I see that Nick Smith thinks housing affordability is ‘in the eye of the beholder’
I am sure most Zealanders will like being told this by a rich political trougher.
These people claim to represent us.
They don’t.
They represent the few, not the many.
Actually – I dont watch him. I only use Netflix and haven’t watched normal TV for years.
Simply put – I believe anyone is entitled to their views – and to be held accountable for them if they are stupid. Which is normally a matter of perspective.
Why do you think his views should be censored from TV – apart from you not liking his opinions?
Because the same broadcaster does not offer a differing opinion.
As he is on NZ’s public broadcaster there is an obligation to give both sides of a political argument. They are not there to be a mouthpiece for the government of the day.
James, you don’t watch him either? Funny. I’m hearing you re censorship.
However I strongly agree with Kevin.
But then again globally many government run media outlets have their own version of Hosking. Or a country’s leader broadcasts their own propaganda show.
Interesting audio examination from 2015 when Hosking had his head up Keys arse. Even more interesting because his opinions of the future are now in our past.
Censoring Mike Hostking is a terrible reason to suggest his removal. However, I must admit, there is a certain humorous undertone to the notion of removing him from state broadcasting on philosophical grounds –his philosophical grounds.
Since he hates leftism and statism so much and thinks so highly of the market and an expanded role for the market in roles traditionally ascribed to the state in commonwealth systems, it would only be right to make sure he never compromises himself by pocketing a salary out of public money, etc.
Hyperbole for sure, but then that’s his stock in trade, right?
And to prove all of this, here are some numbers that expose the lie around public transport. The Transport Outlook: Current State report, yes that’s called, as released by the government tells us the following, 53% of us drive a car, 26% of us are passengers in a car, 17% walk, 1% cycle – so that shows you what a waste of time cycleways are, 1% are on motorbikes. Now add up all those numbers and how many do you have left for public transport, 2%. So, we are wrecking roads, hijacking the majority for what, 2%, it’s a scandal.
The report he refers to is the one we highlighted yesterday and the first thing to note is that the report actually says PT is at 3%. This adds up to 101% due to the rounding on some of the other modes. Regardless, when it comes to talking about this subject, he couldn’t have picked a more irrelevant number.
The 3% based on PT use across the entire country, that’s as irrelevant to the discussion of PT in Auckland as arguing that New York doesn’t need its subway because of how many people use PT in Wyoming.
Note that: the 2% Hosking quotes to back up his inconveniences in his city, is a measure drawn from use across the country, it is irrelevant to his argument.
The raving loonie is merely saying what all the RWs are thinking, which of course is nothing at all. Thought costs in time and money so they don’t waste time on anything unprofitable to them.
I made a joke yesterday about Blinglish stating the new social policy as being data-driven. Bwahahahahahah – where would it be driven to I ask? When you don’t want to know things, do they get lured up an alley and garrotted or taken for a midnight ride and dumped on the roadside. Poor dead-duck-data, RWs want to believe what their Mega-phone tells them, their Hosking Bullhorn.
At the very least Hosking’s salary should be included in National’s election advertising total allowance.
It should also include GST as it is obviously a service to them.
Are you really sure you want a policy like that?
You would have to include the whole RNZ news budget in the Labour Party costs.
They would already be over the limit for expenditure allowed in the last 3 months wouldn’t they, with only a couple of weeks gone?
I fully agree with you, Alwyn. National Radio are totally biased, and support the Labour party by having them shown as light National by such right-leaning commentators as Josie Pagani, whom they misrepresent as ‘Left’. Utterly disgusting. Then every so often they reveal an unpleasant truth – this is obviously an anti-National campaign. National Radio should be annihilated by renaming! I know – RNZ!
Someone knocked on the door not so long ago, wanting to know if we would take part in TV ratings, many questions were asked, even household income etc.
They said they would be in touch if we were deemed the type of household that they could give a ratings monitor device to. Almost felt like they screened anyone whom they wanted to generating ratings information from, it didn’t appear random at all. They were even sent to selected houses, nah it wasn’t a scam, was the real deal. I was rather surprised ratings were gathered in that manner.
James do you know if ratings are collected in any other way please?
That’s the issue for me – he’s an out-and-out propagandist. He lies, he rants, he is completely unchallenged, and he is always pro-nact. If the state broadcaster must pay for a pro-government propagandist, what about an opposition one of similar shameless insanity, too?
Oh – might be too difficult to find. May as well just fire the fucker, then.
“an out-and-out propagandist” – in a nut-shell, McFlock. How best to counter an unfettered propagandist, that’s the question. Railing against him, calling for his head, seem reactions designed to feed the pyre, rather than quench the fire. Let’s get smarter. The problem isn’t hard to describe; yours’s perfect, the effective response though, that’s the challenge.
We can rejoice in his naked greed and prejudice, measuring our own behaviour against his worst-practice behaviour. We can use his popularity as a measure of how much has to change in our society before it’s as we wish it to be. We can use reactions to him by people we talk to as a measure of their position and degree of discernment. We can use his continued existence in a public role as a measure of our ruling party’s methods and ethical levels. There is so much his performing offers us, aside from the obvious opportunities to lampoon and mock, both him and his sycophants. All in all, a useful chap, ol’ whatshisname.
*confession time; I’ve never seen the guy perform as I have no television.
It would be alright if the opposing views got the same prominence but the small snippet I unavoidably watch last week had his offsider simpering all over him. Gross.
Further to my rant on Nick Smith housing handling…
We, of the left, seem to be captured by the shenanagins of the Tories.
Rather than debating a direction for our future.
For example water, labour has talked about a levy charged per litre.
Rather than a ‘Hell No’.
Perhaps there is a middle ground.
Housing, as I eluded to in the Nick Smith post, the opposition is failing to get traction with their tactics. Don’t want to upset landlords?
Inequality? A bit hard to deal with. Unless we have a ftt and a ubi…
Tad radical, think of the horses.
Health funding, especially mental health and youth mental health. Where to start?
Paula Bennett is alleged to behaved abhorrently, (I don’t doubt the accusations) and we are lining up to add our two cents.
C’m on standardistas we can lift our game.
Right, that’s better.
I am off to work to have my promised 90 day performance review, albeit after 110 days.
I am aiming to get a living wage for working in a busy kitchen after having practiced the craft for 30 years.
What chance the youngsters in the industry, most of whom are grateful to be just above minimum wage.
(I won’t be back at my phone till later as I am not allowed it at work)
“the Herald”?
Does that fish and chip wrapper still exist?
I am just back from doing a little bit of work in France. We (the people doing the work) were provided with all the major UK newspapers.
God it is wonderful to be able to read well written papers like The Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian and The Financial Times. It is about the only English language country left with decent papers. Even in the US they are rubbish including the old staples like The Washington Post and The New York Times.
Here we have the Herald and the DomPost for crying out loud.
The only decent paper in Australasia in The Australian. You don’t have to like Rupert Murdoch but he is just about the last of the great Press Barons who believed in printing the news properly that we have left.
Here endeth the rant for the day.
As for RNZ being biased? Yes I do. We will simply have to agree to differ.
Alwyn, I agree with you about the range of quality reading available in the UK compared to here, but I would also have mentioned the Spectator, (and Punch, which, unfortunately, no longer exists). And Rupert Murdoch is the enemy of literacy, not its friend. He presided in the downward slide you lament, and you should know that, unless you are too young.
The headline on RNZ news this morning was “Auckland house price growth at 5 year low”. Let me show how it should have been reported:
“Auckland house prices growing at $70,000 a year; average price is now over $1 million. Prices continue to grow at three times rate of inflation.”
Someone at Radio NZ has been told how to report this issue so the government looks good.
The government’s weakest issue in the upcoming election is housing affordability (not just in Auckland) so it is trying to portray this problem as solved, which is rubbish. Nick Smith was at it yet again in his RNZ interview yesterday. Lies and more spin.
The Labour/Green bloc needs to get some clear stats out on housing affordability in its manifesto (and pledge card?) telling it as it is. In particular the fall in first time buyers and the rise in investors/multiple home owners needs to be highlighted.
The expert they interviewed on this said “first time buyers are at their lowest ever”. That should have been the headline.
And following on from the above, in the Herald today:
“House sales have made a mint in the first quarter of 2017, with $3.8 billion in profits.
But it’s not all good news, with $24 million in losses recorded by those who made a bad bet on the property market.”
Incredible numbers-profits of $3.8 billion in just 3 months, almost all non-taxable.
As with the RNZ headline above, the article contains lots of spin, concentrating on the losses made by very few people, losses which are miniscule compared with the profits-$24m versus $3800m.
The article does not comment on the profit split between home owners and between investors.
And nobody (except me it seems) thinks ALL housing stock should be taxed upon sale.
Gee, the Nats dont want to tax property gains, and Labour seem to think that the “personal residence” should be exempt. But where is the financial responsibility or tax fairness in that?
Why should a person who lives in say Dunedin, have little to no capital gains – probably under $100,000 in this decade, and thats tax free, when an Auckland home owner may have a $500,000 tax free profit.
And lets not discuss the poor buggers who dont own a house so have no chance to make a tax free gain.
You are going to have a real problem on about the 5th of September.
They will be reporting, absolutely accurately, that the rate of house price increases in Auckland for the 12 months ending August 2017 was ZERO.
True, that is what they will be reporting. The Labour Party are going to have trouble with that don’t you think?
Your numbers, like theirs, are simply out of date. They don’t reflect the reality of today. Sorry about that.
@Alwyn One wonders why you don’t leave out the snide comments like “sorry about that” and simply argue your case. Maybe it is because you know you are on the wrong side of the argument given that the Gnats have failed catastrophically on housing policy.
But you are right that, unless the Labour/Green bloc can win the debate in the media on this issue, it will not be the definitive issue it should be at the election. The fact that houses in Akl are now more than a million a pop and first-time buyers are at an all time low is the issue. If the Labour/Green bloc is smart they will highlight the latter especially.
Under this government over the last 9 years it has become impossible for young people to afford to buy a house; there must be votes in this.
Prices staying where they are is no solution, Alwyn. Too late for that – a significant drop is needed. Not something you will find palatable I suspect, and I can almost hear you screaming already about whether I want to destroy innocent people’s wealth by collapsing property values.
How about having “busless, trainless days” in Auckland a la the old carless days, just for an experiment? It would be fun to see what happens. Do it for a week even.
Thing is, Hosking would make sure that on those he won’t go to work or the week he’ll go to Hawaii on holiday.
“We don’t like public transport, we like cars and cars need roads,” he says. We didn’t need this latest rant to have us think he’s a self-centred, short-sighted, up-himself cretin. Having him say that though is a nice little reminder.
In other words, a currency-issuing government can always absorb any outstanding liabilities (public debt) if it chooses, and, effectively, never have to repay the obligation.
It can do that by purchasing these liabilities in secondary bond markets, and then just ignoring the maturity obligations, and with the stroke of a computer keyboard set the value to 0.
Alternatively, it is obvious that such a government is never in danger of defaulting on any outstanding liabilities which remain in the non-government sector until maturity and presentation for repayment.
Alternatively, what this clearly demonstrates, is that such a government never has to issue debt in the first place.
Say it again out aloud – “central banks are ultimately owned by governments”.
Say it again out aloud – any public bonds on central bank balance sheets amount to the government owning its own debt. One computer keystroke turns the positive accounting balance for that debt into a zero balance with no consequences of importance whatsoever.
Which is basically what I and many other have been saying for quite some time.
A government that issues it’s own money never has to go into debt even when running a deficit. Done properly it could even get rid of the so-called Business Cycle and fully develop the economy while eliminating the need for exports and imports.
Definitely contributed. Leaving Labour happened just after he lost the nomination for Papaura to an excellent young candidate of Indian ethnicity and received either a low list placing or no list placing.
So for a second election campaign in a row, National are buying the loyalties of disaffected self-appointed ‘leaders’ of ‘communities’ to turn them from Labour and we’re supposed to take that as a sign of a shift in attitudes within that ‘community’?
I mean, call me cynical, but my general impression of these people is that they usually aren’t ‘leaders’ at all – except in the eyes of gullible white people trying to buy the votes of said ‘community’ from above instead of winning them from below with good policy and solid face-to-face connections. Are we all really so racist that we think everyone with dark skin is part of a ‘community’ which has ‘leaders’ who are able to tell them how to vote? That doesn’t bode well for democracy if true!
I guess given that us white folks tend not to have ‘communities’ with ‘leaders’ who can influence their votes, maybe we’re gullible or racist enough to think that everyone else is a sheep with a shepherd, and if you win over that shepherd he’ll deliver you his flock at the polling booth. But me, I have my doubts.
Ah well, let National spend their money being rainmade by wannabe mandarins. It says all you need about them and their attitude to democratic tradition.
“So for a second election campaign in a row, National are buying the loyalties of disaffected self-appointed ‘leaders’ of ‘communities’ to turn them from Labour and we’re supposed to take that as a sign of a shift in attitudes within that ‘community’?”
Or it could be that people are giving up on Labour – as would be evidenced by their very low poll ratings (and Littles as preferred PM).
“I mean, call me cynical, but my general impression of these people is that they usually aren’t ‘leaders’ at all – except in the eyes of gullible white people trying to buy the votes of said ‘community’ ”
Yet Labour were happy to have him stand for them…. twice. Perhaps he actually is a leader in that community?
“Are we all really so racist that we think everyone with dark skin is part of a ‘community’ which has ‘leaders’ who are able to tell them how to vote?”
Its not racist – there are may leaders in the the community that indicate to their community about where they see the most benefit to their community. Ratana Church for example.
Where did he stand for Labour? The seat where he stood or the placing he had on their list will tell all.
Ratana Church isn’t comparable to individuals, it’s an institution with a unique place in NZ culture. I doubt there’s much at all you could compare it to.
Pakaranga, just once, in 2011, it’s Maurice Williamson seat
The following election he decided to only opt for the list, and the candidate that Labour stood in same electorate received around 700 more votes than the prior year when Kaushal stood….
Then bums out when he gets a low list ranking for this election llolz, throws a wobbly and jumps ship.
So he was upset at Labour’s inaction re Law and Order. Those pesky Labour fellows should have set up a team of special police to bounce the thieves the instant a complaint came in.
What’s that? You mean the National Party is the Government with the power to do something to appease the shop owners. And this candidate has joined the National Party to get action???
That is ridiculous! Have they promised him a high ranking then?
If Labour are losing the central Auckland Indian vote they are in very serious trouble. Indian subcontinent voters have been incredibly loyal to this point.
Sunny will take a lot of votes out of Mt Roskill, New Windsor, Avondale, Sandringham, and New Lynn.
Really? Shail Kaushal is a hardworking Labour member of the Puketapapa Local board and is on Michael Wood’s campaign team. Michael Wood and Jacinda Aden did really well in recent by-elections. I certainly don’t belive Sunny played a significant role in their wins. Sunny missed out on the Papaura selection to Jesse Pabla a young New Zealand born candidate of Indian ethnicity. Baljit Kauri is standing for Hunua. Priyanca Radhakrishnan is standing for Maungakieie and has a high place on the list. All these candidates of Indian ethnicity have strong Labour values.I think Labour is renewing itself with good strong Labour values. It must have been galling for Sunny to realise their is really no place in the party for an old right wing careerist like himself. He is an excellent fit for National.
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In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
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I see that Nick Smith thinks housing affordability is ‘in the eye of the beholder’
I am sure most Zealanders will like being told this by a rich political trougher.
These people claim to represent us.
They don’t.
They represent the few, not the many.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/334454/housing-affordability-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder-minister
An exposure of their transactions over GI/point England in akl would show that if anyone in opposition can be bothered.
How many affordable extra homes V profits and housing stock given away to mates.
Found this gem yesterday:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-17/home-price-to-income-ratio-across-selected-nations/8280534
What it’s telling us is that NZ now has the MOST unaffordable housing in the world; by some margin.
I have a very nasty feeling about Auckland real estate – I think we are getting ready for a much sharper correction than we saw in Perth.
Question:
Should Mike Hoskings be pulled from Seven Sharp until after the election?
No.
Why not please James? What is it that you like about him, apart from his opinions?
Actually – I dont watch him. I only use Netflix and haven’t watched normal TV for years.
Simply put – I believe anyone is entitled to their views – and to be held accountable for them if they are stupid. Which is normally a matter of perspective.
Why do you think his views should be censored from TV – apart from you not liking his opinions?
Because the same broadcaster does not offer a differing opinion.
As he is on NZ’s public broadcaster there is an obligation to give both sides of a political argument. They are not there to be a mouthpiece for the government of the day.
James, you don’t watch him either? Funny. I’m hearing you re censorship.
However I strongly agree with Kevin.
But then again globally many government run media outlets have their own version of Hosking. Or a country’s leader broadcasts their own propaganda show.
Interesting audio examination from 2015 when Hosking had his head up Keys arse. Even more interesting because his opinions of the future are now in our past.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201767468
Off topic James, any series you can recommend on the Netflix please? Am looking for something new to watch. Thanks 😀
He should be permanently pulled from all public exposure full stop.
Must stop opposing views – stifling free speech – removing a guy’s income all because you don’t like what he says.
The caring and fair left you are not.
“caring and fair” – a fan-boy’s view of Hoskings.
Not a fan boy – dont actually watch him (see above).
But dont believe that he should be pulled from TV because some dont like his views.
Censoring Mike Hostking is a terrible reason to suggest his removal. However, I must admit, there is a certain humorous undertone to the notion of removing him from state broadcasting on philosophical grounds –his philosophical grounds.
Since he hates leftism and statism so much and thinks so highly of the market and an expanded role for the market in roles traditionally ascribed to the state in commonwealth systems, it would only be right to make sure he never compromises himself by pocketing a salary out of public money, etc.
Hyperbole for sure, but then that’s his stock in trade, right?
A self-made man would start his own radio station.
I’d settle for a station disclaimer after every time he opens his gob.
Pulled, like chewed gum from the sole of your shoe.
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2017/07/05/hoskings-idiotic-bus-lane-rant/
These paras are from Robert G’s link.
And to prove all of this, here are some numbers that expose the lie around public transport. The Transport Outlook: Current State report, yes that’s called, as released by the government tells us the following, 53% of us drive a car, 26% of us are passengers in a car, 17% walk, 1% cycle – so that shows you what a waste of time cycleways are, 1% are on motorbikes. Now add up all those numbers and how many do you have left for public transport, 2%. So, we are wrecking roads, hijacking the majority for what, 2%, it’s a scandal.
The report he refers to is the one we highlighted yesterday and the first thing to note is that the report actually says PT is at 3%. This adds up to 101% due to the rounding on some of the other modes. Regardless, when it comes to talking about this subject, he couldn’t have picked a more irrelevant number.
The 3% based on PT use across the entire country, that’s as irrelevant to the discussion of PT in Auckland as arguing that New York doesn’t need its subway because of how many people use PT in Wyoming.
Note that: the 2% Hosking quotes to back up his inconveniences in his city, is a measure drawn from use across the country, it is irrelevant to his argument.
The raving loonie is merely saying what all the RWs are thinking, which of course is nothing at all. Thought costs in time and money so they don’t waste time on anything unprofitable to them.
I made a joke yesterday about Blinglish stating the new social policy as being data-driven. Bwahahahahahah – where would it be driven to I ask? When you don’t want to know things, do they get lured up an alley and garrotted or taken for a midnight ride and dumped on the roadside. Poor dead-duck-data, RWs want to believe what their Mega-phone tells them, their Hosking Bullhorn.
At the very least Hosking’s salary should be included in National’s election advertising total allowance.
It should also include GST as it is obviously a service to them.
Are you really sure you want a policy like that?
You would have to include the whole RNZ news budget in the Labour Party costs.
They would already be over the limit for expenditure allowed in the last 3 months wouldn’t they, with only a couple of weeks gone?
I fully agree with you, Alwyn. National Radio are totally biased, and support the Labour party by having them shown as light National by such right-leaning commentators as Josie Pagani, whom they misrepresent as ‘Left’. Utterly disgusting. Then every so often they reveal an unpleasant truth – this is obviously an anti-National campaign. National Radio should be annihilated by renaming! I know – RNZ!
Get rid of him now I say, how many kiwis can relate to him… not many, if any.
His ratings are pretty good – which would indicate you are wrong.
Just shows how many idiots watch TV…. both left and right wing twits.
Thank goodness for Netflix.
Someone knocked on the door not so long ago, wanting to know if we would take part in TV ratings, many questions were asked, even household income etc.
They said they would be in touch if we were deemed the type of household that they could give a ratings monitor device to. Almost felt like they screened anyone whom they wanted to generating ratings information from, it didn’t appear random at all. They were even sent to selected houses, nah it wasn’t a scam, was the real deal. I was rather surprised ratings were gathered in that manner.
James do you know if ratings are collected in any other way please?
No idea. If you wanted I guess you could look it up.
Me neither lolz,
Did discover that ratings are only taken from a demographic of around 1500 households, ratings data collection is contracted to Nielson
http://www.thinktv.co.nz/about-tv/the-business-of-tv/understanding-tv-data/
And could you trust that person to be genuine?
The person who came to my door was genuine yes, I checked up on her.
As for Nielsons, they appear to be a global company, haven’t looked into them yet.
So it seems that our ratings info depends on 1500 people with ratings boxes. Interesting.
Absolutely not.
You don’t defeat bigots like Hosking by silencing them. You defeat them by debating them and offering an alternative view point.
What kind of society do we want where people with opposing views are not permitted to speak them?
^ Comment of the day and agree 100%
Well said, despised and annoying troll.
“despised and annoying troll”
Who forgot their polite tablets this morning.
So where is the opposing view to Hosking on free to air TV ? … not provided by management.
Comment of the day Barfly. Hosking should not be on free to air TV.
Quite right. Opponents of his views should be allowed immediate right of reply. Never happens.
Absolutely
Umm Street opposed his demented view before he had even finished preaching it.
That’s the issue for me – he’s an out-and-out propagandist. He lies, he rants, he is completely unchallenged, and he is always pro-nact. If the state broadcaster must pay for a pro-government propagandist, what about an opposition one of similar shameless insanity, too?
Oh – might be too difficult to find. May as well just fire the fucker, then.
It is kind of interesting to consider who the left might put up that would be the Hosking equivalent though 😈
Bomber?
rabidly left wing
blinkered engagement with reality
inflated sense of self importance and IQ…
Still seems like an unfair comparison
For all Bomber’s failings I think he’s actually more reasonable than Hosking by quite some margin.
Well, yeah, but you and I would say that.
Maybe, but I’m not really a fan of Bomber, and there’s always what they say and do to compare to each other 😉
Exhibit A
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-05072017/#comment-1348228
“More like Mike” was pretty good, actually. Easier to cleverly take the piss than to try to counter with fair debate (punching at mist..)
“an out-and-out propagandist” – in a nut-shell, McFlock. How best to counter an unfettered propagandist, that’s the question. Railing against him, calling for his head, seem reactions designed to feed the pyre, rather than quench the fire. Let’s get smarter. The problem isn’t hard to describe; yours’s perfect, the effective response though, that’s the challenge.
Maybe there is no effective response.
Can’t call for his firing, can’t sink to his level, can’t out-yell him, reasoned rebuttal just legitimises his absurdities with recognition.
Just have to hope the self-inflated manchild eventually takes his sense of entitlement too far to warrant his continued presence, like Paul Henry did.
We can rejoice in his naked greed and prejudice, measuring our own behaviour against his worst-practice behaviour. We can use his popularity as a measure of how much has to change in our society before it’s as we wish it to be. We can use reactions to him by people we talk to as a measure of their position and degree of discernment. We can use his continued existence in a public role as a measure of our ruling party’s methods and ethical levels. There is so much his performing offers us, aside from the obvious opportunities to lampoon and mock, both him and his sycophants. All in all, a useful chap, ol’ whatshisname.
*confession time; I’ve never seen the guy perform as I have no television.
“takes his sense of entitlement too far to warrant his continued presence”…. this is what he specializes in.
It would be alright if the opposing views got the same prominence but the small snippet I unavoidably watch last week had his offsider simpering all over him. Gross.
For every Hoskings there is a John Campbell
Personally think everyone is entitled to their views, whether I agree or not.
Would be a pretty boring place otherwise
Nope leave him in place as an example of why tvnz need to be made a public broadcaster or scrapped as you would yesterdays technology.
Most people know hes a nat sycophant and his smarmy arrogance cuts both ways
Yes and keep him off forever.
Hosking is a useful window into RWing ‘thinking’
Further to my rant on Nick Smith housing handling…
We, of the left, seem to be captured by the shenanagins of the Tories.
Rather than debating a direction for our future.
For example water, labour has talked about a levy charged per litre.
Rather than a ‘Hell No’.
Perhaps there is a middle ground.
Housing, as I eluded to in the Nick Smith post, the opposition is failing to get traction with their tactics. Don’t want to upset landlords?
Inequality? A bit hard to deal with. Unless we have a ftt and a ubi…
Tad radical, think of the horses.
Health funding, especially mental health and youth mental health. Where to start?
Paula Bennett is alleged to behaved abhorrently, (I don’t doubt the accusations) and we are lining up to add our two cents.
C’m on standardistas we can lift our game.
Right, that’s better.
I am off to work to have my promised 90 day performance review, albeit after 110 days.
I am aiming to get a living wage for working in a busy kitchen after having practiced the craft for 30 years.
What chance the youngsters in the industry, most of whom are grateful to be just above minimum wage.
(I won’t be back at my phone till later as I am not allowed it at work)
@ alwyn I wasn’t suggesting serious policy. It was a small joke at Hosking’s expense, but you sound serious about RNZ.
RNZ as biased as Hosking? I think not.
Do you consider the Herald a leftie rag too?
“the Herald”?
Does that fish and chip wrapper still exist?
I am just back from doing a little bit of work in France. We (the people doing the work) were provided with all the major UK newspapers.
God it is wonderful to be able to read well written papers like The Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian and The Financial Times. It is about the only English language country left with decent papers. Even in the US they are rubbish including the old staples like The Washington Post and The New York Times.
Here we have the Herald and the DomPost for crying out loud.
The only decent paper in Australasia in The Australian. You don’t have to like Rupert Murdoch but he is just about the last of the great Press Barons who believed in printing the news properly that we have left.
Here endeth the rant for the day.
As for RNZ being biased? Yes I do. We will simply have to agree to differ.
Alwyn, I agree with you about the range of quality reading available in the UK compared to here, but I would also have mentioned the Spectator, (and Punch, which, unfortunately, no longer exists). And Rupert Murdoch is the enemy of literacy, not its friend. He presided in the downward slide you lament, and you should know that, unless you are too young.
The headline on RNZ news this morning was “Auckland house price growth at 5 year low”. Let me show how it should have been reported:
“Auckland house prices growing at $70,000 a year; average price is now over $1 million. Prices continue to grow at three times rate of inflation.”
Someone at Radio NZ has been told how to report this issue so the government looks good.
The government’s weakest issue in the upcoming election is housing affordability (not just in Auckland) so it is trying to portray this problem as solved, which is rubbish. Nick Smith was at it yet again in his RNZ interview yesterday. Lies and more spin.
The Labour/Green bloc needs to get some clear stats out on housing affordability in its manifesto (and pledge card?) telling it as it is. In particular the fall in first time buyers and the rise in investors/multiple home owners needs to be highlighted.
The expert they interviewed on this said “first time buyers are at their lowest ever”. That should have been the headline.
And following on from the above, in the Herald today:
“House sales have made a mint in the first quarter of 2017, with $3.8 billion in profits.
But it’s not all good news, with $24 million in losses recorded by those who made a bad bet on the property market.”
Incredible numbers-profits of $3.8 billion in just 3 months, almost all non-taxable.
As with the RNZ headline above, the article contains lots of spin, concentrating on the losses made by very few people, losses which are miniscule compared with the profits-$24m versus $3800m.
It’s here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11885935
The article does not comment on the profit split between home owners and between investors.
And nobody (except me it seems) thinks ALL housing stock should be taxed upon sale.
Gee, the Nats dont want to tax property gains, and Labour seem to think that the “personal residence” should be exempt. But where is the financial responsibility or tax fairness in that?
Why should a person who lives in say Dunedin, have little to no capital gains – probably under $100,000 in this decade, and thats tax free, when an Auckland home owner may have a $500,000 tax free profit.
And lets not discuss the poor buggers who dont own a house so have no chance to make a tax free gain.
You are going to have a real problem on about the 5th of September.
They will be reporting, absolutely accurately, that the rate of house price increases in Auckland for the 12 months ending August 2017 was ZERO.
True, that is what they will be reporting. The Labour Party are going to have trouble with that don’t you think?
Your numbers, like theirs, are simply out of date. They don’t reflect the reality of today. Sorry about that.
@Alwyn One wonders why you don’t leave out the snide comments like “sorry about that” and simply argue your case. Maybe it is because you know you are on the wrong side of the argument given that the Gnats have failed catastrophically on housing policy.
But you are right that, unless the Labour/Green bloc can win the debate in the media on this issue, it will not be the definitive issue it should be at the election. The fact that houses in Akl are now more than a million a pop and first-time buyers are at an all time low is the issue. If the Labour/Green bloc is smart they will highlight the latter especially.
Under this government over the last 9 years it has become impossible for young people to afford to buy a house; there must be votes in this.
Prices staying where they are is no solution, Alwyn. Too late for that – a significant drop is needed. Not something you will find palatable I suspect, and I can almost hear you screaming already about whether I want to destroy innocent people’s wealth by collapsing property values.
Something’s wrong with this picture
Mad Butcher fundraising $15,000 for unpaid staff
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2017/07/mad-butcher-fundraising-15-000-for-unpaid-staff.html
We also had Mondelez announcing earlier this year it would stop manufacturing Cadbury products in Dunedin in March 2018, with the loss of 350 jobs.
Apropos the article about Mike Hosking and bus lanes.
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2017/07/05/hoskings-idiotic-bus-lane-rant/
How about having “busless, trainless days” in Auckland a la the old carless days, just for an experiment? It would be fun to see what happens. Do it for a week even.
Thing is, Hosking would make sure that on those he won’t go to work or the week he’ll go to Hawaii on holiday.
“We don’t like public transport, we like cars and cars need roads,” he says. We didn’t need this latest rant to have us think he’s a self-centred, short-sighted, up-himself cretin. Having him say that though is a nice little reminder.
“Self-centred, short sighted, up-himself cretin”. That describes most of the right wingers I know. The rest of them are women!
Are you suggesting that women cannot be cretins, or that the rest of women are?
I think a woman can’t be “up himself”. She’d have to be up herself.
Ugly ugly ugly ugly
https://thespinoff.co.nz/auckland/05-07-2017/when-rugby-brings-out-the-worst/
Currency-issuing governments can keystroke their outstanding debt into oblivion
Which is basically what I and many other have been saying for quite some time.
A government that issues it’s own money never has to go into debt even when running a deficit. Done properly it could even get rid of the so-called Business Cycle and fully develop the economy while eliminating the need for exports and imports.
Has anyone seen Win The Future?
https://winthefuture.com/set-agenda
They are seeking to change Democratic Party policy with crowdsourcing.
On the other hand the founders of the effort are Silicon Valley billionaires.
I would love to see The Standard evolve into something similar though.
Italian Police have just raided an apartment for drugs, so they get the perfect headline:
“Vatican Rocked: Police raid drug-fuelled gay orgy at cardinal’s apartment”.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11886097
Historic sex crimes have already got Cardinal Pell.
Hopefully the Police get to go through the whole of the Cardinals.
A further excellent opportunity for the current Pope to not merely sound good, but to clean house and act.
http://politik.co.nz/en/content/politics/1133/?ct=t(POLITIKToday_07_10_2016_10_6_2016)&mc_cid=2b2600b050&mc_eid=6dd3d7f03f
Two times labour candidate leave Labour and Joins National.
Apparently he is well respected in his local community and his move is indicative of a lot of feeling in the Kiwi Indian community.
Time will tell – but cannot see this as be bad for National in the slightest.
I wonder if Labours anti immigration campaign will come back to bite them?
Candidate swaps parties after low list ranking, justifies low list ranking. Gives law and order as reason.
James tries to blame immigration policy. [Slow clap]
So you are saying you believe he jumped to Nation just because of his low list ranking?
No, although his political affinity with the nats certainly justifies the low placing.
I wouldn’t be surprised if his placing contributed significantly to his decision, though.
Definitely contributed. Leaving Labour happened just after he lost the nomination for Papaura to an excellent young candidate of Indian ethnicity and received either a low list placing or no list placing.
So for a second election campaign in a row, National are buying the loyalties of disaffected self-appointed ‘leaders’ of ‘communities’ to turn them from Labour and we’re supposed to take that as a sign of a shift in attitudes within that ‘community’?
I mean, call me cynical, but my general impression of these people is that they usually aren’t ‘leaders’ at all – except in the eyes of gullible white people trying to buy the votes of said ‘community’ from above instead of winning them from below with good policy and solid face-to-face connections. Are we all really so racist that we think everyone with dark skin is part of a ‘community’ which has ‘leaders’ who are able to tell them how to vote? That doesn’t bode well for democracy if true!
I guess given that us white folks tend not to have ‘communities’ with ‘leaders’ who can influence their votes, maybe we’re gullible or racist enough to think that everyone else is a sheep with a shepherd, and if you win over that shepherd he’ll deliver you his flock at the polling booth. But me, I have my doubts.
Ah well, let National spend their money being rainmade by wannabe mandarins. It says all you need about them and their attitude to democratic tradition.
“So for a second election campaign in a row, National are buying the loyalties of disaffected self-appointed ‘leaders’ of ‘communities’ to turn them from Labour and we’re supposed to take that as a sign of a shift in attitudes within that ‘community’?”
Or it could be that people are giving up on Labour – as would be evidenced by their very low poll ratings (and Littles as preferred PM).
“I mean, call me cynical, but my general impression of these people is that they usually aren’t ‘leaders’ at all – except in the eyes of gullible white people trying to buy the votes of said ‘community’ ”
Yet Labour were happy to have him stand for them…. twice. Perhaps he actually is a leader in that community?
“Are we all really so racist that we think everyone with dark skin is part of a ‘community’ which has ‘leaders’ who are able to tell them how to vote?”
Its not racist – there are may leaders in the the community that indicate to their community about where they see the most benefit to their community. Ratana Church for example.
Where did he stand for Labour? The seat where he stood or the placing he had on their list will tell all.
Ratana Church isn’t comparable to individuals, it’s an institution with a unique place in NZ culture. I doubt there’s much at all you could compare it to.
Pakaranga, just once, in 2011, it’s Maurice Williamson seat
The following election he decided to only opt for the list, and the candidate that Labour stood in same electorate received around 700 more votes than the prior year when Kaushal stood….
Then bums out when he gets a low list ranking for this election llolz, throws a wobbly and jumps ship.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakuranga_(New_Zealand_electorate)
Says the outgoing government are listening to his concerns re the massive number of dairy robberies. And it’s probably all they are doing.. listening.
Maybe he has forgotten how much the price of tobacco has increased since national took office, and the flow on effects re robberies etc etc.
Will he be standing for Pakuranga or just this list with national?
Why are National waiting so long to release their list? Are they short on players?
Hahah I had his number right off then. Thanks for confirming! Knew this didn’t pass the sniff test, especially when it broke via Politik.
So he was upset at Labour’s inaction re Law and Order. Those pesky Labour fellows should have set up a team of special police to bounce the thieves the instant a complaint came in.
What’s that? You mean the National Party is the Government with the power to do something to appease the shop owners. And this candidate has joined the National Party to get action???
That is ridiculous! Have they promised him a high ranking then?
If Labour are losing the central Auckland Indian vote they are in very serious trouble. Indian subcontinent voters have been incredibly loyal to this point.
Sunny will take a lot of votes out of Mt Roskill, New Windsor, Avondale, Sandringham, and New Lynn.
“they are in very serious trouble”
They poll in the mid to high 20%’s – they are already in serious trouble – anymore drops it could well be terminal.
Really? Shail Kaushal is a hardworking Labour member of the Puketapapa Local board and is on Michael Wood’s campaign team. Michael Wood and Jacinda Aden did really well in recent by-elections. I certainly don’t belive Sunny played a significant role in their wins. Sunny missed out on the Papaura selection to Jesse Pabla a young New Zealand born candidate of Indian ethnicity. Baljit Kauri is standing for Hunua. Priyanca Radhakrishnan is standing for Maungakieie and has a high place on the list. All these candidates of Indian ethnicity have strong Labour values.I think Labour is renewing itself with good strong Labour values. It must have been galling for Sunny to realise their is really no place in the party for an old right wing careerist like himself. He is an excellent fit for National.
They still won’t get to keep shotties under the counter jimbo.