With a National government now somewhat more likely, it's worth taking in National's transport policy in some detail.
Matt the good unit at GreaterAuckland has analysed the proposal for us in a reasonable amount of detail. Check out what project may be coming near you:
Unless there is a 2017 type event between now and election day, like when Jacinda took over and there was a massive jump for Labour, it is very unlikely that the polls will move much, in my humble opinion.
There are no good news stories on the horizon for the government. The PREFU is likely to show the books are not in great shape interest rates will stay high, inflation will stay high, and possibly increase with the recent fuel price rise, crime stats won't change in the next 2 months.
In short I can't see anything happening that will reverse the current trends.
The big deal is the undecideds. I have seen polls take big swings when the undecided firm up their choices.
There is nothing Labour can do about the economic position as we are screwed by global trends with the added bonus of unfortunate weather events. The Right will play that up as if it is Labour's fault but you can bet the things that National and Act will want to do won't make ordinary people's life any easier. Seymour was pretty clear on Nat Rad yesterday that all he cares about is wealth i.e. making things better for the people who already have it.
There was a 3-all draw in a parliament select committee, then controversy:
The head of MBIE has apologised to a Parliamentary Select Committee as a senior MP accused staff of “devious” conduct in preparing a report despite clear direction it had not been requested. The issue came about after the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee was unable to agree on whether a bill to allow warrantless detention of asylum seekers for up to 28 days should become law.
So Labour conspired with departmental officials to do an end-run around conventional democratic process?
The committee is made up of three Labour MPs who were in favour, and two National and one Green MP who were opposed.
Committee chair and Labour MP Jenny Salesa said today that due to that 50/50 split, they were unable to reach a majority position on the bill and so had not sought a department report, which usually occurs when there is agreement. Despite this, department officials prepared a report anyway, which Immigration Minister Andrew Little said would be used to inform any changes he would make to the bill as he proceeds to the second reading.
Brownlee deemed this behaviour devious. Little deemed the select committee unbelievable.
Green MP Golriz Ghahraman said she was “quite concerned” to hear Tremain’s response, saying it was very explicit that a report was not sought.
“This was not a process error. So I think that with respect, you need to stop characterising it that way. They knew that the committee did not want a report.”
Little "accused National of being “opportunistic” and the Green Party of “being their usual selves”. Looks like he got that right. "She said the committee not agreeing was “how democracy should work”. An Iranian view – understandable due to their inability to do democracy. Folk in western countries believe democracy should work by agreeing to decide something collectively.
That's MBIE reminding the Select Committe that while they can't handle the truth, MBIE can. Brownlee's staff will remind him that MBIE is the kind of Ministry they will need next term – especially for the luckless fool who gets assigned Immigration.
Labour is not beholden to the Select Ctttee and can press on with the bill if it wants and this does not mean the end of democracy as we know it.
Good though that the report will be useful as Little uses it in progressing the Bill.
Reports are written all the time, depts have a usual timeline at which usually reports will be required, and it seems the mistake was in sending it to the SC. Should have kept it in house for advice to the Minister.
Usually though thinking MPs keep their concerns to themselves and work through the Cttee chair if they felt something needed to be done.
One hand you are right on the other we cant have unelected departmental staff circumventing or overuling parliment and its rules. It turns into a very slippery slope that undermines our democratic institutions. The dept head needs to fall on his sword imo.
"Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has revealed his vision to transform the city's port, with plans for a seaside amphitheatre, exhibition centre, and a saltwater pool. The new plan covers a 2km stretch of land, most of which is currently owned by the Ports of Auckland, and could begin in as little as two years, according to the mayor." https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/08/03/auckland-mayor-explains-vision-to-transform-ports-waste-land/
Suddenly Auckland Council has money. Or, maybe the idea is to excite people about the plan, then tell them the only sources of funds are from the sale of airport or port shares, but I think Aucklanders will see through that by now (fingers crossed).
Maybe a journalist could craft an article about where the Mayor anticipates the city will source the funds to pay for this from. It would make popular reading, I imagine.
The CIIB, NAB, CommonwealthBank, Westpac and the big developers like LendLease, Meriton, Packer, Lang Walker and the rest will be lining up around the block for this one. Just cut Ngati Whatua a slice and Bob's your uncle. Auckland Council could also consider vending in their own port share as a % holding into the development entity.
This has been pretty well rehearsed during America's Cup when the Wynyard Point was cleaned up ready for redevelopment and Wynyard Quarter was completed.
A deal custom-built for National government and National-aligned mayor and Council.
And TBH it will be very popular (unless there is major foreshore encroachment). Auckland has been begging to constrain the port or just eradicate them. So selling is intuitive.
The Civilian by the Babylon Beehive can reveal (our spy Onion in JEHB) that local police plan to keep groups from two religious sects apart, to prevent any kettling.
One group believe their party leader is the second coming and want him declared king without any validating election, and the other say prove it, win a second election – if he can.
It has been compared to the time a self declared prophet who (claimed to have) met God and his son who came to earth to adore anoint him, ran for POTUS to fulfill the prophecy of William Miller that the 1843-44 election campaign would result in an advent of a man on earth to rule for 1000 years. He was of course shot dead and James Polk was elected to steal land off Mexicans (the thou shalt not steal commandment proves this was not a son of God).
Live coverage of the Babylon exilarch returning to claim his inheritance.
Ukraine 400,000 KILLED 2 MILLION WOUNDED DISABLED –
As NZ supports the US Dem’s NEOCONs war, rather than pushing a diplomatic peaceful solution I wonder how Chippy, Jacinda and Luxton et al consciences are feeling? Is this “who we are”? No doubt your cost benefit analysis to suck up to NEOCONs sealed the deal.
MFAT: $10.59 million to the NATO Trust Fund for Ukraine
$7.5 million to contribute to weapons and ammunition
$4.1 million to support commercial satellite imagery
Odd… Trump being the man who was going to end civilisation yet it seems Biden was the chosen one👹
Have a great day NZ Inc
“400,000 KILLED 2 MILLION WOUNDED DISABLED – EXCLUSIVE: Ukraine’s suffering utterly unsustainable massive war losses, Intel Republic can reveal.
New satellite images show at 1 cemetery alone, pictured above – Matveevskoye in Zaporozhye, Kiev-held East Ukraine – 104 THOUSAND square meters more grave space has been dug. In just 7 of the cemeteries, there are 123,000 fresh graves.
Cuckoo Kiev/media admit barely 2% of that toll. To see the math go to telegra.ph @IntelRepublic”
It was Trump's determination to withdraw from Afghanistan that made the US look weak. Biden could have determined otherwise, but did not. The USA only starts or continues foreign engagement when both parties agree.
The GOP leadership in Congress have supported US aid to Ukraine. Continuing to look weak (failed policy in the ME leading to Islamic State) has consequences.
It all began with
1. not heeding George Keenan's advice (1990's)
2. the influence of the PNAC on GWB after Gore did not demand a full recount in Florida.
They want to make a stand because they do not know how to build relationships (see 1) and have yet to resolve an impasses with China over Taiwan, Korea and the South China Sea atolls/fake island military bases.
My defence and national security strategy would be to ask MFAT to develop a strategy to find a partner to work with to mediate the Taiwan, Korea and South China Sea atolls into islands issues.
The obvious savings in our own defence and security costs make the effort worthwhile and success would allow a transfer of global resources from military spending to global co-operation goals – such as climate change action.
Bold of you to assume the status of Taiwan, the Korean peninsula, and China's position vis a vis the South China Sea are issues that can be resolved via mediation.
You can't negotiate in good faith when one side has no leverage, and the other has made its position the basis of its regime.
There is absolutely no way China will ever accept anything less than annexing Taiwan in full. None of this "one country two systems" shenanigans: which they only accepted half-heartedly to help speed the UK along out of Hong Kong. Bear in mind this was also before they had sufficient confidence in their military and technological capacity to start throwing their weight around.
Ditto with North Korea: One of the pillars of the regime is the idea of re-uniting (by force if need be) the entirety of Korea. If they gave up on it, the whole facade would collapse. Which would absolutely trigger Chinese intervention. Because as bad and embarrassing an ally Kim Jong-Un is, it's a lot better than having a democratic, and worse, US-aligned and unified Korea next door.
The only way of preserving the status quo in North Asia is to maintain a sufficient military force in situ to deter any overt Chinese/DPRK aggression while at the same time maintaining alliances with as many of the other countries in the region as you can.
This means being prepared to counter Chinese influence (read bribes) in the wider Pacific region, keeping India onside (despite its democratic backsliding), and backing Taiwan to the hilt. Oh, and hoping the US manages to keep its shit together well enough and long enough to act as a counterbalance.
Barring the death of Xi Jiping or some kind of internal coup, it's likely China will continue to pursue a muscular and irridentist (in their view) foreign policy backed up by naked force. And they will be prepared to exploit any "weaknesses" they see in the West.
I think climate change and geopolitical tensions in Asia as being two separate problems with separate solutions.
It's in everyone's best interests to cooperate on climate change and do it right now as it's a global-scale, existential threat.
But it also doesn't necessitate China recognizing Taiwan or the Koreas giving up on their ongoing armed standoff. In their view, you can very much have one without the other.
And in fact, in an increasingly multipolar world, being a first mover on climate change gives China (and other less democratic) states an opportunity to seize the moral high ground and win some global legitimacy while the West continues to dither and fiddle while the planet burns.
The capability of nations to act on climate change is not enhanced by prioritising a military build without any serious effort at diplomacy (is anyone better off because there was diplomatic failure in eastern Europe – war is no a successful outcome).
As the IMF might say there needs to be investment in infrastructure resilience and zero carbon. And that is in western nations – then there is the cost of global assistance to other nations (food security and the like and renewable energy transfers – promises made in the past and most not kept because of GFC./pandemic and now military build up).
In the span of only one month from mid-December 2022 to mid-January of this year, Japan revised large parts of its post-1945 security posture and replaced it with a new strategy that—if implemented—would create a more robust and forward-leaning Japan. Tokyo’s policy shifts may signal a Japan that is not only more willing and capable of involving itself in geopolitical issues beyond its own narrow, defensive interests but also more likely to act in ways commensurate with its strategic position, regional interests, and economic might.
At the close of 2022, the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida released three new strategic documents: a new National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup Plan. Then, in January, he and his foreign and defense ministers traveled to Washington to meet their U.S. counterparts. There, Japan’s new strategic thinking was on full display in joint statements with U.S. President Joe Biden as well as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Tokyo has announced the intention to increase defense spending by nearly 60% over five years, abandoning an informal budget cap of 1% of GDP that was put in place for political purposes back in the 1970s. This alone represents an almost revolutionary departure from long-standing defense practices.
In addition to an array of sophisticated military equipment, Japan also seeks to acquire counterstrike missiles: long-range precision-guided munitions designed to deter an adversary’s attack, something Tokyo has historically eschewed. Other key changes include the creation of a permanent joint operational headquarters, the transfer of authority over the Japan Coast Guard to the Ministry of Defense during any conflict, the establishment of a robust cyber-defense, and a new commitment to intelligence capabilities.
Our foreign minister ought to go to Japan to discuss their prospective role as a re-arming regional player, so that other regional nations see us as not putting all our eggs in the Aukus basket. Both inside & outside any tent simultaneously is cool…
Japan is already part of the QUAD-bike with India, Oz and the USA.
It is not part of AUKUS because that is about Oz being brought into the nuclear sub capability with the help of UK and USA. They will likely be part of AUKUS 2 (as we might be in the next term) which is about more general co-operation in tech development.
Our values – multi-lateralism, working with the international community. This includes collective security.
Ukraine is a recognised member nation state of the UN, Taiwan is not. It is part of China.
That the forces of NATO and also QUAD are not prepared to fight to defend Ukraine, but some say they are prepared to fight to defend Taiwan from China is inexplicable in international law.
That's an interesting proposition: but also one that comes with its own risks. For one it drastically increases the chances of some kind of conflict brewing up (i.e. a Thucydides Trap) given China's longstanding beef with Japan. And we also have to bear in mind that even though they are a democracy (if you ignore the LDP's virtual monopoly on power and history of corruption and pork barrel politics) the Japanese don't necessarily share our values.
That said, better to have more allies than fewer. And as a small country, we can't really afford to be all that choosy about who they are.
As geopolitical strategy, my suggestion uses optionality. The basic idea is you maximise your survival prospects by retaining more options on a sound basis – works as well for human groups as it does for persons.
Foreign policy thrives on nuance. The entirety of non-alignment does to some degree – forceful moves to align other players tend to be counter-productive.
Having been reclusive so long, Japan's fresh stance deserves some reciprocity. Our govt, no matter who wins the election, ought to enhance diplomacy by being proactive in engaging to explore mutual interests…
The new defense review represents a pivot away from the post cold-war "peace dividend" and towards the need to prepare our military for potential high intensity combat. It is undoubtably influenced by Russia's brutal and illegal imperialist aggression in the Ukraine and the growing confrontation in the Pacific between the Anglophone nations (and allies) and an increasingly xenophobic China. I haven't read it but it would be impossible for its authors not to have been influenced by the lessons from the war in the Ukraine.
The war in the Ukraine has brought home some brutal realities about the human and material cost of full scale peer conflicts. Just having a really good SAS won’t cut it anymore. The lessons we in particular need to grasp are:
1/ Any future conflict may involve theatre ranged weapons (ballistic missiles, cruise missiles) that can hit our homeland. We will need the ability to shoot down these weapons.
2/ It isn't enough to be able to defend against cruise and ballistic missiles – you need to be able to hit back in even limited kind, to give your opponents pause for second thoughts.
These first two point require a platform for launching long-range cruise missiles and anti-ballistic missiles. The most likely candidate for this capability will be new warships & the P-8s.
3/ Numbers are important in protracted conflicts with high combat losses. The Ukraine was able to call upon a huge number of partially trained manpower at short notice to create hastily formed militias to resist the Russians. For example, anyone who has watched videos of Ukrainian tank crews is struck by how many of them are men in their fifties and sixties who operated these vehicles as Soviet conscripts in the 1980s and were quickly able to take up the cudgels again. For NZ, that means reviving and expanding the territorial force.
4/ The need to modernise and expand our artillery.
5/ The need to increase the number of P-8 MRPAs and integrate them with some kind of Class III HALE drone.
6/ Modernising our drone warfare and combat engineer capabilities.
Agreed. We're better of investing in drones + new frigates + long-range surveillance and strike capability and reconfiguring the army around fighting a high-intensity, amphibious war in the Pacific with at least some organic AT and ABM capability.
The government of the Republic of China, and about 24 million Taiwanese might beg to differ.
Or is international recognition and UN membership the sole determination of whether a country and people are worth defending or not?
Because if that's the case then we can safely let Serbia have Kosovo back as its independence isn't recognized by 13 UN states (including I believe Russia and China). Ignore the war crimes that would no doubt ensue.
There's a bunch of people who have argued that we shouldn't even be defending Ukraine. Because reasons.
The only reason that Taiwan isn't recognized as an independent state is that China won't allow it, or deal with anyone that does. So we try to work around it by pretending the PRC is the sole legitimate Chinese government but by treating Taiwan as de facto independent irrespective of it's de jure status.
As long as we don't appear to recognise Taiwan officially, everyone is (reasonably) happy.
There's a balance between principle & pragmatism in geopolitics, in which state autonomy is a principle used by the UN, only to have pragmatism prevail in special cases. As the old saying goes, the exception proves the rule. Bit like quantum tunnelling eh? In Green thought minority rights are fundamental, so Taiwan must have a collective right of self-determination. Call it natural law.
Apologists for tradition hate autonomy – they prefer control systems & enforcement. So you get animal spirits driven by biodiversity vs whatever shit history produced.
It's one of those fun little quirks that help grease the wheels of international diplomacy.
It's like the status of Israel's nuclear program. They have nukes. We know they have nukes. They know we know they have nukes. But we all pretend they don't because acknowledging that fact would be dreadfully inconvenient for everyone.
Ukraine is a recognised member nation state of the UN, Taiwan is not. It is part of China.
The government of the Republic of China, and about 24 million Taiwanese might beg to differ.
Really, those there know Taiwan is not a member state of the UN and never has been. They also know there is no recognition (and never has been) of there being more than one China.
There is a nebulous concept of the ROC surviving on Taiwan, but then bowing to reality and making way for a democratic civil society on the island. It continues with the idea of the ROC being reborn in this way and thus one China in two areas, which might, or might not, one day unite. Others on the island just want independence from China.
So we try to work around it by … as long as we don't appear to recognise Taiwan officially, everyone is (reasonably) happy
The we, is a bit we decide the rules for mine. China is not happy. If Ukraine can take back Crimea and the Donbass by force (without plebescite to determine what the locals want, because these were/are part of Ukraine), why not China with that island to the east?
Or is international recognition and UN membership the sole determination of whether a country and people are worth defending or not? Because if that's the case then we can safely let Serbia have Kosovo back
There is an expectation of collective security of member nation states. Kosovo was a region of Serbia within Yugoslavia but is now self-governing – recognised by many, but not a member of the UN.
A number of states, Serbia and Russia have warned the West about the Kosovo precedent – Abkhazia and South Ossetia the Donbass and Crimea.
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
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 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
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With a National government now somewhat more likely, it's worth taking in National's transport policy in some detail.
Matt the good unit at GreaterAuckland has analysed the proposal for us in a reasonable amount of detail. Check out what project may be coming near you:
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2023/08/03/nationals-2023-transport-policy/
You've waved the white flag early.
Unless there is a 2017 type event between now and election day, like when Jacinda took over and there was a massive jump for Labour, it is very unlikely that the polls will move much, in my humble opinion.
There are no good news stories on the horizon for the government. The PREFU is likely to show the books are not in great shape interest rates will stay high, inflation will stay high, and possibly increase with the recent fuel price rise, crime stats won't change in the next 2 months.
In short I can't see anything happening that will reverse the current trends.
The big deal is the undecideds. I have seen polls take big swings when the undecided firm up their choices.
There is nothing Labour can do about the economic position as we are screwed by global trends with the added bonus of unfortunate weather events. The Right will play that up as if it is Labour's fault but you can bet the things that National and Act will want to do won't make ordinary people's life any easier. Seymour was pretty clear on Nat Rad yesterday that all he cares about is wealth i.e. making things better for the people who already have it.
A week is a long time in politics, let alone 12.
It is a long time, but other than 2017, can you name an election where the poll trends have changed substantially during the campaign?
I'm hoping something reverses the current polls but its hard to see what will as there won't be a leadership change now.
No surprise.
There was a 3-all draw in a parliament select committee, then controversy:
So Labour conspired with departmental officials to do an end-run around conventional democratic process?
Brownlee deemed this behaviour devious. Little deemed the select committee unbelievable.
Little "accused National of being “opportunistic” and the Green Party of “being their usual selves”. Looks like he got that right. "She said the committee not agreeing was “how democracy should work”. An Iranian view – understandable due to their inability to do democracy. Folk in western countries believe democracy should work by agreeing to decide something collectively.
That's MBIE reminding the Select Committe that while they can't handle the truth, MBIE can. Brownlee's staff will remind him that MBIE is the kind of Ministry they will need next term – especially for the luckless fool who gets assigned Immigration.
What a petty point of view Greens/Nats.
Labour is not beholden to the Select Ctttee and can press on with the bill if it wants and this does not mean the end of democracy as we know it.
Good though that the report will be useful as Little uses it in progressing the Bill.
Reports are written all the time, depts have a usual timeline at which usually reports will be required, and it seems the mistake was in sending it to the SC. Should have kept it in house for advice to the Minister.
Usually though thinking MPs keep their concerns to themselves and work through the Cttee chair if they felt something needed to be done.
But good grief……
One hand you are right on the other we cant have unelected departmental staff circumventing or overuling parliment and its rules. It turns into a very slippery slope that undermines our democratic institutions. The dept head needs to fall on his sword imo.
"Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has revealed his vision to transform the city's port, with plans for a seaside amphitheatre, exhibition centre, and a saltwater pool. The new plan covers a 2km stretch of land, most of which is currently owned by the Ports of Auckland, and could begin in as little as two years, according to the mayor." https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/08/03/auckland-mayor-explains-vision-to-transform-ports-waste-land/
Suddenly Auckland Council has money. Or, maybe the idea is to excite people about the plan, then tell them the only sources of funds are from the sale of airport or port shares, but I think Aucklanders will see through that by now (fingers crossed).
Maybe a journalist could craft an article about where the Mayor anticipates the city will source the funds to pay for this from. It would make popular reading, I imagine.
Golf course land, some reduced to only 9 holes and half for a park or housing, others half for a local park and half for housing.
The CIIB, NAB, CommonwealthBank, Westpac and the big developers like LendLease, Meriton, Packer, Lang Walker and the rest will be lining up around the block for this one. Just cut Ngati Whatua a slice and Bob's your uncle. Auckland Council could also consider vending in their own port share as a % holding into the development entity.
This has been pretty well rehearsed during America's Cup when the Wynyard Point was cleaned up ready for redevelopment and Wynyard Quarter was completed.
A deal custom-built for National government and National-aligned mayor and Council.
And TBH it will be very popular (unless there is major foreshore encroachment). Auckland has been begging to constrain the port or just eradicate them. So selling is intuitive.
The Civilian by the Babylon Beehive can reveal (our spy Onion in JEHB) that local police plan to keep groups from two religious sects apart, to prevent any kettling.
One group believe their party leader is the second coming and want him declared king without any validating election, and the other say prove it, win a second election – if he can.
It has been compared to the time a self declared prophet who (claimed to have) met God and his son who came to earth to
adoreanoint him, ran for POTUS to fulfill the prophecy of William Miller that the 1843-44 election campaign would result in an advent of a man on earth to rule for 1000 years. He was of course shot dead and James Polk was elected to steal land off Mexicans (the thou shalt not steal commandment proves this was not a son of God).Live coverage of the Babylon exilarch returning to claim his inheritance.
Live
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-66390992
Hi, good morning
Ukraine 400,000 KILLED 2 MILLION WOUNDED DISABLED –
As NZ supports the US Dem’s NEOCONs war, rather than pushing a diplomatic peaceful solution I wonder how Chippy, Jacinda and Luxton et al consciences are feeling? Is this “who we are”? No doubt your cost benefit analysis to suck up to NEOCONs sealed the deal.
MFAT: $10.59 million to the NATO Trust Fund for Ukraine
$7.5 million to contribute to weapons and ammunition
$4.1 million to support commercial satellite imagery
Odd… Trump being the man who was going to end civilisation yet it seems Biden was the chosen one👹
Have a great day NZ Inc
“400,000 KILLED 2 MILLION WOUNDED DISABLED – EXCLUSIVE: Ukraine’s suffering utterly unsustainable massive war losses, Intel Republic can reveal.
New satellite images show at 1 cemetery alone, pictured above – Matveevskoye in Zaporozhye, Kiev-held East Ukraine – 104 THOUSAND square meters more grave space has been dug. In just 7 of the cemeteries, there are 123,000 fresh graves.
Cuckoo Kiev/media admit barely 2% of that toll. To see the math go to telegra.ph @IntelRepublic”
https://t.me/IntelRepublic/25183
Ah yes, Telegram – that upright paragon of news lol
Ah yes, RNZ, TVNZ, CNN, MSMNBC, BBC, FOX those upright paragon of news lol
You won't find this on Telegram channels so …
It was Trump's determination to withdraw from Afghanistan that made the US look weak. Biden could have determined otherwise, but did not. The USA only starts or continues foreign engagement when both parties agree.
The GOP leadership in Congress have supported US aid to Ukraine. Continuing to look weak (failed policy in the ME leading to Islamic State) has consequences.
It all began with
1. not heeding George Keenan's advice (1990's)
2. the influence of the PNAC on GWB after Gore did not demand a full recount in Florida.
They want to make a stand because they do not know how to build relationships (see 1) and have yet to resolve an impasses with China over Taiwan, Korea and the South China Sea atolls/fake island military bases.
Actually, the OP is a completely junk cooker post. Should be deleted IMHO.
Censorship in the face of death and misery of ordinary Ukraine citizens.
What next, the justification of war crimes?
Oh wait you already been there and done that.
How low will you go?
All Ukraine's state supporters should retreat immediately and let Russia do to Ukraine what it has stated in black and white it wishes to do.
Then you take the credit for what happens next.
Ukraine according to Fox News – Desi from The Today Show explains this and more.
My defence and national security strategy would be to ask MFAT to develop a strategy to find a partner to work with to mediate the Taiwan, Korea and South China Sea atolls into islands issues.
The obvious savings in our own defence and security costs make the effort worthwhile and success would allow a transfer of global resources from military spending to global co-operation goals – such as climate change action.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/threat-of-chinas-pacific-presence-driving-new-zealands-new-defence-and-national-security-strategy/XJC4Z4TJXJAY3I4BOUSHUSK7OE/
Bold of you to assume the status of Taiwan, the Korean peninsula, and China's position vis a vis the South China Sea are issues that can be resolved via mediation.
You can't negotiate in good faith when one side has no leverage, and the other has made its position the basis of its regime.
There is absolutely no way China will ever accept anything less than annexing Taiwan in full. None of this "one country two systems" shenanigans: which they only accepted half-heartedly to help speed the UK along out of Hong Kong. Bear in mind this was also before they had sufficient confidence in their military and technological capacity to start throwing their weight around.
Ditto with North Korea: One of the pillars of the regime is the idea of re-uniting (by force if need be) the entirety of Korea. If they gave up on it, the whole facade would collapse. Which would absolutely trigger Chinese intervention. Because as bad and embarrassing an ally Kim Jong-Un is, it's a lot better than having a democratic, and worse, US-aligned and unified Korea next door.
The only way of preserving the status quo in North Asia is to maintain a sufficient military force in situ to deter any overt Chinese/DPRK aggression while at the same time maintaining alliances with as many of the other countries in the region as you can.
This means being prepared to counter Chinese influence (read bribes) in the wider Pacific region, keeping India onside (despite its democratic backsliding), and backing Taiwan to the hilt. Oh, and hoping the US manages to keep its shit together well enough and long enough to act as a counterbalance.
Barring the death of Xi Jiping or some kind of internal coup, it's likely China will continue to pursue a muscular and irridentist (in their view) foreign policy backed up by naked force. And they will be prepared to exploit any "weaknesses" they see in the West.
Next you will be arguing climate change action is too hard.
And it will be more difficult still if global resources are transferred into an arms build-up.
Some people see the world the way it is and say why and some people see what could be and say why not.
A nuclear free South Pacific zone and all that before the withdrawal of missiles from western and eastern Europe and the end of the Cold War.
I think climate change and geopolitical tensions in Asia as being two separate problems with separate solutions.
It's in everyone's best interests to cooperate on climate change and do it right now as it's a global-scale, existential threat.
But it also doesn't necessitate China recognizing Taiwan or the Koreas giving up on their ongoing armed standoff. In their view, you can very much have one without the other.
And in fact, in an increasingly multipolar world, being a first mover on climate change gives China (and other less democratic) states an opportunity to seize the moral high ground and win some global legitimacy while the West continues to dither and fiddle while the planet burns.
The capability of nations to act on climate change is not enhanced by prioritising a military build without any serious effort at diplomacy (is anyone better off because there was diplomatic failure in eastern Europe – war is no a successful outcome).
As the IMF might say there needs to be investment in infrastructure resilience and zero carbon. And that is in western nations – then there is the cost of global assistance to other nations (food security and the like and renewable energy transfers – promises made in the past and most not kept because of GFC./pandemic and now military build up).
Totally agree SPC
Seems like we ought to factor this in too:
Our foreign minister ought to go to Japan to discuss their prospective role as a re-arming regional player, so that other regional nations see us as not putting all our eggs in the Aukus basket. Both inside & outside any tent simultaneously is cool…
Japan is already part of the QUAD-bike with India, Oz and the USA.
It is not part of AUKUS because that is about Oz being brought into the nuclear sub capability with the help of UK and USA. They will likely be part of AUKUS 2 (as we might be in the next term) which is about more general co-operation in tech development.
Well, we're going to have to pick a side at some point. And if we are, we might as well pick the one that broadly aligns with our values and ideals.
Our values – multi-lateralism, working with the international community. This includes collective security.
Ukraine is a recognised member nation state of the UN, Taiwan is not. It is part of China.
That the forces of NATO and also QUAD are not prepared to fight to defend Ukraine, but some say they are prepared to fight to defend Taiwan from China is inexplicable in international law.
That's an interesting proposition: but also one that comes with its own risks. For one it drastically increases the chances of some kind of conflict brewing up (i.e. a Thucydides Trap) given China's longstanding beef with Japan. And we also have to bear in mind that even though they are a democracy (if you ignore the LDP's virtual monopoly on power and history of corruption and pork barrel politics) the Japanese don't necessarily share our values.
That said, better to have more allies than fewer. And as a small country, we can't really afford to be all that choosy about who they are.
As geopolitical strategy, my suggestion uses optionality. The basic idea is you maximise your survival prospects by retaining more options on a sound basis – works as well for human groups as it does for persons.
Foreign policy thrives on nuance. The entirety of non-alignment does to some degree – forceful moves to align other players tend to be counter-productive.
Having been reclusive so long, Japan's fresh stance deserves some reciprocity. Our govt, no matter who wins the election, ought to enhance diplomacy by being proactive in engaging to explore mutual interests…
The new defense review represents a pivot away from the post cold-war "peace dividend" and towards the need to prepare our military for potential high intensity combat. It is undoubtably influenced by Russia's brutal and illegal imperialist aggression in the Ukraine and the growing confrontation in the Pacific between the Anglophone nations (and allies) and an increasingly xenophobic China. I haven't read it but it would be impossible for its authors not to have been influenced by the lessons from the war in the Ukraine.
The war in the Ukraine has brought home some brutal realities about the human and material cost of full scale peer conflicts. Just having a really good SAS won’t cut it anymore. The lessons we in particular need to grasp are:
1/ Any future conflict may involve theatre ranged weapons (ballistic missiles, cruise missiles) that can hit our homeland. We will need the ability to shoot down these weapons.
2/ It isn't enough to be able to defend against cruise and ballistic missiles – you need to be able to hit back in even limited kind, to give your opponents pause for second thoughts.
These first two point require a platform for launching long-range cruise missiles and anti-ballistic missiles. The most likely candidate for this capability will be new warships & the P-8s.
3/ Numbers are important in protracted conflicts with high combat losses. The Ukraine was able to call upon a huge number of partially trained manpower at short notice to create hastily formed militias to resist the Russians. For example, anyone who has watched videos of Ukrainian tank crews is struck by how many of them are men in their fifties and sixties who operated these vehicles as Soviet conscripts in the 1980s and were quickly able to take up the cudgels again. For NZ, that means reviving and expanding the territorial force.
4/ The need to modernise and expand our artillery.
5/ The need to increase the number of P-8 MRPAs and integrate them with some kind of Class III HALE drone.
6/ Modernising our drone warfare and combat engineer capabilities.
That will all add up to a pretty penny.
Agreed. We're better of investing in drones + new frigates + long-range surveillance and strike capability and reconfiguring the army around fighting a high-intensity, amphibious war in the Pacific with at least some organic AT and ABM capability.
More jingoistic shitfuckery.
Proving once again, that the authoritarian left are just as shit and scummy as the authoritarian right.
The government of the Republic of China, and about 24 million Taiwanese might beg to differ.
Or is international recognition and UN membership the sole determination of whether a country and people are worth defending or not?
Because if that's the case then we can safely let Serbia have Kosovo back as its independence isn't recognized by 13 UN states (including I believe Russia and China). Ignore the war crimes that would no doubt ensue.
There's a bunch of people who have argued that we shouldn't even be defending Ukraine. Because reasons.
The only reason that Taiwan isn't recognized as an independent state is that China won't allow it, or deal with anyone that does. So we try to work around it by pretending the PRC is the sole legitimate Chinese government but by treating Taiwan as de facto independent irrespective of it's de jure status.
As long as we don't appear to recognise Taiwan officially, everyone is (reasonably) happy.
There's a balance between principle & pragmatism in geopolitics, in which state autonomy is a principle used by the UN, only to have pragmatism prevail in special cases. As the old saying goes, the exception proves the rule. Bit like quantum tunnelling eh? In Green thought minority rights are fundamental, so Taiwan must have a collective right of self-determination. Call it natural law.
Apologists for tradition hate autonomy – they prefer control systems & enforcement. So you get animal spirits driven by biodiversity vs whatever shit history produced.
It's one of those fun little quirks that help grease the wheels of international diplomacy.
It's like the status of Israel's nuclear program. They have nukes. We know they have nukes. They know we know they have nukes. But we all pretend they don't because acknowledging that fact would be dreadfully inconvenient for everyone.
Really, those there know Taiwan is not a member state of the UN and never has been. They also know there is no recognition (and never has been) of there being more than one China.
There is a nebulous concept of the ROC surviving on Taiwan, but then bowing to reality and making way for a democratic civil society on the island. It continues with the idea of the ROC being reborn in this way and thus one China in two areas, which might, or might not, one day unite. Others on the island just want independence from China.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/thoughts-on-the-republic-of-china-and-its-significance/
The we, is a bit we decide the rules for mine. China is not happy. If Ukraine can take back Crimea and the Donbass by force (without plebescite to determine what the locals want, because these were/are part of Ukraine), why not China with that island to the east?
There is an expectation of collective security of member nation states. Kosovo was a region of Serbia within Yugoslavia but is now self-governing – recognised by many, but not a member of the UN.
A number of states, Serbia and Russia have warned the West about the Kosovo precedent – Abkhazia and South Ossetia the Donbass and Crimea.
Good interview about the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooter and the death penalty handed down.