Open mike 05/07/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 5th, 2016 - 69 comments
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69 comments on “Open mike 05/07/2016 ”

  1. Paul 1

    Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
    We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.

    It was 4 degrees in Auckland last night.
    It was 4 degrees in Dunedin last night.

    Not very warm to be sleeping in a car.
    Not very warm to be sleeping in a container.
    Not very warm to be sleeping in a garage.
    Not very warm to be sleeping on the street.

    The New Zealand Herald may think that ‘Chris Evans quits Top Gear’ and ‘Furore over Wimbledon crotch shots’ are news items, but they are not.
    The majority of the media are doing everything they can to support Paula Bennett and move homelessness off the headlines.

    “Try walking in my shoes, it’s not actually that easy.”
    This was the challenge TA set to Prime Minister John Key. But really it’s a challenge for us all.

    • aerobubble 1.1

      Key when pressed said something to the effort of he’ll work harder. A guy sleeping rough ends up dead. He’ll work harder, how so?

      You’re not a winner to walk into WINZ. All spectrum, pathologies, legal histories turnup at winz at their worse. Is there a bonus culture, are managers rewarded to skimp on assistance, how would such a culture be exposed, by their nature the powerless have least assistanced from govt that espouse profit and avoid intervention. But we’d recognize the effects. People turned away, or not even considering it an option, or culturally self denying. A man dies by cardboard. A child dies by babysitter as family prent at star ship. A loose cannn explodes at winz staff with a shotgun. Maori turning to a Maeri to get winz help.

      Yeah what gives. How does a rural community where shotguns are common, access a man, who failed overseas, returned to his hometown, living rough?, with a culture of move to Auckland depopulating them, and not realize, or did but did not act, when a sociopath goes berserk again, this time with a shotgun? wtf, it was the furniture!! Not the manager/s? enacting policies few would know about as there are few votes from people withou homes to goto. but reaaly, the furniture! the fault wathe furnishings. Or worse, they dont have to do anything coz its going to happen eventually, wtf, or worse, that he’d have just waited outside and only killed one and maybe some innocent bystanders … …which as we know he did not. No, really,

  2. Sabine 2

    oh poor thing. fucking up your country is hard work. really really hard work.

    the poor dear wants his life back. Seventeen years on the EU payroll obviously is hard hard work n stuff.

    Words to not describe just how much of a cunt this geezer actually is.

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/04/nigel-farage-resigns-as-ukip-leader?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

    “peaking at a press conference in Westminster, he said it was time to get his life back after successfully campaigning for the UK to vote for Brexit.

    “During the the referendum I said I wanted my country back … now I want my life back,” Farage said on Monday.”

    • miravox 2.1

      Words to not describe just how much of a cunt this geezer actually is.

      The generally genial Euronews isn’t holding back.

      http://beta.euronews.com/bulletin

      Then select

      “Farage legacy one of lies, prejudice, ignorance and political chaos”

      • tc 2.1.1

        Sounds familiar doesn’t it, especially the lies and prejudice.

        • miravox 2.1.1.1

          Lies, prejudice and ignorance seem pretty standard for the far right. It’s the level of political chaos and ignoring what they’ve done that has take Farage and Johnson to a level of bastardry that hasn’t been seen in the western world for a several decades.

          In the wake of the assassination of Jo Cox, I won’t ever forget Farage saying it was a revolution without a shot being fired. The jury is out on whether the unleashed racism will result in more lost lives.

          • Sabine 2.1.1.1.1

            they have essentially sown the seeds for something like ‘civil war’, created a huge divide within the country and now collect their baubles to run away.
            fuckwits that should be tried for high treason.

            • Wayne 2.1.1.1.1.1

              Sabine,

              You seem to have forgotten it was the people who voted for exit.

              Yes, Farange campaigned for exit and in fact to have a referendum, but how is that “high treason”. Presumably in a democracy people are entitled to have a view on such issues without being accused of high treason.

              I personally thought remain was the better option, but I would hardly accuse the other side of high treason.

      • Rodel 2.1.2

        Farage- seagull politics. Fly in sh*t on everyone and fly off as fast as you can to avoid the consequences.

    • aerobubble 2.2

      Farage was just saving taxpayers money on a bielection to election… …or replace him from a party list. Its not about his pay, or that he won, its about how the Conservative Party built a shotgun, then Cameron put the barrel in the mouth of the patry, and begged the Thatcherite children to burn done what wasn’t personally working out for them by pulling the trigger. Brain splatter across the wall, now the press can gloat, its like the British let a global immigrant buy out their media and destroy his favored political party. Global immigrants, live everywhere pay no tax anywhere.

  3. Paul 3

    Homeless people in cars doesn’t seem to stir the conscience of the government.
    Working people struggling to pay their rent doesn’t seem to stir the conscience of the government.

    Maybe these stories of the Auckland housing crisis failing the middle class will prompt some action.
    And if not, will ensure this regime will be turfed out at the next election.

    Capital-bound family say Auckland too dear on $120k
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11668669

    Auckland’s housing crisis creating brain drain
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11668578

    • ropata 3.1

      but retires baby boomers in their huge empty million dollar houses DESERVE the pension on top of all time heir rrntal income

      • Gangnam Style 3.1.1

        “You can’t compete in the auctions. What you think is the maximum you can go to is where the auctions start – which is about 20 per cent over the CV.” – That’s what my brother tells me up there.

        I don’t care about blaming the baby boomers for all our ills but I am thinking they might be fucking things up for themselves & they may want to think about that.

      • ropata 3.1.2

        excuse spelling. typed from the bus while crossing the akl harbour bridge in the morning

  4. Nck 4

    Listening to ShonKey, idiot Smith on RNZ, about land bankers. You just know they are lying. They say yes, no, maybe, maybe not all in one sentence.

    • save nz 4.1

      Did RNZ bother to point out there is plenty of land, show us the affordable houses?

      Or even better Why are you selling state houses when we have a homelessness crisis and Key lied about no more asset sales?

      • Chooky 4.1.1

        +100 save nz…

        1.)the first thing they should do is repair existing State houses …NOT sell them off ( unless to existing tenants at an affordable price)!

        2.) the second thing they should do is put a capital gains tax on all Auckland houses bought in the last 5 years

        3.) the the third thing they should do is ban foreign owned housing in NZ until all NZers are housed

        4.) the fourth thing they should do is give squatter rights to empty houses

        5.) the fifth thing they should do is put a freeze on rental properties rents down to an affordable level for NZers to live in for life ( like they do in European cities)

  5. save nz 5

    Jeremy Corbyn pledges to veto TTIP if he becomes PM, calling it ‘irreversible’ privatization

    https://www.rt.com/uk/345198-corbyn-ttip-veto-pledge/

    No wonder he is the people’s hero and revitalised Labour membership in the UK.

    • ianmac 5.1

      Ruthless people out there who will disappear Jeremy. For the greater good of course.

    • aerobubble 5.2

      The party will return him and the rump of MPs will turn on a dime and support him because everyone can see the tories imploding and getting press, getting compared with tories and coming out as not parliaments choice… …now how to get press attention, pick at the festering scab that is Israel…

      • Wayne 5.2.1

        Or alternatively Labour splits into two. It has happened before with the SDP, in the 1981, in similar circumstances, with Militant Tendency instead of Momentum. They merged with the Liberals 1988 which was strengthened as a result, though in 2015 the tide turned against the Liberals.

        Is there a mood for a moderate centrist party, especially with a strong green and social aspect in the UK? I guess people are already polling on that point.

        But it is hard to start and sustain a new party especially in a FFP situation, unless there is a specific regional strength, which the Liberals used to have in the west of England. The traditional parties have great reservoirs of strength that has lasted for 100 years. All that strengthens Corbyn’s situation.

        • Stuart Munro 5.2.1.1

          Though that might be the only scheme that could (briefly) save the failed far-right neoliberal governments of the world, there is no credible left cleavage point. If the Blairates candidly abandon the traditional left they won’t take a voter base with them large enough to support much of a rump – they’d be like Peter Dunne – a harrumphing non-entity with negligible support.

        • aerobubble 5.2.1.2

          Politician seek attention. The tories implosion takes burns of the oxygen. So ask the question what would Labour be like if they were not having rumbles, and then add that if there were a time to shake the leader and create a stronger party then when the tories are headless running around the coup.

          Split in the tories along the EU fissure got us here, they were never in th EU so its not like Ffrance exiting.

    • Chooky 5.3

      GO Jeremy Corbyn!

  6. Ad 6

    Avert your eyes all you moistie save the planet types, the rest of you welcome to the great world of America again. I give you: the rise of competitive hot dog eating.

    http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/competitive-hot-dog-eaters-have-made-america-great-again/

    Beer Pong. Hot Dogs. Yoyo Champs. Competitive breakdancing. Dressage.

    Here you get to some of the great human impulses about the human desire for sport itself:
    – The more crowds it draws, the more it draws us.
    – There’s a little self-loathing in every sports fan. Some sports more than others.
    – It appears to have nothing to do with politics or policy; it appears to be a realm of freedom from the machines of the world
    – You get to see a body rail against language
    – You get to see them beat the other guy
    – You get to see losers, and find an ethical way to cheers for or against the loser
    – You see the results in minutes, unlike life
    -You revel in common ecstatic impulse, without all the emotional baggage of sex or intimacy

    Welcome to the anti-HungerGames!

    • Gangnam Style 6.1

      “You get to see them beat the other guy” – Very funny Ad, sums up sport brilliantly.

  7. Sabine 7

    suicide bombings in Medina, Jeddah and Quatif.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36706761

  8. Puckish Rogue 8

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11668677

    An interesting article but is what he says a possibility or has he just had an idea and formed a decent argument around it?

    • s y d 8.1

      My reading is that he is saying labour should ditch all that old fashioned socialist, “applied christianity” shit and try to muscle in on on some of that National Party buzz.

      • weka 8.1.1

        It’s hard to imagine National Party members prostrating themselves before images of Sid Holland or Rob Muldoon at a party anniversary, longing for a revival of those “good old days”.

        Probably because National have already ditched their traditional values, are no longer old school conservatives, and instead have adopted neoliberalism.

        • Draco T Bastard 8.1.1.1

          National are hard-core followers.

          Labour led into Keynesianism and National both followed and doubled down on it until we got to Muldoon with massive subsidies to sheep farmers and debt.
          Labour led into neo-liberalism and National both followed and doubled down on it until we got to Key with massive subsidies to multinational corporations, huge increases in poverty and homelessness and massive debt.

    • DoublePlusGood 8.2

      He spends the article outlining how amazing Savage was, and then the last three paragraphs trying to justify not following Savage’s principles.
      Doesn’t seem like he logically thought through the article – it reads like the first third of an article, then one paragraph each out of the last two thirds of the article. Maybe he was heavily paraphrased by some editor. That’s the charitable explanation, at least.

      • Puckish Rogue 8.2.1

        Yeah true, I guess re-reading it sounds like hes not sure what Labour should do or was that what he was trying to say?

        Maybe trying to say that Labour should either go back to what Labour was like under Savage or stop paying lip service to Labours history, one or the other maybe but not both?

        • b waghorn 8.2.1.1

          Maybe the whole object of the article is to keep portraying Labour as a party in turmoil , you know the standard dirty politics that has been going on for fucking ages.

          • McFlock 8.2.1.1.1

            nah, puckish wouldn’t link to just any old muckraking, surely. There’s genuine concern behind pr’s faithful linking of every slight rumour about Labour… /sarc

        • Stuart Munro 8.2.1.2

          Meh – just another ‘not about McCully or the other floating turds who comprise the Key kleptocracy’ story.

  9. save nz 9

    When we hear about Key’s new plans to forcibly take land ‘for housing’ Ha ha (read private developers of his choosing), let us look at how the practise of privatising public land has been in the USA…. extract

    “The land heist, which is being masterminded by the American Lands Council as well as Koch brothers-funded groups like American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and Americans for Prosperity, has two basic fronts: 1) Lobby Republicans to pass bills, often written directly by ALEC, that make the corporate land grab possible, 2) Propagandize to the public about how their rights are supposedly being violated by having publicly accessible land that is owned by the American people.

    The lobbying efforts are fairly straightforward. Here, for instance, is a photo of AFP staffers visiting Alaska Rep. Don Young’s office on June 10. A few days later, Young, who gets hefty amounts of campaign funding from oil/gas and fishery interests, kickstarted his efforts to pass a bill to transfer 2 million acres of national forests from federal to state hands, where it can then be sold off to corporate interests.

    The amount of sleaze and dishonesty in the propaganda effort is truly stunning. Witness, for instance, this excerpt from an AFP brochure on federal land management, which a wonderland of doublespeak.

    afp

    This is the kind of propaganda that snakes its way down to people like the Bundys and their supporters, convincing them that the existence of national forests is somehow hurting them.

    But nearly every word in that paragraph is a lie. The land is already owned by We the People, and AFP is agitating to take it from us and sell it off to private interests. And it is not sitting idle or inaccessible. National forests and other lands are used for hiking, camping, rafting, fishing or just sitting in to enjoy the bounty of nature. By “inactive,” they obviously mean that the land is not being strip-mined for corporate profit, but it’s a small mind that thinks that the only value nature can provide is squeezing every penny you can get out of it.”

    http://www.salon.com/2016/07/04/its_political_sleight_of_hand_for_their_next_trick_republican_magicians_will_make_your_federal_land_disappear/

  10. save nz 10

    More bad news for those clinging onto neoliberalism….

    “Millennials are ripe for socialism: A generation is rising up against neoliberal oppression
    Gallup finds up to 70 percent of young Americans favor wealth redistribution. Elites have only themselves to blame”

    http://www.salon.com/2016/07/04/millennials_are_ripe_for_socialism_a_generation_is_rising_up_again_partner/

    • vto 10.1

      All talk of “wealth redistribution” typically frames it as something which doesn’t currently exist, as if the current system is some sort of natural order..

      .. as does this above “Gallup finds up to 70 percent of young Americans favor wealth redistribution”

      This framing must be resisted at all costs and at every opportunity because the implication that there is currently no wealth redistribution is not true.

      Currently wealth is redistributed towards certain groups in society and away from other groups in society. This is done by way of subsidies, tax rates, tax groupings, regulations, legislation, tax loopholes, welfare, minimum wage rates, import export tariffs, the list goes on and on and on …

      .. this issue must be framed as..

      “a new model of wealth redistribution”

      or

      “change away from the current wealth redistribution”

      Imo this is very important. Currently many people seem to think the current settings are some sort of natural order ….

      resist
      resist

      • s y d 10.1.1

        ageed. Language is a powerful tool.

        “re-distribution” itself is a loaded term. IMO It’s current meaning is something akin to ‘taking the hard earned income of the self made and giving freebies and handout to losers, wasters and the undeserving poor’.
        Really this argument should be about getting fair shares and fair rewards.

        Even the way the rich and privileged now term themselves ‘elites’ is telling.

        • save nz 10.1.1.1

          “a new model of wealth redistribution” – that used to be called fairness or social democracy!

          As for the use of language, I don’t have a problem with wealth or elites – it is how they are using it!!

          ie Edmund Hillary – elite – but in a good way! Not due to money or privilege but his personal actions!

          And wealth, a word that means different things to different people – is wealth a safety net? Is wealth ability to retire early, Is wealth ability to rest and do what you have always wanted to do with your life, Is wealth having a healthy happy family and society, is wealth having a low crime rate?

          Wealth to me, is not a $ amount and sometimes when I see people hating the idea of ‘wealth’ I feel it is counter productive in terms of gaining traction and votes for the left to the centre and right.

      • Draco T Bastard 10.1.2

        +1111

    • Chooky 10.2

      +100 save nz…great news!

  11. rhinocrates 11

    Dunne is NZ’s “most successful politician” according to this analysis. That is, he epitomises politics as a purely self-serving career.

    http://www.kiwipolitico.com/2016/07/peter-dunne-new-zealand-most-successful-politician/

    According to staffers, he is “a good minister”, which I read as “acquiescent” and indeed the writer damns Dunne as a facilitator for hire in contrast with “an avatar of greed” like Collins or a showman like Peters.

    Interesting read, though I still consider Dunne to be something I’d scrape off the sole of my boot.

    • save nz 11.1

      If Dunne was hit by a bus tomorrow nobody would notice apart from his vote to prop up the Natz and hopefully his salary could be better utilised…

    • Puckish Rogue 11.2

      Yet if the polls get closer Labour may end up needing his seat (I personally think that if either National or Labour get enough seats to win with out Dunne then he should be ditched)

    • swordfish 11.3

      Dunne is the only Party leader currently receiving net Negative ratings in UMR Research Leader Favourability polling. Last Poll – Dunne on minus 12

      In contrast to other leaders, he’s been down in negative territory for more than 5 years. (Winston – previously seen negatively by voters – has found himself in positive territory since 2014 and everyone else has enjoyed positive ratings for quite some time – albeit Key down to a mere + 2 rating a few months ago).

  12. Rosie 12

    Helen Kelly, bless her tenacious yet tender self, will never be honoured or acknowledged by this heartless nat govt but we can now honour her at the portrait gallery.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/81776416/wellington-honours-helen-kelly-with-portrait-in-national-gallery

  13. save nz 13

    I hope Labour/Green does not take the bait, like last election where the talk about crashing property was met by Natz winning the election and decimating our country.

    For those that think crashing house prices 40% will be positive and somehow redistribute wealth, have a look at the fall out from the crashed property prices from the GFC in the USA. Did it somehow make poorer, working and middle class people better off, or did it make them lose everything and be worse off than before? Likewise the Greece crash – are the poor better off?

    “Former Reserve Bank economist Arthur Grimes suggests a radical solution to the housing crisis: crash the house price by 40% by building 150,000 houses in six years:
    In March 2016, the REINZ Auckland median house price reached $820,000. Four years previously, it was $495,000 – that’s a 66% increase in 4 years. What’s more alarming is that in 2012, many people considered that house prices were already getting out of reach for most people. That was particularly the case for young people and low income earners.”

    We have had left wing economists talking about this crash for 20 years but because they refused to take account the growing immigration levels, their forecasting falls short. I have personally had a lot of friends listening to these experts and refusing to buy years ago thinking prices would come down, now they can’t afford to!

    I notice Arthur Grimes does not mention halting immigration. So the idea seems to be, crash property 40% so that families with mortgages go into negative equity (like the 1980’s).

    Sounds popular to middle NZ (sarc).

  14. adam 14

    Why African Americans should be dubious about the 4th of July.

    Great wee read – totally with the 2nd of July be a day of celebration!

    http://90sloverboy.tumblr.com/search/4TH+OF+JULY

  15. Why the Irish should be dubious about St Patrick’s day – ’cause the ‘snakes’ he rid the country of, were the Old People with their non-Christian ways.

  16. dv 16

    Here are some ideas I put up couple of mths ago to help the housing market

    Introduce transaction tax about the same size as cc charge on all financial transitions
    Differentional interest rate- ie 1% surcharge as tax to council
    Increased deposit e.g. 40%
    Only sell existing to residents
    Only allow over seas resident new builds.

    Add interest free loans for infrastructure

    WE NEED a joined up plan.

  17. Rodel 17

    Interesting to hear Winston advocating a major port in Northland instead of growing the port in Auckland.
    Maybe just what the north needs and more importantly what Auckland needs- taking off the pressure.

  18. Chooky 18

    ‘WikiLeaks rolls out archive of over 1,200 ‘Clinton Iraq War’ emails’

    https://www.rt.com/usa/349492-wikileaks-iraq-clinton-emails/

    “The now-infamous whistleblowing website has published an archive of what is said to be over 1,200 of Hillary Clinton’s private emails pertaining to the Iraq War. Julian Assange previously said that the release would be “enough to indict her.”…

    ..”.In March, WikiLeaks launched a searchable archive consisting of 30,322 emails from Hillary Clinton’s private email server that she used while serving as Secretary of State. The 50,547 pages of documents cover Clinton’s correspondence from 30 June 2010 to 12 August 2014. Out of that number, 7,570 of the documents were sent by Hillary Clinton…

    The use of private email for state-run business has become a thorn in the side of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. With Democratic convention just weeks away, the public eye is following a close watch of a potential grand jury indictment…

    • Cheers, chooky. Could make for interesting reading, however it may add nothing to what is already known. As it stands, this isn’t looking like the knock out blow an increasingly desperate right needs. Trump’s a busted flush and Hillary Clinton’s going to be president in a few months. Which is super exciting, y’know?

      I’m with Assange on this one:

      “We could proceed to an indictment, but if Loretta Lynch is the head of the DOJ in the United States, she’s not going to indict Hillary Clinton,” “That’s not possible that could happen.”

      The link to the latest emails is here.

      • Colonial Viper 18.1.1

        Man your political radar is way off calibration. Easy win for Trump over Killary come November.

      • joe90 18.1.2

        As it stands, this isn’t looking like the knock out blow an increasingly desperate right needs.

        Their desperation could well see HRC off the hook.

        But before that happened, according to LawNewz, the conservative activists at Judicial Watch inserted themselves into the Clinton email controversy earlier this year in the hopes they might find something to destroy Clinton’s White House hopes.

        With that in mind, the legal watchdog group filed multiple FOIA lawsuits against the State Department in regard to the issue of the personal server. Agreeing with their demands, federal judge Emmet Sullivan allowed Judicial Watch to depose several of Clinton’s top aides, including Huma Abedin, Cheryl Mills and Patrick Kennedy.

        […]

        At this late date in the game, as the FBI is reportedly wrapping up, investigators are likely following up on any questions still outstanding and making sure there are no discrepancies between Clinton and her advisors that might raise red flags.

        Armed with hundreds of pages of testimony, Clinton may well have been aware of her aides’ answers to the same lines of questioning that both the FBI and Judicial Watch were pursuing.

        As attorney Elkan Abramowitz explained to LawNewz, a well-prepared Clinton would have been in a good position to make sure that she and her team had their story straight — thereby helping to bring the investigation to a more rapid close.

        http://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/did-a-clinton-hounding-conservative-group-accidentally-help-hillary-with-her-fbi-interview/

        • te reo putake 18.1.2.1

          Crikey! It’s kinda like being slipped the exam answers the night before the big test.

          • joe90 18.1.2.1.1

            Treating the consummate professional HRC as political naif who came down in the last shower really isn’t a winning strategy.

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  • 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
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    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
    17 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
    20 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
    20 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
    22 hours 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
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
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    3 days ago
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