Open mike 07/04/2025
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6:00 am, April 7th, 2025 - 68 comments
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- Climate Change: Kicking the can down the road again
Last week, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment recommended that forestry be removed from the Emissions Trading Scheme. Its an unfortunate but necessary move, required to prevent the ETS's total collapse in a decade or so. So naturally, National has told him to fuck off, and that they won't be ...57 minutes ago - The Spirit for Australia: why Canberra should pursue the B-2 bomber
China’s recent naval circumnavigation of Australia has highlighted a pressing need to defend Australia’s air and sea approaches more effectively. Potent as nuclear submarines are, the first Australian boats under AUKUS are at least seven ...2 hours ago - A bit more unpicking of RB spending and the Funding Agreement
In yesterday’s post I tried to present the Reserve Bank Funding Agreement for 2025-30, as approved by the Minister of Finance and the Bank’s Board, in the context of the previous agreement, and the variation to that agreement signed up to by Grant Robertson a few weeks before the last ...3 hours ago - A successful COP31 needs Pacific countries at the table
Australia’s bid to co-host the 31st international climate negotiations (COP31) with Pacific island countries in late 2026 is directly in our national interest. But success will require consultation with the Pacific. For that reason, no ...4 hours ago
- Brown unveils unfunded health plan for small NZ
Old and outdated buildings being demolished at Wellington Hospital in 2018. The new infrastructure being funded today will not be sufficient for future population size and some will not be built by 2035. File photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories short from our political economy on Thursday, April 17:Simeon Brown has unveiled ...5 hours ago - Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace
The introduction of AI in workplaces can create significant health and safety risks for workers (such as intensification of work, and extreme surveillance) which can significantly impact workers’ mental and physical wellbeing. It is critical that unions and workers are involved in any decision to introduce AI so that ...6 hours ago - NZ Must Undertake a Peacekeeping Role in Trump’s Wars
Donald Trump’s return to the White House and aggressive posturing is undermining global diplomacy, and New Zealand must stand firm in rejecting his reckless, fascist-driven policies that are dragging the world toward chaos.As a nation with a proud history of peacekeeping and principled foreign policy, we should limit our role ...6 hours ago - Donald Trump’s first three months: rude, raucous and rogue
Sunday marks three months since Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president. What a ride: the style rude, language raucous, and the results rogue. Beyond manners, rudeness matters because tone signals intent as well as personality. ...7 hours ago
- Gordon Campbell On The Left’s Electability Crisis, And The Abundance Ecotopia
There are any number of reasons why anyone thinking of heading to the United States for a holiday should think twice. They would be giving their money to a totalitarian state where political dissenters are being rounded up and imprisoned here and here, where universities are having their funds for ...14 hours ago - Taiwan: the sponge that soaks up Chinese power
Taiwan has an inadvertent, rarely acknowledged role in global affairs: it’s a kind of sponge, soaking up much of China’s political, military and diplomatic efforts. Taiwan soaks up Chinese power of persuasion and coercion that ...22 hours ago
- Women in combat roles strengthen our defence force
The Ukraine war has been called the bloodiest conflict since World War II. As of July 2024, 10,000 women were serving in frontline combat roles. Try telling them—from the safety of an Australian lounge room—they ...22 hours ago
- China targets Canada’s election—and may be targeting Australia’s
Following Canadian authorities’ discovery of a Chinese information operation targeting their country’s election, Australians, too, should beware such risks. In fact, there are already signs that Beijing is interfering in campaigning for the Australian election ...22 hours ago
- Climate Adam: Climate Scientist Reacts to Elon Musk
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). From "founder" of Tesla and the OG rocket man with SpaceX, and rebranding twitter as X, Musk has ...22 hours ago - Rattus Interneticus: Otago’s Internet Saga
Back in February 2024, a rat infestation attracted a fair few headlines in the South Dunedin Countdown supermarket. Today, the rats struck again. They took out the Otago-Southland region’s internet connection. https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360656230/internet-outage-hits-otago-and-southland Strictly, it was just a coincidence – rats decided to gnaw through one fibre cable, while some hapless ...22 hours ago - Spin (and obfuscation)
I came in this morning after doing some chores and looked quickly at Twitter before unpacking the groceries. Someone was retweeting a Radio NZ story with the headline “Reserve Bank’s budget to be slashed by 25%”. Wow, I thought, the Minister of Finance has really delivered this time. And then ...1 day ago
- Little’s pitch
So, having teased it last week, Andrew Little has announced he will run for mayor of Wellington. On RNZ, he's saying its all about services - "fixing the pipes, making public transport cheaper, investing in parks, swimming pools and libraries, and developing more housing". Meanwhile, to the readers of the ...1 day ago
- Our Rough Beast.
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming, 1921ALL OVER THE WORLD, devout Christians will be reaching for their bibles, reading and re-reading Revelation 13:16-17. For the benefit of all you non-Christians out there, these are the verses describing ...1 day ago - What does India Want? What is New Zealand willing to give?
1 day ago
- President Trump is redefining America’s international role, and Australia has influence
In the week of Australia’s 3 May election, ASPI will release Agenda for Change 2025: preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world, a report promoting public debate and understanding on issues of strategic importance to ...1 day ago
- Simeon Brown Gaslights Doctors
Yesterday, 5,500 senior doctors across Aotearoa New Zealand voted overwhelmingly to strike for a day.This is the first time in New Zealand ASMS members have taken strike action for 24 hours.They are asking the government to fund them and account for resource shortfalls.Vacancies are critical - 45-50% in some regions.The ...1 day ago - ACT’s “Tough on Crime” Facade Crumbles with Jago’s Appeal
1 day ago
- Judith Collins’ Hypocrisy: War Drums Over Welfare
Judith Collins is a seasoned master at political hypocrisy. As New Zealand’s Defence Minister, she's recently been banging the war drum, announcing a jaw-dropping $12 billion boost to the defence budget over the next four years, all while the coalition of chaos cries poor over housing, health, and education.Apparently, there’s ...1 day ago
- Making the most of it
I’m on the London Overground watching what the phones people are holding are doing to their faces: The man-bun guy who could not be less impressed by what he's seeing but cannot stop reading; the woman who's impatient for a response; the one who’s frowning; the one who’s puzzled; the ...1 day ago - Maranga Ake
You don't have no prescriptionYou don't have to take no pillsYou don't have no prescriptionAnd baby don't have to take no pillsIf you come to see meDoctor Brown will cure your ills.Songwriters: Waymon Glasco.Dr Luxon. Image: David and Grok.First, they came for the Bottom FeedersAnd I did not speak outBecause ...1 day ago - Bernard’s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Wednesday, April 16
The Health Minister says the striking doctors already “well remunerated,” and are “walking away from” and “hurting” their patients. File photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories short from our political economy on Wednesday, April 16:Simeon Brown has attacked1 doctors striking for more than a 1.5% pay rise as already “well remunerated,” even ...1 day ago - Strengthening Australia’s space cooperation with South Korea
The time is ripe for Australia and South Korea to strengthen cooperation in space, through embarking on joint projects and initiatives that offer practical outcomes for both countries. This is the finding of a new ...1 day ago
- They Can Only Talk About One Thing
Hi,When Trump raised tariffs against China to 145%, he destined many small businesses to annihilation. The Daily podcast captured the mass chaos by zooming in and talking to one person, Beth Benike, a small-business owner who will likely lose her home very soon.She pointed out that no, she wasn’t surprised ...1 day ago - National’s Inflation Shame: Kiwis Pay the Price
National’s handling of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis is an utter shambles and a gutless betrayal of every Kiwi scraping by. The Coalition of Chaos Ministers strut around preaching about how effective their policies are, but really all they're doing is perpetuating a cruel and sick joke of undelivered promises, ...1 day ago
- Winston’s Mate Rhys Williams Has Been Unmasked
Most people wouldn't have heard of a little worm like Rhys Williams, a so-called businessman and former NZ First member, who has recently been unmasked as the venomous troll behind a relentless online campaign targeting Green Party MP Benjamin Doyle.According to reports, Williams has been slinging mud at Doyle under ...2 days ago
- Idiocy, Opportunity
Illustration credit: Jonathan McHugh (New Statesman)The other day, a subscriber said they were unsubscribing because they needed “some good news”.I empathised. Don’t we all.I skimmed a NZME article about the impacts of tariffs this morning with analysis from Kiwibank’s Jarrod Kerr. Kerr, their Chief Economist, suggested another recession is the ...2 days ago - US allies must band together in weapons development
Let’s assume, as prudence demands we assume, that the United States will not at any predictable time go back to being its old, reliable self. This means its allies must be prepared indefinitely to lean ...2 days ago
- I’ve been reading
Over the last three rather tumultuous US trade policy weeks, I’ve read these four books. I started with Irwin (whose book had sat on my pile for years, consulted from time to time but not read) in a week of lots of flights and hanging around airports/hotels, and then one ...2 days ago
- This is not the time for increasing Indonesia’s defence spending
Indonesia could do without an increase in military spending that the Ministry of Defence is proposing. The country has more pressing issues, including public welfare and human rights. Moreover, the transparency and accountability to justify ...2 days ago
- FSU Supports Chris Milne’s Right to Make Death Threats
2 days ago
- Winston is inciting terrorism
That's the conclusion of a report into security risks against Green MP Benjamin Doyle, in the wake of Winston Peters' waging a homophobic hate-campaign against them: GRC’s report said a “hostility network” of politicians, commentators, conspiracy theorists, alternative media outlets and those opposed to the rainbow community had produced ...2 days ago
- Winston is inciting terrorism
That's the conclusion of a report into security risks against Green MP Benjamin Doyle, in the wake of Winston Peters' waging a homophobic hate-campaign against them: GRC’s report said a “hostility network” of politicians, commentators, conspiracy theorists, alternative media outlets and those opposed to the rainbow community had produced ...2 days ago
- Why has Hamish Campbell Gone Into Hiding?
National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s ties to the secretive Two By Twos "church" raises serious questions that are not being answered. This shadowy group, currently being investigated by the FBI for numerous cases of child abuse, hides behind a facade of faith while Campbell dodges scrutiny, claiming it’s a “private ...2 days ago
- Why has Hamish Campbell Gone Into Hiding?
National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s ties to the secretive Two By Twos "church" raises serious questions that are not being answered. This shadowy group, currently being investigated by the FBI for numerous cases of child abuse, hides behind a facade of faith while Campbell dodges scrutiny, claiming it’s a “private ...2 days ago
- The Government is cutting, just as the economic recovery is stalling
The economy is not doing what it was supposed to when PM Christopher Luxon said in January it was ‘going for growth.’ Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short from our political economy on Tuesday, April 15:New Zealand’s economic recovery is stalling, according to business surveys, retail spending and ...2 days ago - For a safer Symonds Street
This is a guest post by Lewis Creed, managing editor of the University of Auckland student publication Craccum, which is currently running a campaign for a safer Symonds Street in the wake of a horrific recent crash. The post has two parts: 1) Craccum’s original call for safety (6 ...2 days ago - Tuesday 15 April
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff has published an opinion piece which makes the case for a different approach to economic development, as proposed in the CTU’s Aotearoa Reimagined programme. The number of people studying to become teachers has jumped after several years of low enrolment. The coalition has directed Health New ...2 days ago
- As China’s AI industry grows, Australia must support its own
The growth of China’s AI industry gives it great influence over emerging technologies. That creates security risks for countries using those technologies. So, Australia must foster its own domestic AI industry to protect its interests. ...2 days ago
- Luxon’s Economic Mismanagement
Unfortunately we have another National Party government in power at the moment, and as a consequence, another economic dumpster fire taking hold. Inflation’s hurting Kiwis, and instead of providing relief, National is fiddling while wallets burn.Prime Minister Chris Luxon's response is a tired remix of tax cuts for the rich ...2 days ago
- Girls and Boys
Girls who are boys who like boys to be girlsWho do boys like they're girls, who do girls like they're boysAlways should be someone you really loveSongwriters: Damon Albarn / Graham Leslie Coxon / Alexander Rowntree David / Alexander James Steven.Last month, I wrote about the Birds and Bees being ...2 days ago - Australia can learn from Britain on cyber governance
Australia needs to reevaluate its security priorities and establish a more dynamic regulatory framework for cybersecurity. To advance in this area, it can learn from Britain’s Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which presents a compelling ...2 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On Why The US Stands To Lose The Tariff Wars
Deputy PM Winston Peters likes nothing more than to portray himself as the only wise old head while everyone else is losing theirs. Yet this time, his “old master” routine isn’t working. What global trade is experiencing is more than the usual swings and roundabouts of market sentiment. President Donald ...3 days ago - Why is there no progress in Ukrainian war peace talks?
President Trump’s hopes of ending the war in Ukraine seemed more driven by ego than realistic analysis. Professor Vladimir Brovkin’s latest video above highlights the internal conflicts within the USA, Russia, Europe, and Ukraine, which are currently hindering peace talks and clarity. Brovkin pointed out major contradictions within ...3 days ago - Ani O’Brien has Zero Credibility
In the cesspool that is often New Zealand’s online political discourse, few figures wield their influence as destructively as Ani O’Brien. Masquerading as a champion of free speech and women’s rights, O’Brien’s campaigns are a masterclass in bad faith, built on a foundation of lies, selective outrage, and a knack ...3 days ago
- Australian policy does need more Asia—more Southeast Asia
The international challenge confronting Australia today is unparalleled, at least since the 1940s. It requires what the late Brendan Sargeant, a defence analyst, called strategic imagination. We need more than shrewd economic manoeuvring and a ...3 days ago
- EGU2025 – Picking and chosing sessions to attend on site in Vienna
This year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) will take place as a fully hybrid conference in both Vienna and online from April 27 to May 2. This year, I'll join the event on site in Vienna for the full week and I've already picked several sessions I plan ...3 days ago
- Bookshelf: How China sees things
Here’s a book that looks not in at China but out from China. David Daokui Li’s China’s World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict is a refreshing offering in that Li is very much ...3 days ago
- The Mirage of Chris Luxon’s Pre-Election Promises
The New Zealand National Party has long mastered the art of crafting messaging that resonates with a large number of desperate, often white middle-class, voters. From their 2023 campaign mantra of “getting our country back on track” to promises of economic revival, safer streets, and better education, their rhetoric paints ...3 days ago
- To counter anti-democratic propaganda, step up funding for ABC International
A global contest of ideas is underway, and democracy as an ideal is at stake. Democracies must respond by lifting support for public service media with an international footprint. With the recent decision by the ...3 days ago
- What was the story re Orr’s resignation?
It is almost six weeks since the shock announcement early on the afternoon of Wednesday 5 March that the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Adrian Orr, was resigning effective 31 March, and that in fact he had already left and an acting Governor was already in place. Orr had been ...3 days ago
- Monday 14 April
The PSA surveyed more than 900 of its members, with 55 percent of respondents saying AI is used at their place of work, despite most workers not being in trained in how to use the technology safely. Figures to be released on Thursday are expected to show inflation has risen ...3 days ago
- How to spot AI influence in Australia’s election campaign
Be on guard for AI-powered messaging and disinformation in the campaign for Australia’s 3 May election. And be aware that parties can use AI to sharpen their campaigning, zeroing in on issues that the technology ...3 days ago
- David Seymour – Arsehole of the Week
Strap yourselves in, folks, it’s time for another round of Arsehole of the Week, and this week’s golden derrière trophy goes to—drumroll, please—David Seymour, the ACT Party’s resident genius who thought, “You know what we need? A shiny new Treaty Principles Bill to "fix" all that pesky Māori-Crown partnership nonsense ...3 days ago
- Bernard’s Dawn Chorus and Pick ‘n’ Mix for Monday, April 14
Apple Store, Shanghai. Trump wants all iPhones to be made in the USM but experts say that is impossible. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories shortist from our political economy on Monday, April 14:Donald Trump’s exemption on tariffs on phones and computers is temporary, and he wants all iPhones made in the ...3 days ago - Unmasking the National Party’s Fascism
Kia ora, readers. It’s time to pull back the curtain on some uncomfortable truths about New Zealand’s political landscape. The National Party, often cloaked in the guise of "sensible centrism," has, at times, veered into territory that smells suspiciously like fascism. Now, before you roll your eyes and mutter about hyperbole, ...3 days ago
- Open Letter to Auckland Transport about Project K
This is a letter we will be sending to Auckland Transport to ask they return to the original consulted plans on the Karanga-a-Hape Station precinct integration project, after they released significant changes to designs last week. If you would like to be added as a signatory, please reach out to ...3 days ago
- The gas plan that’s sailing Australia into strategic peril
Australia’s east coast is facing a gas crisis, as the country exports most of the gas it produces. Although it’s a major producer, Australia faces a risk of domestic liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply shortfalls ...3 days ago
- Amateur Hour!
Overnight, Donald J. Trump, America’s 47th President, and only the second President since 1893 to win non-consecutive terms, rolled back more of his “no exemptions, no negotiations” & “no big deal” tariffs.Smartphones, computers, and other electronics1 are now exempt from the 125% levies imposed on imports from China; they retain ...4 days ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 6, 2025 thru Sat, April 12, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. The formatting is a ...4 days ago
- World Domination
Just one year of loveIs better than a lifetime aloneOne sentimental moment in your armsIs like a shooting star right through my heartIt's always a rainy day without youI'm a prisoner of love inside youI'm falling apart all around you, yeahSongwriter: John Deacon.Morena folks, it feels like it’s been quite ...4 days ago - “I think I was, at that time, the only girl in Taranaki who ever wrote a line”
“It's a history of colonial ruin, not a history of colonial progress,” says Michele Leggott, of the Harris family.We’re talking about Groundwork: The Art and Writing of Emily Cumming Harris, in which she and Catherine Field-Dodgson recall a near-forgotten and fascinating life, the female speck in the history of texts.Emily’s ...4 days ago - Fact brief – Is the sun responsible for global warming?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is the sun responsible for global warming? Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, not solar variability, is responsible for the global warming observed ...4 days ago
- A Baptism in the Forest: Accepted
Hitherto, 2025 has not been great in terms of luck on the short story front (or on the personal front. Several acquaintances have sadly passed away in the last few days). But I can report one story acceptance today. In fact, it’s quite the impressive acceptance, being my second ‘professional ...5 days ago - Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to April 12
Six long stories short from our political economy in the week to Saturday, April 12:Donald Trump exploded a neutron bomb under 80 years of globalisation, but Nicola Willis said the Government would cut operational and capital spending even more to achieve a Budget surplus by 2027/28. That even tighter fiscal ...5 days ago - Budget 2025: delivering for whom?
On 22 May, the coalition government will release its budget for 2025, which it says will focus on "boosting economic growth, improving social outcomes, controlling government spending, and investing in long-term infrastructure.” But who, really, is this budget designed to serve? What values and visions for Aotearoa New Zealand lie ...5 days ago - The Other Side
Lovin' you has go to be (Take me to the other side)Like the devil and the deep blue sea (Take me to the other side)Forget about your foolish pride (Take me to the other side)Oh, take me to the other side (Take me to the other side)Songwriters: Steven Tyler, Jim ...5 days ago - It’s (past) time to get serious about funding Australia’s defence and security
In the week of Australia’s 3 May election, ASPI will release Agenda for Change 2025: preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world, a report promoting public debate and understanding on issues of strategic importance to ...5 days ago
- The Downward Spiral of Arise Church: Part 4
Hi,Back in 2022 I spent a year reporting on New Zealand’s then-biggest megachurch, Arise, revealing the widespread abuse of hundreds of interns.That series led to a harrowing review (leaked by Webworm) and the resignation of its founders and leaders John and Gillian Cameron, who fled to Australia where they now ...5 days ago - Whatever the CCP says, regimes don’t have the rights of nations
All nation states have a right to defend themselves. But do regimes enjoy an equal right to self-defence? Is the security of a particular party-in-power a fundamental right of nations? The Chinese government is asking ...6 days ago
- Countervailing Trumpian Sense
A modest attempt to analyse Donald Trump’s tariff policies.Alfred Marshall, whose text book was still in use 40 years after he died wrote ‘every short statement about economics is misleading with the possible exception of my present one.’ (The text book is 719 pages.) It’s a timely reminder that any ...6 days ago - Uncertainty, Hierarchy and the Dilemma of Democracy.
If nothing else, we have learned that the economic and geopolitical turmoil caused by the Trump tariff see-saw raises a fundamental issue of the human condition that extends beyond trade wars and “the markets.” That issue is uncertainty and its centrality to individual and collective life. It extends further into ...6 days ago
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- Release: Boot camps blog post fails to provide clarity
After stonewalling requests for information on boot camps, the Government has now offered up a blog post right before Easter weekend rather than provide clarity on the pilot. ...1 hour ago - Release: Inflation rises and families feel the squeeze
Inflation is rising again and it’s landing hardest on families already stretched thin. ...2 hours ago
- Release: Govt doesn’t know how to fund new hospitals
The Government’s health infrastructure plan is big on promises but coy on where the money is coming from. ...1 day ago
- Release: $10 million for only 215 students in charter schools
David Seymour is pouring $10 million into charter schools that only have 215 students enrolled. ...1 day ago
- Release: Food prices further stretching the family budget
Families already stretched by rising costs will struggle with the news food prices are going up again. ...2 days ago
- Release: Mental health staff and patients at risk without plan
More people could be harmed if Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey does not guarantee to protect patients and workers as the Police withdraw from supporting mental health call outs. ...3 days ago
- Release: Driver licensing proposal doesn’t put safety first
The Government’s proposal to change driver licensing rules is a mixed bag of sensible and careless. ...3 days ago
- Release: Students struggling as Govt sits on hands
The Government is continuing to sit on its hands as students struggle to pay rent due to delays with StudyLink. ...6 days ago
- Release: More must be done to stop children going hungry
More children are going hungry and statistics showing children in material hardship continue to get worse. ...6 days ago
- Greens continue to call for Pacific Visa Waiver
The Green Party recognises the extension of visa allowances for our Pacific whānau as a step in the right direction but continues to call for a Pacific Visa Waiver. ...6 days ago - More children going hungry under Coalition govt
The Government yesterday released its annual child poverty statistics, and by its own admission, more tamariki across Aotearoa are now living in material hardship. ...6 days ago
- Release: Longer wait for treatment under National
New Zealanders have waited longer to get an appointment with a specialist and to get elective surgery under the National Government. ...6 days ago
- Ka mate te Pire- Ka ora te mana o Te Tiriti o Waitangi me te iwi Māori
Today, Te Pāti Māori join the motu in celebration as the Treaty Principles Bill is voted down at its second reading. “From the beginning, this Bill was never welcome in this House,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, Rawiri Waititi. “Our response to the first reading was one of protest: protesting ...7 days ago
- Chris Hipkins speech: Treaty Principles Bill second reading
Normally, when I rise in this House to speak on a bill, I say it's a great privilege to speak on the bill. That is not the case today. ...7 days ago
- Release: End to the Treaty Principles Bill, but challenges remain ahead for Aotearoa
Ka mate te pire I te rā neiThe bill dies today ...7 days ago
- Ka mate te Pire, ka ora Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty Principles Bill dead, Te Tiriti o Waitangi m...
The Green Party is proud to have voted down the Coalition Government’s Treaty Principles Bill, an archaic piece of legislation that sought to attack the nation’s founding agreement. ...7 days ago
- Member’s Bill an opportunity for climate action
A Member’s Bill in the name of Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter which aims to stop coal mining, the Crown Minerals (Prohibition of Mining) Amendment Bill, has been pulled from Parliament’s ‘biscuit tin’ today. ...1 week ago
- Release: Bill to make trading laws fairer passes first hurdle
Labour MP Kieran McAnulty’s Members Bill to make the law simpler and fairer for businesses operating on Easter, Anzac and Christmas Days has passed its first reading after a conscience vote in Parliament. ...1 week ago
- Release: Reserve Bank acts while Govt shrugs
Nicola Willis continues to sit on her hands amid a global economic crisis, leaving the Reserve Bank to act for New Zealanders who are worried about their jobs, mortgages, and KiwiSaver. ...1 week ago
- Release: Property Law Amendment Bill pulled from ballot
A Bill to protect first home buyers and others from bad faith property vendors has been drawn from the Member’s Ballot. ...1 week ago
- Release: More children at risk of losing family connections
Karen Chhour is proposing to scrap Oranga Tamariki targets which aim to connect more children under state care with family and their culture. ...1 week ago
- Release: David Parker made a difference – Hipkins
The Labour Leader today acknowledged and celebrated David Parker’s 23-year contribution to the Labour Party and to Parliament. ...1 week ago
- Release: David Parker to step down from Parliament
Long-serving Labour MP and former Minister David Parker has today announced his intention to leave Parliament. ...1 week ago
- Release: Flaws in Govt’s climate strategy will cost us money
The Government’s plan to achieve our climate goals falls short, and will cost New Zealanders money and jobs. ...1 week ago
- Green Party differing view on the Treaty Principles Bill
Read the Green Party's differing view on the Treaty Principles Bill, prepared by Tamatha Paul. ...1 week ago
- Te Pāti Māori Urges Governor-General to Block Repeal of 7AA
Today, the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill has passed its third and final reading, but there is one more stage before it becomes law. The Governor-General must give their ‘Royal assent’ for any bill to become legally enforceable. This means that, even if a bill gets voted ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Abortion care quietly shelved amid staff shortage
Abortion care at Whakatāne Hospital has been quietly shelved, with patients told they will likely have to travel more than an hour to Tauranga to get the treatment they need. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt guts Kāinga Ora, third of workforce under axe
The gutting of Kāinga Ora shows public housing is not a priority for this Government as it removes a third of the roles at the housing agency. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Thousands of submissions excluded from Treaty Principles Bill report
Thousands of New Zealanders’ submissions are missing from the official parliamentary record because the National-dominated Justice Select Committee has rushed work on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Uncertainty remains over the impact of tariffs
Today’s announcement of 10 percent tariffs for New Zealand goods entering the United States is disappointing for exporters and consumers alike, with the long-lasting impact on prices and inflation still unknown. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Worst February for building consents in over a decade
The National Government’s choices have contributed to a slow-down in the building sector, as thousands of people have lost their jobs in construction. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour supports Willie Apiata’s selfless act
Willie Apiata’s decision to hand over his Victoria Cross to the Minister for Veterans is a powerful and selfless act, made on behalf of all those who have served our country. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori MPs Denied Fundamental Rights in Privileges Committee Hearing
The Privileges Committee has denied fundamental rights to Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, breaching their own standing orders, breaching principles of natural justice, and highlighting systemic prejudice and discrimination within our parliamentary processes. The three MPs were summoned to the privileges committee following their performance of a haka ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt health and safety changes put workers at risk
Changes to New Zealand’s health and safety laws will strip back key protections for small businesses and put working Kiwis at greater risk. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Kiwis worse off this April thanks to Govt choices
April 1 used to be a day when workers could count on a pay rise with stronger support for those doing it tough, but that’s not the case under this Government. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Three more years for Interislander ferries
Winston Peters is shopping for smaller ferries after Nicola Willis torpedoed the original deal, which would have delivered new rail enabled ferries next year. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Myanmar junta must stop the airstrikes
The Government should work with other countries to press the Myanmar military regime to stop its bombing campaign especially while the country recovers from the devastating earthquake. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National failing to deliver on supermarkets
National is paying lip service to its promises to bring down the cost of living, failing to make any meaningful change in the grocery sector. ...2 weeks ago
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- ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 17, 2025
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 17, 2025. Most bees nest in the ground. Offering rocks and gravel is a simple way to help them thriveSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Freya Marie Jackson, PhD Candidate, School of Veterinary and ...36 minutes ago - Most bees nest in the ground. Offering rocks and gravel is a simple way to help them thrive
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Freya Marie Jackson, PhD Candidate, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University _Lasioglossum dotatum_ kerrysturat/iNaturalist, CC BY-NC-ND Of the more than 20,000 bee species in the world, 70% nest in the ground. And like many of their counterparts that nest above ...1 hour ago
- Thailand’s fragile democracy takes another hit with arrest of US academic
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia Despite the challenges faced by local democratic activists, Thailand has often been an oasis of relative liberalism compared with neighbouring countries such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Westerners, in particular, have been ...1 hour ago
- In the trade war, China has moved to curb supply of critical minerals. Can Australia seize the momen...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marina Yue Zhang, Associate Professor, Technology and Innovation, University of Technology Sydney China has placed curbs on exports of rare germanium and gallium which are critical in manufacturing. Shutterstock In the escalating trade war between the United States and China, one notable ...1 hour ago
- ‘The pay is not worth the stress’: research finds 10% of lawyers plan to quit within a year
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vivien Holmes, Emerita Professor, Australian National University Momentum studio/Shutterstock No one goes into the legal profession thinking it is going to be easy. Long working hours are fairly standard, work is often completed to tight external deadlines, and 24/7 availability to ...1 hour ago
- Contemporary television is rarely as good as The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Prime The Narrow Road to the Deep North stands as some of the most visceral and moving television produced in Australia in recent memory. Marking a new accessibility and confidence to ...1 hour ago
- How to spend four days stuck in your own home with children
The forecast for Easter weekend in much of the country is pretty shitty. Here are some ideas for having a nice time indoors. Ex-tropical cyclone Tam might have been downgraded to a subtropical low, but it has already unleashed heavy rain, high winds and power outages on the upper North ...1 hour ago - NZ’s over-reliance on roads for freight means natural disasters hit even harder. But there is a fi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cécile L’Hermitte, Senior Lecturer in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, University of Waikato In the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, the driving time between Napier and Wairoa stretched from 90 minutes to over six hours, causing major supply chain delays. Retail prices rose ...2 hours ago
- Event noticeboard: folk in a church hall, whimsical sculpture and a 1995 party
The Spinoff’s top picks of events from around the motu. This week some sad research landed in my inbox. A report found that 75% of New Zealanders are tightening their purse strings when it comes to socialising. The casualties are dining out, going to cafes, weekend getaways and going to ...2 hours ago
- Hone Harawira criticises Te Pāti Māori candidate Pere Huriwai-Seger for confronting Casey Costello
The activist and MP has criticised Pere Huriwai-Seger, who ran on Te Pāti Māori's list in 2023 for after exchange with the NZ First MP. ...2 hours ago - Does hollow chocolate taste better than solid chocolate? A definitive ruling
The same ingredients with a wildly different outcome. I’m at the ready to answer life’s big questions. Should you dump him? Yes. What happens when we die? Worms. What is time? Quick. Will I ever be happy? Yes. Do Easter eggs taste better than a block of chocolate? Yes. No. ...3 hours ago
- New Zealand To Nearly Double Military Spending
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon made clear that even more money will be made available, telling the media the $12 billion figure “is the floor, not the ceiling, of funding for our defence force.” ...3 hours ago - ‘Best farmers in the world’: Christopher Luxon praises New Zealand’s agriculture s...
"We are the best farmers in the world," the prime miister says. ...4 hours ago
- ‘I’ll dedicate it to David Seymour’: Taite Music Prize winner Mokotron on what comes next
The day after winning the Taite Music Prize, Tiopira McDowell aka Mokotron tells Lyric Waiwiri-Smith about his dreams of turning his ‘meth lab’ looking garage into a studio, and why he might dedicate his next record to the leader of the Act Party. A music awards ceremony one day, a ...5 hours ago
- What mould means: exploring the connection between housing and health
Housing is one of the main determinants of health, but it’s not always straightforward to fix. Keeping our houses dry, warm and draught-free may not be something that, when the sun is high in the sky and our winter clothing is packed away, many of us are busy thinking about. ...5 hours ago
- Help Me Hera: How do I come out as a ‘Disney Millennial’?
I’m sick of feeling ashamed of something that brings me so much joy. Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera, When I think of my childhood, I think of Disney. One of my earliest memories was getting dressed up as Snow White and prancing around for my ...6 hours ago
- Govt considers compensating Chathams for ‘confiscated’ fishing quota
Islanders have long memories of Wellington politicians denying them their land, their autonomy, even their vote – but the modern-day seizure of their fisheries is a raw wound The post Govt considers compensating Chathams for ‘confiscated’ fishing quota appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 hours ago - ‘They are like my children’: research reveals 4 types of indoor plant owners. Which one are you?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brianna Le Busque, Lecturer in Environmental Science, University of South Australia maramorosz/Shutterstock Walk into any home or workplace today, and you’re likely to find an array of indoor plants. The global market for indoor plants is growing fast – projected to ...7 hours ago
- Finance Minister Nicola Willis tells Reserve Bank to ‘show some restraint’ as budget sla...
The budget has been slashed by about 25 percent. ...7 hours ago
- Cracks in social cohesion – the major parties must commit to reinvigorating multiculturalism
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Jakubowicz, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Technology Sydney In the run up to the May 3 election, questions are being raised about the value of multiculturalism as a public policy in Australia. They’ve been prompted by community tensions arising from ...7 hours ago
- State of the states: six experts on how the campaign is playing out around Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Clune, Honorary Associate, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney The federal election campaign has passed the halfway mark, with politicians zig-zagging across the country to spruik their policies and achievements. Where politicians choose to visit (and not visit) give us ...7 hours ago
- People are ‘microdosing’ weight-loss drugs. A GP explains what to watch out for
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natasha Yates, General Practitioner, PhD Candidate, Bond University MillaF/Shutterstock Injectable medications originally developed for the treatment of diabetes are also effective for weight loss, and have surged in popularity for this purpose around the world. In Australia, Ozempic is approved for ...7 hours ago
- With the end of Flybuys NZ, what happens to the personal data of nearly 3 million Kiwis?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa M. Katerina Asher, Doctoral Candidate, Business School, University of Sydney JuSun/Getty Images After almost three decades in New Zealand, loyalty programme Flybuys announced it would be closing in 2024. The company behind the scheme, Loyalty New Zealand, has since entered ...7 hours ago
- New Aussie film The Correspondent is an extraordinary retelling of Peter Greste’s story
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Jean Baker, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Monash University Maslow Entertainment The Correspondent is a film every journalist should see. There are no spoiler alerts. It is based on the globally-publicised jailing in Cairo in 2013 of Australian journalist Peter ...7 hours ago
- Health NZ report admits poor management of hospital facilities
A Health NZ report says it "cannot effectively plan for asset renewals, replacements or optimise maintenance strategies". ...8 hours ago
- Hospitals to be rebuilt in four stages under new $20b plan
Hospitals nationwide are set for upgrades – though at a more sedate pace than some might have hoped, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A blueprint for rebuilding After years of warnings and stocktakes, the government has ...8 hours ago
- NZ First donor launches airline war on Chatham Islands
Visiting government and business leaders, disembarking an Air Force Hercules, were met this week by the unexpected sight of a big fresh-painted Boeing 737 freighter unloading at Chatham Island’s tiny airport.The growing trans-Tasman freight firm Texel Air took delivery of the 737-800 jet last month, taking its fleet to six ...9 hours ago
- Defunding the police is good policy, actually
Suggestions of defunding the police have sparked uproar but it’s a sensible and noble goal, argue two crime researchers. When we both first saw the “attack” ads put up by some combination of the Sensible Sentencing Trust and the Campaign Company, we couldn’t fully grasp the framing of an “attack” ...10 hours ago
- The Beehive is lauding a big drop in violent crime. But what do the stats really say?
This week, a dramatic dip in the number of victims of violent crime was revealed, a remarkable turnaround in just eight months that the government was quick to take credit for. But, as Alice Neville explains, crime data is far from clear-cut. In September last year, the government announced a ...10 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Thursday 17 April
The post Daily crossword, Thursday 17 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...10 hours ago
- Act left out of loop on PM’s tariff alliance plans
As Christopher Luxon disputes claims of tariff plan disagreement, another coalition partner says it was in the dark The post Act left out of loop on PM’s tariff alliance plans appeared first on Newsroom. ...10 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 17 April
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.Keep playing
Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 17 April 10 hours ago - Faith, hope and chocolate eggs
Chocolate eggs. Debates over shop opening hours. Traffic congestion as Kiwis take advantage of four days off in a row. Often it’s the last of the summer weather, or the first of the winter blast.This is the Easter break in New Zealand that most people recognise.But it’s not the same ...10 hours ago
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Hefty charges will apply to cheap packages heading into the US from China from May 2, disrupting some of the world’s largest retailers The post Get ready for even more Shein and Temu ads as Trump tariffs bite appeared first on Newsroom. ...10 hours ago
- Peters’ desperation is PM’s gain
Comment: Treaty Principles Bill defeat and global campaign against Trump’s tariffs have given PM chance to assert himself over coalition The post Peters’ desperation is PM’s gain appeared first on Newsroom. ...10 hours ago
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After months of dealing with protesters in their masses, David Seymour is almost disappointed when his critics don’t show up in sufficient volume.Speaking at a lunchtime event, the Act Party leader says there has been “at least a 95 percent reduction in Gaza protesters since the last time I spoke ...10 hours ago
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- Election Diary: there were a couple of ‘moments’ in second Albanese-Dutton encounter
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Two “moments” stuck out in Wednesday’s leaders’ debate, the second head-to-head of the campaign. Peter Dutton cut his losses over his faux pas this week when he wrongly named Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto as having ...14 hours ago
Near the end of the Trump Schadenfruede post, there was this- "The global left has a great chance to first enjoy “told you so world”, and secondly rebuild its voter support."
The second part of that sentence is the most important. Othering is almost anti-left and it doesn't serve either group well. Instead we need to put that precious attention into imagining, planning and communicating the alternative. Make it so attractive so it's irresistible to those that don't vote.
The first $15,000 tax free?
Abolish GST, replace with Wealth/Stamp duty/CGT?
Time for some old fashioned protectionism?
Invest in pharmaceutical companies here? Stop direct to customer marketing of pharmaceuticals (apart from NZ ones?).
Living wage at least, paid to all workers who are contracted to the government?
It's far better for our emotional and political health to focus on things that are within our control. Every time Trump is in our thoughts and words, Luxon, Seymour, Peters and their motley crews thank you.
The biggie in my view, and a couple of other regular posters is–return power generation and supply to full public ownership. Compensation for the gentailers if they go quietly. The artificially created power and lines market has just been a money spinner for private enterprise with inadequate reinvestment made by them in maintenance, infrastructure and new sustainable power sources.
Power prices have been hiked 10% just in time for winter. National super annuitants get a heating payment from May to October, filthy beneficiaries of course nothing.
Cheaper, sustainable power under Govt. and community control would be a vote winner.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/public-majority-slams-govt-for-lack-of-action-on-electricity-prices-in-new-poll/BZEQ3RIC7VEDDOAQJOI6KGE3NQ/#google_vignette
Any serious reform must see the minimum wage become the living wage…
I'm guessing you would have seen that Willis is stripping Living Wage requirements out of all government contracts?
So much for their pre-election promise of "higher wages for New Zealanders".
Many years ago, Bill English wanted "the wages to drop" and I do believe National & ACT still prefer lowering minimum and living wages (inflation adjusted).
However, overall "higher wages for New Zealanders" is still possible… if you look at the "average NZ wage", for example pay the CEOs and other top management 10 times more and you will increase the average.
You give your claimed comment by Bill English as being a direct quote,
Can you please provide evidence for what you say he said?
English might have been channelling John ‘Close the Wage Gap’ Key
So Bill never said this?
Don’t know if Bill has ever uttered the words “the wages to drop” – maybe you could enlighten us.
Anyhoo, what we do know is that in 2011 our then Minister of Finance considered a “30 per cent” wage gap with Australia to be advantageous.
That's what I am getting at T.M.
It is a vote winner. Those that have a share portfolio aren't suddenly going to change their vote but it will encourage those that don't vote to partake.
Aye TM. I have said similar for many years. Who in the Left opposition is listening ?
Here are some of the existing problems….
The salient point…
Greenpeace with some experts on how to change the broken system.
And the Greens with their Future Energy Vision….
We cannot continue the way we are. Democratise NZ Energy !
National super annuitants get a heating payment from May to October, filthy beneficiaries of course nothing.
Beneficiaries DO (still) get the Winter energy payment.
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/products/a-z-benefits/winter-energy-payment.html#:~:text=You%20must%20be%20getting%20a,on%201%20October%20every%20year.
How much would renationalising the entire power generation industry cost?
You would compensate shareholders with government bonds, that how they did it in the 1940s anyway.
Humour me.
How much would that be?
It would be much cheaper and practical to set up a state owned solar power company where most/all sites developed also had grid-linked battery storage attached.
The battery storage would be less expensive than (and instead of) Lake Onslow.
This would also give Labour credibility on the climate change issue.
Na onslow type storage beats batteries every day once it's buil it last for ever ish, unlike bloody batteries
No battery ever dies, they are all murdered.
I'm all in favour if yr solar idea, start with schools, marae, council buildings and swimming pools.
But… We also need to restructure the power system to reflect that it is a necessity for the public and that it is owned by the public.
Not an investment vehicle for playing corporate games with.
The last estimate I heard for Onslow was $17 billion….these days you can buy a hell of a lot of solar panels and batteries for that kind of dosh.
Don't think any solar panels or batteries, bought now, will still be useful in 100 years.
Onslow was future proofing consumption smoothing.
Not something that power companies making a mint on spot pricing wants.
The other investment required is in drastically reducing end use of energy. Green buildings, rail, shipping, transport requirements, commuting.
The proposed scheme was to store 5 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity. Large scale battery storage costs range from $100 to $300 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Do the sums.
Need not cost a thing.
Renationalising is in the national interest. Help undo the inequities caused by rampant inequality.
Shareholders by definition have surplus funds.
A return is not guaranteed, there is risk in the 'market'.
As has been pointed out, compensate with Govt. bonds.
How much in nz government bonds?
Has renationalising all power generation been done anywhere similar so we can consider what might happen?
We can do better than saying it's free and the government will fix it.
We lost the last election trying to re-govern water.
This lot are likely to lose from trying to implement re-governing health.
Be consequential.
Do you have skin in the game?
We all do.
Yes, some have more in that they can tolerate the dividends they receive at the expense of the rest of us.
"New research from First Union, 350 Aotearoa and the Council of Trade Unions said power companies paid out $10.8 billion in dividends over the last decade but invested $4.5b in new power projects"
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/504764/big-power-companies-paying-large-dividends-at-consumers-expense-unions
"We lost the last election trying to re-govern water. "
Bad example, with 3 waters rightly or wrongly, the feeling was that something we owned was being taken.
Taking back the power companies is returning some that was taken from us.
I suspect your personal interests override concern for the less well off amongst us. Yr not alone there are plenty of 'left wing' landlords too.
I think Ad’s talking strategy, but I agree that 3 waters is a bad example. Labour botched it by imposing it without regard for the electorate instead of bringing people along. Likewise co-governance. Lefties might not be bothered by that approach but swing voters are.
It's also a failure of the neoliberal paradigm. Nationalising power is antithetical to neoliberalism, so it's hard to see how Labour could consider it the way things are now. But the conversation is important, and what I'd like to see if lefties develop more on the how. Both the practicalities and the politics. Use Ad's naysaying as a way of testing the ideas.
Perhaps.
With Trump metaphorically tipping the table over it's the perfect time to implement politics with principles.
Bugger shareholders, signal now that it's time to exit the that market as the power is coming back to the people.
How though? I’m not naysaying, I’m saying go further, work through the issues and talk about not just what could happen but how.
The shareholders are a shit load of NZers with a kiwisaver. Saying bugger the shareholders contradicts the power to the people messaging. If we want people to vote for system change we have to present a way out of neoliberal capitalism.
As to how, that's where I am woefully out of my depth. There would be far brighter minds than mine with that know how.
We did it with KiwiRail, the government retrieving important infrastructure from private ownership. Perhaps that is a model to follow?
I figure part of the narrative is that the assets were paid for and built by our tipuna but they have been misused. (Way more paid in dividends than in reinvestment into generation or maintenance.)
I agree, I don't see the political courage or imagination in parliament to make that happen, but if we made enough noise…
my point here is that enough noise is insufficient. Why would the parliamentary parties move on this if there was no credible way to do it? I’m not saying there isn’t. It’s possible there are people out there who have started thinking about the how. Go find them and bring their ideas back here and see how the debate changes from ‘we should do this’ to ‘this is how we effect useful change’
Have the Transition Town people done work in this locally or internationally? What about WEALL?
If we want radical change, I think it’s the responsibility of extra-parliamentary groups to lead on this.
The value of Genesis, Meridian and Mercury (the three mixed ownership power companies) in the Crown accounts is $24.3B and ~51% ownership as at 30 June 2024. Lazy maths say it would therefore cost approx. $23.4B to renationalise those back to 100%.
Source – pp 174-176
Not sure what else would be included in renationalisation.
Piss easy to sell politically IMO.
The latest national line charges hike reflects ongoing underinvestment by lines companies via their trustee troughs.
I wouldn't compensate anyone, they've done more than well enough with the dividends not matched by profit.
Settle at market share price, nationalise the lot. The largesse within that sector is staggering, returning to an NZED model would save shedloads p.a.
Wait so you'd nationalise all lines companies and all generators together?
Our government system is in crisis, as to funding.
We need a 20 year bright-line test on rental property, stamp duty (5% over $2M), and a wealth tax linked to estate tax and more (1% mortgage surcharge on landlord property – 10 year exemption for new builds) just to maintain government, as was developed in the 20thC.
Based around the principles of the UN Declaration of Human Rights (right to health, housing, education, adequate income etc).
Did the 10 year Bright Line Test significantly increase tax income to government?
No, because it has never been in effect.
EXPLAINER.
It was only 2 years till 2017, then increased to 5.
But the time frame was not retrospective.
So given the changes made by the government elected in 2023, there has never been a 10 year bright-line test in effect.
Treasury recommends a 20 year bright-line test.
page 2
https://www.taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz/-/media/e3626e29ec114052880ef6d64b50beed.ashx?modified=20240314002444
That is amazing SPC. Labour should make a 20 year BLT policy for the next election immediately, citing Treasury advice.
This should be in addition to a Wealth Tax.
Annual % increase in the minimum wage for the last wee while:
2015 – 3.5% (5th National (Key) government)
2016 – 3.4%
2017 – 3.3%
2018 – 4.8% (6th Labour (Ardern) government)
2019 – 7.3%
2020 – 6.8%
2021 – 5.8%
2022 – 6.0%
2023 – 7.1%
2024 – 2.0% ('our' CoC govt)
2025 – 1.5%
Neolib cheerleader Chrises A&B doing their buddy-buddy routine in this nice photo: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/coalition-back-on-track-after-months-behind-labour/MCUS77CB7JENVPDI2TXXZY7EIQ/
Chris B: "See this tie, mostly blue – the diagonal pattern is a mask to lull the leftists into a false sense of security. But hey, if I go full blue next week and shave my hair off they won't be able to tell us apart."
Chris A: "Nah, won't work. Everyone knows you're banal & I'm venal. Huge difference – 2 whole letters of the alphabet."
Chris B: "Intellectual stuff like that baffles me. I'll see if my minder can explain it."
Meanwhile the Herald analyst reckons Chris B dropped Labour 4.3% because a Green MP made him do it:
Somehow I can't bring myself to believe that Labour supporters really are that fickle. Worse, woke worked Winston's wondrous whopping wow…
Ya gotta wonder … MLK was her go-to example!?
And another WTAF…
I had earler commented on ACT Minister Hoggard and his lack of awareness….
Anyone tracking the antitrust lawsuit against Zuckerberg by the US Federal Trade Commission?
Starts April 14.
Sure hope Willis is taking notice, not just more talks and reports about our multiple oligopolies.
The lunacy continues:
"Trump administration orders half of national forests open for logging" (Stuff report, https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360642862/trump-administration-orders-half-national-forests-open-logging)
US foresters have been told that they are entering “a new era”.
Well, with climate crisis resulting in more droughts and more forest fires, perhaps their "logic" is along the lines of "fell them before they burn".
The faster they fell them, the sooner the Atlantic current and AMOC system goes down. That will end global warming … in the northern hemisphere …
The thing to watch is the elites supporting the capacity to have domed communities on the moon or Mars. This capacity is required for there to be survival centres in the case of a 10 degree cooling in the north.
A Redwood moonbase!
Incredible….who needs landscape or carbon sinks?
There is light at the end of the tunnel. After just 3 months of Trump in power people are marching in the streets.
The mid term elections will be interesting.
Trump will be dead before they realise that the scifi rich pricks living in a biodome scenario doesn't work.
The mid term elections will be interesting.
Only if they're actually allowed to take place in a free and fair manner – by no means a certainty, in my view.
Better they log close to home – and see the effects, than import timber logged from poor countries, where they can pretend the effect doesn't exist.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/06/the-white-working-class-is-nothing-like-what-politicians-think-or-claim-it-is
Although very English, there are lessons for us here as well.
"The Labour party, though, was always a coalition of working-class and middle-class voters. What has happened in the post-Thatcher era is a conscious refashioning of that coalition, jettisoning class politics, embracing neoliberal policies and promoting technocratic values. Labour MPs with working-class backgrounds have, as Budd notes, become rare, largely replaced by “political careerists” with a background “in thinktanks or as advisers”.
Sections of the working class, feeling abandoned and voiceless, have themselves, over time, abandoned Labour, some gravitating towards the Tories and more recently towards Reform. It is difficult to see how you can address the issues Budd so adroitly raises without reclaiming some form of class politics. Not least because Winnick’s point that those who “act as the champions of the white person against immigrants” rarely “defend the interests of the white working class” is even more pertinent today than it was half a century ago. The left’s neglect of class politics has allowed parties such as Reform, whose policies, on topics from trade unions to welfare, are deeply regressive, to be able to portray themselves as championing working-class interests."
Reading Fungi of Aotearoa in the weekend it touched on how the mycorrzhial network is a big carbon sink.
Regular tilling of the soil and certain sprays undo this good work.
"Plants photosynthesize using sunlight and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert them into energy. During that process, the plants fix carbon – turning it from its gaseous form into organic carbon compounds. The plants then use this carbon to build their structures. Flowers, leaves, stems – those are all made from organic carbon compounds"
https://www.spun.earth/articles/carbon-paper
Review of the book.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018889518/book-review-fungi-of-aotearoa-by-liv-sisson
I became interested in Trump's use of executive orders to implement his policies, as he seems to be acting like the US version of Joseph Stalin. Can't Congress rein him in?
This note from a US law firm gives a few pointers: https://www.woodsrogers.com/insights/publications/5-facts-about-executive-orders-that-may-surprise-you
Not really, as both houses are under control of the Republican Party & most of the Republican moderates are like possums trap between the Lights of a incoming MAGA Truck.
The Best hope for everyone is the mid term elections atm?
If that fails? Then we and most US citizens are Fucked!
And what I mean "We" is the world feeling the effects of Trump's Tariffs/ American First & Trump's Foreign Policy's.
“This is a con on a global scale. Trump is not rejecting the corporate trade model. He’s weaponizing it”.
Trump’s mob will be rebating tariffs for countries that prioritise US rules. Such as corporate rights over countries internal policies.
Seymours regulatory standards Bill, is an echo of the ultimate aim of Trumps puppet masters.
When a billboard that says "Vote Green" is deemed to be a billboard telling people not to vote Green.
Now I've seen it all (I hope)…
Billboards attacking Green MPs appear in Wellington and Auckland https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/557433/billboards-attacking-green-mps-appear-in-wellington-and-auckland
Sensible Sentencing (the SS) have stuffed up here and given Chloe the chance to explain that defunding the police is not Green Party policy at all.
They should have saved it for the election.
Should go on to point out that National are already defunding the police more than any sensible budget policy would suggest, and that they have zero chance of hitting their recruitment targets in their term.
Post up: https://thestandard.org.nz/misleading-billboards-are-a-threat-to-electoral-integrity/.
To judge by recent form, the Greens will have given 'em plenty more ammo by that time. No need to hoard it.
(I've voted Green in the last three GEs, but am getting increasingly exasperated at the way their candidate selection – and the candidates themselves – keep leaving them open to cheapo attacks that distract from the message.)