Open mike 04/12/2019

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, December 4th, 2019 - 73 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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73 comments on “Open mike 04/12/2019 ”

  1. Jenny How to get there 1

    Sounds like a win win.

    https://www.msn.com/en-nz/money/business/auckland-iwi-eyes-ports-of-auckland-property/ar-BBXFVZE?ocid=spartanntp

    In my opinion the port land should be granted back to Ngati Whatua ownership as compensation for the years that we used to pour the citiy's sewerage into their hapu at Okahu Bay in what can only have been an attempted genocide.

  2. Robert Guyton 2

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/117915652/climate-lens-to-examine-major-government-decisions

    James Shaw continues to impress; The Greens continue to gain significance.

    • It's a very astute move. Much like the Fiscal Responsibility Act – governments find it gets in the way of what they want to do, but it's still there because no prime minister wants to stand up in front of the media and say "We don't see any further need for fiscal responsibility." This will have the same effect – it's hard to imagine even a future National PM telling the media "We don't see any further need to consider effects on climate change when making decisions."

      • weka 2.1.1

        I hope you are right about National.

        • Robert Guyton 2.1.1.1

          National's M.O. is to support legislation through, but to promise to over-turn the controversial bits "once they get back into power".

        • Psycho Milt 2.1.1.2

          I may be over-optimistic, of course – I often am. However, over the last decade National's gone from fairly open AGW denial to having to at least pay lip service to it because voters' attitudes have shifted. It seems reasonable to assume future voters will punish AGW denial when they see it, so I'm hopeful future National PMs won't want to tell the media they're scrapping the need to take AGW into account in decision-making.

    • Gosman 2.2

      Relatively easy to get rid of that requirement. You just promise to reduce red tape and that becomes one of the areas of red tape you cut.

      • Psycho Milt 2.2.1

        A government could say the same about the Fiscal Responsibility Act – but they don't, because there's only so many stupid voters to go round.

        • Gosman 2.2.1.1

          How is the fiscal responsibility act Red tape?

          • Incognito 2.2.1.1.1

            Do you work for the CIA or the KGB? Or are you a Policeman by any chance?

            • dv 2.2.1.1.1.1

              Heshe spends so much time here, doubt heshe works.

              • Incognito

                I sometimes get the feeling that his incessant questioning is distracting us from better use of our time. Still, nobody is obliged to answer or even respond.

                • Gosman

                  LOL! I love the fact you think commenting on a blog without having to address right wing views is a better use of your time.

                  • Incognito

                    Notwithstanding your status as genuine muppet I/we don’t have to address “right wing views”.

                    To keep you off the street makes it worthwhile though, almost …

                • Wensleydale

                  The best plan is to treat Gosman like a rambling but mostly harmless drunk outside the local Four Square. Despite his interminable queries, he's not actually interested in the answers. He's just waiting for you to stop typing so he can say, "Yes, but…" He's also incredibly lazy and refuses to do any of his own research. Still lives with his mother I suspect. "Gosman, you great lump! If I've told you once I've told you a hundred times, go and get the bins back in off the road!"

                  • greywarshark

                    I don't think he had as tough a mama as Joe Dolce – Whatsa Matter You – Hey! She would have made something of him, but sadly no.

                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJLEXgkddPQ

                  • Incognito

                    I’d rather much like to put him into Moderation to give others a chance to write comments that are not influenced by or a direct response to his manipulative lines of questioning. He tends to dominate discourse on a bad day and derails posts. As such, I think he’s a negative influence on discourse here and sniping at him is not a substitute for robust debate although it may seem so. He seems to think that we should address (his) “right wing views” on this blog and that this is best use of our time! https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04-12-2019/#comment-1670758

                    I’m not sure whether he’s delusional or Machiavellian but I absolutely disagree with him for reasons outlined in Weka’s post, among others.

                    • greywarshark

                      He does bring out creative responses but as you say they deflect us from applying our hopefully higher intellect to exchanging relevant information and having cogent conversations about the near future, which we want to keep pushing off for a decade, two, a century, but can't.

            • OnceWasTim 2.2.1.1.1.2

              He works (or rather, is employed)

          • Psycho Milt 2.2.1.1.2

            How is the fiscal responsibility act Red tape?

            For that matter, how is Shaw's proposal red tape? My claim is that the two are similar in that they impose compliance costs on the government and potentially restrict what it would prefer to do (if it wants to avoid bad publicity). The claim that one of them could be dismissed as red tape was yours – so, why would one easily be dismissable as red tape but not the other?

  3. A 4

    Now is not the time for this…apparently red tape gaining in strength. Duty of care should apply to everyone

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/117919894/boy-turned-down-for-measles-jab-before-returning-to-samoa

    • mpledger 4.1

      It looks like the boy went with his godfather (or similar) to the doctors not with his parents. The parents need to give permission for the vaccination, the doctor can't give it on the say-so of a godfather (or similar).

      What if the kid had a really bad reaction to the vaccination and the doctor didn't have permission from the parents – there would be a big hue and cry and the doctor would be in big trouble.

      The child can get a vaccination when he gets home.

      • Psycho Milt 4.1.1

        Yep – parents tend not to be keen on other people doing stuff to their kids without consulting them. I can't picture many of them seeing that requirement to get permission as being "red tape."

        • Sacha 4.1.1.1

          I'm pretty sure the requirement is consent from parent or guardian. And the story did not mention that being the problem.

          It could be that both the journalist and the boss of the Ministry of Health were misinformed about that but there are simpler answers like a clinic misinterpreting eligibility for vaccinations.

          • weka 4.1.1.1.1

            Not sure how easy it would be to give consent in that situation (parents are overseas), but certainly doable.

            Could have been both issues and busy staff not taking the time to sort it out. Still not good.

      • ianmac 4.1.2

        Good to see mpledger that there is more to this story than a simple refusal.

      • weka 4.1.3

        The article says they were refused because the child didn't have a NZ passport.

        • dv 4.1.3.1

          AND

          Director General of Health Ashlee Bloomfield said children under 18 were eligible for publicly-funded immunisations, regardless of citizenship or immigration status in New Zealand.

          That would suggest? the clinic got it wrong.

          • weka 4.1.3.1.1

            Yes, looks like a mistake.

          • pat 4.1.3.1.2

            there was feedback on Checkpoint last night that advice was contrary to what GPs had been told previously

          • greywarshark 4.1.3.1.3

            A clinic under contract? There's not to reason why – just stick to the directives. They have to comply or can miss out on next retendering or whatever. Government does much at arms length now, not hands-on.

        • McFlock 4.1.3.2

          also says:

          said while he understood precautions were taken around not immunising a child that wasn't theirs, he felt more could've been done.

          Could be a bit of both, and the passport thing was a handy excuse at the time to avoid more paperwork.

          • Sacha 4.1.3.2.1

            OK, I apologise that I missed that – does sound like consent was at play as well.

            Auckland clinics are under pressure to check residency status as too many people claim funded treatment that they are not eligible for. Sounds like immunisation is the opposite of everything else, so I would not be surprised that an individual practitioner or clinic got it wrong.

            • weka 4.1.3.2.1.1

              Hopefully they'll be reviewing their processes after this.

            • McFlock 4.1.3.2.1.2

              That explains a lot, too.

            • Sacha 4.1.3.2.1.3

              Latest RNZ story includes 5m audio of interview with the uncle – very articulate and level-headed about the situation: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018725408/shock-as-samoan-toddler-denied-mmr-vaccine-in-auckland

              The clinical director of Procare – the primary health organisation that oversees the clinic that denied Frederick the vaccination – apologised that the toddler was not given the shot.

              Dr Allan Moffitt told Checkpoint the clinic had understood because Frederick was not eligible for normal health services that he did not qualify for immunisation.

              "But in fact the immunisation schedule has always been clear about this, that non-New Zealanders qualify for immunisation & [under-18s] for free vaccinations. They gave the dad [uncle] the wrong advice."

  4. Ad 5

    Hey Sanctuary nice work on the baked snapper and baked salmon last night.

  5. gsays 6

    A big congratulations to Kane Williamson and the team for the second consecutive series win over England.

    A lot was made of our batters (I thought the term was batsman), but for me the bowlers were the heroes.

    They dismissed the opposition three times in two tests. Not an easy feat on our lifeless tracks. As the English bowling attack will testify.

    Now to Aussie, who have vanquished a below par Pakistan. They will have their tails in the air, which will be all the more satisfying should we prevail.

    Cricket at senior levels here has never been in better shape.

    • alwyn 6.1

      "I thought the term was batsman".

      Careful, the feministas will be after you. The words is "batsperson" or "batspeople".

      None of your sexist claptrap. They were bloody good though weren't they.

      As for Australia having their tails in the air. That will be because they have their heads in the sand. They won't see us coming. Well I hope so anyway.

      • Stuart Munro. 6.1.1

        It's Batman – 644 million hits – batsman only gets 33.5 million.

      • Descendant Of Smith 6.1.2

        The Latin manus from which man comes means hand.

        Works for either gender.

        • alwyn 6.1.2.1

          Yes. Well I know that, and you know, that but people like the esteemed members of our Parliament don't seem to.

          Here is an example of one of the Parliamentary Select Committees. See what the mad duck has as a title.

          https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/scl/business/

          It isn't Chairman, it is Chairperson.

          I rather wish it was the awful alternative of "Chair" I do think he should be sat on, hard.

        • In Vino 6.1.2.2

          Descendant of Smith – that is true in the case of a word like 'manipulate' or 'manoeuvre' but it is not true in the cases of 'batsman' or 'chairman'.

          I am deeply surprised that you didn't know that, alwyn.

          • Incognito 6.1.2.2.1

            My example would be manner, which does not mean more manly.

          • Descendant Of Smith 6.1.2.2.2

            I did know that but was being a bit mischievious. Manus fits nicely with the actual item in this case, particularly as the hand is considered part of the bat for dismissals.

            Manus is much more fitting in that context.

            • alwyn 6.1.2.2.2.1

              A good recovery DOS.

              I, like you, thought it came from the Latin.

              Vino has surprised me. He actually knows something. I would say that is the first time I have seen him say anything informative. Bravo Vino!

    • Gabby 6.2

      The bowlsmen did a fine job gsaysie.

    • millsy 6.3

      Australia are going to be pretty tough to beat in their own backyard, so we are going to have a put in a very disciplined effort.

      This is a huge turnaround from this time 25 years ago, when the team was basically in chaos and fell apart on that tour of RSA. That shambolic 94/95 season, with all the egos, politics and vendetta's had a long lasting impact that the same has only just recovered from in the past few years.

      • gsays 6.3.1

        True to the progress.

        My reckons has us as a disciplined outfit. They also have us playing a not entirely united Ocker outfit, with a skipper coping clickbait musings from the outside.

  6. Andre 7

    The House Intelligence Committee has released their report about the Combover Con's attempted extortion of Ukraine.

    Couple of points of interest: it details how deep into the middle of it the Committee's ranking Repug, Devin Nunes, actually was and is, and it details the connections between Dolt45's personal Nosferatu Giuliani, the Ukrainians Parnas and Fruman, and John Solomon, writer of many Trumputinlican talking points beloved of loonier lefties seeking to deflect attention from the extortion racket and its beneficiaries.

    https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/03/key-highlights-intelligence-committee-impeachment-report-074931

    • Macro 7.2

      Just a small excerpt from Adam Schiff's Preface to the report.

      https://intelligence.house.gov/report/#preface

      At the center of this investigation is the memorandum prepared following President Trump’s July 25, 2019, phone call with Ukraine’s President, which the White House declassified and released under significant public pressure. The call record alone is stark evidence of misconduct; a demonstration of the President’s prioritization of his personal political benefit over the national interest. In response to President Zelensky’s appreciation for vital U.S. military assistance, which President Trump froze without explanation, President Trump asked for “a favor though”: two specific investigations designed to assist his reelection efforts.

      Our investigation determined that this telephone call was neither the start nor the end of President Trump’s efforts to bend U.S. foreign policy for his personal gain. Rather, it was a dramatic crescendo within a months-long campaign driven by President Trump in which senior U.S. officials, including the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Acting Chief of Staff, the Secretary of Energy, and others were either knowledgeable of or active participants in an effort to extract from a foreign nation the personal political benefits sought by the President.

      The investigation revealed the nature and extent of the President’s misconduct, notwithstanding an unprecedented campaign of obstruction by the President and his Administration to prevent the Committees from obtaining documentary evidence and testimony. A dozen witnesses followed President Trump’s orders, defying voluntary requests and lawful subpoenas, and refusing to testify. The White House, Department of State, Department of Defense, Office of Management and Budget, and Department of Energy refused to produce a single document in response to our subpoenas.

      Ultimately, this sweeping effort to stonewall the House of Representatives’ “sole Power of Impeachment” under the Constitution failed because witnesses courageously came forward and testified in response to lawful process. The report that follows was only possible because of their sense of duty and devotion to their country and its Constitution.

      Well worth a full read.

  7. greywarshark 8

    Interesting deep thinking from the RSA UK April 2019 about what the Brexit furore has revealed about a country splintering and ponders the way forward.

    …Climate change, an ageing society, the impact of new technologies, inequality. These are complex challenges that need to be addressed, but revolve around deep clashes of interest and values. Our democracy seems unready to meet them. Our society without enough of a common language or shared assumptions, lacking a widespread ethos of belonging and solidarity….

    Can we do more than coexist?

    At some point we are going to have to decide to do more than coexist. We are going to have to decide whether it's worth trying to find an answer to the fundamental question we've found ourselves incapable of even asking: what binds us? and what does that offer us and ask of us in return?

    And if we don't start finding some good answers to those questions soon then our future is likely to be determined by a series of reflexive spasms of many different kinds. And some may be ugly.

    After decades of heightened inequality, increasing culture wars, deeper tribalism, geographical inequity, alienation, economic insecurity, and generational disconnect, have we become incapable of imagining a different future for society? Maybe that's the answer: rediscovering our collective imagination.

    • Bruce 8.1

      Public transport , it's very hard to hate the person sitting next to you on the train with a different hat, when you can see at close range he's just the same as you. Whereas our everyman for himself neo liberalism, that barstad in the other steel box that never learned to drive as I did is very easy to dislike.

      • greywarshark 8.1.1

        It would be nice to bring back courtesy and gratitude. I move over and stop to allow you through a tight gap, and you give a quick hands up in response. To take note of the others on the road by you would be a change. Instead if there is a tight gap the other car will continue its speed and flash through with centimetres to spare, if lucky, unwilling to slow even slightly and recognise that the road is a shared space.

        I see the police setting a good example again. /sarc Quite unconcerned, if you don't stop when we ask you we won't feel bad if you die, your fault not ours. We can commit manslaughter as we have a get out of jail free card. And if someone else gets hurt that is just an economic externality. And in our country economy we all are expendable at the end of the day.

        https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/404806/cyclist-dies-after-being-hit-by-vehicle-during-police-pursuit

        Waitemata Acting District Commander Inspector Shanan Gray said the cyclist's death was a tragedy.

        She has urged anyone who is signalled to stop by the police to do so immediately.

        The Canadian Mounties have a motto that they always get their man (or woman) but we apparently have a dour approach, that NZ Police will not stop till they have got some body, though not necessarily the right body.

    • Incognito 8.2

      I’ll have to read the link later but IMO the question is not the right one. Instead: what separates us?

  8. greywarshark 9

    Edit
    From the express uk – Iam unable to read it but even the headline is worth noting,

    Brexit news: Varadkar blow as Ireland to LOSE 'privileged …

    https://www.express.co.uk › News › Politics

    11 mins ago – THE IRISH Government will lose “privileged access” to Brexit negotiations on talks on a future trade deal between the UK and EU get under way in what is a fresh blow to Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. … Ireland has been central in the three years of intense Brexit talks and meetings as …

    Brexit from aljazeera:
    https://www.aljazeera.com/topics/events/brexit.html
    30/11 – UK election: Anger in Belfast over Boris Johnson Brexit plan
    Why divided communities in Northern Ireland are uniting against PM Boris Johnson’s Brexit plan.

    Now – Northern Ireland: Two more arrests over ‘New IRA’ mortar bomb
    New IRA members planned to attack police with the improvised device, said detectives.
    The former customs post which regulated border traffic between the towns of Strabane in Northern Ireland and Lifford in Ireland is the sort of place experts fear could be a target if a border is reimposed [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]

    Johnson might think that he’s a movie hero about to zoom through Brexit like an Easy Rider, but he has failed his screen test. This is the real thing up for sale. Perhaps he should turn his money to something of value.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1cDECkN2xg

  9. Peter 10

    Simon Bridges in the House saying the Government's performance was like Where's Wally.

    Well, give that man a mirror, he sure as hell don't need a GPS to find Walter!

  10. adam 11

    Sounds about right – Neoliberalism only has one place to go.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shBwf97O7zk&ab_channel=thejuicemedia

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    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Government lowering building costs
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