Open mike 04/03/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 4th, 2016 - 76 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

openmikeOpen mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

76 comments on “Open mike 04/03/2016 ”

  1. ropata 1

    rwnj coworker, yesterday: “awesome, property prices in my suburb are shooting up and i am going to make 500k woohoo!”

    rwnj coworker, later: “i hate paying taxes to lazy bludgers that never get off their arses”

    my reply: “white collar criminals are the real problem mate”. Too subtle?

    • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1

      Best answer to the second drivel is to point out that there are always so many more bludgers under National.

    • Paul 1.2

      Reply to rwnj
      “How are your kids going to buy a house?”

    • Rosie 1.3

      Yeah, too subtle for him or her to get the irony of those two statements.

      The other thing about this excitement people have house prices going up in their area. – Unless they are going to sell and downscale and take the profit how do they think the money will actually materialise? Or do they think the value is a tangible thing?

      How is in increased house value going to make you any wealthier?

      In our case, our increasing house value is making us poorer as our rates have gone up $400 in 4 years due to an artificial increase. The bank has told me our house prices have gone up because the large houses on the new development around us have a high value and that is pushing ours up.

      Its all fake. The way the housing market works is rigged against housing being an accessible affordable necessity for all.

      • Pasupial 1.3.1

        Rosie
        Increased valuation means an increased lending limit – which feels like wealth to the shortsighted. The rates downside is something that drives residents out of communities and frees their properties for landbankers to acquire.

        • Draco T Bastard 1.3.1.1

          +1

        • Rosie 1.3.1.2

          “Increased valuation means an increased lending limit –”

          Ok, got that. btw, when a I was shopping around for a new fixed mortgage rate I was looking an offer from another bank. Although the QV valuation had said the house had an increased by $30K the person at the bank who told me the banks uses a different approach to valuation (?!?) said our valuation had gone up by $60K! so based on that we had enough equity for that bank to take us on as a home loan customer. (I didn’t go with it, I got my bank to match it as much as they could – too much hassle otherwise)

          So suddenly there is extra lending opportunities. I see what you are saying. But this is just daft. Why would you willingly take on more debt, eg trade up to bigger flasher house just because you could. You’d be a fool as you’d be more indebted no?

          • Kevin 1.3.1.2.1

            Rosie, changing banks is a piece of cake these days. When I changed a couple of years ago, mortgage, credit card, savings and cheque was all done by my new bank. Just had to go in and sign some paperwork.

            Make them earn their money I say.

            • Rosie 1.3.1.2.1.1

              Thing is it was going to cost. There was the cost of leaving the other bank which the new bank would only partially cover, and I also didn’t want to take my other accounts and insurance to the new bank, which was a condition of them giving me a home loan.

              Lol, I did make them earn their money. It basically got down to the two banks trying to out do each other with reducing that fee and giving that incentive etc but in the end, it was easier to stay with kiwibank and get a fixed rate of 4.25% down from 5.25%. BNZ had offered 4.19% so it worked out pretty well.
              The whole exercise was really to get my bank to sit up and take me seriously, I never fully intended to move. I also didn’t want to move to a foreign owned bank either. One of the main reasons I’m with Kiwibank is because we own it.

          • Murray Simmonds 1.3.1.2.2

            Rosie: “Why would you willingly take on more debt, eg trade up to bigger flasher house just because you could. You’d be a fool as you’d be more indebted no?”

            Not only that, Rosie, but when the bubble bursts, those sitting on a mortgage for what was a 2 million house will lose a helluva lot more than those sitting on the mortgage for what was a half-million house.

            AND they’ll still have the original mortgage to pay, even though its now worth more than the house.

            • Rosie 1.3.1.2.2.1

              And what a hard lesson in greed that would be!

              This discussion reminds of a book I haven’t read yet. Jane Kelseys F.I.R.E book about our finance, insurance and real estate industries.

              Anyone read it?

    • sabine 1.4

      should have asked him if he would have enough money to buy another house in the same neighbourhood were he to sell his house.

  2. ropata 2

    This:

    Affordable good housing must be the corner stone of any modern democracy without it we are no more than serfs https://t.co/w2sh8hgNQu— Harry Leslie Smith (@Harryslaststand) March 3, 2016

  3. BLiP 3

    interesting article looking at the rise of Trump . . .

    Various pundits have pointed out that Donald Trump is a nightmare of the Republican Party’s own making. Since Richard Nixon first began exploiting the ‘culture wars’ to deliberately woo socially conservative Democrat voters in the early 1970s, the GOP’s dependence on reactionary populism has grown increasingly dangerous. The racial dog-whistles have become more audible and the anger of the ‘angry white men’ harder to contain within a political machine whose ultimate purpose is to defend corporate and elite interests.

    The contradiction that was brilliantly papered-over by the likes of Reagan, Gingrich and Rove, between alienated grass-roots conservatives and big money, has broken cover. One of Trump’s main virtues in the eyes of his supporters is that he ‘says what he thinks’, and the fact that it is incoherent is only further proof of his honesty. Coherence is viewed as an artefact of political management, and the Republican hardcore have had enough of that . . .

    http://www.perc.org.uk/project_posts/trump-and-the-charisma-of-unreason/

  4. Puckish Rogue 4

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11599390

    I don’t think Kelvin Davis is going to be making easy hits now that someone competent is in charge of corrections

    • Ffloyd 4.1

      Who would that be? I thought it was Collins.

      • Puckish Rogue 4.1.1

        “Because her name was already known to the offender, and Corrections used generic work email addresses, Mr Davis did not feel he had revealed any new information, or put the officer in any danger”

        Yeah I can just imagine the left letting this one go if it had been a National MP that had done this

        • Stuart Munro 4.1.1.1

          We probably would because we have such an abundance of material. The Key government is frankly a disaster for New Zealand, there is no metric upon which they are not a disaster, we don’t have to beat up pitiful shite like this.

          What you have here is a fatuous accusation like the Clark forgery bullshit and you cackle like a goose up to its ankles in good luck. To attain any level of credibility you must look objectively at what is happening.

          No doubt the tame MSM can be stimulated to make disapproving noises – but Collins complaining about impropriety is like Tamerlane reproaching someone for unnecessary roughness.

          • Puckish Rogue 4.1.1.1.1

            So basically if National does it = bad but if Labour does it = its ok because National does it as well

            I’m sure I’ve heard that claim somewhere before

            • Stuart Munro 4.1.1.1.1.1

              No you read it – that meme’s on your tr0ll instruction sheet – you’re not supposed to put that online, they’ll probably dock your pay now.

              • Puckish Rogue

                Naah I’m in tight with the smoking room so its all good, nepotism is a wonderful thing 🙂

                • Stuart Munro

                  Instamax – it’s you! I guess it was inevitable what with the DJ thing not panning out.

        • Planet Earth 4.1.1.2

          Witness the wailing and gnashing of teeth when Cameron Slater published Nicki Hager’s address (even though he’s in the phone book)!

          • Stuart Munro 4.1.1.2.1

            Context is everything – was the Whale recommending peace and civility? And what did the staffer have to say about it all – Collins is quite capable of taking umbrage over a non-issue for her own purposes.

      • reason 4.1.2

        Collins …………….. who’s friends with Cameron Slater and has been sacked from cabinet once already.

        I would rate this ex tax lawyer the most corrupt justice and police minister we have ever had ………………

        Seems like her free-styling make it up as you go approach is still the same …..

        “Its a pretty obvious effort to front-foot and limit the bad publicity bubbling out of her portfolio. Its also illegal. Section 161 of the Corrections Act 2004 gives MP’s an absolute right to visit prisons and talk to prisoners at any time. This right is not subject to Ministerial approval or prior notification, and for good reason: its to ensure independent eyes on the system and to allow problems to be exposed”
        http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/

        Does illegal mean competent in PukeR speak ???????

    • Draco T Bastard 4.2

      I didn’t know that National had outsourced the Minister of Corrections to a party of the Left.

  5. Chooky 5

    ‘Is Trump holding Christie hostage?’

    https://www.rt.com/shows/big-picture/334370-super-tuesday-presidential-candidates/

    “Tonight’s Politics Panel talks about yesterday’s Super Tuesday results, how Hillary advisers are trying to appeal to Trump supporters, and whether Trump is holding Chris Christie hostage. Thom discusses the presidential candidates’ economic policies with economist Marshall Auerback and in tonight’s Daily Take Thom debunks the myth that Democrats are bad for business.”

    • Puckish Rogue 6.1

      Time to cut him loose, its a safe seat so it should go to someone deserving

      • cowboy 6.1.1

        I agree PR, although would seem highly unusual for a sitting member to be deselected. I would have thought their instinct would be to ride it out and hope it blows over as per Bill English’s “nothing to see here” comments. Clearly the local media down here know there is more to run on this or they would not be giving it so much oxygen.

    • BLiP 6.2

      So, Todd Barclay can’t talk about employment matters but he can release a resignation letter to the media. What a creepy chap he is.

      http://www.odt.co.nz/news/politics/375034/barclay-apologises-release-letter

      • Cowboy 6.2.1

        Yes, quite happy to discuss employment matters when it is seen to corroborate his version of events. Amateur mistake that calls into question his suitability for role. Luckily for him the local Nats have kept their public discipline.

    • Rosie 6.3

      So to recap. A total of three staff have resigned, there is something about a secret recording which some National Party members would like to get to the bottom of and to top it off the kid releases private and confidential employment documents, a resignation letter, to the media. (See BLiP 6.2)

      Great stuff there kiddo. Well on your way as a Dirty Politics cadet. To pass on private communications you’d either have to be ignorant of the way such comms should be appropriately handled, which he shouldn’t be, as he has worked at Parliament and would understand protocols. OR you are wanting to turn the view around and make it look like you’re the victim and act in a way that is in keeping with the DP handbook?

  6. TC 7

    Nice new mobile site, soo much faster and cleaner. Thanks lprent

  7. joe90 8

    Listening to the crowd it seems America is ready to elect a president who makes blowjob jokes about his political opponents.

    All class.
    /

    Thursday, blasting the former Massachusetts governor for “begging” for his endorsement four years ago only to sharply criticize him now.

    “I don’t know what happened to him,” Trump said during a rally in Portland, Maine. “You can see how loyal he is. He was begging for my endorsement. I could have said, ‘Mitt, drop to your knees.’ He would have dropped to his knees.”

    http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/03/politics/donald-trump-mitt-romney-would-have-dropped-to-his-knees-for-my-endorsement/

    • Andre 8.1

      Y’know, I can see Trump doing the ponytail thing, publicly talking about peeing in the shower and “feeding the chickens”, really off jokes to foreign heads of state, no problem. I still can’t picture Trump climbing into a cage to “pick up the soap” though.

  8. Bea Brown 9

    Gosh joe90.
    I thought he meant go down on your knees and beg.
    To the pure all things are pure I guess.

    • Grindlebottom 9.1

      He could’ve meant either. It’s being interpreted as a BJ reference by some reporters.
      He’ll get away with it because like you say it’s interpreted by what’s in the mind of the listener/reader. I shudder to think Trump might become POTUS but as a GOP candidate he’s endlessly entertaining. 🙂

      The GOP establishment’s wheeled Mitt Romney out with a robotic script delivery I guess as their first shot across the bows of Donald J. He’s already blown Mitt out of the water.

  9. Sirenia 10

    Please will people help the Waitara Three. Being sued for bankruptcy by a very vindictive regional council run by a Fonterra man https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/supportthewaitara3/

    • saveNZ 10.1

      +100 Sirenia

      How outrageous!!! How can the council pursue costs when the commissioners said the river needed greater environmental protection?

      More info please.

      Also looking forward to seeing how much legal fees the council have spent pursuing a few individuals who appear to be trying to make the water safer for the community the council are supposed to work for!

      • Sirenia 10.1.1

        The council has apparently spent almost $300,000 attacking this group. Group has also just won a big environmental award. Something seriously wrong in regional government in Taranaki.

  10. TopHat 11

    I just wondering if people in the round world have heard of this new threat ;

    http://thehackernews.com/2016/03/drown-attack-openssl-vulnerability.html

    Should be in the news. Cybersecurity is one of the Govt.s focus points is it not?

  11. Ad 12

    If TRP is out there could I please get an opinion on Labour’s stance on this new National employment legislation?

    I just detest the idea of Labour agreeing with National about any kind of employment legislation.

    I would hate to think it’s a precursor to the ‘flexibility’ Labour will espouse from Robertson’s ridiculous ‘Future Of Work’.

    • Rosie 12.1

      Check this out – from the horses mouth. Iain Lees Galloway talks us through Labour’s strategy.

      http://thestandard.org.nz/iain-lees-galloway-were-winning-on-zero-hour-contracts/

      • Ad 12.1.1

        I was looking for a union view.

        I don’t yet trust Labour on this issue after folding on 90 day fire at will.

        • Rosie 12.1.1.1

          Ok. Well, If it’s any reassurance at all, Iain Lee Galloway used to be an organiser for the NZNO, so he has some sympathies in that area.

          I understand your reluctance to trust Labour on working with the National government on a major piece of employment legislation when Andrew Little rang alarm bells last year with his mention of “tweaking” the 90 day act, when addressing a bunch of business people in the Hutt.

          It took me two weeks to get an answer from Grant Robertson – I was asking him to clarify Labour’s poistion, and I still felt uneasy about the response.

          Believe me, as a former union organiser myself as a job seeker in today’s use and abuse job market I’m hypersensitive to how such talks with National will proceed. The framework that Iain provided did give me some reassurance that they are at least approaching this the right way.

          Legislation is only part of addressing the wrongs that are occurring however. There must be employer cultural change and employees must learn to regain their self respect and dignity – we’ve been brutalised for years and to a certain degree given up on the belief we can have better work lives.

          All the above will take years and it will be a difficult transition for some.

          • Ad 12.1.1.1.1

            Mr Galloway would do well to come on this site and explain himself.

            Labour have no digital means of engaging since they shut down Red Alert.
            So they may as well actually front up here.

            I have received no other communications from Labour about why they are cutting a deal with National on our employment law. Their media releases on the matter were raw spin.

            I’m not interested in cultural change: legislative change is the only thing that will lead cultural change in this area.

            Front up someone.

            • The Chairman 12.1.1.1.1.1

              He fronted up the other day.

              I was hoping for a reply, but have yet to receive one. Which, is far from reassuring.

              • Ad

                Cheers, didn’t realize that he’d come on.
                I stand corrected.

                • Rosie

                  “Cheers, didn’t realize that he’d come on.’

                  Well, that’s exactly what I clearly pointed out to you in my link provided to you 20 minutes after you suggested Labour needed to front up.

                  Maybe I’m just talking to a brick wall.

              • rhinocrates

                Why am I not surprised?

                OK, because I’m a cynical bastard.

                Suggestion for a new slogan for Labour, since it’s supposed to be “rebranding” itself this year:

                “Sprinkling the very best glitter on National’s turds.”

                A bit more seriously, again, I think that it’s indicative of Labour’s closed-door culture and Little’s past as a negotiator who worked as part of a hierarchically-structured organisation on behalf of subscribers.

                In essences, it’s “trust us, we’ll get you the best deal, then you can vote.” Public, democratic politics is messier, more overtly populist, more dynamic.

                Closed-door dealmaking only alienates the base. Bloviating press releases like Iain L-G’s go straight into the recycling bin.

                That alienation is only going to get worse with a younger generation who actually knows how to use social media. Little wouldn’t dream of tweeting from a meeting, a millennial wouldn’t dream of not doing business that way.

            • Rosie 12.1.1.1.1.2

              Hi Ad. That link I sent WAS Labour fronting up on this site. Iain Lees Galloway explained their strategy. If you’re a Labour party member you should have received an email earlier this week – explaining their position.

              Agree that legislative change must come first to then filter down to cultural change. Of course it does.

              As a vulnerable worker in often precarious work situations I know first hand how the culture has changed as a direct result of legislation. But employers won’t change their attitudes based on new rules – their workers have to hold them to account and push for their rights – this is culture change and it HAS to happen. Believe me, even the ads posted for jobs these days are hostile, insulting and patronising. Thats to do with culture, not legislation.

              You may not interested in culture change, but as someone hugely affected by employer attitudes I am.

          • The Chairman 12.1.1.1.2

            Rosie, Labour wants to remove the ability for employers to put people on contracts where they are on call with no permanent hours. Implying, apart from being given a number of permanent hours, Labour are not seeking compensation for workers being on call.

            If this is the case, this is insufficient protection for workers, thus far from reassuring.

            Still waiting for Iain to clear this up.

            • Rosie 12.1.1.1.2.1

              Valid point re the compensation for on call workers. As far as I know they were using “set minimum hours” as a base. I don’t know what happens after that.

              Maybe email Iain himself. From time to time I email MP’s when something isn’t clear. Sometimes you need to give them a prod as a reminder to respond.

              • The Chairman

                In regards to emailing him, It’s Iain’s job to inform the public on such matters. Not just individuals that can be bothered to email him.

                Moreover, he chose to utilize this site, but failed to keep up with communications.

                He really needs to clear this matter up.

                Furthermore, what with the 90 days and TPP, they can’t afford to mess this up.

                • Rosie

                  I don’t know what to say. It was just a practical suggestion, regardless of what anyone’s expectations might be of their MP’s, you know, things like responding to questions in public forum.

                  If you do email him, you can copy his answer into a comment of Open Mike and then we’ll all know.

              • The Chairman

                And get this, the Greens claim to not have seen the changes made. What happen to working closer together with their potential coalition partners?

      • The Chairman 12.1.2

        I’m still awaiting his reply to my questions.

    • It’s sort of like Labour has sold the essence of its very name. “Labour” was formed to represent workers, and here we have it supporting a bit of legislation by its polar opposite that concerns the very people it was formed to represent.

      Natbour.

      • The Chairman 12.2.1

        Labours argument is voting against it would mean leaving thousands of New Zealanders stuck in zero hour contracts.

        However, If zero hour contracts remain, they will vote against it. Go figure?

        There seems to be no discussion on attaining fiscal compensation for those on-call.

        • aerobubble 12.2.1.1

          Worse, i read someplace that fair compensation shoul be paid, and so all Labour needed to do was speak to that, in parliament. i.e more than the dole, less that the minimum wage per hour to wait. But not it has to be a fight not a principled negoiation.

    • rhinocrates 12.3

      Don’t blame Robertson, blame the writer for The Economist he plagiarised.

  12. Puckish Rogue 13

    https://garethsworld.com/blog/health/pharmac-and-the-crazies-john-key-admits-mistake-andrew-little-looks-to-repeat-it/

    Normally I’d be using it as proof that Littles stuffed up again but since its Gareth Morgan saying it…

  13. rhinocrates 14

    Racist cops deny problem. They’ll deal with it as well as they deal with their internal rape culture no doubt.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/298060/police-reject-africans'-claims-of-racial-abuse

    Watch this go through the usual stages:

    1. “No problem”, belittle the victim.

    2. Under duress, pretend to hold an inquiry and issue new “guidelines.”

    3. Claim that the new guidelines have solved the problem.

    4. “No problem, we dealt with it long ago, it’s historical.” Belittle the victim.

    In the interests of efficiency, the current government will allow them to go directly from stage 1 to 4.

    Some monkeys were bypassed by evolution alright – so they shaved and put on blue suits.

  14. Morrissey 15

    Years ago, Jim Mora called that bag of wind Barack Obama “the leading
    orator of our time”; now look at who he’s calling “quite a thinker”.

    The Panel, RNZ National, Friday 4 March 2016
    Jim Mora, Ali Jones, Selwyn Manning, Zara Potts

    This piece of penetrating analysis occurred about halfway through the program….

    JIM MORA: It’s interesting, all these secret Trump supporters. An Hispanic woman whose family escaped from Castro’s Cuba says she will vote for Trump and so will all her acquaintances. She said political correctness is the beginning of the end. And you know, she’s quite a thinker. …

    ALI JONES: He’s a racist bully.

    MORA: But they aren’t all, by any means, the red-necked owners of guns…..

  15. Descendant Of Sssmith 16

    Haha some of my mates think I should buy this piece of history.

    Of course I see it as history showing Tory Prime Minister getting benefits from socialist ownership.

    Of course the Tory’s win when it’s in private ownership as well.

    It’s just the rest of us that miss out when stuff is sold off.

    Muldoons free NZR pass.

    http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=1044490240

  16. Descendant Of Sssmith 17

    On a more serious note some time back there were some posts referring to the Ottoman massacre of Armenians.

    This photographer has increased awareness of this in a pretty cool way.

    http://www.dianamarkosian.com/pages/1915

  17. North 18

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11599987

    Piss off Soper…….what evidence is there that ‘Prince Max’ is being cyberbullied……none except the whining of an effete daddy grasping at the straws of political lift, off the back of his own blood if needs be. That’s no evidence. Daddy’s doing a number – that’s all that whining amounts to.

    In any event, Max is right into it. “Me asleep on Air Force One” as he Instagrams an obviously staged pic’ of himself. What ? The son of PMONZ trying to put himself across the son of POTUS. Gimme a break !

    You’re boring and unartful Soper, even to yourself. That’s why you’re driven to make yourself part of the story. Winston Peters had your measure years ago in John McCain’s office in Washington DC. Remember that one Soper……? You didn’t learn did ya ? Still the old wahanui.

  18. Smilin 20

    This excerpt from 1943 in the Evening Post just about sums up this govt of today and there attitude Just change the names as you see fit to today’s world
    This is the shit that Key bastard wants to keep going

    “Because of the attacks made on the trade union movement by the Nationalists during the election campaign it appears necessary to express the views on this point of an organisation which represents 38,000 workers,” said Mr. F. P. Walsh, president of the Wellington Trades Council of the New Zealand Federation of Labour, in a statement today.
    “Mr. Holland’s attack on the trade union leaders reveals that he is fundamentally opposed to industrial unionism,” said Mr. Walsh. “Like his political ancestors throughout the past century Mr. Holland would be delighted with a leaderless trade union movement. The Nationalists, like all Tories of the past, hate the leaders of trade unions because the activities of those leaders, and their insistence on fair play for the workers, disturb the tranquillity of those who enjoy easy profits and big dividends from organised business. “Members of trade unions throughout the country have had to put up with a great deal of abuse of their leaders, whom the Nationalists term ‘Labour bosses.’ That Nationalist attitude was also adopted by the Lee Party. They side-stepped the fact that the trade union movement, by reason of its constitution, rules, and love of liberty, has no dictators. Its leaders are elected annually on democratic principles. “What the trades union movement has accomplished on behalf of the workers and the people as a whole, not only in ameliorating labour conditions, but in social services generally, is appreciated by everybody. But we realise that a victory of the Fascist Powers in the present war would destroy all that has been achieved, and we are wholeheartedly behind the Government in its administration of the war effort of the Dominion. THE WAR EFFORT. “Yet the attitude taken up by the Nationalists during the election has been definitely damaging to that war effort. For political gain and to help the employing class the Nationalists advocated a reduced military effort. To catch a few votes they set out to capitalise on the furlough draft, regardless of the fact that the course they advocated would have jeopardised the chances of any further men being granted a well-earned holiday in New Zealand. “The Nationalists also attempted to weaken New Zealand’s war effort on the home front. They attacked every law and every provision for maintaining full efficiency in defence and in military training for overseas. They endeavoured to” turn people’s wartime sacrifices, and wartime shortages of commodities, and inevitable wartime inconveniences into political grievances. They tried to convince the people that they would be better off if all the measures for their protection against wartime difficulties were removed. They advocated that prices should be left to the will of private enterprise, and that nothing should be protected except the old Tory privilege of grabbing all the good things of life. “In all of these actions the Nationalists sapped the morale of the nation. “Another enemy of our war effort was the doctrine that the war could be paid for without any cost to the people of the country. “The people showed by their votes that they are not so gullible as the glib but muddle-headed apostles of easy money who contested the election. The people of New Zealand showed that they have a true understanding of the fact that the war has to be paid for by ourselves, out of the goods and services that we produce, and that no jugglery can avoid it. INDUSTRIAL LABOUR’S PLEDGE. “The workers of New Zealand are, therefore, determined to work wholeheartedly to increase their production and thus do all that is in their power towards achieving victory. •’They are convinced also that the I industrial conditions under which they can do their best are only possible under the Labour Government. “The whole of organised industrial labour, therefore, gives its pledge that it will continue to work to its utmost to increase the production of the Dominion, and to support the Labour Government in its policy of carrying on the war without any relaxation, and at the same time maintaining the highest possible standard of living in fair play to all sections of the community.”

    The war being today, the TPPA

    We are going to get that little tory prick one way or another

  19. instauration 21

    Sorry – as I do appreciate that OM is special and not a tech forum !
    However it is difficult to be anywhere else on TS using FireFox 44.0.2 on FC2x – just renders a “Content Encoding Error”.
    This message is posted using IE11 on Windows8.1 – not where I wish to be – get me out of here please !

  20. instauration 22

    All was good till 44.0.2 upgrade yesterday.

  21. instauration 23

    And Chrome 48.0.2564.116 (64-bit) on FC2x
    ERR_CONTENT_DECODING_FAILED
    Was all good till today
    No cache/cookies retained in either FC2x browser and W8/IE11 VM uses the same network and ISP

  22. Smilin 24

    Change the flag for a bag of of DAGS

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    PunditBy Brian Easton
    19 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • What makes us tick

    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 ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    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 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    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 ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    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 ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    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 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
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