Open mike 05/09/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 5th, 2015 - 58 comments
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For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

58 comments on “Open mike 05/09/2015 ”

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  1. sabine 1
    5 September 2015 at 6:58 am

    I am right and you are wrong.

    a good clip from danmark on the state of journalism.
    don’t worries, there are subtitles.

    Fearmongering is replacing journalism, and this man does not stand for it.

    https://www.facebook.com/gapminder.org/videos/1060574540644170/?fref=nf

    • ianmac 1.1
      5 September 2015 at 8:57 am

      Take that Mr Media! And our media leads the news with all the crime and tragedies. Effect?

      • ankerawshark 1.1.1
        5 September 2015 at 11:31 am

        Or bias items as on TV One last night when they reported the protest at parliament about responding and increasing the refugee quota. Completely ommitted the point the protesters were making that John Key’s mother was a refugee fleeing Nazi
        Germany, but despite this he is so so callous he can’t offer the same opportunity to others in a terrible plight. Its a shame TV NZ didn’t mention that because I think this sums JK up perfectly.

        • Anne 1.1.1.1
          5 September 2015 at 4:17 pm

          They are all avoiding mention of that fact ankerawshark because it shows their beloved John Key in a very bad light!

  2. save NZ 2
    5 September 2015 at 7:24 am

    Chinese eye $100m chunk of Silver Fern

    Ownership of at least 30 to 40 per cent of New Zealand’s biggest meat processor, Silver Fern Farms, looks set to pass to Chinese interests in a $100-million deal, say sources.

    They said an announcement was due next week, possibly as soon as Monday.

    Silver Fern last year enlisted the services of Goldman Sachs to advise on its options as it looked at raising $100 million to retire debt.

    The company, which is a “hybrid” cooperative owned by farmers and outside shareholders, has been holding meetings with farmers on the condition that they sign confidentiality agreements.

    The company has already made big inroads into its debt.

    “They [Silver Fern] are going to be as strong as any other company in the industry, so why put the ownership of the company at risk?” said Richardson. “That discussion [with Alliance] needed to take place – unfortunately it has not.”

    Richardson said the transaction would have ramifications for Alliance and all the other meat companies.

    Silver Fern and Invercargill’s Alliance Group are together responsible for processing just over half New Zealand’s meat production.

    • Weepus beard 2.1
      5 September 2015 at 7:44 am

      Silver Fern owned by the Chinese, eh?

      How ironic that we are about to have our flag changed for us to a Silver Fern. What a sharp illustration of today’s New Keyland.

      • save NZ 2.1.1
        5 September 2015 at 7:53 am

        The National government should change our silver fern to red.

        Personally whether it is the Chinese, Koreans, Australians, Canadians or whoever, Kiwis are fast becoming tenants and future serfs of our own country by selling off cheaply our land and businesses.

        Because of low wages, poor financial management of executives, cronyism within those executives, Government strategic direction of privatisation, Kiwis are unable to compete with the vast wealth of overseas buyers.

        Like the 1980’s which most Kiwis know was a big mistake and a few individuals got extremely rich while the country got poorer, this is even worse times.

        Now they are also hell bent on destroying the heart of rural NZ, farms and exports.

        Under TPPA and associated agreements the public sector.

        • miravox 2.1.1.1
          5 September 2015 at 8:15 am

          It’s all right. The Prime Minister has got your back…

          Prime Minister John Key says he doesn’t want New Zealanders to become tenants in their own country as foreign companies seek to buy up farms, and the Government may look at law changes.

          …. oops that was 2010 He’s managed to sort his ethical hiccup since then.

        • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1.2
          5 September 2015 at 8:56 am

          Personally whether it is the Chinese, Koreans, Australians, Canadians or whoever, Kiwis are fast becoming tenants and future serfs of our own country by selling off cheaply our land and businesses.

          And John Key’s here to help facilitate that. It’s the inevitable end result of capitalism.

          Like the 1980’s which most Kiwis know was a big mistake and a few individuals got extremely rich while the country got poorer, this is even worse times.

          IMO, a lot of us who lived through those times recognise that Nationals policies are a continuation of the 1980s. Even the 5th Labour government was. And, yeah, we’re becoming worse off because of it.

  3. Draco T Bastard 3
    5 September 2015 at 9:02 am

    The essence of creativity

    Creative people are also usually working in a field they love. They are generally more motivated by a love of what they do, rather than money.

    Which is, IMO, how uncreative people become rich while the creative people remain poor. The rich exploit other peoples desire to do and be creative to increase their own wealth while themselves not anything of any real value.

    • Pasupial 3.1
      5 September 2015 at 9:39 am

      DtB

      I keep getting a; cannot find BBC server, message when I try the above link (actually, even when I google BBC too).

      But yeah, I have to agree with your conclusion – particularly within the music industry. That said, some rich people got that way by being very creative with their accounting and use of tax-havens.

      • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1
        5 September 2015 at 10:19 am

        I keep getting a; cannot find BBC server, message when I try the above link (actually, even when I google BBC too).

        Weird, works for me.

        Try This one which appears to be the shortest version that I can get working.

  4. North 4
    5 September 2015 at 9:18 am

    NZ the turn of the century – the visible grandees of the National Party IMPORTED the foreign bankster The Ponce Key for THE PURPOSE of winning and retaining POWER.

    Not missing a bankster beat The Ponce Key set about THE PURPOSE under the seductive cover of “Key Aura….fancy a beer ?”

    NZ 15 years on – THE PURPOSE well achieved dues are to be paid.

    NZ now – EXPORTED.

  5. greywarshark 5
    5 September 2015 at 9:33 am

    Ants – something we will have to develop defences against. I did some looking up on Argentinian ants and anteaters. I was wondering if they would be useful in control of these ants. What is the anteaters preference?
    http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/thoughtful-animal/how-anteaters-decide-what-to-eat/
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzVpQX9r25g

    I have found that there is another ant the Stinging Needle Ant that is worse than Argentinian ants and is taking over their territory. It also eats other ants and stings people. The USA haven’t done a good job of keeping track of this invader, long in the country, and in the recent decade it has exploded in numbers. People haven’t known anything about them till recently.

    http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/11/16928308-stinging-needle-ants-overtaking-invasive-argentines-in-us
    This 2013 report gives details. We have in Nelson Argentinian ants and they are very hard to control. They probably are most likely to come in through ports. We need to be looking out for these other blighters. Because they will blight our lives when they come.

    Then there is the ‘crazy ant’ named in the USA the Tawny Crazy Ant. That has overtaken the fire ant in some places. They will also overtake the Argentinian ant. The list of incursions of ants from the south into the USA is sobering. We have to be aware of the power of ants and ways of controlling and managing them when they come to our shores and climate change gives them breeding boosts.
    http://news.utexas.edu/2013/05/16/invasive-crazy-ants-are-displacing-fire-ants-researchers-find

    The Tawny crazy ant invasion is the most recent in a series of ant invasions from South America brought on by human movement. The Argentine ant invaded through the port of New Orleans in about 1891. In 1918 the black imported fire ant showed up in Mobile, Ala. Then in the 1930s, the red imported fire ant arrived in the U.S. and began displacing the black fire ant and the Argentine ants…

    LeBrun said crazy ants are much harder to control than fire ants. They don’t consume most of the poison baits that kill fire ant mounds, and they don’t have the same kinds of colony boundaries that fire ants do. That means that even if they’re killed in a certain area, the supercolony survives and can swarm back over the area.
    “They don’t sting like fire ants do, but aside from that they are much bigger pests,” he said. “There are videos on YouTube of people sweeping out dustpans full of these ants from their bathroom. You have to call pest control operators every three or four months just to keep the infestation under control. It’s very expensive.”

  7. greywarshark 7
    5 September 2015 at 10:10 am

    There is something called Time Banking that an interviewee is discussing with Kim Hill that sounds interesting and would be worth a listen but I have to do things while there is some sun outside. So will catch up on it later and here’s the link for others curious and interested.

    Radionz
    9.35 Edgar Cahn: time banking
    Professor Edgar S. Cahn was former counsel and speech writer to Robert F. Kennedy, and is a legal professor at the University of the District of Columbia. He is best known as the originator of time banking, a way to value the contributions that people make to rebuilding community and to ‘co-producing’ public services. He spoke on 3 September in Christchurch as a guest of the Lyttelton Harbour TimeBank, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary.

    Audio not yet up.

    • weka 7.1
      5 September 2015 at 11:05 am

      Lyttelton is one of the first timebanks in NZ. The key thing about timebanks that’s different from alternative money systems is that everyone’s skills and time are valued equally. The unit of exchange is time (usually an hour, but can be broken down into smaller blocks), and a lawyers time is worth exactly the same as a gardeners, 1 hour = 1 hour.

      You don’t swap directly, but instead pay into or withdraw from bank accounts. If I do an hours gardening for you, then you pay 1 hour from your account into mine. If you then do 3 hours lawyering for someone else, you pay 3 hours into their account. Simple and sweet.

      Lyttelton Timebank http://www.lyttelton.net.nz/timebank

      If we lived in a sane society, timebanking would have been set up decades ago in response to rising unemployment rates.

      • greywarshark 7.1.1
        5 September 2015 at 12:12 pm

        Thanks weka
        Timebanking. This is the link for Radionz time bank interview
        http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201769465

        It sounds like Green $ which I have been involved in. I found that had certain problems so time banking might be more straightforward. It is as you say a needed practice. I want to see volunteer work of an agreed type to be regarded as equivalent to some paid work. Labour has done this in the past. That can then apply to young people, and also those below retirement age, which shouldn’t be raised by the way! It would take pressure off the young and allow more flexibility in their lives and training, and work experience.

        I hope too that soon governments will require all able retired, and even some of the differently-abled to do a few hours at least, working for the community in some capacity agreed with the government. I am sure that retired people are going to have to advocate for themselves as the pension cost (superannuation) gets more expensive and we use more of the health budget. We can put work into the community that provides us with most or all of our living expenses, and feel justified in saying we are contributing to society, not just expensive dependents, sighed about by economists as an unsustainable burden. Which is what is happening! And the present approach is truly unsustainable.

        The answer to retirement living costs will never be that to solve it people need to save for their retirement. You cannot save enough to enable yourself to live for a third of your life on your investments. And savings in investments can be lost completely when companies go down, fraudsters use your money for risk-taking, high-living etc. It is inevitable that a lot of money sitting unused and meant to be accumulating, will tempt people in our present money-mad society with lack of morals. Having money today is all that many people aim for, all they respect, being a person of integrity doesn’t stack up.

        How can we retired justify ourselves being kept on what is an extended holiday, for as much as a third of our life. We are getting to be like the cuckoos who lay their eggs mainly in greywarblers nests. (A fascinating study of how this practice has evolved and carried out on Radionz recently.)

        Superannuation (old age pension) expense is measured and it is rising. It is argued that sentimentality towards older people should ensure it is maintained, as sweet gratitude for all we have done in society before retirement. That’s very sentimental, not appropriate on being deserving because our pension system doesn’t discriminate as to past behaviour and morals but is universal, and it is unrealistic. Gratitude is nice but actual money and services for living are needed.

        I can’t understand how mature people can continue to set themselves up as exceptional to be recipients of benefits, but ignore the plight of the young. We hear the statistics about growing numbers, and constantly more reaching 100, though the risk of alzheimers gets very high after 80, yet the response is to just to give donations to the alzheimer trust.

        Even with a system of required volunteer work, there will be a huge cost, but the value of the work may be such that the economy can bear the cost and thrive. But there needs to be urgent action. The tide of refugees overseas is overwhelming the systems requiring thought and action. There is a tide of retired people coming through and our pollies are trying to surf on the tops of the political morass just keeping their balance and distance from dealing with the reality waiting underneath.

    • Ant 7.2
      5 September 2015 at 5:51 pm

      As a member of the Hurunui TimeBank for several years I offered surfing lessons, bread baking, scissors and knife sharpening. In turn I had sewing done, gardening, and take-away meals.

      Great for retirees in a community. They have many skills and time available for trading across all groups.

    • The Chairman 8.1
      6 September 2015 at 12:15 am

      Get it right, Joe90

      I didn’t promote or support anti choice terrorists.

      I highlighted publicly available information countering certain comments made.

      Abby Johnson is not a terrorist and the CMP is not a terrorist organization.

      Therefore, I expect you to withdraw your slanderous comment and apologize forthwith.

      Moderators take note.

  9. Michael Nolan 9
    5 September 2015 at 12:22 pm

    Not sure if this has ever been discussed here before, but wouldn’t it be great if there was an ability to like/dislike, or rate comments on The Standard? Some people make incredible individual contributions in the comments section. Sometimes it feels like it would be great to be able to give those comments a ‘like’.

    • r0b 9.1
      5 September 2015 at 12:53 pm

      +1

      There is an ad hoc system of “+1” replies like the above. I’m not a big fan of them myself (above is only an example) – but it can be done.

      • Draco T Bastard 9.1.1
        5 September 2015 at 1:13 pm

        The +1 does have the advantage over the likes/dislikes in that it can actually draw peoples attention to the comment through the latest comment list on the right and as a space on the page while scrolling down.

    • Draco T Bastard 9.2
      5 September 2015 at 1:10 pm

      They’ve been tried a couple of times in the history of The Standard.

    • lprent 9.3
      5 September 2015 at 1:16 pm

      When I last tried it about 5 years ago my conclusion was that led to way too much into in-crowd bullying practices. People routinely voted up the people that they liked and down the people that they didn’t like, without bothering too much about the value of the arguments. That violated our policy of promoting “robust debate”.

      I suspect that the best approach would be to only allow a very limited number of approvals ONLY. Say 10 per week. Then at least it’d make people think before granting vote up.

      However we run this site without any requirement to login at all and for people to be able to have multiple handles over time (if and only if they don’t abuse or game the process). The reason for allowing completely open access to writing comments is to both allow people to reinvent themselves (an important part of growing up in net cultures), and to drop as many barriers to entry as possible – as in we don’t even require a valid email – we just demand that the handle + ’email’ secret combination are unique.

      The barriers are all at the behavioural side. If you behave badly then you get that very unsubtle and often highly educational net exit…

      So what would we limit the votes against? A probably fictional email address? A dynamically changing IP address? What about the people who don’t comment at all, but who’d probably like to vote on comments?

      There is a further consideration – which is site efficiency. Obviously you don’t want people to do more than one tick per comment. That means that you have to store details about whoever has already done a tick as a record per person, and to keep track of the number of ticks. That is hugely expensive because it means that each page of comments now either has to be unique to each user by embedding information in page about what comments that they have done, or by each tick requiring a backend lookup via jquery or the like. Either way requires extra SQL and CPU loadings.

      Plus I haven’t seen a plugin package that actually does these things all that efficiently. The two packages I have used in the past caused about a 15-25% increase in site load.

      So now with all of the costs involved – does the return to the *site* outweigh those penalties? Or could those costs be used for something more productive?

      • Michael Nolan 9.3.1
        5 September 2015 at 1:52 pm

        Fair enough. Thanks for the details response LPrent. I didn’t realise the effort or costs involved. +1’s it is 🙂

      • Anne 9.3.2
        5 September 2015 at 4:23 pm

        When I last tried it about 5 years ago my conclusion was that led to way too much into in-crowd bullying practices. People routinely voted up the people that they liked and down the people that they didn’t like, without bothering too much about the value of the arguments.

        Fully agree. Open to pack bullying in my view and could put new ‘commenters’ off from joining in the conversations.

      • maui 9.3.3
        5 September 2015 at 6:53 pm

        I have to say the way commenting has been made easy and streamlined on this site must be in large part why it’s the site is a success. If it wasn’t so good I think it would also reduce the amount of rwingers commenting on here aswell. I often struggle reading through the posts that get 300+ comments! So it must be working.

    • Muttonbird 9.4
      5 September 2015 at 1:54 pm

      Pictures might liven the place up a bit too.

  11. freedom 11
    5 September 2015 at 1:36 pm

    The names of prominent people could be used more often– http://thestandard.org.nz/red-peak/#comment-1067158

    They really could couldn’t they greywarshark!

    The Acme Corporation, in association with Stand Your Ground Funeral Services and The Spike Milligan Appreciation Society
    are proud to present this user friendly (& open to contributions)
    KIWI’S GUIDE TO THE REALTY OF NEW KEYLAND
    -indexed in alphabetical order

    Ardern Road
    – Plenty of clear and open outlooks, because seeing where you are, matters

    Bennet Grove
    The access road is restricted: pre-approved vendors only. Also has a dank run off from the nearby glue factory

    Brownlee Esplanade
    – A parallel circuit route with impressive dual carriageway options, and multiple off ramps each of which exit onto side-streets leading away from any practical destination

    Campbell Bay
    –The sun seems brighter here, or is it the absence of dark windows?

    Coleman Crescent
    – Yes the consents are lovely! But where are the houses?

    Eade Lake
    – Home of the National Masonry Block Emporium and produces vast quantities of Never-Float Sacking

    English Avenue
    – The QS never quite made sense but they went ahead anyway

    Groser Acres
    – All the Malls you could ever want, but residents are unable to purchase local produce due to TPPA ISDS Resolution NZP#8-2-a/sff>nz/-neg. Government seem reluctant to intervene

    Henry Place
    – Oddly reminiscent of a vaudeville promenade

    Hooton Lane
    – Where the poplars are trained to hide the sun

    Hosking’s Court
    – A gated paradise with GE Peacocks that shift tone with the weather

    Little Street
    – Sure, things get rowdy now and again, but when you need a hand they’ll offer two

    Peter’s Point
    –     The squirrelly tracks often require 3 point turns but it beats buying a monorail

    Steven Joyce Square
    – *warning* You will be assimilated

    The John Key Memorial Boulevard –
    3rd lane on the left in the staff car park at BOA Headquarters

    Turei Heights
    – Precipice defying earth works with foundations set deep into stable bedrock

    Seymour Bridge
    – A low weight but nonetheless essential private carriageway *No heavy traffic!*

    Slater Alley
    –     Much publicised expansion of all services appears to have been suspended

    Tolley Terrace
    – For some reason the street signs are stamped by Serco

    Watkins Way
    For Sale signs are proudly displayed on all property

    • freedom 11.1
      7 September 2015 at 12:35 pm

      EDIT NOTE:

      “Coleman Crescent” is obviously meant to be “Smith Crescent”
      and there are a couple of blatant issues with the ‘indexed alphabetically’ aspect.
      – I was unable to edit over the weekend due to technical issues and did send an email requesting assistance … but such is life eh!

      Won’t be around for awhile. Be excellent to each other Standardista’s

  12. Barbara 12
    5 September 2015 at 1:59 pm

    Re the flag – I cannot believe this, my partner gets the magazine “Air Force News” and the latest features an article entitled “Royal Appointment for the RNZAF.”

    “Her Majesty 11 has approved the appointment of Prince Charles to three honorary positions in the NZDF, the Government has announced”. It then proceeds to say they are Marshal of the RNZAF, Admiral of the Fleet of the RNZN and Field Marshal, NZ Army.

    Just when Key is trying to get rid of the Union Flag on our NZ Flag these appointments have been okayed. John Key then goes on to say “These appointments recognise the consistent and strong support Prince Charles has maintained for the New Zealand Defence Force”.

    Well, he certainly wants a bob both ways – lovely jubbly when the Birthday honours and knighthoods come around, especially for him one day and dinners and holidays with the Queen. It reeks of hypocrisy – I wonder if he has even approached the Queen about removing the Union Flag from the NZ flag and surely the Governor General would have been the correct person to make this announcement and not the Government?

    Has anyone seen anything about this in MSM – or has it been put on the back burner for the time being because of the flag furore – wouldn’t surprise me one little bit.

    • Draco T Bastard 12.1
      5 September 2015 at 2:24 pm

      Key, like all National supporters, is an outright authoritarian and thus fully supports the monarchy. In fact, I doubt if he can even image a different system than a top down dictatorial model. This is why Canterbury lost their democracy in ECan, why National comes out with the BS of having a mandate whenever they’re called on their decisions which most people oppose and why this government will do nothing to advance us to becoming a republic (in fact they’ve done the exact opposite in their re-establishment of the Queens Honours and now this ‘recognition’ of Prince Charles).

    • GregJ 12.2
      5 September 2015 at 11:44 pm

      Winston Peter’s pointed it out a few days ago (and Key’s fondness for all things monarchial even if he wants to remove the Union Jack from the NZ flag).

      It was officially announced but probably disappeared in among other news. The Prince of Wales is visiting NZ in November.

      The Queen appointed him to 5-star ranks in all of the UK Armed Forces in 2012 so I imagine he will receive similar appointments in other Commonwealth countries as he visits them. Prince Philip holds the same NZ ranks (Admiral of the Fleet of the RNZN in 1958, the other 2 in 1977 during the Silver Jubilee Year).

      • GregJ 12.2.1
        5 September 2015 at 11:50 pm

        As an aside Queen Elizabeth II will pass Queen Victoria as the UK’s longest reigning monarch on 9th/10th September.

        Expect Gun Salutes and probably more Key sycophancy! 👿

  13. Draco T Bastard 13
    5 September 2015 at 2:17 pm

    Something for the home handyman to build:

    A drone enthusiast has built a home-made helicopter from the parts of 54 unmanned aerial vehicles and posted footage of his test flight online.

    YouTube user gasturbine101 has invented a flyable personal helicopter he calls The Swarm Manned Aerial Vehicle Multirotor Super Drone.

    The Swarm features a garden chair on a sleigh-like frame with an umbrella over the head of the pilot for protection.

    His control seems – rudimentary at best.

    • greywarshark 13.1
      5 September 2015 at 2:59 pm

      Well built for backyard drone.

      I wonder what airspace does one own above one’s own property? Can one shoot down drones or disable them, collect them and claim them as one’s personal property and then build one’s interesting transporter from the parts.

      Didn’t someone turn their pressure hose on one recently. Personally I have little enough private space from my neighbours and passers-by, I would be very aggrieved to have some nosy noisy passing over my property.

      K Rowling wrote about flies on the wall recording information for the right-wing authorities. That was one scary outfit, and perhaps with methods not too far distant from our own, in the near future.

    • Bill 13.2
      6 September 2015 at 12:04 am

      Love how he appears to be doing his test flight in slippers and ankle socks. 🙂

      Don’t quite get the camera guy shouting “Paul! Paul! Be careful!” Bollocks to that….GO FOR IT PAUL! GO, GO, GO! (Maybe just as well I wasn’t there?)

  14. Tautoko Mangō Mata 14
    5 September 2015 at 4:08 pm

    TPPA and copyright issues.
    “More Experts Realizing That The TPP Is A Horrible And Dangerous Deal On Copyright”
    ….
    He (David Post) focuses on the issue of orphan works, which are works where the owner can’t be found. As we’ve discussed in the past, the entire “problem” of orphan works is really a problem created by the automatic application of copyright, rather than requiring registration (“formalities.”) By automatically having copyright cover everything, there is no way to easily track down many copyright holders for the purpose of licensing. The Copyright Office has been struggling for years on how to deal with this issue (never apparently willing to explore the issue of returning to a registration requirement). However, as we noted earlier this year, under the current draft of the TPP, the Copyright Office’s own proposal on orphan works would not be allowed.

    Post digs deeper on that issue, and highlights why the TPP would kill any realistic reform to deal with orphan works:……
    https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150903/17071532162/more-experts-realizing-that-tpp-is-horrible-dangerous-deal-copyright.shtml

  15. swordfish 15
    5 September 2015 at 4:37 pm

    New Opinium Poll suggests Corbyn has increased his lead over Burnham among both Labour voters and the wider UK Electorate.
    http://ourinsight.opinium.co.uk/survey-results/momentum-corbyn

    From an 8 point lead (mid-Aug) to a 12 point lead (late-Aug) among Labour supporters.

    And from a 5 point lead to an 8 point lead among British voters as a whole.

  16. Brendan 16
    5 September 2015 at 5:40 pm

    I’ve penned an editorial to try make sense of this week’s bizarre political circus. I’ve even coined new terminology: The Rugby-Industrial Complex. This week has really been the angry cynical culmination of my hatred of this stupid third-term National government.

    Check it out: http://potentialhumanist.blogspot.co.nz/2015/09/refugees-referenda-and-rugby-industrial.html

    • Chooky 16.1
      5 September 2015 at 11:14 pm

      +100..good read…for some reason I keep thinking Black Shirts

    • Clemgeopin 16.2
      5 September 2015 at 11:23 pm

      +1 Well said!

    • seeker 16.3
      6 September 2015 at 12:44 am

      “money talks and morals walk”

      Excellent description of the apparent motivators of this ghastly government Brendan
      This is what will turn us into New Keyland rather than New Zealand if we are not careful; and what a dark,unpleasant place to live that could be for us and our children! And it already is for far too many.

  17. Chooky 17
    5 September 2015 at 11:04 pm

    Everything you would rather not know about so called SMART Meters ….and why you must say NO!

    with implications for corporate control and TPPA…and stiffling of alternative sources of energy/inventions/patents

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    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

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

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

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

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

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    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 ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    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 ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    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 ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

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

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

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 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
    21 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
    21 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
    23 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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
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    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
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    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
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    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
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    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
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    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
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    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
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    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
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    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
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    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
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    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
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    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
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    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
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    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
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    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
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    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
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    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
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    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
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    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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