from?
How much does NZ exports go by ship?
How much does NZ imports come by ship?
How much wealth comes from NZ exports which pays for education, health, welfare etc?
What’s the best way to achieve the in-direct military approach attack when combined with direct attack on critical infrastructure, cyber and bio warfare (agriculture and horticulture).
How did the French spooks/ SF personal who bombed the Rainbow Warrior escaped by using a yacht and what else?
What’s the best way to attack NZ and maintain surprise and pauseable deinalability, the direct approach or the indirect approach?
What’s best way to sink a ship and stuff up NZ economy at the same time
Should we be more worried about the indirect military attack or the direct attack on NZ and which achieves the biggest amount of bang, but doing it with the economy of force?
Does globalisation leave NZ vulnerable to an indirect attack either in NZ or else where within the Asia- Pacific?
Resource thief in a Climate Change environment how you stop that when countries are give the current international rules base the two finger salute?
I’ll be back later after some gardening with some interesting trade facts IRT to shipping in the Asia Pacific and current tends.
A “couple” of questions, Ex?
More like a cluster 🙂
Okay: Noel Leemings, lots, lots, plenty (but there are other ways), sneaky means, cunningly, sneakily, wiv a bomb?, no, yes, tricky!
“K”?
So, we’re screwed, right? Gotta play the game and muscle up? Is that what you think, KiwiF?
Or maybe, just maybe – we could put our collective dicks away for a while, and sort out real problems – rather than tacitly support this continuous war that has been happening globally for the last thirty odd year.
Point I’m trying to make is since the start of this Neo Liberalism / Goblalisation B/S has left NZ quite vulnerable as NZ is an export base economy. So if NZ doesn’t want to or can’t maintain it Sea Lanes Of Communication (SLOC) then NZ’s economy turns to shit rather fast because if you can’t import, then it is highly unlikely that you will be able to export which in turns leads to some sort of economic downturn or collapse etc.
It’s not about the size of one’s dick or the size one’s tits etc, but about having an independent Defence, Trade, Foreign Affairs and Aid Policies within the recognised International Base Rules Principles. If NZ can’t and isn’t prepared to defend, protect these Principles then what does NZ stand for?
And if you think unarmed Neutrality is going to protect you then good luck with that because it aren’t and if it’s a one state nation that comes knocking then your basic human rights are toast, which I know is a fact from my time in East Timor in 99-00 Peacekeeping at what the TNI did from 1975.
Keep up the Good Fight, Kiwiforcs ’cause it’s real.
Way to miss my point. In a big way – so you support the war machine, for the war machines sake? Ever done any reading on the collapse of the economy’s of the fascist states of Europe? Here a short summary, war economy has a limited life span, before it effectively bankrupts itself and leaves it’s population in abject poverty. Spain and Portugal have never really recovered. Italy is still a basket case, and Germany got lucky, it got the Marshall Plan.
We need to work out how to do this smarter, otherwise we really are in the crapper.
As for unarmed neutrality, who said that?
Exkiwiforces the US generally makes more reliable military equipment with a long life the C130 and p3 orion are testament to that.
If a war started how long would it Take to be operational from order date.
5 yrs plus by then it will be over?
Depending on the threat matrix at the time, if you have already have level of full operational capability (FOC) then the usual time fame would be around 2-3yrs tops as you won’t run down existing capability until the last 2-3 aircraft has been delivered.
What happen to the ACF is that The No Mates Party started to rundown the A4’s before the F-16’s arrived and when that got caned, the cost for regeneration of A4’s become a sticking point for the incoming government when ET turned to a shit fight. The plan was to keep the Macchi’s flying to maintain a IOC level which will be then be able to force generate an ACF SQN with initial IOC within 18 mths and a full operational capability with 18- 24mths later. But to regenerate the ACF will now take between 5- 10yrs at minimum.
Exkiwiforces the French escaped by paying $13million to the NZ govt.
The one’s that got caught were the recon/ logistics team not the direct action team (DAT) who escaped by yacht which they later scuttle half way between Norfolk Is and New Caledonia where they were picked by a French boomer which the RN had asked NZ to find when it didn’t turn up on station. That’s when the penny dropped for some people high up and anyway from what I’ve heard over the yrs is that P3 guys found the boomer and ask permission to drop a few a depth charges but someone brink.
To R G at 10 : Sad that this common-sense approach has taken so much energy
over the decades yet still needs propounding . Many thanks for bringing it to notice again.
Heather, in the ideal world I wish there was not a cent spent on a Nations Security budget as I know what war is and it’s effects, but in the real world in which I live unfortunately we have to spend money on a Nations Security and for a nation like NZ it economic wealth is heavily dependent on open and free Sea Lanes Of Communications which can vulnerable to sub- surface and surface interdiction.
The last two World Wars has seen Foreign Nations attempt to interdict our SLOC through the use of Submarines, Armed Merchant ships disguised as tramp ships conducting surface attacks and laying Sea mines, in modern times a Direction Attack in NZ using a yacht and submarine and then we have the RNZN Frigate Canterbury F421in East Timor during the INTERFET operation chasing one, possibly two type 209 subs from the TNI Navy inside ET’s 12 mile limit. God only knows what they will do when we finally kick the assholes out of West Papua, but going on their form guide from ET it will be an ugly operation of undertake and at least a Chap 6 Mission.
And I will refer back to my comment https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04-07-2018/#comment-1499639. That the indirect attack is more likely to happen to NZ than a direct attack aka an over the beach, air assault attack which requires an awful lot of manpower, equipment and a bloody long logistical nightmare where as an indirect attack requires bugger all manpower and equipment which requires a bugger logistics foot print. It doesn’t mean it has to be in NZ waters which accounts for 10% of the worlds surface water for an indirect attack, it can be at the Singapore hub/ the South China Sea, the North Asia box, the MER Sea Lanes etc.
Then we throw in Climate Change which is going to bring a whole host of other problems as well.
The indirect attack is the most likely and dangerous to NZ interests than a direct attack as a lot of things need to fall into place before its a goer and even then there is no guarantee of success.
I don’t why the left is so fixated on the direct attack/ approach when the indirect means is a lot easier to achieve, but then again they probably don’t study Military tactics, Military logistics , Military History and future Military tends within the Asia/ Pacific Region at University.
to Exkiwiforces at 10.3.1: Your seeming condescension not welcomed. I well remember the ramifications of WW2 AND the world politics involved.
I have listened to many of the arguments and justifications for the announced details of Kiwibuild eligibility but sadly can only conclude how out of touch with reality Twyford (and Cabinet) appear with this decision…..it increasingly appears that the Minister is struggling with this key policy area for the coalition, but more importantly for the electorate.
The only way for Kiwibuild not to be a shambles is for a reboot of the old MOW and a return of the old Housing Corp mortgages. The government knows this but knows there will be a political fall out.
That may be an option but they have really sent the wrong message with the criteria for this particular policy….the question is why?..are they so out of touch with real life that they are incapable of seeing how it will be viewed by the average punter or is there some twisted logic behind it?..either way it dosnt provide for those it purports to be targeted at and yet provides for those that dont need it, as if we have a surfeit of housing FFS
New Zealand plays the intrusive bullying colonial busybody in the Pacific.
No such intrusive secret interception and spying against our other near Pacific neighbor, Australia has been revealed.
Why?
Is it because Australia is a white majority settler country like us?
Or is it because Australia are bigger than us and we might get called out on it?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/105220392/report-confirms-the-gcsb-was-spying-on-the-pacific–but-its-legal
Good morning The AM Show I say tasers are a better tool for the police than guns the police have to deal with sycophants people whom have not control on there actions every day and these people put the police lives at risk at least with a taser the person has more chance of serviving the incident.
Sunny Nelson its warm during the summer and very cold in the winter Queen Town has a big lake to ballance out the temperature fluctuations.
Duncan it would be nice if ECO MAORI got paided for all the hits to my post the courts will be dealing with this in the near future. I’m not anti police just anti courpt police.
I see trump got a lesson from the Norwegian Prime Minister he does not mince words just how Eco Maori likes it do what you say and say what you do a link is Below on trump.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/105248944/trump-pressed-aides-on-venezuela-invasion-us-official-says
We do have a shortage of skilled workers you know who is to blame for this national I say make sure that the workers you import skills cannot be found in the local work force.
You see I hear of stories about foreigns coming here and they are shearmilking in one season you see a lot of people have more respect for Foreigners than they have for Tangata whenua and that’s stuffed up eco Maori can see this behaviour a mile away.
Ka kite ano