Open mike 05/12/2020
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6:00 am, December 5th, 2020 - 64 comments
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- The 1 Good Thing Left In Journalism
Hi,It’s almost Christmas Day which means it is almost my birthday, where you will find me whimpering in the corner clutching a warm bottle of Baileys.If you’re out of ideas for presents (and truly desperate) then it is possible to gift a full Webworm subscription to a friend (or enemy) ...2 hours ago - Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Monday, December 23
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Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...23 hours ago - Government Forces Universities to Enforce “Free Speech” While Limiting Universities̵...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...23 hours ago - Fact brief – Are we heading into an ‘ice age’?
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Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...3 days ago
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It’s been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...3 days ago
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- Release: Why not both? Luxon shuns Waitangi celebrations
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The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...4 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...4 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...5 days ago
- ECE no place to cut corners
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- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...6 days ago
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The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...6 days ago
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The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...6 days ago
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The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...6 days ago
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With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...6 days ago
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Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...6 days ago
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For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...6 days ago
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The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...6 days ago
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All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...6 days ago
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The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...7 days ago
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The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...7 days ago
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The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...7 days ago
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The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
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New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...1 week ago
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The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
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Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
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Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
- Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation
Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...2 weeks ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
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Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour fully supports greyhound racing ban
The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
- Greyhound racing industry ban marks new era for animal welfare
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...2 weeks ago
- Rangatahi voices must be centred in Government’s Relationship and Sexuality Education refresh
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt introduces archaic anti-worker legislation
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...2 weeks ago
- Winston Peters – Kinleith Mill Speech
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...2 weeks ago - Swarbrick calls on Auckland Mayor to end delay of revival of St James Theatre
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...2 weeks ago
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- Internationally-trained doctors jump at chance to boost health workforce
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...3 days ago
- New intelligence oversight appointments
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- New housing developments able to progress more quickly
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- Ending contracted emergency housing in Rotorua
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- Vocational education and training decisions support return to regions
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- Reducing the environmental impact of synthetic refrigerants
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- Ngāruawāhia section of Waikato Expressway back to 4 lanes for Christmas
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- Appointments to the ENZ board
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- Government to celebrate Waitangi Day around NZ
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- More gangs added to Gangs Act list
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- Judicial appointment announced
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- GDP data highlights importance of growth
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- Strengthening Free Speech in Universities
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- Launch of Emergency Cellular Priority Service
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- Minister reopens Mangamuka Gorge
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- Funding confirmed for second Ashburton Bridge
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- Government boosts support for avian influenza response
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- Levelling the playing field for media advertising
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- Inspector-General of Defence appointed
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- Fire and Emergency New Zealand final levy rates confirmed
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- Government seeks partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned-land
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- Wide ranging legislation to make justice system more efficient
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- Diverse skills in community trust appointments
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- Torture redress for survivors of the Lake Alice Unit
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- A busy year in the House
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- Consultation opens on working with engineered stone
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- Greater reporting on Treaty settlement commitments
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- New appointments to the Charities Registration Board
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- New Zealand to assist Vanuatu on earthquake response
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- Government takes steps to reduce card fees for Kiwis
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- Review recommends ECE regulation shakeup
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- Local Government (Water Services) Bill passes first reading
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- Gene Technology Bill passes first reading
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- From smaller homes to screen time, backyard cricket is facing challenges in modern Australia
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US evangelical preaching done the right way.
Rock on Ken. 🙂
I could do that…aimed @ flesh-eaters. .
If your preaching was as bad as your syntax, you just wouldn't have the soul.
Heh ..!
that could be a fitting inscription for my headstone..
'his syntax was terrible'..
US protest song done the right way now…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuUKJS-ISUY
That is extremely clever.
Made my day.
Lol
This is pure gold…Alex Jones Is Very Very Hungry
Oh God Adrian
What the hell???
Flashbacks to "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
Yeah it has definitely got a bit of McCarthy about it, also a bit of Ravenous about it, which is also a pretty damn good movie….
So. If you're wandering around in a fog of 'What the fuck are they on about?' when the topics of transactivism, TERFS, lesbians and feminism (be it 1st, 2nd, 3rd waves) arises and you swiftly sidestep because you're too scared of being labeled a bigot to express an opinion invest an hour or so out of your life and listen to the podcast provided to us by the good folk over at Redline.
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2020/12/04/julie-bindel-talks-about-woke-misogyny/
Thanks for the mention Rosemary.
We actually have scores of articles on Redline, putting forward a materialist and marxist analysis of transactivism and why it has appeared now, historicising it and critically reviewing it, including the misogyny (including violent misogyny), anti-gay elements of it, the postmodernist ideology that underpins so much of it.
As well as our own writers in NZ, we have material written for us by left-wing activists in Britain, Ireland, the United States, Canada. . . socialists, women's liberation and gay liberation activists.
Phil
Thanks Rosemary, a tough hour but worth it.
Julie Bindel is a good communicator.
the benefits of short bursts of energy/exercise are being discussed on kim hill..
I can talk to the method I have found works..
I have a set of 5kg dumbbells..and my 'bursts' are doing a set of 100 curls..sometimes a few times a day..sometimes once…occasionally not..
..(this is no-pressure exercise..no regimes to contend/wrestle with..)
other benefits are that you need no special shoes etc..you don't need to go anywhere/do anything time-consuming..join anything/any group activity..
they just sit there..ready to be burst all over..if/when you feel like it..
you just pick them up..burst..and put them back down again..easy as..and not time-consuming..
and it works..you build muscle-tone/drop fat…and you feel good after doing it..
(to those ends I would recommend early in the morning burst/s..it just sets you up for the day..)
and you don't have to start doing a hundred…start with 20…you will acquire the natural desire to increase that number..and use smaller/larger dumbbells..if you like…
and finally…I started doing this from not a very good physical place..(I started doing 20..)
and it has just become (a very small) part of my day..
and given I am currently living a celibate life..with the only other exercise I get walking the hounds..
(leaving me to do what I really like doing…lying around..reading books/listening to whatever..)
I hafta say that I am living testimony to the fact that it works…I am quite a long way from the not-so-good place I started this regime..
and I wouldn't go as far as saying I am 'cut'..like some gym-bunny…
but ..y'know..!
(this has been a public-service announcement)..
and I hope it inspires others to give it a go ..
(I repeat) ..it works..
..and is so easy to maintain..
Terrible spelling at the end 😆
But what are your dumbbells made of?
the full sentence you selectively quoted from..says the exact opposite of what you claim in yr quote…
but..it is you..after all..
dumbbells made from (organic/hand-pressed/free-range) plastic..
plus..I am pretty sure they are vegan…eh..?
Link to the dumbbell product page.
I want to know the interior composition.
unbranded.,purchased from op-shop..
it's great how you focus on the really important stuff..
shine on..!.. you crazy diamond..you..!
Just noting after your rambling climate change rant in another thread today how you can advocate for using a product that has probably been mined and processed at great energy costs, when a brisk 30 minute walk is the better for the environment option.
How do you know these "unbranded.,purchased from op-shop.." are made using "(organic/hand-pressed/free-range) plastic.."?
allen..allen..where to start..?
I’ll ignore yr final paragraph..
..but would note that I found walking regimes weren’t enough for me..
as noted by the expert on kim hill it is the short bursts of higher energy that works ..
plus..as I said..I walk the hounds I care for..
And while you ignore the question of how you know the "unbranded.,purchased from op-shop.." dumbbells are made using "(organic/hand-pressed/free-range) plastic.." and how they are most likely containing heavy metals or concrete, both the antithesis of climate change reduction, if it's short bursts of high energy that works, walk faster for 15 minutes, or 5 in 15, and all at no cost to the environment or risk exposing hypocrisy.
Heh..!….(again..)..
someone probably bought them from the organic/free-range/hand-pressed plastics emporium…eh..?
Oh, yeah, that'll be it 😆
Treat as bull shit until proven otherwise, again.
you're onto it…
giving us a new take on dumb-bell..eh..?
I certainly have your card marked, if that's what you mean.
Anyway we should leave it here.
Some of us eat meat for food – You waste resources and contribute to global warming to get a buzz.
I have this image of you..
furiously marching up the hill..
..and then furiously marching back down again..
Which still sounds better than fake preaching your way up only to die on the hill when caught in a lie.
Heh..!..
we'll leave it there..eh..?
but do let us know yr conclusions after visiting the organic/free-range/hand-pressed plastics shop in your vicinity ..eh..?
“We should”. After all, there's no added value after already showing your hypocrisy. To carry on would just be gratuitous and no doubt catch the eye of the mod team.
We’re not in 2014 anymore, Dorothy.
Hang on there Al1en, Phillip stated quite clearly that he had brought the dumbbells from an op shop, thereby is responsibly reusing that product whatever it's original origin..so where is your problem with that?
He also said it was made from "(organic/hand-pressed/free-range) plastic..", which we know isn't true, so any claim of being from a thrift store has to be questioned, yet the point in how consumption of highly inefficient materials as a wasteful way of getting an exercise buzz, even if second hand, remains true.
Using that logic, as the farmed cow already exists, it’s no problem if I eat it.
I really don't think you want to eat second hand meat. Just saying.
Most likely third hand by the time I buy it
Farm > Wholesaler > Retailer > Consumer.
From your last two comments, Al1en, it seems seeing other's humour is indeed alien to you.
If it's funny, I'll laugh, even at myself, or especially at myself.
are you sure you know how?
Yeah, you put your lips together and blow.
@ Al1en, sorry didn't catch a whole lot of logic in your reply there pal….maybe I am bit slow off the mark or something.
Blow the logic what about the waves of humour and good advice from Phillip Ure reinforcing the concept of short bursts and doing more of what you like doing exercise-wise.
At first I thought it was a sustained burst of teasing from Alien but perhaps not so?
'Each to our own' and 'one size does not fit all' (that's enough of cliches) as far as exercise goes is what is recommended. From being a runner then doing relatively long distance lap work in the pool I have taken a while, like years, to get used to walking as exercise. Still doesn't feel like really. But I do it, mostly.
Anyway, I have just finished work and am going to ride a lovely original 1980 Mercier (ex Miko Mercier team bike ridden by Pierre-Henri Menthéour) up Te Mata peak then around the Tuki valley to home in Napier (at work in Hasting at the mo) about 50km, I try and do this ride about 4-5 times a week and then a big one on Sunday…for me it's not exercise it's one of the ways I get my enjoyment out of life.
But I will say this, exercise, especially exercise that gets your heart rate up is (IMO) not only good for your body but really really good for your mind.
So just to bore you all with some cycling manuti and prove what a rivet counting cycling nerd I am here is Pierre-Henri Menthéour losing to Pascal Simon in the 1984 Tour de France..Menthéour’s one chance for a stage victory blown in the final seconds…
https://video-streaming.orange.fr/sports-extreme/victoire-d-etape-de-pascal-simon-a-orcieres-merlette-CNT000001e1dgo.html
QFT
That was the point of the interview by Kim Hill.
I think you do need to do more high intensity training because you ‘forgot’ to add a link 🙁
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018775835/high-intensity-training-and-the-brain-david-moreau
I don’t think your 100 biceps curls are the kind of ‘high intensity training’ that was discussed.
Another stuff story blaming the boomers rather than heavy migration and no housing plan for the increase in house prices. We've issued about 34000 building permits this year. But back in March 20 newsroom ran a story about the number of empty homes in Auckland – some 36000. Other cities and provinces overseas have taxed empty homes and it seems to work. Vancouver did it when they had only around 1000 empty houses. Although I'd also favour compulsory acquisition and resale by the local body if a property is vacant for more than X years. It would help to ease overseas domiciled boltholers out of our property market.
So why don't we make this possible here starting with Auckland. With the borders closed it helps reduce the possibility of fudging occupancy by people coming in and out of the country. We could do this by xmas – it would equal our total building for the year. And if we start unwinding Auckland then the flow of Auckland money outwards would start to stop and provincial prices would level off.
Can't see that there will ever be a better time than now.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/300175287/how-past-generations-pulled-up-the-property-ladder-on-todays-youth
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2020/03/12/1077724/cat-maclennan-on-ghost-housing
@ r.b..
a big 'yes!' to all that…
it all seems extremely do-able..
Agreed Phillip
@RedBaronCV, “Another stuff story blaming the boomers rather than heavy migration” …Who do you think loved John key so much that they gave him 3 terms? and who you think that the Labour party shiver in boots about offending with a CGT now?….I'll give you a clue, it's not the Gen Zers and not the millennials.
Most of the country?
Last time I checked boomers didn't make up that big a proportion of the voting population.
Doesn't help that most people moaning about them don't seem to understand the year ranges.
When was that, 1946?
I do wonder where you get your ‘facts’ from, at times …
Boomers make up a large proportion of enrolled people.
https://elections.nz/stats-and-research/enrolment-statistics/enrolment-by-general-electorate/
Please enlighten us!
Selfish people with a lot of them male?
yeah, nah….. vested interests and all.
Firstly, the regions need some of the tax payer billions that should be paid back to us from those corps with mega profits and payouts to facilitate infrastructure and its repair. Water, power, internet. Than make the land bankers pay premium tax if the zoned property is not being used to specs within 12 months. Than get more multi storey buildings build with 2-3 bed room apartments/flats for first time owners and retirees wanting to shift down. If some 40 000 in Auckland and some 20 000 in Wellington are available within 3 years it will bring the market off the boil.
Where there is a will there is a way. It is the will that is lacking. Lots of lofty words like " we focus on poverty and the housing market" Meanwhile another emergency is called out, because we are soooo good dealing with those. It will take the eye off the ball and with education being in the doldrums, no chance of reading the small print.
As for Mr Hickey, whose opinion I respect, please look at the issues each generation actually faces. The older ones will have a 3 bed room house but nothing to eat because the rates are so high and the pension so low. A cynic could argue that this will increase available housing stock.
The younger generation will be boxed out of the market by not having neither, house nor money. Automation will create some workplaces but certainly not as many as were "restructured". Why else would any company do this?
The minimum wage is going up but the current "middle earner" does not get any increase. Thus the middle class is effectively phased out by monetary policy.
If we go further down this part we will have the pre-Victorian age with a lot of gadgets and a new gentry.
Why do we want to build 40000 units when in Auckland alone there are some 36000 sitting empty. a bit of tax persuasion to put them back into the pool would help. And yes don't disagree that there are other issues around wrong sized housing etc that would respond to a range of other measures. But high rise housing as it is currently set up is not necessarily cheaper than running a smaller house in a more distant or provincial suburb
The empty houses are a bit of a legal minefield, but with time could be made to either be occupied or sold. Once the boarder reopens, this could be the housing stock available. Meanwhile, prices need to be at least stabilized if not gradually brought down to realistic levels. This can only be done with supply. For that you need to get cracking first on the infrastructure, i.e. water, sewerage, roading etc. This has to be done with central finance and local planning otherwise this will never ever be solved.
As Einstein once said, make it as simplistic as possible, but no more simplistic.
What you are saying is in essence: "it is desirable to keep even complex things as simple as they can be, without losing something of the essence of those things, but that some things cannot be reduced to something simpler as they lose something of vital importance"
Yes, lives.
Not quite, simple =//= simplistic.
As National Party leaders at the last election, Judith Collins and Gerry Brownlee were as useful as:
all of the above
Love it, george.com
Danes must be rolling in it.
https://twitter.com/KristinaHafoss/status/1334413554099904515
https://www.maritime-executive.com/features/underwater-tunnels-revolutionize-the-faroes
I found out something very cool about the danes the other day..
under german rule in ww2…
..and the Nazis made plans to round up all of the Jews in denmark in one quick operation…
but a nazi..for whatever reason…tipped off the leaders of denmark about these plans..
what happened next is the cool bit..
with very short notice the danes sheltered/set up escape routes etc for the Jews..
and the Nazis had to give up on their extermination plans.
and the stat that underlines this happening/act of courage/compassion by the danes..
..is that 95% of the Jews living in denmark @ the start of that war…
..survived that war..
..and I reckon that is really fucken cool..
Pretty bad publicity stunt from the Safety warehouse preying on desperate people.
Anger, violence after fake money handed out in '$100k cash drop' | Stuff.co.nz
Mind you I would be too embarrassed to show my face if I was the bloke that spent $120 in petrol driving from Palmerston North to Auckland to try and grab a handful of cash! Surely any one with half a brain would guess its a promotional stunt.
To think people can pull a con like this for amusement and people turn up.
Hopefully the company gets done for false advertising. As for the people that travelled from Palmerston North and Levin……..it is frightening that these people are allowed to vote.
https://youtu.be/vZnlz-b2NnY