Open mike 05/06/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 5th, 2022 - 36 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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Step up to the mike …

36 comments on “Open mike 05/06/2022 ”

  1. PsyclingLeft.Always 1

    Counterspin Media had planned to hold an event in Dunedin as part of a tour, but had its bookings cancelled at the South Dunedin Community Hall and at Burns Hall.

    Despite its claims to be an apolitical platform, many of the organisation’s values align closely with far right beliefs and conspiracy theories, such as Covid-19 denialism.

    The organisation was a vocal agitator in the Wellington mandate protests.

    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/not-wanted-city-event-shifts-henley

    Counterspin Media director Kelvyn Alp

    The fuckwits…….fuckwit. Big ups for the rational, good People of Dunedin who called the Church and hall to alert, as to what the intent and who the scum bags were behind the bookings. Meanwhile…Henley. Wonder who will attend ?

    • Robert Guyton 1.1

      The gullible.

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 1.1.1

        Alp was an agitating force at the Convoy 2022 New Zealand protest, calling for the protestors to storm parliament and arrest MPs, while making multiple references to killing them.[9][10]

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

        Well I suppose “gullible” is charitable of you. However any one who isnt aware of who counterspin are, and what they represent…or have leanings toward…..are something else.

        I am still kinda amazed that Alp is still able to promulgate his shit…after the Death Threats an all…..

        • Robert Guyton 1.1.1.1

          There are less charitable descriptions I could have used, but "gullible" still applies to people who are taken-in by the sorts of ideas promulgated by Counterspin.

          I'm keen to hear what words you'd choose to describe the potential Henly audience 🙂
          Oops! Just re-read you original comment and I see you already have labeled them 🙂

          • KJT 1.1.1.1.1

            Too kind.

            I would have said, blithering idiots, or prime examples of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

            From the sort of people who slept through science and math at school.

        • Robert Guyton 1.1.1.2

          They've been booted out of Invercargill as well, and Wallacetown.

    • Rosemary McDonald 1.2

      …who will attend ?

      Those who took the Pfizer Product and have had their health severely negatively impacted and have found little to no sympathy from the ensorcelled masses who still hang onto the belief that it is indeed "Safe and Effective".

      And the friends and family of the above.

      If we talk about this we are labelled "anti-vaxxers" and "conspiracy theorists" by mainstream media and so called Lefties.

      And those of us who exercised our right to not partake of the Pfizer Product, after having watched very carefully how the data collected from overseas indicated that the Pfizer Product's level of Safety and Effectiveness is not high enough to justify it being mandated for anyone. We lost our paid employment. That is a big hit to take when times are getting even tougher.

      If we talk about this we are labelled "anti-vaxxers" and "conspiracy theorists" by mainstream media and so called Lefties.

      And then there's the folk (like some here on TS) who feel this Transparent and Transformative Government have blindsided the general population with the done deal that is Three Waters.

      From very early on, any and all queries or concerns copped an accusation of racism…even if the concerns had nothing to do with iwi co-governance.

      Many of the New Zealanders (and like it or not that is what we are) who gathered in Wellington on Waitangi weekend (or supported those who did) were personally impacted by the first two issues and had significant concerns about the other. Some of us took great umbrage at our purportedly kind Prime Minister quite happily driving a fucking great big wedge between groups New Zealanders based on their uptake of a medicinal product that she knew did not stop transmission of SARS Cov2. "Save the health system…!!!" we were told. (How has that plan worked out?)

      All the usual avenues of inquiry and discussion and debate have been vigorously shut down since early 2020 under the pretext of quelling misinformation and disinformation and the new-on-the-block 'malinformation'.

      Our Prime Minister's wee speech on the 2nd March following the violent removal of the overwhelmingly peaceful protesters from what we used to consider was our parliament grounds was quite possibly the Final Straw.

      It was incredibly dishonest, but I guess politically expedient, to tar all of the protesters with the same brush based on the actions and words of a tiny, minuscule minority.

      That's what she did…and despite taking a hit in recent polls…she is not backing down.

      The folk with vaccine injuries and their families, the ones who lost their jobs because of the unjustified mandates, the ones with valid concerns over the very hurried Three Waters and those of us who lose sleep at the level of censorship and deplatforming of those with ideas and opinions that differ from the accepted narrative…where will we find safe zones to talk about the issues that matter?

      Toxic waste dumps like Counterspin Media are filling a void deliberately created by Government (all Parties) and their stenographers in mainstream media.

      It's a appropriate time, methinks, to remind the Good Lefties here on The Standard of the political leanings of the Freedom Villagers.

      …29.8% backing Labour in 2020, roughly 16% of surveyed protesters identified as Green voters, while 15.9% voted National and 11.9% voted Act.

      In the old days, the Beforetimes, such a result would serve as a wake up call to the Ruling Parties that they ought to engage with at least a little less contempt with those who voted for them.

      Former Maori Party MP Marama Fox has a wee bit to say on the topic. Highly recommend folks listen to this discussion.

      • Robert Guyton 1.2.1

        Rosemary – you label Counterspin Media a "toxic waste dump", then say that those who will attend their meetings are :

        "Those who took the Pfizer Product and have had their health severely negatively impacted and have found little to no sympathy from the ensorcelled masses who still hang onto the belief that it is indeed "Safe and Effective".

        And the friends and family of the above."

        This seems incongruous. Why would those people support a toxic waste dump?

        "Toxic waste dumps like Counterspin Media"

        • Rosemary McDonald 1.2.1.1

          Perhaps I didn't make myself clear.

          It was Ardern and her MSM stenographers who lumped all of us in with CounterspinMedia and their ilk. Literally. The fact that nearly half…if not more… of the Freedom Villagers were Labour/Green voters and hence "Leftish" meant nothing. We were all disposed of down the same oubliette.

          The groups that I kept track of during the protest…those who took up the cause of the vaccine injured and mandated have largely disappeared from Faceache…possibly to Telegram. They have been driven underground…by this government and their lapdog MSM. (I cannot bear Facebook, nevermind other platforms so I will not follow)

          Some…some will go to the CounterspinMedia events…because, tribe. And the fact that the past two PMs of note have capitalised on the Cult of Personality tactic and the political climate of late has encouraged fans and followers.

          Some of us are content to have loose and informal associations of likeminded dissidents, and many of us will never vote again. We don't follow a leader and we don't follow a brand and we don't subscribe to a particular ideology. We have been pushed irrevocably into the margins, and there we will stay.

          Did you perhaps listen to Marama Fox Mr Guyton?

          • Robert Guyton 1.2.1.1.1

            I did listen to Marama Fox, Rosemary, when she arrived at the camp to extricate her whanau, against their wishes. There's a whole story in that circumstance.

            The question was around how attendees at the present Counterspin meetings might be categorised. I said, "gullible" – I might have just as easily written, "naive".

            You wrote,

            "Some…some will go to the CounterspinMedia events…because, tribe. ”

            That seems to support my view, given that you have already described Counterspin Media as "a toxic waste dump". Anyone attending a meeting called by "a toxic waste dump" or who considers "a toxic waste dump" to be representative of their tribe, is gullible and naive, in my opinion.

      • Populuxe1 1.2.2

        If we talk about this we are labelled "anti-vaxxers" and "conspiracy theorists" by mainstream media and so called Lefties.

        If that's all it takes for you to cozy up to a far right psychopath like Kelvyn Alp you're not much of a "Lefty" yourself.

        • Rosemary McDonald 1.2.2.1

          Where did I say I was cozying up to Alp?

          And a "Lefty"? Maybe once. Can't say I'm inclined to remain in that tribe anymore.

          • Robert Guyton 1.2.2.1.1

            Those who attend his meetings are.
            (Cozying up to Alp (sic)).

      • SPC 1.2.3

        Those who took the Pfizer Product and have had their health severely negatively impacted and have found little to no sympathy from the ensorcelled masses who still hang onto the belief that it is indeed "Safe and Effective".

        It was and still is safer/more effective than being unvaxxed. It is peddling fake news to say otherwise.

        based on their uptake of a medicinal product that she knew did not stop transmission of SARS Cov2

        Stop lying about the position of others.

        The vaccine did stop transmission. It did however require a booster at/by 6 months to to this with the delta variant (one occurring post vaccine development).

        This only changed this year with omicron (late 2021 South Africa). But even with this variant outcomes are still better for those vaccinated (less likely to be hospitalised). Given what is happening in our hospitals at the moment, it’s fairly clear it would be much worse without vaccination.

      • Fran 1.2.4

        Thank you Rosemary, you nailed it. Those people who keep holding onto the idea that the injections worked are not looking at the science or the data. This life long leftie despairs at the division this government has caused and no longer has any faith in them. Again thank you for speaking uncomfortable truths.

        • Rosemary McDonald 1.2.4.1

          Thank you, Fran. I was wondering if perhaps I had failed totally to make my position clear. Some folk just can't stray away from the binary. It is not the case that supporting the Freedom Villagers automatically makes one an Alp apostle.

          I believe the wedge driving was deliberate and intentional. If Bloomfield and hence Ardern were not aware of this….

          Statement from CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH on Today’s MMWR Media Statement For Immediate Release: Friday, July 30, 2021

          in relation to this data….

          Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021 Weekly / August 6,

          which showed that…

          During July 2021, 469 cases of COVID-19 associated with multiple summer events and large public gatherings in a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, were identified among Massachusetts residents; vaccination coverage among eligible Massachusetts residents was 69%. Approximately three quarters (346; 74%) of cases occurred in fully vaccinated persons (those who had completed a 2-dose course of mRNA vaccine [Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna] or had received a single dose of Janssen [Johnson & Johnson] vaccine ≥14 days before exposure). Genomic sequencing of specimens from 133 patients identified the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in 119 (89%) and the Delta AY.3 sublineage in one (1%). Overall, 274 (79%) vaccinated patients with breakthrough infection were symptomatic. Among five COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized, four were fully vaccinated;

          …then they are totally incompetent and should not be allowed out without minders.

          Bear in mind that this was a full three months before announcing the 'vaccine' mandates. They knew the 'vaccines' did not stop transmission or symptomatic disease. For Delta.

          When Omicron arrived and it was clear it laughed at the Pfizer product all mandates should have been lifted immediately. Getting those doctors, nurses, caregivers, paramedics and fire fighters back to work.

          Because if this is true, and reflects the situation around the country, shit is about to get very, very real.

          https://twitter.com/blairdrysdale77/status/1532824956870197248?cxt=HHwWgIDQkaqL2MUqAAAA

          • SPC 1.2.4.1.1

            Yes it became known in 2021, that by 6 months boosters were required to maintain immunity. Which is why these began in 2021 for nations who began vaccinations before us.

            This had no impact on vaccine mandate policy up north, or down here in the south. Nations just began to provide boosters at/by 6 months.

            With omicron the situation is different. Providing immunity at the workplace is no longer possible.

            All vaccination can do now is to reduce the number of hospitalisations. Which is still useful in preventing the health system from being overwhelmed with community infection.

            The question for the essential workplace is whether staff should be laid if they are contacts, with the onset of symptoms, or only if testing positive. With hospitals the key (deciding) determinant would be patient safety.

            • Fran 1.2.4.1.1.1

              Perhaps it would be useful for you to look at the actual NZ data for hospitalisations with covid. Rnz publish these regularly. You are more likely to need hospital care if you have had all the shots. The rationale for pushing these shots is very broken and not supported by the data.

              • KJT

                If you understand the data. And statistic/ probability you would have a different opinion.

                It is obvious that Rosemary and yourself, and most of the antivaccers haven't got a clue. Which is why I cannot take them seriously.

              • Incognito

                Why don’t you point to the exact data on the RNZ website and explain to us what you think you see? Bold claims require bold evidence and you’ve provided zilch.

                In fact, this absolutely contradicts you: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/450874/covid-19-data-visualisations-nz-in-numbers [scroll down to Booster effectiveness against Omicron over time, which links to this: https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/10072414/?utm_source=showcase&utm_campaign=visualisation/10072414].

                You’re spreading misinformation here about Covid vaccination, which I don’t take lightly.

              • SPC

                I note you are someone suspicious as to big pharma's track record on vaccines. And I am presuming here, your claim is based on the relative value of vaccination since omicron, not before.

                The thing is, most adults are already vaccinated (risk of death or long covid). So the pertinent detail now, is whether those still unvaccinated are still better off getting vaccinated or not.

                If you have found some evidence in the current data to support your contention that those still unvaccinated (some adults some children) are better off remaining so – simply cite it (and link).

  2. dv 2

    Seems to me the easy way to fix is same 39% rate for all.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128814781/signs-suggest-the-rich-are-trying-to-dodge-new-tax–heres-whats-being-done-about-it

    The department (IR) warns efforts to dodge the new 39% tax by diverting income through companies (where they can be taxed at a maximum of 28%​) and trusts (which can be taxed at a maximum of 33%​) is likely to contribute to a $2.89 billion fall in revenues from high earners in the 2022 tax year.

    • Bearded Git 2.1

      A Wealth Tax would fix it.

      • dv 2.1.1

        True, but the tax rate change would be easier.

      • Foreign waka 2.1.2

        Not if the trust accounts being located overseas. Rich people always knew how to escape tax. It was always the middle class that had to pay double and trice. Gst on Gst, Gst on Tax, taxed income being taxed again and again.

        The next 5 years will be interesting with a steady decline of the middle class. There will be very little cash to splash around. But don't despair, our parliamentarians will be well cared for. That trough will never run dry.

        Meanwhile, I have learned another two couples of NZlanders heading offshore. Better housing, cheaper leaving, greener pastures….in the true sense of the word.

    • AB 2.2

      What about an overarching principle in the tax code – that the mere existence of complexity in tax affairs constitutes evidence of evasion?

      • dv 2.2.1

        Like that

      • Belladonna 2.2.2

        Depends on what you mean by 'complexity'

        Anyone who is operating multiple businesses, will indeed have complex tax affairs (and almost certainly an accountant to keep it all straight).

        The whole concept of limited liability is intended to ring-fence assets and liabilities, so they don't affect the rest of your financial situation.

        Tax law is a huge legal field (and minefield). Any change to 'overarching principles' is going to result in decades of legislation while the courts figure out exactly what the parliament intended (or didn't intend). Jam for tax lawerys – on both sides!

    • Belladonna 2.3

      I would agree, but with some opt out provisions, at the discretion of the IRD.

      For example, some parents have set up a trust for the benefit of a disabled (usually intellectually disabled) adult child.

      This is to protect the intellectually disabled person (from pressure to give away the money/assets), and to ensure that the money is used appropriately (e.g. for the benefit of the person, rather than wasted).

      A good trustee (some are private, some Public Trust) will be working closely with the disabled person and/or their appointed caregivers, to ensure that the money is used in the best possible way. It's really not possible or appropriate to legislate exactly what it will be used for – it's totally dependent on the individual circumstances.

      On other occasions, money may be left, on the death of a parent or grandparent, in trust for a minor child.

      I wouldn't like to see those trusts caught up in the 'tax them at the highest rate 'scenario.

  3. joe90 3

    The CCP has gone for the threefer and shut down Tiannaman Square remembrances in Hong Kong.

    https://twitter.com/hkfp/status/1532648550546427909

    Mourners in several cities are scheduled on Saturday to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, when China’s military killed hundreds and perhaps thousands of protesters in Beijing. But for the first time, commemorations in Hong Kong are set to be largely muted.

    […]

    Over the past two years, authorities armed with the Beijing-imposed national security law and citing Covid curbs have made dozens of arrests related to banned vigils and have erased physical mementos of Tiananmen. HKFP examines key moments.

    https://hongkongfp.com/2022/06/03/how-hongkongers-were-silenced-after-three-decades-of-commemorating-the-1989-tiananmen-crackdown/

  4. Chris T 4

    Pretty funny

    The Queen and Paddington Bear open up for the Queen gig for the Jubilee.

    As much as am not a royalist, you can't deny she is a funny chick.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjFl6lsFaNA&t

    • Blade 4.1

      Better still, the Poms have outdone the Americans for putting on a extravaganza. No usual staid and reserved fare here.

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    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours 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
    9 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
    11 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
    12 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    6 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
    1 week 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
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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