Worldwide phenomenon. Perhaps it is the legacy of no discipline, no civility, no respect. Someone has thought the wrong principles to the young generation. Its a stomping of feet saying if I cant get what I want, you cant have it. Meanwhile the environment, heritage and civilisation is slowly disintegrating.
Mickeysavage – this attitude displayed [deleted] here is why we have a housing crisis.
I have one question for [deleted], given this is intensification rather than spread where else are the houses we need going to be built if not in this location?
It is far too easy to oppose development while at the same time bemoaning the fact we have a housing crisis. I think people who do that (e.g. [deleted]) should be asked to identify exactly where else houses are going to be built.
This development however is in the wrong area. The Unitary Plan already allows for dramatic intensification in the area and we are already seeing it happen. This is outside the intensification zones which cover a significant part of West Auckland thanks to our high quality rail system.
This development is outside what is considered a walkable catchment for the Sunnyvale Railway Station. People will be using their cars.
There are twin ten story apartment blocks in the middle of Glen Eden that the local board and I supported. It is next to the railway station and also provides a significant number of social housing. There is also a six story apartment building being constructed right now for older adult housing that we also supported.
Insisting that there are adequate parks and schools for intensification are not some form of nimbyism.
I used to live up West Coast road, and this development is a nonsense. Those locals up in the Oratia hills are a formidable lot though, as Watercare found to it's cost in 2017, so I doubt it will go ahead in it current form.
Why is it nonsense? It is almost 250 houses that Auckland desperately needs. If you can find some other location where 250 houses or units can be built in place of this then point it out.
The nimbyism in Auckland comes from your Peers Mickey. Not hte poor. They don't care which cage the government is throwing them into so as long they get a key to that cage. Keep that in mind. IT si the rich and well heeled who are Nimby. And they are Nimby in Titirangi as much as they are in Remuera. Its the same crowd, arrogant, overfed, and generally unpleasant.
Secondly, if you plant high density housing in Plattenbau, keep in mind that Plattenbau does not age well, it holds up for about 15 years. I consider that whomever the Party will import to build this crap will build it about as good as the Russians did with their mass housing in the 60/70, same as england, and yeah, shamefull comes to mind. Oh and it does not matter if you build three levels of that shit or ten. It does not age well.
Thirdly, i hope that the overpaid goon who signs of on this will realise that if you don't provide parks, outdoor recreation, and ease bus stops, access to trains stops your party will have build an awesome slum.
But maybe that is the intent.
Build crap, as it has been done in NZ since ages ago.
Just pointing to existing apartment buildings and stating these are the sort of houses that should be built is not good enough. There are almost 250 houses that are proposed to be built. Please show me a location where 250 houses/units can be built if this development does not go ahead. I think people who oppose new housing development (especially if they are involved with local politics) should be required to do that.
Stop misinterpreting what I say Gosman. Local board and I supported the construction of the Glen Eden apartment blocks when resource consent was applied for.
I am all for affordable housing. It is crazy that we have a city where teachers and police officers and nurses, let alone cleaners and supermarket workers, can barely afford to buy a house. But the Unitary Plan attempted to design a city where intensification could occur adjacent to major public transport routes and this development is outside of where this is intended. Intensification has to be done right.
Where are the current alternatives (not previously built ones) for the 246 houses that are proposed to be built? Is there NEW land that is being made available to build these 7 story apartment blocks close to transport routes? If so can you please point me to this land that will be made available to this developer in return for not building these 246 houses in Glen Eden?
There is a lot of vacant land around the Sunnyvale Railway Station. In Glen Eden there are a number of quarter and half acre sections that are seeing multiple unit developments being applied for.
It is funny Gossie. How does it feel to suddenly be part of the urban intensification part of twitter? I thought you were a right wing market will sort it out sort of guy.
Its not only about Land Mickey, its about decent smart town planning.
so to put a new development of single family houses with the biggest footprint possible on an ex orchard ( i lived there i know the area) with no public amenities is crap, to be polite.
Now there is Henderson, Sandringham Road, Remuera Fringe, Grey Lynn Fringe, heck Ponsonby Fringe that could and should be build up for these reasons alone
a. access to train stations and bus hubs
b. access to shops and doctors and medical clinics
c. schools
and here we are to applaud a wasted opportunity to build some crap houses that will look shite in less then 15 years, and worse if for sale will be to expensive to fix (see apartment buildings in town, see leaky house syndrom, see generally fucked up builds) and can only end up in Slums.
So gossy might not be from Akl, but living in wellington would still make him a kiwi, and if he pays taxes then he like me or you is financially underwriting this boondoggle.
Btw, don't we have some really nice very large Golf courses in Auckland that we could build some really nice developments with bus stops, roads wide enough to allow Fire Trucks to get in there is a fire (something that is not a given in the Hobsonville development Lol), maybe build a nice school to accomodate all the new people living htere, and rather then build a three story house or a four story house for one family, build four story buildings that house a flat on each floor – or even two ! – on the same foot print, but with a cellar for storage, a green area with play grounds and benches, etc.
Or is that in the too hard basket. I mean labour literally only had 9 years of Key to think about such.
Just as Gosman, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Read the comments & replies and read the links in these before you start your incessant barking again.
BTW, you seem to confuse local with central government. Do you pay rates in Auckland so that you can claim barking rights here again?
i used to pay rates in Auckland for nigh on 20 years.
Now i pay rates in rotorua. I pay income tax. I pay GST. I pay any other levy the government – local or regional sends me an invoice for.
Are you paying any rates anywhere dear Incognito?
other then that i have family in West Auckland. I have family in South Auckland. Does that qualify or do you need some more vitals to establish the right to have an opinion?
I know the area Incog because i lived there and my family still lives there.
Why are you saying that the buildings will not last more than 15 years? Is it the climate, soil moister or building material? Not sure what you are eluding to.
By and large it is a good thing to have buildings near transport, I hope they will get a supermarket too. Perhaps if necessary a police station to prevent the area being infiltrated by gangs etc…
It will be people who design the vibe. It will put to the test whether some care and pride is part of that. As we see with Paris and so many large cities, the general population will make or break a place.
only allowing intensification around major public transport routes, in a city with terrible public transport routes, will lead to the next generations slums.
And if they only option for development, they are likely to be purchased by the people they aren't intended for.
Development should be allowed if the developers away from public transport routes pay for the connections normally required of the council to connect the infrastructure. That way they will naturally be of a denser nature, without robbing the needy of the "affordable" and handy public transport located intense development.
If you stopped barking for a second and read the comments & replies, you may actually have something useful to offer instead of you bleating ad nauseam about your rights to have an opinion because you pay taxes & rates, your rights to express your ‘opinion’ here on this free forum, and your lamentable objections against people who allegedly try to shut you down here.
As MS already mentioned @ 2.1:
This development is outside what is considered a walkable catchment for the Sunnyvale Railway Station. People will be using their cars. [my emphasis]
Nope you catch a bus to the station. It costs no more if in the same zone. That's what I do in South Auckland. Im sure there are plenty of buses out west as well. The trains and buses are all very frequent. Sometimes I catch another bus from the train to my destination.
Is the land in Sunnyvale at the end of Seymour road near the railway line that is available for multi-story apartments available to be purchased and built on or is it currently already occupied and any developer will have to buy the existing properties and demolish houses before they start building?
No but you should make it easy to develop houses rather than just be a handbrake. Even your comments around the two 10 story building built right next to the railway line is indicative of the anti-development mindset of the local board. There were comments about the make up of the number of one bedroom apartments (what business is this of the board anyway?), the height, traffic issues, AND you wanted development slowed down by allowing local people have input by it being notified. Do you not realise that is a major factor why we aren't building enough housing?
It is the local board job to comment on proposals. And I always recommend notification. I think people should be allowed to find out what is happening in their communities.
Do you acknowledge that we are in a housing affordability crisis and that a major factor in that is the amount of time it takes for developments to get off the ground?
If you do, then you also have to acknowledge requesting developments should be notified is going to contribute to this slowness. If you are happy to be one of the causes of the problem then keep pushing for developments to jump through more planning approval than they have to.
Gee gossie I am really pleased that you have become a die hard leftie and are concerned about homelessness. Given your comments over the years I must admit that I am surprised.
nope, people have a right to point out if a planned development may not suit the site.
I lived on Strid Road in AKL and some geezer proposed a development of 110 dwellings on two half acre sections bordering a park.
110 dwellings = 220 cars (and i am lowballing), that is 220 cars that try to get onto a road that already is congested, no bus stop near by no train stop.
make that dwellings rather then houses/flats or homes, and you call for trouble. this is how do gooders with no idea fuck up whole areas and turn them into gigantic slums.
So yes, the lady has a reason to speak up. Between National and Labour the country has had nothing but horsemanure on the dinner plan when it comes to housing. Both parties are fucking useless at building anything then their own financial wellbeing.
You can build high density, but a good place to start would be around train stations, bus hubs and the likes. there are a whole heep of people in akl that don't have cars, are good with public transport and they also don't insist in gardens. But rather then building decent sized Apartment blocks with cellars for storage and balconies, we build dwellings that will look shit within 10 years.
Yeah you can always build higher density so long as it is somewhere you are not eh? Please provide the exact locations where people can build the same number of housing units that people are trying to stop being built?
There is a golden nugget at the end of this article on rent freezes.
But rental advocates argued there was still no limit on the size of an increase – only the requirement that it not exceed market rent, defined as the average rent for a similar house in the same area. And while tenants could apply to the Tenancy Tribunal to have rent reduced, the onus was on them to prove increases exceeded market rent.
Rogers wanted the law flipped, forcing landlords to justify a rent increase ahead of time, rather than tenants having to challenge an increase after the fact.
Eaqub agreed this might go some way to correcting an existing power imbalance.
But “as a tenant, are you really going to challenge a rent increase? The answer is no”.
There must be some way to make this feasible.
Another thing – has anyone modeled how average market rent is achieved? As long as people can’t move out of the rental market the rents would continue to spiral upwards because the majority of landlords keep pushing them up so the “average” is more indicating a driver of the market, no other value if that makes sense. Perhaps what is needed is a different method of establishing average market rent, eg demographics/wages of the area.
“The Market” will never build enough 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom houses needed to fix the housing crisis. There is not enough profit in a basic house and wage workers can’t afford McMansions. Government intervention is needed, bring back the Ministry of Works and bring in teams of Chinese builders!
good comment nic. leaving it to builders and developers gives us mcmansions, as there is waaaay more profit in a mcmansion than a small two bedroom house. dont know about the teams of chinese builders though. they are masters at not following plans correctly to save on time and materials(plenty of new builds fall over in china because of shonky workmanship.)I had brief involvement with builder checking and fixing new houses in waikato, that had been built by team of chinese builders. put in roof insulation, get council to inspect and sign off,then take insulation out and put into next house! unbelievable! wouldnt have believed it if I hadnt seen it myself.
You actually saw workers remove all the ceiling insulation from one house and place it in another? That's one hell of a lot of work for little gain.
Sounds like the urban myth of contractors removing concrete floor steel reinforcing and placing it in the next build. Which of course is ludicrous. Anyone who has ever placed rebar steel for a concrete floor will know this.
Haha same happens with structural steel… get it inspected prior to the pour then lift it out and replace with half the amount…
This sort of stuff will get worse with a 15% jump in basic materials costs ie timber and steel about to hit.
Inflationary pressure is now building. Nearly every supplier I use has sent out letters flagging increases of 5 to 15 percent in the last 2‐3 months we're about to do the same.
Once inflation creeps up the Reserve bank will be forced to lift interest rates, the banks will follow and the increased costs on what are now very large mortgages will suck alot of discretionary spending out of the economy… thats when the rubber will really hit the road.
. And if no one can afford the houses the market builds, the government will pay the rents via the accomodation benefits, or does it did two weeks ago increases a government hand out to those that want to buy an affordable 700.000 dollar house.
Nic – Exactly, well said. They haven't cut corners to fit profit margins and produced leaky homes. Roads that were build under MOF are still being used with no major issues. And look at the Kapiti motorway. The waste water system that was build has lasted 100 years but alas the profit takers just let it rot. WCC deferred maintenance to put a plib lib sign on the hill to greet Airplane passengers with "Windy Wellington". The way Wellington is governed just makes my blood boil.
I well remember PM John Key cancelling his regular slot with RNZ radio. Iirc, he did not accept any RNZ invitations to speak on the station for several years. That was his prerogative. Did RNZ kick up a fuss? No. They continued to invite him and each time the news host would note he had been asked to comment but had declined. End of story. No histrionics.
Now we have this arrogant upstart, Hosking who has to turn it into a he said/she said fit of the sulks when he only had himself to blame. He constantly carped at her, refused to allow her to complete her replies, found non existent faults or misinterpreted (deliberately) everything she said and generally behaved like a misogynistic arsehole.
Jacinda will be grinning with glee that she doesn't have to waste any more of her precious time on his third rate show.
hoskings will do as his advertisers want. he is a poodle with advertisers holding his leash. we have seen overseas, other right wing bigmouths being told what to do and how to grovel by their paymasters(alan jones in aus, piers morgan in u.k.etc). his worth to advertisers has fallen sharply since the days of nightly tv shows, and the new trend in broadcasting is to give the expensive mouths the flick ,hire no-names who can read an autoprompter, and save $$$$.
He's a little boy who thinks that advertisers threw him money because he's so awesome, rather than because his particular flavour of nausea happened to catch the mood of a market segment with disposable cash.
Now he no longer catches that mood, folks are distancing themselves from him and he thinks it must be because they're the ones slowly getting further out of sync with the money that gave him a job.
Our little Piers Morgan, angry that angry dudes who can't take being rejected by a woman are slowly shrinking as a market segment.
Quite – the sooner Mike starts a job he's actually good at, the better. I understand there are many opportunities in animal husbandry for folk who love dirt.
Guy on Espiner recently told us that John Key declined only once to appear on Morning Report and gave the reason that he needed more time to prepare. Only once.
So why keep repeating this myth that he refused to appear on his regular spot on Morning Report?
Guyon, if quoted correctly, is wrong. I was a daily RNZ listener and I recall numerous occasions when he declined to speak to them. It went on for a long time.
It might have only happened to Espiner once but he wasn't at RNZ for the first two terms of the Key regime. He worked for TV1 then TV3.
Timed out. For the record. I didn't specify Morning Report anyway. I was talking RNZ per se… including Nine to Noon and the current affairs programme currently called Checkpoint.
TBF. She [PM Ardern] doesn't actually say anything when asked direct questions.
TBF, it's not credible to suggest that PM Ardern is mute when asked direct questions. I find her easy to hear, so you might be suffering from selective hearing (slightly more common in men, believe it or not), or even simple hearing loss – you and the Hosk could get tested together
How come commenters aren't spelled more often when they attempt to take over the discourse? The commenter variety has shrunk and it would be better to have fewer surely, than have those reiterating self-centred wilfully ignorant or a combination of these traits fill up the gaps. It trivialises what is an important political discussion outlet, and it is preferable to have light and enjoyable trivial stuff occasionally rather than having to suck on acid drops or gobstoppers so often.
They are unlikely to look like the harmless, bedraggled pooch in the picture that accompanied the article. In that part of the world they are more likely to be the nasty things much favoured by people who want a legal way of projecting their own aggression. On the surface, shooting sounds like a good option.
"I was not the first one to use violence as a suggestion unless you of course consider the shooting of dogs not part of the violence thing"
Quite right – it was me. Though it was more (I'd hope reluctantly) endorsing someone else's suggestion. Much as I care about animals, I don't have any tolerance for dogs that are a threat to humans or wildlife.
Directly or indirectly advocating violence in any shape or form (including ‘jest’ and advocating self-harm) to individuals or groups is simply not allowed. Moderators will have a no-tolerance humourless response as the only possible response. If you want to talk about political conflicts around the world, then do so being mindful of this proscription.
Who's funding Jordan Williams and his shitty wee scam?
McLachlan said ACT "weaponised" astroturfs.
He claimed the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union did a lot of the groundwork for the party in the 2020 election with their Campaign for Affordable Housing to fight the Green Party's proposal for an asset tax.
"So when they were saying 'This is a problem', it was actually a contrived problem that the ACT Party told them to create.
"That's the problem."
The campaign involved letters to thousands of householders, a website and media work.
What nonsense. The Taxpayers Union has around 60,000 subscribed members . Much more than ACT. In the early days of the TU it was overshadowing the ACT party and taking away potential donors.
"As an incorporated society, the Taxpayers' Union must file annual accounts with the Registrar of Incorporated Societies. That means we will be more transparent about our income and spending than most political parties. In relation to individual donations, we will publicise the identity of donors where they have requested public acknowledgment of their support. "
However, it was unlikely the Taxpayers' Union would now declare its financial relationship with British American Tobacco even though the company had outed itself.
Right from the horse's mouth – the greater the residential property investor's wealth the less likely removing interest as a tax write-off helps the housing crisis. The latest tinkering targets the wrong people, as per fucking ususal:
The solution to that lies with increasing the slope of the progressive tax system – the opposite of the trend since that freeloader, Roger Douglas, screwed everything up.
So he either pays more tax, or he buys fewer properties to pay down his debt, helping to cool off the property market for both renters and first home buyers?
How is this not part of a comprehensive housing policy?
“If you have no debt on your rental properties, there will be no interest to pay … My goal has always been to eventually have no debt on any properties and by bringing in this new rule, I may accelerate this and sell off some properties to reduce or eliminate the residential debt."
Chris the simple fact this hard done by property investor overlooks is people need somewhere affordable to live.
Home owners don't get a tax deduction on interest.
He has 70 houses but not much debt then claims he makes most of his money out of capital gains.Then hopes when National gets back in they will drop the tax.
Then he forgets that if he sells the home for more than he paid for it he has to pay the tax deductions back.
This is poor journalism a whinging very wealthy property investor who knows this is the only form of tax free money.
If he was in NSW he would have to pay CGT Victoria land tax Labour has finally got some balls to even the playing field which even National has been goading them.
Home owners don’t get a tax deduction on interest.
That’s correct, but the reason is that home owners don’t derive income from living in their family home unless you’d (ac)count forgone ‘rent’ as income.
Yeah lets not forget how the last National government reacted when an overseas person on benefit taunted a minister by sending them photos of themselves overseas. They made every single person on benefit have to reapply every year.
That is punishing the many for the few.
Or what about the puritan policy of anyone having a child while on a benefit not being able to get a sole parent benefit but having to look for work as a job seeker. That also obfuscated how many unemployed there were and still does today.
Not that labour has fixed either being national lite. Not that the media could (were willing) to work that out.
Making the poor jump through hoops – that's mean spirited. Wealthy people not being able to claim their interest back – meh. I don't think they'll be going hungry tonight.
On the National Programme today I think I heard an orchardist bemoaning the fact that migrant workers have not been available to work for him and as a result he has acres of exportable fruit just "rotting away".
I am certain that I have seen it written here, but why didn't he reassess his profit margins, pay inflated wages and bonuses to those who may have been available right here in New Zealand, and everyone would have been a winner. Unfortunately, because he has a fixed outlook on the world and what people are worth, he decided to let his crop rot. Brilliant!
Incidentally, if I was to buy some suitable land and plant it in fruit trees, and have wonderful yields. It would not mean that I was necessarily entitled to have that fruit picked…
I also notice they are not talking about whether they actually have markets to sell to or transport to get those apples to market. Typically there is over production in case of hail or drought. If anyone thinks they grow exactly the right number of apples they they have markets for they are sadly mistaken.
Of course the media will never ask that question – pictures of rotting fruit suit the capitalist agenda.
Would be interesting to know the gap between production and market. Watties were (and maybe still are) well known for requiring crops they don't need having to be destroyed.
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The melody from the classic movie Wizard of Oz echoes as Jacinta Ruru explains what inspired her to attend university, and her ambition to help create a more just society in Aotearoa. Jacinta, who affiliates to Raukawa and Ngāti Ranginui, specialises in the research areas of indigenous peoples and the law. ...
Stuff reports that National is refusing to back the Climate Change Commission's recommendations, which is apparently a Bad Thing: The National Party says it can’t support the Climate Change Commission’s draft plan to cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions unless changes are made. If National maintains this position when ...
Driven, accountable, unafraid to test limits and connected to the communities she serves are traits that come to mind when thinking about Dr Anne-Marie Jackson. (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu o Whangaroa, Ngāti Wai) She specialises in Māori physical education and health research disciplines while incorporating tikanga Māori and Te ...
This is my first post for a while. I have been a bit overwhelmed by other work in the last several weeks, with teaching and other commitments, and the blog has sadly suffered. But I’m still here. This morning, while sitting in a car in the permanent traffic jam through ...
Predatory Morality: Is geopolitical consultant, Paul Buchanan, right? Does the rest of the world truly monitor New Zealand’s miniscule contribution to the international arms trade so closely? Are foreign chancelleries truly so insensitive to their own governments’ complicity in the world’s horrors that they expect all other sovereign states to ...
Anna Källén, Stockholm University and Daniel Strand, Uppsala University A middle-aged white man raises his sword to the skies and roars to the gods. The results of his genetic ancestry test have just arrived in his suburban mailbox. His eyes fill with tears as he learns that he is “0.012% ...
March 2021 The housing crisis right now in New Zealand is one of our biggest contributors to income and wealth inequality. “With the explosive increase in sales and prices, those with houses have their income and/or wealth rapidly increasing, and those who are not on the property ladder are falling ...
Samoans went to the polls on Friday, and delivered a stinging blow to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi one-party state. Pre-election Malielegaoi's Human Rights Protection Party had controlled 44 of 49 seats in Parliament, while using restrictive standing orders to prevent there from even being a recognised opposition in ...
Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Jennifer Summers, Prof Michael BakerIn this blog we briefly consider a new Report from a European think tank that aims to identify an optimal COVID-19 response strategy. It considers mortality data, GDP impacts, and mobility data and suggests that COVID-19 elimination appears to be superior ...
Something I missed on Friday: the Māori Party has been referred to police over failure to disclose donations over $30,000. Looking at the updated return of large donations, this is about $320,000 donated to them by three donors - John Tamihere, the National Urban Māori Authority, and Aotearoa Te Kahu ...
Stormy Seas: Will Jacinda Ardern's Labour Government stand behind the revolutionary proposals contained in He Puapua – the 20-year plan devised by a government appointed working group to realise the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Aotearoa/New Zealand?“GETTING AHEAD of the story” is one of the most ...
We have not been fans of the Climate Change Commission’s draft report. New Zealand has an Emissions Trading Scheme with a binding cap, and a declining path for net emissions in the covered sector. Measures taken within the covered sector cannot reduce net emissions. NZU not purchased by one sector get ...
For several decades under Labour and National-led governments New Zealand has claimed to have an independent (and sometimes autonomous) foreign policy. This foreign policy independence is said to be gained by having a “principled but pragmatic” approach to international relations: principled when possible, pragmatic when necessary. More recently NZ foreign ...
This video produced in Seattle looks at the gender identity curriculum used in schools in the US. A thin veneer of pseudoscience is being used to indoctrinate children with an ideology based on scientific and medical inaccuracies. ...
For once, I have written my submission on a bill with enough time to spare to both enocurage any of you who wants to make a submission to do so as well, and to give you time to spot the typos in mine.Louisa Wall's Harmful Digital Communications (Unauthorised Posting of Intimate ...
A friend found a concerning FB post (see below – this is a public post & so I have not redacted the name) & – as you do – immediately queried it with Southern Cross Life & Health Insurance as well as sending the screenshot to me¹. We both read ...
Judith Collins’ National Party leadership is under more scrutiny, with increased talk in the media of her being replaced by brand new MP Christopher Luxon. For many commentators it’s just a question of “when” rather than “if” Collins is replaced. While others ponder whether Luxon really has what it takes ...
‘Tis the season for unearthing the rarest gems in Tolkien adaptation – which, considering that the fandom has been dominated by Peter Jackson for nigh on two decades, is a positively heart-warming development. It is why I have devoted so much blog space to the obscure and weirdly wonderful ...
Whatever the damage, especially to the British economy, Brexit has done us a service by illustrating the complexity of trade.Brexit is the only example we have of two closely integrated sophisticated economies severing trading ties. The European Union and Britain still do not have tariffs or import quotas between them ...
The Palmerston North City Council has voted for Māori wards: Palmerston North Māori will be guaranteed one or two seats on the city council from 2022, and this time, there is nothing opponents can do about it. The council decided by an 11-5 vote at its monthly meeting this ...
Kids are striking for the climate today, demanding a decent, liveable future. Meanwhile, the National Party, the reliable servant of the farm lobby and other polluting businesses, is calling for action to be delayed: National has written to Climate Change Minister James Shaw calling for him to extend the ...
Today tens of thousands of schoolkids have walked out of school to strike for a future free from climate change. And tens of thousands of older New Zealanders have joined them. Their demands are clear: eliminate fossil fuels, implement 100% renewable energy with a just transition, and support our Pacific ...
The Gods That Failed.We studied the dialecticRead the whole of ‘Capital’So we could follow youSo we could follow youHow we shoutedHow we scrawledPainted slogans on city wallsOn prison wallsProof we had followed youBut, we still didn’t find what we’re looking forAnd we still haven’t found what we’re looking forWhen they ...
Conventional Wisdom? The Republican Right is convinced that to “go woke” is to “go broke”. It simply does not believe sufficient Americans feel strongly enough about social justice to make any kind of boycott remotely effective. Clearly, the Boards of Directors of more and more American corporations disagree. RECENT MOVES by ...
On November 25, 2020 Skeptical Science Inc. became a registered nonprofit organization and on March 17, 2021 our application to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service for 501(c)(3) status was approved. In this blog post, we’ll explain why we went down this path and what will come next. Since its ...
Blowing Hot And Cold: Mike Hosking’s bosses should, perhaps, ask themselves what message Newstalk-ZB (and NZME) is sending to the people of New Zealand if Mike Hosking, their self-appointed “People’s Prosecutor”, is accorded bragging rights for “cancelling” the democratically-elected Prime Minister of New Zealand. Especially when said Prime Minister’s only ...
Ali Boyle, University of CambridgeIf you ask people to list the most intelligent animals, they’ll name a few usual suspects. Chimpanzees, dolphins and elephants are often mentioned, as are crows, dogs and occasionally pigs. Horses don’t usually get a look in. So it might come as a surprise that ...
Selwyn Manning and I dedicated this week’s video podcast to the potential emergence of rival blocs within the transitional process involved in the move from a unipolar to a multipolar international system currently underway. However one characterises the phenomenon–autocracies versus democracies, East versus West, colonial versus post-colonial–the global order is ...
With the rediscovery of the lost Soviet Lord of the Rings, the time has come for the important things in life. Specifically, compiling the Tom Bombadil scenes from the three known screen adaptations that feature him: This is a collection of scenes from:– Sagan om Ringen (1971: ...
Back in February the Climate Change Commission recommended a ban on new coal-fired boilers, and a phase out of existing ones by 2037. And today, the government has said they will implement that policy, and backed it up with funding to help transition some of our large pollution sources: ...
A ballot for three members bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Income Tax (Adjustment of Taxable Income Ranges) Amendment Bill (Simon Bridges) Regulatory Standards Bill (David Seymour) Human Rights (Disability Assist Dogs Non-Discrimination) Amendment Bill (Ricardo Menéndez March) The first two ...
Back in 2014, the police raided and searched journalist Nicky Hager's home over his book Dirty Politics, seizing his journalistic work in an effort to identify his sources to please their political masters in the National party. The raid - and much of the police's related investigative work - was ...
By Professor Tony Blakely, Dr Tim Wilson, Luke Thorburn and Professor Nathan Grills, University of MelbourneA new web tool, COVID-19 Pandemic Trade-offs, allows people to weigh the costs and benefits of different policy responses as Australia rolls out vaccines and considers opening borders.See here for an associated explanatory ...
The Greens welcome $6.6 million from the Government’s $455 million programme to increase access to mental health and addiction services for our Pasifika communities in Auckland and Wellington. ...
The Green Party is putting a Member’s Bill into the ballot today which will be a significant step towards overhauling the Social Security Act by embedding a tikanga Māori framework into the welfare system. ...
The Green Party have reaffirmed their strong commitment to the union movement in Aotearoa New Zealand by renewing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with E Tū. ...
Soon, more kids in Aotearoa will have access to the in-school mental health support that has boosted the resilience of tamariki and whānau in Canterbury. ...
The Green Party supports the open letter released today by a cross-sector coalition calling for the Government to treat all drug use as a health issue, to repeal and replace the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. ...
Small businesses are not only the heart of our economy – they’re also the heart of our communities. They provide important goods and services, as well as great employment opportunities. They know and love their locals. And after a tough year, they need our support! ...
Green Party spokesperson for Pacific Peoples Teanau Tuiono MP, supports the demand from Pasifika communities fighting for climate action as their homelands are more at risk in the Pacific region. ...
The Green Party supports the six demands for climate action put forward by School Strike for Climate NZ, who are striking across the country today. ...
The Ministry of Justice Māori victimisation report, released today, reinforces what we already know about the impact of systemic racism in Aotearoa and that urgent action is needed. ...
Ricardo Menéndez March’s Members Bill to ensure that disabled New Zealanders do not face discrimination for having a disability assist dog was today pulled from the biscuit tin to be debated in Parliament. ...
More than one million people will be better off from today, thanks to our Government’s changes to the minimum wage, main benefits and superannuation. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to do more for New Zealanders who continue to miss out, as main benefits are set to rise by less than $8 a week tomorrow, Thursday 1 April (at the start of the financial year). ...
Sunday 28th March 70 Rongomaiwahine descendants welcomed members of the Green Party’s Māori Caucus, Te Mātāwaka, Dr Elizabeth Kerekere and Teanau Tuiono, to discuss concerns about RocketLab’s operations on the Mahia Peninsula. ...
New Zealand is providing further support to Timor-Leste following severe flooding and the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “Our thoughts are with the people of Timor-Leste who have been impacted by the severe flooding and landslides at a time when the country is ...
A ceremony has been held today in Gisborne where the unclaimed medals of 28 (Māori) Battalion C Company soldiers were presented to their families. After the Second World War, returning service personnel needed to apply for their medals and then they would be posted out to them. While most medals ...
New Zealand has today added its voice to the international condemnation of the malicious compromise and exploitation of the SolarWinds Orion platform. The Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau, Andrew Little, says that New Zealand's international partners have analysed the compromise of the SolarWinds Orion platform and attributed ...
An expert consenting panel has approved the Queenstown Arterials Project, which will significantly improve transport links and reduce congestion for locals and visitors in the tourism hotspot. Environment Minister David Parker welcomed the approval for the project that will construct, operate and maintain a new urban road around Queenstown’s town ...
Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash says a landmark deal has been agreed with Amazon for The Lord of the Rings TV series, currently being filmed in New Zealand. Mr Nash says the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) secures multi-year economic and tourism benefits to New Zealand, outside the screen ...
The Government welcomes the findings from a rapid review into the health system response to lead contamination in Waikouaiti’s drinking water supply. Sample results from the town’s drinking-water supply showed intermittent spikes in lead levels above the maximum acceptable value. The source of the contamination is still under investigation by ...
Transport Minister Michael Wood today marked the start of construction on the New Zealand Upgrade Programme’s Papakura to Drury South project on Auckland’s Southern Motorway, which will create hundreds of jobs and support Auckland’s economic recovery. The SH1 Papakura to Drury South project will give more transport choices by providing ...
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karanga maha o te wa, tēnā koutou, tēna koutou, tēna tātou katoa. Ki ngā mana whenua, ko Ngāi Tahu, ko Waitaha, ko Kāti Māmoe anō nei aku mihi ki a koutou. Nōku te hōnore kia haere mai ki te ...
Transport Minister Michael Wood today marked the completion of upgrades to State Highway 20B which will give Aucklanders quick electric bus trips to and from the airport. The State Highway 20B Early Improvements project has added new lanes in each direction between Pukaki Creek Bridge and SH20 for buses and ...
The Government is putting in place a review of the work being done on animal welfare and safety in the greyhound racing industry, Grant Robertson announced today. “While Greyhound Racing NZ has reported some progress in implementing the recommendations of the Hansen Report, recent incidents show the industry still has ...
The infringement fee for using a mobile phone while driving will increase from $80 to $150 from 30 April 2021 to encourage safer driving, Transport Minister Michael Wood announced today. Michael Wood said too many people are still picking up the phone while driving. “Police issued over 40,000 infringement notices ...
Pacific people in New Zealand will be better supported with new mental health and addiction services rolling out across the Auckland and Wellington regions, says Aupito William Sio. “One size does not fit all when it comes to supporting the mental wellbeing of our Pacific peoples. We need a by ...
New measures are being proposed to accelerate progress towards becoming a smokefree nation by 2025, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced. “Smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke kills around 12 people a day in New Zealand. Recent data tells us New Zealand’s smoking rates continue to decrease, but ...
More children will be able to access mental wellbeing support with the Government expansion of Mana Ake services to five new District Health Board areas, Health Minister Andrew Little says. The Health Minister made the announcement while visiting Homai School in Counties Manukau alongside Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate ...
The Government’s COVID-19 response has meant a record number of people moved off a Benefit and into employment in the March Quarter, with 32,880 moving into work in the first three months of 2021. “More people moved into work last quarter than any time since the Ministry of Social Development ...
A stocktake undertaken by France and New Zealand shows significant global progress under the Christchurch Call towards its goal to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. The findings of the report released today reinforce the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach, with countries, companies and civil society working together to ...
Racing Minister Grant Robertson has announced he is appointing Elizabeth Dawson (Liz) as the Chair of the interim TAB NZ Board. Liz Dawson is an existing Board Director of the interim TAB NZ Board and Chair of the TAB NZ Board Selection Panel and will continue in her role as ...
The Government has announced that the export of livestock by sea will cease following a transition period of up to two years, said Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “At the heart of our decision is upholding New Zealand’s reputation for high standards of animal welfare. We must stay ahead of the ...
WORKSHOP ON LETHAL AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS SYSTEMS Wednesday 14 April 2021 MINISTER FOR DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL OPENING REMARKS Good morning, I am so pleased to be able to join you for part of this workshop, which I’m confident will help us along the path to developing New Zealand’s national policy on ...
For the first time, all 18 prisons in New Zealand will be invited to participate in an inter-prison kapa haka competition, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. The 2021 Hōkai Rangi Whakataetae Kapa Haka will see groups prepare and perform kapa haka for experienced judges who visit each prison and ...
The Government has introduced the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill, designed to boost New Zealand's ability to respond to a wider range of terrorist activities. The Bill strengthens New Zealand’s counter-terrorism legislation and ensures that the right legislative tools are available to intervene early and prevent harm. “This is the Government’s first ...
Coal boiler replacements at a further ten schools, saving an estimated 7,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next ten years Fossil fuel boiler replacements at Southern Institute of Technology and Taranaki DHB, saving nearly 14,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next ten years Projects to achieve a total ...
Attorney-General David Parker today announced the appointment of Cassie Nicholson as Chief Parliamentary Counsel for a term of five years. The Chief Parliamentary Counsel is the principal advisor and Chief Executive of the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO). She is responsible for ensuring PCO, which drafts most of New Zealand’s legislation, provides ...
Every part of Government will need to take urgent action to bring down emissions, the Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw said today in response to the recent rise in New Zealand’s greenhouse emissions. The latest annual inventory of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions shows that both gross and net ...
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark says Aotearoa New Zealand has become the first country in the world to introduce a law that requires the financial sector to disclose the impacts of climate change on their business and explain how they will manage climate-related risks and opportunities. The Financial ...
Exceptional employment practices in the primary industries have been celebrated at the Good Employer Awards, held this evening at Parliament. “Tonight’s awards provided the opportunity to celebrate and thank those employers in the food and fibres sector who have gone beyond business-as-usual in creating productive, safe, supportive, and healthy work ...
Applications are now invited from all councils for a slice of government funding aimed at improving tourism infrastructure, especially in areas under pressure given the size of their rating bases. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has already signalled that five South Island regions will be given priority to reflect that jobs ...
Tēnā koutou e ngā maata waka Tenā koutou te hau kāinga ngā iwi o Te Whanganui ā TaraTēnā koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te Rā. No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa. It is a pleasure to be here tonight. Thank you Graeme (Peters, ENA Chief ...
The Construction Skills Action Plan has delivered early on its overall target of supporting an additional 4,000 people into construction-related education and employment, says Minister for Building and Construction Poto Williams. Since the Plan was launched in 2018, more than 9,300 people have taken up education or employment opportunities in ...
An innovative new Youth Justice residence designed in partnership with Māori will provide prevention, healing, and rehabilitation services for both young people and their whānau, Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Whakatakapokai is located in South Auckland and will provide care and support for up to 15 rangatahi remanded or ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today expressed New Zealand’s sorrow at the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. “Our thoughts are with Her Majesty The Queen at this profoundly sad time. On behalf of the New Zealand people and the Government, I would like to express ...
We, the Home Affairs, Interior, Security and Immigration Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (the ‘Five Countries’) met via video conference on 7/8 April 2021, just over a year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Guided by our shared ...
Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni has today announced the opening of the first round of Ngā Puninga Toi ā-Ahurea me ngā Kaupapa Cultural Installations and Events. “Creating jobs and helping the arts sector rebuild and recover continues to be a key part of the Government’s COVID-19 response,” Carmel ...
Interim legislation that is already proving to keep people safer from drugs will be made permanent, Health Minister Andrew Little says. Research by Victoria University, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, shows that the Government’s decision in December to make it legal for drug-checking services to operate at festivals ...
Public consultation launched on ways to improve behaviour and reduce damage Tighter rules proposed for either camping vehicles or camping locations Increased penalties proposed, such as $1,000 fines or vehicle confiscation Rental companies may be required to collect fines from campers who hire vehicles Public feedback is sought on proposals ...
The Government is continuing to support Air New Zealand while aviation markets stabilise and the world moves towards more normal border operations. The Crown loan facility made available to Air New Zealand in March 2020 has been extended to a debt facility of up to $1.5 billion (an additional $600 ...
Christchurch’s Richmond suburb will soon have a new community hub, following the gifting of a red-zoned property by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) to the Richmond Community Gardens Trust. The Minister for Land Information, Damien O’Connor said that LINZ, on behalf of the Crown, will gift a Vogel Street house ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the reopening of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples’ (MPP) Languages Funding in 2021 will make sure there is a future for Pacific languages. “Language is the key to the wellbeing for Pacific people. It affirms our identity as Pasifika and ...
It is a pleasure to be here tonight. Thank you Cameron for the introduction and thank you for ERANZ for also hosting this event. Last week in fact, we had one of the largest gatherings in our sector, Downstream 2021. I have heard from my officials that the discussion on ...
Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods has today announced the 16 projects that will together get $3.9 million through the 2021 round of Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund, further strengthening the Government’s commitment to Māori knowledge in science and innovation. “We received 78 proposals - the highest ...
Analysis by Bryce Edwards Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. The Labour Government received plaudits this week for its historic announcement that it will ban the live export of animals by sea. It’s said to be a world first. The decision comes after years of pressure, which increased after last year’s ...
The House: Calls to force witnesses to child abuse to speak, reforming adoption law for same-sex couples, and better protections for religious freedoms have been made by petitions to Parliament. ...
Creamerie is a new dystopian comedy about three New Zealand women and the last man on earth. Its co-creator and co-star, Perlina Lau, explains how they made a show about the aftermath of a deadly pandemic, during a pandemic.In 2018, when we sat around a dining table spitballing ideas about ...
James Borrowdale bids farewell to a summer of cricket with his oblivious baby daughter.Made possible thanks to the support of Creative New ZealandOriginal illustrations by Sophie Watson If cricket, at least in its longer forms, can lay claim to something approaching artistic meaning – that is, for its actions to ...
Why are ice core samples and marine algae important for understanding our climate in the future? Dr Holly Winton, a geochemist with the Antarctic Research Centre at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, explains in this short video.Winton is working on a Rutherford Foundation-funded project analysing ...
Sebastian Contreras Rodriguez was an architect in Chile, but after moving to New Zealand he started working as a housekeeper. Federico Magrin speaks to him about architecture being a service for the poor, and the differences between Chile and New Zealand. Sebastian joins me after a tiresome and proving day at ...
University of Otago researchers examine 2000-3000-year-old skulls to uncover why Pacific communities of that era intentionally pulled their teeth Ritual tooth ablation, the intentional removal of teeth, is a highly visible form of body modification that can signal group identity and mark certain life events, such as marriage. In our ...
New Zealand’s favourite autumnal fruit meets a fancy-sounding but super-simple French dessert. The result? Delicious. There is only so much you can do with the fruit that drops (non-stop) from 17 feijoa trees. We’ve had ripe fruit peppering our lawn now for over two weeks. So far I’ve used them to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Hancock, School visitor, Australian National University Andrew Sharp Peacock, for so long “the coming man” of Australian politics, has died in the United States aged 82. Born in 1939, he was educated at Scotch College, Melbourne, acquired a law degree at ...
“ A Ministry of Health graph drawn by a graphic designer with no data to inform it is the perfect metaphor for this Government, all spin and no substance,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “Like most things with this government, they present ...
OWell, well, well. New Zealand its expressing its indignation about something the Russians may or may not have been doing. But this expression of the nation’s indignation comes not from Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta but from Andrew Little, our Minister of … No, not Health on this occasion. Nor ...
"He pulled down the straps of her tank top with his teeth and bit her neck..Afterwards, she pretended it didn’t happen": a short story by Auckland writer Leanne RadojkovichA teenager riding an e-scooter shot across the intersection towards Patsy, she stepped aside, the front wheel took the ...
Critic's Chair: Guy Somerset watches and listens to two wonderful series on YouTube and Spotify featuring great raconteurs and wits broadcast from their homes during the long UK lockdown This week, the UK started off along the second stage of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “cautious but irreversible” roadmap to the ...
What happens when the world’s rarest gull sets up camp in earthquake-damaged buildings in central Christchurch? Frank Film investigates. Christchurch’s population of endangered tarāpuka/black-billed gulls may have a new home. The Christchurch City Council is hoping to fashion a new site for the gulls in what was once part of ...
WATCH: In the heart-wrenching final episode of the Pure As video series, Silver Ferns shooter Maia Wilson reveals the on-court highs and off-court lows she's been through. Maia Wilson's young life has already been an emotional rollercoaster. While her netball career soars to new heights every time she takes the court, away ...
LISTEN: Is 2021 the year the Tactix finally get to lift netball's ANZ Premiership trophy? with the ANZ Premiership starting this weekend, how will the absence of Silver Fern captain Amerliaranne Ekenasio affect the two-time champions Central Pulse? What impact will Australian international Caitlin Bassett have for the Waikato Bay of ...
After a marathon year of droughts and water restrictions, Auckland finally has a goal to reduce its water consumption Water, water everywhere, and most certainly in the news. After a massive public information campaign last year, Aucklanders managed to knock 100 million litres a day off the city’s water consumption. ...
A new initiative is taking on food insecurity and food wastage by encouraging diners to take uneaten food home. And, as chefs taking part of the scheme explain, what you do with those leftovers needn’t be limited to a quick blat in the microwave. It’s hard to know just how much ...
With the council in disarray, former Wellington mayor Justin Lester sat down with The Spinoff to share his thoughts on what’s gone wrong, and what needs to happen from here. Justin Lester is running again. When we meet at the Civic Square cafe Nikau, the former Wellington mayor is breaking in a ...
After months of lockdown, pubs in England were allowed to reopen this week, with outdoor seating only. New Zealander George Fenwick headed out to see how Londoners were welcoming the return of a cornerstone of British social life.Trying to explain what life has been like in the UK for the ...
The government's priorities are being questioned after announcing it will be giving Amazon a more than $100 million boost to film the Lord of the Rings television series here. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Keane, Professor of Chinese Digital Media and Culture, Queensland University of Technology China’s state-run anti-monopoly bureau has tightened its regulations on big tech players, as shown by its recent move against the country’s largest e-commerce company, Alibaba Group. Alibaba was hit ...
Campaign & Petition Launch “Racial INJustice Matters” calling for an immediate independent inquiry into Institutional Racism and Racial Profiling by the Waikato Police. Where we live, work, play should be safe for everyone, no matter ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and Director of the Institute for Governance & Policy Analysis Dr Lain Dare discuss the week in politics. This week the pair discuss the evidence given by Christine ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Carlson, Professor, Indigenous Studies, Macquarie University Recently, we have witnessed an uprising of thousands marching in the streets fuelled by outrage against the violence and sexual assault experienced by women. Indigenous women and gender diverse people also marched and shared this ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. India only at Magnitude 4 for reported cases. Chart by Keith Rankin. New Zealand has, for the rest of this month, banned all people who have been in India this month from entry into New Zealand. The decision is based not on the incidence of Covid19 ...
The screen industry – or some of its more well-heeled operators – today learned the government is keen to improve its wellbeing. This followed several blasts of Beehive trumpeting about initiatives to improve the wellbeing and wellness of we Kiwis. The announcements yesterday included the heartening news that the Government’s ...
The new Ministry for Ethnic Communities comes into being on 1 July. It’s important that the views and needs of Aotearoa New Zealand’s many and diverse ethnic communities help set the priorities for the new organisation from day one. We are running a series ...
The National Party need to take a good hard look at themselves, following their Economic Development spokesperson’s endorsement of Kiwi taxpayers stumping up for welfare for the American multi billion dollar corporation, Amazon. Responding to ...
New Zealand is not rejigging its Covid-19 immunisation programme despite predictions people will need a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine within 12 months. ...
Predator Free 2050 Limited has announced new investments in predator free projects around the country. Existing projects in Taranaki, Waiheke and Dunedin, a new project in Te Urewera, and a feasibility study on Aotea Great Barrier Island will benefit ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Mitchell, Professor of Nursing, University of Newcastle The Australian public’s infection control literacy continues to expand. We know what PPE is, what “flattening the curve” means, and we are growing increasingly familiar with the term “deep clean”. But what does a ...
The High Court in Auckland this week ordered overseas investors to pay penalties totalling $1.38 million and legal costs for breaching the Overseas Investment Act. The significant penalty follows a family purchasing five forestry blocks totalling ...
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.AUCKLAND1The Mirror Book by Charlotte Grimshaw (Vintage, $38)It’s the book everyone’s talking about – and writing about. ...
A little understanding – and a few simple, easy-to-follow rules – can make a huge difference to our lives, Autistic advocate Rory McCarthy writes.Autistic people have difficult lives: a lot of things that seem trivial or a sign of over-sensitivity to allistic (non-Autistic people) actually affect us quite significantly. There ...
Analysis - A startling revelation shows up cracks in the testing regime just as the vaccine rollout comes under scrutiny, and National faces another bout of leadership speculation, writes Peter Wilson. ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is urging ACC to ignore diktats from the Minister of Finance . “ACC should be left to independently manage the hard-earned funds it receives from levy-payers,” says Union spokesman Jordan Williams. “It’s ...
The New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) is not surprised by the government’s decision to ban live exports by sea and believes the two- year transition period is pragmatic for businesses in the sector. We are not surprised by the decision and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cristina Pozo-Gonzalo, Senior Research Fellow, Deakin University Rare-earth metals are critical to the high-tech society we live in as an essential component of mobile phones, computers and many other everyday devices. But increasing demand and limited global supply means we must urgently ...
Looking to buy a unit or apartment? You might need to think twice or even three times, if this Prime documentary is anything to go by, writes Jacqueline Paul.If you are hoping to buy a home built between the late 1980s and the mid-2000s, there is a significant risk that ...
Amid some in-House knitting drama this week, there was more speculation the knives are out for National Party leader Judith Collins. But doesn't National always have its knives out? James Elliott has the news of the week. It was an exciting week for those holding tickets in the “Seymour Sweepstake”, ...
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‘
Looks like a job for President ‘Not Sure’
Idiocracy; the prequal
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/staggering-photos-show-paris-has-become-a-rubbish-dump/7DDQRM6XJX77WEJAZQ44AOUSXA/?fbclid=IwAR3IQjPKnNod87kfOQF9hxwGBN90Jxc-T0gIZJ3w98xZ5yc1EU_sLa7pqfo
Worldwide phenomenon. Perhaps it is the legacy of no discipline, no civility, no respect. Someone has thought the wrong principles to the young generation. Its a stomping of feet saying if I cant get what I want, you cant have it. Meanwhile the environment, heritage and civilisation is slowly disintegrating.
The end of the beginning
Best of Idiocracy- Dr Lexus! – YouTube
Mickeysavage – this attitude displayed [deleted] here is why we have a housing crisis.
I have one question for [deleted], given this is intensification rather than spread where else are the houses we need going to be built if not in this location?
It is far too easy to oppose development while at the same time bemoaning the fact we have a housing crisis. I think people who do that (e.g. [deleted]) should be asked to identify exactly where else houses are going to be built.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/housing-affordability/124716092/residents-concerned-about-impact-of-new-auckland-homes-that-look-like-prison-cells
[Don’t play that game again, Gosman, and don’t SHOUT – Incognito]
Here you go Gosman – http://gregpresland.com/the-nola-development/
Short version:
There are twin ten story apartment blocks in the middle of Glen Eden that the local board and I supported. It is next to the railway station and also provides a significant number of social housing. There is also a six story apartment building being constructed right now for older adult housing that we also supported.
Insisting that there are adequate parks and schools for intensification are not some form of nimbyism.
I used to live up West Coast road, and this development is a nonsense. Those locals up in the Oratia hills are a formidable lot though, as Watercare found to it's cost in 2017, so I doubt it will go ahead in it current form.
Why is it nonsense? It is almost 250 houses that Auckland desperately needs. If you can find some other location where 250 houses or units can be built in place of this then point it out.
I suspect you haven't actually read the posts on the topic.
+1
there are quite a few areas where decent medium rise up to 5 levels could occur.
Heck this site would be one.
But that would require to think about housing differently, and it seems that even you can't conceive of it.
As for the need, its National and labour that fucked up consistently in regards to housing. Keep that in mind.
I’ve moderated Gosman’s comment to avoid others doing the same kind of thing.
The nimbyism in Auckland comes from your Peers Mickey. Not hte poor. They don't care which cage the government is throwing them into so as long they get a key to that cage. Keep that in mind. IT si the rich and well heeled who are Nimby. And they are Nimby in Titirangi as much as they are in Remuera. Its the same crowd, arrogant, overfed, and generally unpleasant.
Secondly, if you plant high density housing in Plattenbau, keep in mind that Plattenbau does not age well, it holds up for about 15 years. I consider that whomever the Party will import to build this crap will build it about as good as the Russians did with their mass housing in the 60/70, same as england, and yeah, shamefull comes to mind. Oh and it does not matter if you build three levels of that shit or ten. It does not age well.
Thirdly, i hope that the overpaid goon who signs of on this will realise that if you don't provide parks, outdoor recreation, and ease bus stops, access to trains stops your party will have build an awesome slum.
But maybe that is the intent.
Build crap, as it has been done in NZ since ages ago.
Just pointing to existing apartment buildings and stating these are the sort of houses that should be built is not good enough. There are almost 250 houses that are proposed to be built. Please show me a location where 250 houses/units can be built if this development does not go ahead. I think people who oppose new housing development (especially if they are involved with local politics) should be required to do that.
Stop misinterpreting what I say Gosman. Local board and I supported the construction of the Glen Eden apartment blocks when resource consent was applied for.
I am all for affordable housing. It is crazy that we have a city where teachers and police officers and nurses, let alone cleaners and supermarket workers, can barely afford to buy a house. But the Unitary Plan attempted to design a city where intensification could occur adjacent to major public transport routes and this development is outside of where this is intended. Intensification has to be done right.
Where are the current alternatives (not previously built ones) for the 246 houses that are proposed to be built? Is there NEW land that is being made available to build these 7 story apartment blocks close to transport routes? If so can you please point me to this land that will be made available to this developer in return for not building these 246 houses in Glen Eden?
There is a lot of vacant land around the Sunnyvale Railway Station. In Glen Eden there are a number of quarter and half acre sections that are seeing multiple unit developments being applied for.
Do you get the feeling that Gosman is a local Westie or just stirring?
I am under the impression he lives in Wellington and yes he is stirring. Is also having a go at me on twitter.
It is more than just me that is objecting to your position on this on Twitter.
Are you a member of ACT, the Astroturf Conspiracy Team?
What Astroturf are you meaning?
Please keep up.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-07-04-2021/#comment-1787085
It is funny Gossie. How does it feel to suddenly be part of the urban intensification part of twitter? I thought you were a right wing market will sort it out sort of guy.
I'm sure Gosman wants lefties shaken, not merely stirred.
Its not only about Land Mickey, its about decent smart town planning.
so to put a new development of single family houses with the biggest footprint possible on an ex orchard ( i lived there i know the area) with no public amenities is crap, to be polite.
Now there is Henderson, Sandringham Road, Remuera Fringe, Grey Lynn Fringe, heck Ponsonby Fringe that could and should be build up for these reasons alone
a. access to train stations and bus hubs
b. access to shops and doctors and medical clinics
c. schools
and here we are to applaud a wasted opportunity to build some crap houses that will look shite in less then 15 years, and worse if for sale will be to expensive to fix (see apartment buildings in town, see leaky house syndrom, see generally fucked up builds) and can only end up in Slums.
So gossy might not be from Akl, but living in wellington would still make him a kiwi, and if he pays taxes then he like me or you is financially underwriting this boondoggle.
Btw, don't we have some really nice very large Golf courses in Auckland that we could build some really nice developments with bus stops, roads wide enough to allow Fire Trucks to get in there is a fire (something that is not a given in the Hobsonville development Lol), maybe build a nice school to accomodate all the new people living htere, and rather then build a three story house or a four story house for one family, build four story buildings that house a flat on each floor – or even two ! – on the same foot print, but with a cellar for storage, a green area with play grounds and benches, etc.
Or is that in the too hard basket. I mean labour literally only had 9 years of Key to think about such.
Just as Gosman, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Read the comments & replies and read the links in these before you start your incessant barking again.
BTW, you seem to confuse local with central government. Do you pay rates in Auckland so that you can claim barking rights here again?
i used to pay rates in Auckland for nigh on 20 years.
Now i pay rates in rotorua. I pay income tax. I pay GST. I pay any other levy the government – local or regional sends me an invoice for.
Are you paying any rates anywhere dear Incognito?
other then that i have family in West Auckland. I have family in South Auckland. Does that qualify or do you need some more vitals to establish the right to have an opinion?
I know the area Incog because i lived there and my family still lives there.
Why are you saying that the buildings will not last more than 15 years? Is it the climate, soil moister or building material? Not sure what you are eluding to.
By and large it is a good thing to have buildings near transport, I hope they will get a supermarket too. Perhaps if necessary a police station to prevent the area being infiltrated by gangs etc…
It will be people who design the vibe. It will put to the test whether some care and pride is part of that. As we see with Paris and so many large cities, the general population will make or break a place.
I've looked at the land around Sunnyvale station. Much of it is a carpark for park and ride. Are you pushing for this to be sold off?
You looked at the land? How did you do that, using Google Earth?
Tech idea: a google earth filter that lets people pretend they are slinging lightning bolts onto the ground, leaving scorched and burning patches.
That way they can pretend they are omnipotent as well as omniscient.
They don’t have to pretend being omnoxious.
damn, that's a good 'un
only allowing intensification around major public transport routes, in a city with terrible public transport routes, will lead to the next generations slums.
And if they only option for development, they are likely to be purchased by the people they aren't intended for.
Development should be allowed if the developers away from public transport routes pay for the connections normally required of the council to connect the infrastructure. That way they will naturally be of a denser nature, without robbing the needy of the "affordable" and handy public transport located intense development.
Demonstrably untrue:
New Lynn since 2004
Newmarket since 2002
Hobsonville since 2007
Takapuna since 2005
Mt Albert since 1980s
Avondale since 2009
And developers already pay for much infrastructure.
The rest is up to the public dollar, and you should only get that by delivering public policy objectives.
West Auckland rail is first class although it still has some historical maintenance problems.
if you have a car to get to the station.
You don’t get it, do you?
If you stopped barking for a second and read the comments & replies, you may actually have something useful to offer instead of you bleating ad nauseam about your rights to have an opinion because you pay taxes & rates, your rights to express your ‘opinion’ here on this free forum, and your lamentable objections against people who allegedly try to shut you down here.
As MS already mentioned @ 2.1:
Nope you catch a bus to the station. It costs no more if in the same zone. That's what I do in South Auckland. Im sure there are plenty of buses out west as well. The trains and buses are all very frequent. Sometimes I catch another bus from the train to my destination.
Is the land in Sunnyvale at the end of Seymour road near the railway line that is available for multi-story apartments available to be purchased and built on or is it currently already occupied and any developer will have to buy the existing properties and demolish houses before they start building?
Do you think the local board should dictate that it be sold to developers?
Isn't that cOMmuNIst?
Please don’t do that again. I could swear you’d written cOMnuDIst. Maybe it’s time for my monthly appointment …
Sorry!
No but you should make it easy to develop houses rather than just be a handbrake. Even your comments around the two 10 story building built right next to the railway line is indicative of the anti-development mindset of the local board. There were comments about the make up of the number of one bedroom apartments (what business is this of the board anyway?), the height, traffic issues, AND you wanted development slowed down by allowing local people have input by it being notified. Do you not realise that is a major factor why we aren't building enough housing?
It is the local board job to comment on proposals. And I always recommend notification. I think people should be allowed to find out what is happening in their communities.
Do you acknowledge that we are in a housing affordability crisis and that a major factor in that is the amount of time it takes for developments to get off the ground?
If you do, then you also have to acknowledge requesting developments should be notified is going to contribute to this slowness. If you are happy to be one of the causes of the problem then keep pushing for developments to jump through more planning approval than they have to.
Gee gossie I am really pleased that you have become a die hard leftie and are concerned about homelessness. Given your comments over the years I must admit that I am surprised.
nope, people have a right to point out if a planned development may not suit the site.
I lived on Strid Road in AKL and some geezer proposed a development of 110 dwellings on two half acre sections bordering a park.
110 dwellings = 220 cars (and i am lowballing), that is 220 cars that try to get onto a road that already is congested, no bus stop near by no train stop.
make that dwellings rather then houses/flats or homes, and you call for trouble. this is how do gooders with no idea fuck up whole areas and turn them into gigantic slums.
So yes, the lady has a reason to speak up. Between National and Labour the country has had nothing but horsemanure on the dinner plan when it comes to housing. Both parties are fucking useless at building anything then their own financial wellbeing.
You can build high density, but a good place to start would be around train stations, bus hubs and the likes. there are a whole heep of people in akl that don't have cars, are good with public transport and they also don't insist in gardens. But rather then building decent sized Apartment blocks with cellars for storage and balconies, we build dwellings that will look shit within 10 years.
Yeah you can always build higher density so long as it is somewhere you are not eh? Please provide the exact locations where people can build the same number of housing units that people are trying to stop being built?
Mt Albert.
Avondale.
New Lynn.
Henderson.
Albany.
Manukau.
All around rail lines or dedicated busways. All brownfields sites.
Are these available to be purchased now?
Did your landlord kick you out?
See my Moderation note @ 6:56 am.
Graeme Hart apparently lost around $2 billion last year!
There is a golden nugget at the end of this article on rent freezes.
There must be some way to make this feasible.
Another thing – has anyone modeled how average market rent is achieved? As long as people can’t move out of the rental market the rents would continue to spiral upwards because the majority of landlords keep pushing them up so the “average” is more indicating a driver of the market, no other value if that makes sense. Perhaps what is needed is a different method of establishing average market rent, eg demographics/wages of the area.
“The Market” will never build enough 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom houses needed to fix the housing crisis. There is not enough profit in a basic house and wage workers can’t afford McMansions. Government intervention is needed, bring back the Ministry of Works and bring in teams of Chinese builders!
good comment nic. leaving it to builders and developers gives us mcmansions, as there is waaaay more profit in a mcmansion than a small two bedroom house. dont know about the teams of chinese builders though. they are masters at not following plans correctly to save on time and materials(plenty of new builds fall over in china because of shonky workmanship.)I had brief involvement with builder checking and fixing new houses in waikato, that had been built by team of chinese builders. put in roof insulation, get council to inspect and sign off,then take insulation out and put into next house! unbelievable! wouldnt have believed it if I hadnt seen it myself.
You actually saw workers remove all the ceiling insulation from one house and place it in another? That's one hell of a lot of work for little gain.
Sounds like the urban myth of contractors removing concrete floor steel reinforcing and placing it in the next build. Which of course is ludicrous. Anyone who has ever placed rebar steel for a concrete floor will know this.
Haha same happens with structural steel… get it inspected prior to the pour then lift it out and replace with half the amount…
This sort of stuff will get worse with a 15% jump in basic materials costs ie timber and steel about to hit.
Inflationary pressure is now building. Nearly every supplier I use has sent out letters flagging increases of 5 to 15 percent in the last 2‐3 months we're about to do the same.
Once inflation creeps up the Reserve bank will be forced to lift interest rates, the banks will follow and the increased costs on what are now very large mortgages will suck alot of discretionary spending out of the economy… thats when the rubber will really hit the road.
The market rent will be what the government is happy to pay in Accomodation benefits.
not talking about rents.
not talking to you btw, i answered to nic.
. And if no one can afford the houses the market builds, the government will pay the rents via the accomodation benefits, or does it did two weeks ago increases a government hand out to those that want to buy an affordable 700.000 dollar house.
bye now. .
Did Nic181 ask a question about rents?
It's presupposed since we wouldn't have a crisis if rents were reasonable.
Nope, but thanks for trying. Regardless, there was no question, was there?
Nic – Exactly, well said. They haven't cut corners to fit profit margins and produced leaky homes. Roads that were build under MOF are still being used with no major issues. And look at the Kapiti motorway. The waste water system that was build has lasted 100 years but alas the profit takers just let it rot. WCC deferred maintenance to put a plib lib sign on the hill to greet Airplane passengers with "Windy Wellington". The way Wellington is governed just makes my blood boil.
How infantile can you be:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/04/mike-hosking-says-he-doesn-t-want-pm-jacinda-ardern-back-on-radio-show-after-interview.html
I well remember PM John Key cancelling his regular slot with RNZ radio. Iirc, he did not accept any RNZ invitations to speak on the station for several years. That was his prerogative. Did RNZ kick up a fuss? No. They continued to invite him and each time the news host would note he had been asked to comment but had declined. End of story. No histrionics.
Now we have this arrogant upstart, Hosking who has to turn it into a he said/she said fit of the sulks when he only had himself to blame. He constantly carped at her, refused to allow her to complete her replies, found non existent faults or misinterpreted (deliberately) everything she said and generally behaved like a misogynistic arsehole.
Jacinda will be grinning with glee that she doesn't have to waste any more of her precious time on his third rate show.
hoskings will do as his advertisers want. he is a poodle with advertisers holding his leash. we have seen overseas, other right wing bigmouths being told what to do and how to grovel by their paymasters(alan jones in aus, piers morgan in u.k.etc). his worth to advertisers has fallen sharply since the days of nightly tv shows, and the new trend in broadcasting is to give the expensive mouths the flick ,hire no-names who can read an autoprompter, and save $$$$.
this can be said of anyone who has 'sponsors' be that advertising, or donations to public officials.
Nah.
He's a little boy who thinks that advertisers threw him money because he's so awesome, rather than because his particular flavour of nausea happened to catch the mood of a market segment with disposable cash.
Now he no longer catches that mood, folks are distancing themselves from him and he thinks it must be because they're the ones slowly getting further out of sync with the money that gave him a job.
Our little Piers Morgan, angry that angry dudes who can't take being rejected by a woman are slowly shrinking as a market segment.
heh
I should hope so – MF is one of the best journalists we've got. Hoskings, not so much.
has Mike (hell has no fury like a narcissist scorned) Hoskings just scored an own goal???
I would hope the PM doesn’t return.
Having listened to this morning’s interview I think it would be advantageous to both parties if she didn’t.
Quite – the sooner Mike starts a job he's actually good at, the better. I understand there are many opportunities in animal husbandry for folk who love dirt.
Hosking fancies himself at a job that's already taken. He knows he would be better than the incumbent.
I don't think God will step aside for him though.
God did for Jim Carrey.
Guy on Espiner recently told us that John Key declined only once to appear on Morning Report and gave the reason that he needed more time to prepare. Only once.
So why keep repeating this myth that he refused to appear on his regular spot on Morning Report?
Sorry my Dear little troll,
Guyon, if quoted correctly, is wrong. I was a daily RNZ listener and I recall numerous occasions when he declined to speak to them. It went on for a long time.
It might have only happened to Espiner once but he wasn't at RNZ for the first two terms of the Key regime. He worked for TV1 then TV3.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-cancels-regular-interview-slot-with-mike-hosking-on-newstalk-zb/NLJK5CP7SX4RRH6CIWRYLHFRVM/
Timed out. For the record. I didn't specify Morning Report anyway. I was talking RNZ per se… including Nine to Noon and the current affairs programme currently called Checkpoint.
TBF. She doesn't actually say anything when asked direct questions.
Shame, but it will bite her own arse in the end.
TBF, it's not credible to suggest that PM Ardern is mute when asked direct questions. I find her easy to hear, so you might be suffering from selective hearing (slightly more common in men, believe it or not), or even simple hearing loss – you and the Hosk could get tested together
public officials dont get replaced by anybody who can read an autoprompter.
How come commenters aren't spelled more often when they attempt to take over the discourse? The commenter variety has shrunk and it would be better to have fewer surely, than have those reiterating self-centred wilfully ignorant or a combination of these traits fill up the gaps. It trivialises what is an important political discussion outlet, and it is preferable to have light and enjoyable trivial stuff occasionally rather than having to suck on acid drops or gobstoppers so often.
Could DoC and Far Northern Maori kaitiaki get together to lessen or solve this problem? Dead kiwis are cropping up often up in the Far North I think.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/439916/feral-dogs-roaming-the-far-north-prompt-track-closures-warnings
They are unlikely to look like the harmless, bedraggled pooch in the picture that accompanied the article. In that part of the world they are more likely to be the nasty things much favoured by people who want a legal way of projecting their own aggression. On the surface, shooting sounds like a good option.
The SPCA and the pound are pretty useless in the Far Noth if they actually do still any work there with dumped dogs.
That pooch in that picture has been on its own for a while now.
how about we shoot the people that breed these dogs and then abuse them first? or would that be considered rude?
[How about you don’t suggest, advocate, or promote violence of any kind on this site? – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 1:43 pm.
I was not the first one to use violence as a suggestion unless you of course consider the shooting of dogs not part of the violence thing.
My comment was in jest, i forgot the snark emojicon. Sorry for the oversight, it will not happen again.
Apology accepted, thank you. Please don’t joke about violence either, with or without “the snark emojicon”.
"I was not the first one to use violence as a suggestion unless you of course consider the shooting of dogs not part of the violence thing"
Quite right – it was me. Though it was more (I'd hope reluctantly) endorsing someone else's suggestion. Much as I care about animals, I don't have any tolerance for dogs that are a threat to humans or wildlife.
Policy
Who's funding Jordan Williams and his shitty wee scam?
McLachlan said ACT "weaponised" astroturfs.
He claimed the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union did a lot of the groundwork for the party in the 2020 election with their Campaign for Affordable Housing to fight the Green Party's proposal for an asset tax.
"So when they were saying 'This is a problem', it was actually a contrived problem that the ACT Party told them to create.
"That's the problem."
The campaign involved letters to thousands of householders, a website and media work.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/439960/ex-act-staffer-grant-mclachlan-says-party-created-fake-grassroots-groups
What nonsense. The Taxpayers Union has around 60,000 subscribed members . Much more than ACT. In the early days of the TU it was overshadowing the ACT party and taking away potential donors.
Any proof of that membership other than their own say-so?
According to the Gospel of Gosman, it is nonsense, and he’d know, wouldn’t he?
What proof do you want considering there are privacy issues around releasing people's personal information?
I guess they could clear things up by doing what other unions are required to do and file an annual return.
Do you mean like they already do?
"As an incorporated society, the Taxpayers' Union must file annual accounts with the Registrar of Incorporated Societies. That means we will be more transparent about our income and spending than most political parties. In relation to individual donations, we will publicise the identity of donors where they have requested public acknowledgment of their support. "
https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/our_mission
Of course they do.
/
However, it was unlikely the Taxpayers' Union would now declare its financial relationship with British American Tobacco even though the company had outed itself.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/taxpayers-union-backed-by-tobacco-giant
Do Trade Unions list the members who pay subs?
And nor should they. OTOH, the TPU is book-ended by dirty politics and the dirty money of the purveyors of disease and addiction.
Let's get this clear.
You think organisations you disagree with politically should be forced to reveal their supporters details but not those you do support.
There are words to describe that view and they don't include free tolerant pluralistic and democratic.
Astroturfing and DP are the opposite of democratic, as they pervert the democratic process.
Got bored at work.
Lowest "Membership" costs $25. Most expensive option is $500.
TU 2019 accounts show $156k in membership fees.
If all members pay the minimum: $156000/25 = 6240.
If all members pay the maximum: $156000/500 = 192
Gossie is overstating the membership by a factor of anywhere between ten and two hundred, lol.
Right from the horse's mouth – the greater the residential property investor's wealth the less likely removing interest as a tax write-off helps the housing crisis. The latest tinkering targets the wrong people, as per fucking ususal:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/real-estate/300270132/property-investor-braces-for-extra-45k-tax-bill
The solution to that lies with increasing the slope of the progressive tax system – the opposite of the trend since that freeloader, Roger Douglas, screwed everything up.
So he either pays more tax, or he buys fewer properties to pay down his debt, helping to cool off the property market for both renters and first home buyers?
How is this not part of a comprehensive housing policy?
“If you have no debt on your rental properties, there will be no interest to pay … My goal has always been to eventually have no debt on any properties and by bringing in this new rule, I may accelerate this and sell off some properties to reduce or eliminate the residential debt."
And there you have it…he has options.
Chris the simple fact this hard done by property investor overlooks is people need somewhere affordable to live.
Home owners don't get a tax deduction on interest.
He has 70 houses but not much debt then claims he makes most of his money out of capital gains.Then hopes when National gets back in they will drop the tax.
Then he forgets that if he sells the home for more than he paid for it he has to pay the tax deductions back.
This is poor journalism a whinging very wealthy property investor who knows this is the only form of tax free money.
If he was in NSW he would have to pay CGT Victoria land tax Labour has finally got some balls to even the playing field which even National has been goading them.
That’s correct, but the reason is that home owners don’t derive income from living in their family home unless you’d (ac)count forgone ‘rent’ as income.
who watched juddy do the histrionics in the house this arvo on the bubble bill.
poof!
putrid lump of bellyaching and irrational proposals all delivered with a snide twist.
not a good advertisement for proper governance at all
Yeah lets not forget how the last National government reacted when an overseas person on benefit taunted a minister by sending them photos of themselves overseas. They made every single person on benefit have to reapply every year.
That is punishing the many for the few.
Or what about the puritan policy of anyone having a child while on a benefit not being able to get a sole parent benefit but having to look for work as a job seeker. That also obfuscated how many unemployed there were and still does today.
Not that labour has fixed either being national lite. Not that the media could (were willing) to work that out.
Making the poor jump through hoops – that's mean spirited. Wealthy people not being able to claim their interest back – meh. I don't think they'll be going hungry tonight.
On the National Programme today I think I heard an orchardist bemoaning the fact that migrant workers have not been available to work for him and as a result he has acres of exportable fruit just "rotting away".
I am certain that I have seen it written here, but why didn't he reassess his profit margins, pay inflated wages and bonuses to those who may have been available right here in New Zealand, and everyone would have been a winner. Unfortunately, because he has a fixed outlook on the world and what people are worth, he decided to let his crop rot. Brilliant!
Incidentally, if I was to buy some suitable land and plant it in fruit trees, and have wonderful yields. It would not mean that I was necessarily entitled to have that fruit picked…
I also notice they are not talking about whether they actually have markets to sell to or transport to get those apples to market. Typically there is over production in case of hail or drought. If anyone thinks they grow exactly the right number of apples they they have markets for they are sadly mistaken.
Of course the media will never ask that question – pictures of rotting fruit suit the capitalist agenda.
Would be interesting to know the gap between production and market. Watties were (and maybe still are) well known for requiring crops they don't need having to be destroyed.