Open mike 08/06/2021

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 8th, 2021 - 176 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

176 comments on “Open mike 08/06/2021 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Jenny How to get there 1
    8 June 2021 at 7:17 am

    '

    My advice to the Nurses – This Wednesday – Occupy one lane of the Auckland Harbour Bridge – The government will magically increase your pay offer by another $780 million

    <

    blockquote>
    DHBs 'disappointed' in upcoming strike action after nurses reject pay negotiation offer

    Rachel Sadler [yesterday]

    ….The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) announced on Monday that members had "overwhelmingly" voted to reject the offer, which means a strike will go ahead this Wednesday.

    DHBs 'disappointed' in upcoming strike action after nurses reject pay negotiation offer (msn.com)

    • Jenny How to get there 1.1
      8 June 2021 at 7:21 am

      The generally caring cycling community will not begrudge the nurses getting $780 million instead of them. In fact they will probably insist on it.

      Auckland harbour cycle and pedestrian bridge facing criticism from both side

      3 days ago

      A cycling advocate says building an entire bridge from the ground up – at a cost of at least $780 million – is totally unnecessary when cyclists and walkers could just have a lane on the existing Auckland harbour bridge.

      Auckland harbour cycle and pedestrian bridge facing criticism from both sides (msn.com)

      • Ad 1.1.1
        8 June 2021 at 3:29 pm

        The nurses look like they need to hire the cycling lobbyists.

        Or indeed the roading lobbyists.

        No point complaining when others are better at it: better to learn than to lose.

    • Rosemary McDonald 1.2
      8 June 2021 at 8:05 am

      Occupy one lane of the Auckland Harbour Bridge – The government will magically increase your pay offer by another $780 million

      yes

      • Sabine 1.2.1
        8 June 2021 at 8:59 am

        and you won't get arrested for braking the law, breaking a police barrier etc etc etc.

        you will not even get fined for causing some traffic issues for others.

        just don't try that anywhere near poor neighborhood.

        • Adrian Thornton 1.2.1.1
          8 June 2021 at 10:40 am

          True that, you should have seen the over the top, heavy handed police presence around here in Marewa during the lockdown…then you would walk up to Napier Hill, up there you wouldn't even see a cop.

        • Jimmy 1.2.1.2
          8 June 2021 at 11:09 am

          "braking" the law. That's quite clever. I see what you did there instead of "breaking" as they are cyclists!

      • Bearded Git 1.2.2
        8 June 2021 at 9:48 am

        The government did drop the Mill Road roading project in Auckland , saving around $3 billion (It is costed at $3.5 billion but there will be safety improvements instead) and saving 6 tonnes of CO2 emissions a day.

        So even with the new bike/foot bridge we have a considerable gain for climate change policy from this government-less cars more bikes- and save $2.2 billion too.

        Maybe the $2.2 billion saved should be split a billion for the nurses/health service and a billion for more climate friendly cycleways.

        (Anyway I am off to do the fantastic new Cromwell-Clyde ride today.)

        • Sabine 1.2.2.1
          8 June 2021 at 9:54 am

          Are you going there by bike or do you use a car to transport your bike there to and then back from to home?

        • Rosemary McDonald 1.2.2.2
          8 June 2021 at 9:55 am

          Hope you have an E-bike…some of the inclines are punishing.

          • Adrian Thornton 1.2.2.2.1
            8 June 2021 at 10:50 am

            "some of the inclines are punishing."…that is how you get strong, you have to learn to love the hills…or get a e-bike!

    • Incognito 1.3
      8 June 2021 at 8:44 am

      Besides the divisive nature, this time pitting cyclists against nurses, you’re also wrong, as Government as such is not involved in this employment issue. It is also a misrepresentation of the stumbling blocks, as it is not just about pay and it almost never is, but the irony is that pay is often the easiest (!) ‘fix’ in employment disputes. It looks like you deliberately seed discord. You also stuffed up the formatting of the quoted text; the whole comment appears like a dog’s breakfast. What a way to start the day and OM!

      • Rosemary McDonald 1.3.1
        8 June 2021 at 8:54 am

        …it is not just about pay and it almost never is, but the irony is that pay is often the easiest (!) ‘fix’ in employment disputes …

        Ah…but those other key issues can be fixed by hiring more staff. More staff = higher wage bill=more $$$ needed from Government. Wiping student debt would also alleviate much o the stress.

        So….those dollars promised (with impressive alacrity) to the militant bikers would make a real difference to recruiting and retaining these essential workers.

        • Molly 1.3.1.1
          8 June 2021 at 10:32 am

          Having had a lot to do with the health system in the last year, from my perspective the issue regarding continuity of care is important. Very rarely are my appointments set up to see the same specialist each time, often I see someone new each time I go in, to the same department. On the two occasions when I have seen the same specialist, both of them have introduced themselves and said "I don't think I've seen you before…" Says a lot about the sense that you are on the receiving end of a manufacturing process rather than a health system.

          My experience of the ommunication between DHB's has been abysmal. When you are having to go to different DHB's to get different treatments, this can lead to disjointed care and outcomes. It will be interesting to see how the planned integration will be implemented. If the focus is on costs savings – and not improved continuity of care – the communication problem and its effects will continue.

          As a matter of interest, while waiting for treatment you do tend to pass time with the health professionals that attend you. Out of the up to twenty specialist nursing and hospital staff, only two nurses were born and trained in New Zealand. More than a few were looking to work in New Zealand to facilitate easy transfer to Australia. One lovely nurse from the Phillipines, undertook her NZ certification and then was in the Hawkes Bay region for her required placement. She intended to follow her siblings journey to Australia in a couple of years. So much for importing health professionals to make up for the shortfall. The revolving door continues whether they are NZ born or recently NZ certified. It needs to be a more attractive career if we want to keep them.

          After an hour or so, she queried whether I was part Māori. When I replied in the affirmative, she said she was surprised. She had been advised during her three month placement that Māori were disruptive and abusive, but the few that she had contact with didn't seem that bad.

          If anyone queries the disparity of seeking help and health outcomes for Māori fails to look at the culture of the health system, they are missing a trick.

          • Rosemary McDonald 1.3.1.1.1
            8 June 2021 at 11:11 am

            I miss you commenting here Molly. You waste no words and add much to the discussion. Thank you.

            • Molly 1.3.1.1.1.1
              8 June 2021 at 11:22 am

              Hey, Rosemary. Not commenting much, but still reading.

              (I enjoy watching you, Sabine, weka, Jenny, Anne and many others to be keeping the valid critique going. Often have a few quiet chuckles reading comments that state much more eloquently – or forcefully – my thoughts on topics.)

        • Incognito 1.3.1.2
          8 June 2021 at 10:08 pm

          Ah, yes, hiring more staff. Why did they not think of that?

      • RosieLee 1.3.2
        8 June 2021 at 9:13 am

        Of course the government is involved. They set the policies. And they were cynical enough to announce a 3 year pay freeze for teachers, nurses, public servants one day – then announce so called fair wage bargaining the next. They could afford meaningful wage and staff increases if they got rid of more of the army of beaurocrats, paper shufflers and consultants.

      • Jenny How to get there 1.3.3
        8 June 2021 at 10:39 am

        Incognito

        8 June 2021 at 8:44 am

        …Government as such is not involved in this employment issue……

        Really?

        If not, it is only by choice.

        Robertson says nurses got 'really big pay increase two or three years ago', but 'hears' frustration

        Mark Quinlivan 1 hour ago

        "Nurses got a really big pay increase from the Government two or three years ago which was to make up for not having been paid well a decade before that….."

        Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson

        Robertson says nurses got 'really big pay increase two or three years ago', but 'hears' frustration (msn.com)

        Whether this 'pay increase from the Government' was really 'big' or not, is a matter for debate.

        What is not disputable, (according to Robertson), is that it was the government that did it. (And obviously could do it again, if they so chose). To say they can't, is what is 'wrong'. To say they don't want to, would be more accurate.

        • Incognito 1.3.3.1
          8 June 2021 at 10:18 pm

          Nurses latest pay offer accept: What you need to know

          4:53 pm on 7 August 2018

          The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) has accepted the latest pay offer from their DHB employers. Here's what you need to know.

          The offer ratified today was the fifth from DHBs, worth at least $520 million.

          This marks the end of the row over renewal of the multi-employer collective agreement.

          It follows a day-long strike last month and nearly a year of negotiations between both sides for 30,000 nurses in public hospitals and 20 DHBs.

          https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/363551/nurses-latest-pay-offer-accept-what-you-need-to-know

          Even someone at my pay-grade can understand this, but you can’t!?

      • Chris 1.3.4
        8 June 2021 at 2:53 pm

        "…Government as such is not involved in this employment issue."

        So who is it that's involved? In one corner we have the nurses, and in the other we have…? Who is it? Tell us.

        • Incognito 1.3.4.1
          8 June 2021 at 10:11 pm

          The lycra brigade, of course. Please keep up with the excellent commentary here and you will learn a lot.

    • Treetop 1.4
      8 June 2021 at 8:59 am

      The government cannot lose focus on what really needs to be fixed when it comes to nurses, stressed working conditions and struggling to pay the rent or mortgage in some cases.

      Stress in the home impacts at work or vice versa, that is the dynamic.

      • Rosemary McDonald 1.4.1
        8 June 2021 at 9:07 am

        Heh! But if they could only bike safely over the Waitemata to and from work their stress levels would plummet.

        Somewhere, someone will have calculated and compared the Wellbeing Value of unfettered urban cycling with adequate public healthcare staffing.

        • Treetop 1.4.1.1
          8 June 2021 at 9:25 am

          I read your comment a couple of days back when I asked if anyone had been asked at a screening or specialist appointment if they had been vaccinated for Covid.

          I thought about your reply and your situation. All these Covid posters but nothing on vaccination at ED or enquiry from the specialist. I was asked about Covid vaccination at a mammogram visit.

          I have noticed in the past few years when having procedures that the nurses seem more stressed. Especially if they are short staffed even by one person. Specialist consults seem to be more rushed as well. It is important to have good health management when a serious complication can occur.

          • Incognito 1.4.1.1.1
            8 June 2021 at 9:38 am

            Why on Earth would you waste ED resources on vaccinations? Do you want a haircut at the same time? Get your priorities right, please.

            • Treetop 1.4.1.1.1.1
              8 June 2021 at 9:46 am

              Where did I say I would waste ED resources on vaccinations?enlightened

              I was talking about a poster or a pamphlet about vaccinaton at ED.

              • Incognito …
                8 June 2021 at 10:24 pm

                Do you want little flyers for McDonalds with that? House of Travel brochures perhaps?

                • Treetop …
                  9 June 2021 at 8:47 am

                  Icky Incognito, misinterpretation of my comment @ 1.4.1.1

                • Treetop …
                  9 June 2021 at 9:19 am

                  @ 1.4.1.1.1.1.Where did I say I would waste ED resources on vaccinations?

                  What has this got to do with scanning, haircuts, Mc Donalds or House of Travel?

              • Sacha …
                9 June 2021 at 8:51 am

                Fair question. Wonder how they decided where to put them?

                • Treetop …
                  9 June 2021 at 9:26 am

                  No numbering Sacha.

                  • Sacha …
                    9 June 2021 at 9:38 am

                    I'm agreeing about lack of vax info in some parts of the health system. Should probably have said 'good point' rather than good question.

                    • Treetop …
                      9 June 2021 at 9:55 am

                      Thank you for clarification which helps with communication when not clear.

            • Sabine 1.4.1.1.1.2
              8 June 2021 at 9:55 am

              You can get haircuts at the ED? Wonders!

            • Rosemary McDonald 1.4.1.1.1.3
              8 June 2021 at 11:00 am

              Why on Earth would you waste ED resources on vaccinations?

              Some folk just like being obtuse…no?

              We're in the middle of a worldwide pandemic of a highly communicable and deadly Virus which we have been told since day one the only hope is to vaccinate the entire world population else many will die and our health systems will be terminally overloaded.

              Entirely appropriate there would be vaccination encouraging posters on the wall and leaflets providing information.

              • Molly …
                8 June 2021 at 11:08 am

                I am considered Group 2, living in Counties Manukau, supposedly vaccinated by the end of May.

                8th June 2021… crickets…

                More resources in regard to communications, planning and implementation are needed.

              • Incognito …
                8 June 2021 at 10:21 pm

                FYI, ED does not stand for Entertainment Department or Enjoyment Day-stay.

                • Rosemary McDonald …
                  9 June 2021 at 9:11 am

                  ED does not stand for Entertainment Department or Enjoyment Day-stay.

                  It doesn't? Well fuck me, who knew?

                  (I was under the impression (from personal experience) that the "E" stood for "Eventually", or "Expire")

          • Rosemary McDonald 1.4.1.1.2
            8 June 2021 at 9:45 am

            We have spent a ridiculous amount of time in and around hospitals over the past decade or so and feel qualified to comment on some aspects of our publicly funded health system.

            On the whole, most healthcare professionals are sincerely committed to providing the very best of treatment and care to patients as resources allow.

            Treatment is good…but not always possible, and cost is often a factor in this.

            Care, OTOH, costs nothing…but its intrinsic worth is far higher than the most expensive of new-fandangled treatments.

            If nurses and doctors cannot provide the care they know their patients need then vital job satisfaction evaporates.

            (As for the Covid vaccine messaging, there are two 'worlds' here. There's the one Te Ministry says exists…then there's reality. The two will meet up at some point in the future. Hopefully.)

            • Treetop 1.4.1.1.2.1
              8 June 2021 at 9:53 am

              It is also important for the GP to follow what the specialist advises. E.g to refer the patient back when x, y or z occurs.

              Too simple to put a poster up at ED with a Covid vaccination 0800 number to call for an inquiry.

            • gsays 1.4.1.1.2.2
              8 June 2021 at 10:45 am

              You are right about lack of job satisfaction. Senior nurses, and some not so senior, had a course last week helping to upskill to coordinator level.

              One if the modules was a senior doctor talking about how the local hospital is a 'sick hospital'.

              Thus means there are shortages eg staff, capacity for procedures, experienced clinicians, bed space etc. This impacts at all levels particularly ED.

              Add a cruel irony, her Mum was admitted after a weekend of feeling poorly and blood tests at the GP on Tuesday confirmed a heart attack had occured. Two days in hospital for observation and, we thought, angiogram etc. Only to be told, good to go home, with the message that no tests will occur because 'priorities'.

              • Rosemary McDonald …
                9 June 2021 at 9:16 am

                Sigh. Wrong end of the stick again, Incognito. What on earth gave you the impression I was referring to our overall vaccine roll out performance?

                • Incognito …
                  9 June 2021 at 9:26 am

                  (As for the Covid vaccine messaging, there are two ‘worlds’ here. There’s the one Te Ministry says exists…then there’s reality. The two will meet up at some point in the future. Hopefully.)

                  • Sabine …
                    9 June 2021 at 9:53 am

                    customer yesterday

                    two invites for the shot, one from the GP, one from the DHB.

                    She managed to be on two lists, cat 2 – healthcare worker, cat 3 standard bog Kiwi.

                    She called to update, and gave up after a lengthy time with no one answering hte phone.

                    how much did we spend on the 'new IT system to manage this" 35 million? Lol.

    • Morrissey 1.5
      8 June 2021 at 9:34 am

      It's not a case of either a cycling bridge or nurses' pay, Jenny. Surely we can achieve both.

      • Incognito 1.5.1
        8 June 2021 at 9:39 am

        yes

      • Sabine 1.5.2
        8 June 2021 at 9:40 am

        Surely. Yeah, right Tui.

        thanks for a nice laugh.

      • gsays 1.5.3
        8 June 2021 at 10:50 am

        The irony is not lost on nurses, that several hundreds of millions can be found being the couch for out of the blue bridges, parliament buildings but not for wages for front line workers.

        Their worth has to be greater now that the migrant flow is a trickle.

    • Molly 1.6
      8 June 2021 at 10:08 am

      " Occupy one lane of the Auckland Harbour Bridge – The government will magically increase your pay offer by another $780 million"

      As I've mentioned a few times over the last few years, I am cynical of the process that goes into Auckland Transport planning. On one of their previous publications (which unfortunately I can't find online anymore) they stated in VERY fine print that they identify their list of possible projects solely from the suggestions of the public.

      From my perspective, that explains a lot about the disparity of spending and services allocated around the Auckland region. This is why we are having a strange discussion about the creation of a harbour bridge crossing for walkers and cyclists, when your much less expensive and almost able to be immediately implemented suggestion regarding purpose built buses is being ignored. People who want to ride or walk over the harbour bridge – are more vocal, have more time, have more influence and tantrums ensue when that is not recognised… The use of climate change mitigation to support the project is a cynical, self-serving one.

      The service provided by Auckland Transport to other less vocal, less time-rich, less influential areas is abysmal. No one is looking at improving those services to get people out of their cars by providing more reliable and efficient services at a reasonable cost.

      Greater Auckland – the self appointed and constantly referred to as the definitive and only expert on transport in Auckland – has little regard for improving services to areas that it does not know well, and their influence also guides both support and criticism of any Auckland Transport moves. I still consider their one-eyed criticism and celebration of the removal of Mike Lee to be one of the more harmful moves that they encouraged.

      Because of their method of project identification – which does not involve actually looking long-term at need or planned transition – but keeps an ear to the ground for public whining, Auckland Transport planning ends up being a vending machine for the well-to-do. Anyone concerned about inequality should be concerned about this.

      Comments here regarding the high – and likely to be underestimated – cost of the harbour crossing, are valid in their criticism when they refer to other possible use of that money. Whether it is nursing, or improved AT services.

      • gypsy 1.6.1
        8 June 2021 at 11:02 am

        Well said.

        "No one is looking at improving those services to get people out of their cars by providing more reliable and efficient services at a reasonable cost."

        You've nailed it. AT have chosen to pursue a strategy of maximum inconvenience to private transport (cars specifically) rather than making public transport more attractive.

        • Molly 1.6.1.1
          8 June 2021 at 11:15 am

          When decision makers are those that often have all their transport costs met as part of their employment package, and earn enough to reside within a good commutable distance to their place of employment – you end up with decisions that fail to take into account the majority of Auckland residents.

          For those that live where they can afford and commute by private transport because they must, punitive measures against private transport without the provision of better and affordable public transport options is an insult.

          • gypsy 1.6.1.1.1
            8 June 2021 at 11:39 am

            And when AT is let loose on the suburban shopping villages, creating havoc for local businesses and customer alike, locals in the more affluent suburbs have the money and power to fight back. Not so much in those less affluent areas.

            • Molly 1.6.1.1.1.1
              8 June 2021 at 11:48 am

              The existing framework supports this anomaly.

              Those who are networked and have influence are able to utilise the current system to steer attention and resource allocation to their areas. It is very rarely – if ever – that the budget is acknowledged to be required to serve all areas of Auckland, just a first-in, best served attitude. Because of this, any small measure of spending (which does not necessarily equate to improvement) in less serviced areas, is accompanied with great fanfare.

              Sometimes, it is even possible to find how that spending benefits the decision makers or developers even if at first glance it seems to be an egalitarian spend.

              • Ad …
                8 June 2021 at 3:21 pm

                In case you want to get over your own cynicism, plenty of masterplanned areas build public transport in from the beginning. The entities doing this include the Supporting Growth Alliance, Waka Kotahi, and Kainga Ora.

                If you want to see how Waka Kotahi makes these kinds of allocation and investment decisions, well, the Investment Assessment Framework used by Waka Kotahi (https://www.nzta.govt.nz/planning-and-investment/learning-and-resources/applying-the-investment-assessment-framework/introduction-to-the-iaf/) considers both results alignment and benefit- cost appraisal outcomes. This reflects that just considering a project’s merits in terms of a BCR is pretty silly especially for complex and costly projects, and enables integrated policy outcomes to be made manifest more clear in the allocation decision.

                For the integrated public transport networks in new development areas, all the documents, Plan Changes, masterplans, and consultation documents are on their relevant websites. And granted, like Hobsonvillle, some bits work and some don't.

                • Molly …
                  8 June 2021 at 4:07 pm

                  We have many Auckland households that are struggling financially. They purchase or rent homes where they can get them, and commute to jobs that often don't meet the rising costs of living.

                  When we conduct surveys or cost-benefit analysis for transport planning, I see very little evidence that the impacts of cost, or convenience are including in making decisions.

                  Public transport is often talked about as if it is purely a personal choice, and so punitive measures to get people out of cars is used as a mechanism to reduce traffic and improve public transport patronage.

                  While that may be true for a small part of the Auckland demographic, it is not true for all. Many areas of Auckland have unreliable, relatively expensive public transport access, and the choice is not only a personal decision, but one that is based on finances and commuting time.

                  I don't really care about the harbour bridge facility. I would like some effort put towards express public transport services to various hub points in Auckland. Given the large swathes of development in some greenfields areas in the region, this should be a priority in terms of climate change transition.

                  We are pricing Aucklanders out to the regions, and then deserting them in terms of good transport planning, then blaming them for not being able "to play the political game."

                  • Ad …
                    8 June 2021 at 7:24 pm

                    Agree that Auckland is pricing people out.

                    I'm generally of the view that's a good thing: 1/3 of our population in one city is unsafe, and regions need more immigration and more support.

        • Jenny how to get there 1.6.1.2
          8 June 2021 at 3:08 pm

          I agree. Very well said indeed.

      • Rosemary McDonald 1.6.2
        8 June 2021 at 11:30 am

        Because of their method of project identification – which does not involve actually looking long-term at need or planned transition – but keeps an ear to the ground for public whining, Auckland Transport planning ends up being a vending machine for the well-to-do. Anyone concerned about inequality should be concerned about this.

        The more expensive wheels, paradoxically, have the loudest squeaks.

      • Sacha 1.6.3
        8 June 2021 at 11:53 am

        they identify their list of possible projects solely from the suggestions of the public.

        Baloney. Please google 'ATAP' – or any actual facts would help. There's even a specialist blog about it all..

        • Molly 1.6.3.1
          8 June 2021 at 12:21 pm

          Hi Sacha,

          Had a feeling you'd be replying. I don't have a inclination for hyperbole or baloney, so stand behind my initial statement.

          It was on one of their long-term plans produced a few years ago. I only found it because I was looking for some information regarding their plans for South Auckland. As I said, I can't provide a link for it.

          Perhaps you can provide one that proves that Auckland Transport has a department that systematically looks at services across Auckland, and has a full transition plan that caters to all areas that has not been initiated by the public or certain representatives, and that considers the cost impact on a city that already has many residents under financial stress due to runaway housing costs. As gypsy points out, this point is often ignored in discussions.

          IF this method has changed in the last couple of years, then all to the good.

          But following the decision making at a local level, it is not apparent that any changes have been made.

          The harbour crossing discussion is a good one to identify how justifications for high-cost but low distribution benefit projects can be made. The distribution of funding, attention and resources by Auckland Transport does not appear to provide Auckland region wide services that cater to all. Perhaps, you think it does.

          But as someone whose close attention to the surveys in the past managed to get a pitiful public transport service to the local area, (to the stated disgust of one of our local board representatives who wanted it to his local area), I can see how it works here. The public transport link service then provided, was not aligned to the commuter train and only operated after the hours of nine am and before the hours of five pm. Cynically set up to fail if possible. Schoolchildren, and workers commuting were effectively cut from the possible customer base. However, still going after a few years, mainly because of the large amount of residential development that did, and is still taking place.

          Because of that, and other incidents with our local board, I can also see the echoes of that type of decision making in such a large project as the proposed harbour crossing.

          There don't appear to be any checks that ensure need is the primary driver of projects. Or any overall framework that considers the cost impact to many Aucklanders when discussing transition.

          • Sabine 1.6.3.1.1
            8 June 2021 at 12:34 pm

            He/she/They might be talking about this? https://www.transport.govt.nz/area-of-interest/auckland/auckland-transport-alignment-project/

            On 12 March the Minister of Transport, Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff released the ATAP 2021-2031 programme that invests around $31.4 billion into critical transport infrastructure and services around Auckland. It focuses on encouraging the shift from private cars to public transport, walking and cycling and addressing Auckland’s longer-term challenges of climate change and housing development.

            oh well it 'encourages'…… and it even announced a budget……

            You know what would encourage usage of public transport? Making it free. speficially for those that live in the outer suburbs and actually have a commute that is not suitable for cycling.

            And all of this only took 6 years.

            Now that is balony.

            • Molly 1.6.3.1.1.1
              8 June 2021 at 12:46 pm

              "You know what would encourage usage of public transport? Making it free."

              +1.

              Went to a meeting with Chris Bishop, and Matt from Greater Auckland who talked about a survey done on this topic, and who concluded that making public transport free would not have impact on improving patronage. That view seems to be now cemented in. Don’t know who was asked, whether existing public transport services were reliable, just the conclusion….

              Improving the services so that they are reliable and efficient, particularly from the outlying areas of Aucklanders that the planners opened up for developers, would be a meaningful start. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of that in the ATAP for outlying areas.

              Also, need to make some comment regarding security. Why Auckland Transport created a ticketing system that allows non-travellers access to the platforms, I can't fathom. In a few stations, the presence of non-travellers can be somewhat intimidating with no Auckland Transport staff to be seen. Not conducive to many who travel alone in the early morning, or late evening.

              • Sabine …
                8 June 2021 at 1:27 pm

                so funny that.

                Nice – France, has a similar issue that AKL has, namely that the town is sprawling, has a small footprint wedged in between mountains and the Mediternee.

                Now somewhere in the early 2000 they decided to build a proper tram (light rail for Aucklanders) replace some busses, add new busses, and make all the trips at 1 euro dollar in the department "alpes maritimes' i.e. from Cap D'ail to Marseille on the other end.

                this is what happened when they opend – currently the price per trip is now at a1.50 Euro.

                Opened on 24 November 2007, it replaced bus lines 1, 2, 5 and 18. From the start, the system had 20 Alstom Citadis trams in service, providing a tram every seven minutes. Since its inception, the number of passengers has increased from 70,000 per day in 2008 to 90,000 per day in 2011. The frequency has gradually increased to a tram every four minutes in 2011.

                Given the success of the T1 Line, Mayor Christian Estrosi decided to create additional lines. The West-East Line is to serve the Nice Côte d'Azur Airport to the west through the construction of a multimodal center and the Port of Nice to the east. This line will run through a tunnel in the center of Nice. A future extension of the West-East line, north along the Var valley, is proposed. Another extension, running further west from the airport, across Var, is also proposed.[2] In addition, the Nice Côte d'Azur urban region decided to extend Line 1 to the Pasteur neighbourhood.

                And this actually suports your point, about 'knowing how to play the game of people in rich suburbs vs people in the outer and poorer suburbs.

                Namely a free bridge will have all these rich people cycle to work, but free trains/busses will not have the poor people use them. Right? One must be highly educated and in local / regional/country wide government to form these conclusions. Really only with a lengthy stay in University or Council can some idiocy be born.

                It is not hte can't, it is the won't that defines politics in NZ and that is also a bipartisan disease afflicting our highly paid 'representatives'.

              • McFlock …
                8 June 2021 at 2:58 pm

                Went to a meeting with Chris Bishop, and Matt from Greater Auckland who talked about a survey done on this topic, and who concluded that making public transport free would not have impact on improving patronage

                Chris Bishop the nat?

                I suppose it's always been a basic tenet of torydom that basic market forces don't apply if a proposal involves making something more affordable for poor people.

                • Molly …
                  8 June 2021 at 3:55 pm

                  Eurgh. Not Chris Bishop! Chris Darby, the councillor.

                  Thanks for pointing it out. Obviously, too long away from keyboard.

                  • McFlock …
                    8 June 2021 at 4:09 pm

                    lol that takes it from "apparent inconsistency" to "people I aren't familiar with arguing odd positions".

                    I guess it depends on the sample selection for their survey 🙂

                    • Molly …
                      8 June 2021 at 4:31 pm

                      Purely a personal viewpoint, (after engaging with hopeful enthusiasm with the Unitary Plan process and transport, and various Auckland Council staffers and representatives) is that we could do much better than the planning and priority frameworks we currently have in place.

                      We have a group of enthusiasts for great planning and transport initiatives copied from overseas, that are rightly encouraged by such projects because they do improve well-being and provide great public assets.

                      However, these benefits are not equally distributed, and we forget about the culture and landscape that has formed our communities (Auckland in particular) and how different it is from European communities that resulted from walkable distances and land scarcity. We idealise those aspects of European life, because they are a good fit for climate change transition, without addressing the fundamental misfit that many of our current (usually poorer) communities have with those places.

                      I think we need to do the grunt work first, then add on the nice to haves. There's a lot of grunt work to be done.

                      The failure of the Unitary Plan to include the promised affliated Auckland Design Manual as a means to ensure quality, is a notable moment. \

                      Those who support intensification – alongside good access to services and community assets, while meeting quality standards – were let down by this removal.

                      Those who think intensification – on its own – is a virtue, seem to think this is of no concern. But then, I don't think they often end up residing in the result.

                      Fixing this is not simple, but the issue is especially complicated by the fact that inequality in this regard is often not considered a problem at all.

              • Ad …
                8 June 2021 at 3:14 pm

                The largest Auckland train stations are already ticket-only access, and they gate more each year. Unlikely all of the small ones will ever be.

                Forget ATAP. It's a pain in the ass document with no standing, or indeed much impact on budget prioritisation.

                The RLTP and NLTP lists are the ones that are statutorily funded to be done.

                • Molly …
                  8 June 2021 at 3:51 pm

                  " Unlikely all of the small ones will ever be."

                  And yet those are the ones where security for lone travellers is sorely needed.

          • Sacha 1.6.3.1.2
            8 June 2021 at 5:44 pm

            Your anecdata vs transport policy expertise..

            Fundamental ignorance is fine when it's kept private but it will not be met with either silence or a 101-level backgrounder when spread in public forums where there are many more readers than commenters.

            • Molly 1.6.3.1.2.1
              8 June 2021 at 6:31 pm

              "Your anecdata vs transport policy expertise.."

              Fair criticism, but one that doesn't allow for the possibility that the current framework does not result in good transport policy, or that it is influenced by political lobbying rather than assessed need.

              So, in terms of delivery – the harbour crossing is a project to celebrate, yet we still have poor public transport access in many parts of Auckland. Not to mention the ongoing saga of the Southern Motorway refit. The Manukau motorway interchange that creates more than one pinch point makes you wonder where those transport experts were when it was designed. The terminal of Manukau branch line that ends at the new location for part of the Manukau Institute of Technology that requires south Aucklanders to overshoot Manukau and return back via another line are basic design flaws.

              I am using my 'anecdata' to give light to concerns I have about process. You have not addressed either the failure to measure benefit distribution for the proposed harbour crossing, or shown me that AT or Waka Kotahi performs any comprehensive review of managing resources across Auckland so that benefits are adequately spread.

              I understand that many here are rightfully engaged with planning and planning processes and encouraged to see some projects that have long-term benefits being proposed and implemented.

              However, I still believe that there are many in Auckland who are unrepresented or advocated for, and that the current system does not either recognise this or make mitigation to rectify it. In his comments, Ad seems to delight in the fact that successful advocacy produces results and blames non-advocacy on inertia. I think this produces inequalities, and inequality can never be best practice.

              Apparently, you believe the current system is best practice. In that we will likely not agree.

              “Fundamental ignorance is fine when it’s kept private but it will not be met with either silence or a 101-level backgrounder when spread in public forums where there are many more readers than commenters.”

              Consider me chastened but not out, I consider the considered listening to members of the public to be important to good planning, the technical details of implementation require the experts. Many advocates and local body representatives who are decision makers are also not schooled in planning or transport design, but make decisions based on their own ‘anecdata’. All you have to do is have conversations with them to see the truth of this statement.

              You could also discuss the initial issue, whether the harbour crossing is good value in terms of the distribution of benefit and the cost.

        • gypsy 1.6.3.2
          8 June 2021 at 12:27 pm

          The problem with the quote Molly used is the word 'solely'. From my experience, AT do solicit ideas from the public, but this is not an authentic process. As with so much of the way AC operates, consultation is used as a shield to hide a predetermined ideology, rather than a genuine attempt to engage.

          • Molly 1.6.3.2.1
            8 June 2021 at 12:40 pm

            Fair call. I used the word 'solely' because after searching I could not find any reference to any other method. That does not mean it does not exist.

            Would like to point out though, that many projects have a long incubation period and the origins of them get lost over time. For example, the current large spend on the Drury station can be traced over a decade ago to courier articles covering the request of a high-school student for an upgrade.

            The high-school student was initially one of a pair. The other student being a relative of a local board representative, who has business connections and landholdings in the area. This representative also worked for Auckland Transport, and still is a local representative. I'm making no accusation of corruption here. Just stating that those that are familiar with the levers of resource allocation, are able to utilise that knowledge to suit what they envision.

            From a personal point of view, any transition framework that looked at improving public transport choices for the Franklin region, including those whom are living in the recently developed areas of Waiuku, would identify the currently being developed Paerata as a better hub for the long-term, given the existing railway line to Waiuku that currently services the Glenbrook Steel Mill and has by virtue of the Glenbrook Vintage Railway, also extended that line into Waiuku itself. I suggested this back in 2011, and the aforementioned public representative criticised this suggestion in a public meeting, so I put my hand up and admitted to it. It stayed on the list for a while. Haven't bothered looking lately, too much of a cynic and better things to spend my time on.

            • gypsy 1.6.3.2.1.1
              8 June 2021 at 1:10 pm

              yes

              • greywarshark …
                8 June 2021 at 6:29 pm

                gypsy Authorities…do solicit ideas from the public, but this is not an authentic process. As with so much of the way AC operates, consultation is used as a shield to hide a predetermined ideology, rather than a genuine attempt to engage.

                You have expressed the situation exactly. It is a charade, and a very expensive one. Our recent Long Term Plan had endless 'books' of explanation double sided sheets with coloured image covers etc.

                And we still get stuck with a $44 million spend on a new library, (and I love books and the great librarians who deal with them and are available for advice on research if needed.) Most people think that is too expensive and the options also.

                Councils I read about seem hell-bent on borrowing while credit is so cheap. But the economy is on a downward curve and the climate change storms and woes are on an upward one. These things have to be paid for over future years and with costs going up the rates are up, and the Councils are blithely forecasting cumulative rises. It doesn't register with the majority that allowing the housing market to be the main business operating in NZ is like selling the family silver. We actually are keeping the country afloat with a Ponzi-type scheme. The facts we are fed are not the important ones for citizens, only the handy checks for those in business to see what value the $ has today, and what the market is reacting to.

            • Ad 1.6.3.2.1.2
              8 June 2021 at 3:10 pm

              Paerata is a station that is funded within the Supporting Growth Alliance. Not that hard to google.

              Fine to be cynical, but not out of wilful ignorance.

              • Molly …
                8 June 2021 at 3:52 pm

                "Paerata is a station that is funded within the Supporting Growth Alliance. Not that hard to google."

                Not really interested continuing to follow this. I know Paerata is on the current list of works, and the level of development it is in line for compared to Drury.

                As mentioned, the other thing I know, because I was a participant in the process was that I was the singular submitter identifying Paerata as an ideal place to develop as a public transport hub almost a decade ago. I also know, that at least one subsequent public meeting this submission was ridiculed by our local board Chairman. At which point I mentioned that it was actually me that had done so.

                I also know, that at a later stage, the same person took credit for identifying Paerata as a possible hub – because it makes sense – and some effort went into maintaining it on the list. However, the bulk of attention and funding has gone into developing two stations for Drury, while – to my mind, Paerata is strategically better in terms of climate change transition given it is the location of the branch line to many thousands of new residents that have moved to Waiuku and its surrounds due to large scale residential developments that have been permitted – and encouraged – by local planners.

                Landowners in Drury are now looking to have a landuse change of hundreds of hectares of land to residential – which thanks to the decision to development Drury station – now has the backing of access to public transport links to support it.

                Yes, I'm cynical. But if given the choice to support a framework that considered all Auckland residents, I would throw my cynicism aside in a moment to support it.

                • Ad …
                  8 June 2021 at 7:19 pm

                  Plenty complain about the lack of Auckland housing provision, and yet when developers do a masterplan with thousands of houses on it integrated into rail public transport, you revert to cynicism. It's occurring in both brownfields metro and greenfields development at the same time.

                  The Auckland Plan was the most comprehensive and democratised framework for planning that Auckland has ever had. Not sure where you were.

                  Naturally you don't have to support anything. But there's no shortage of routes to engage if you want.

                  • Molly …
                    8 June 2021 at 7:48 pm

                    " and yet when developers do a masterplan with thousands of houses on it integrated into rail public transport, you revert to cynicism. "

                    No, I'm suggesting that the identification of Drury for public transport investment over other possibly better options was a result of lobbying and influence rather than an example of prime forward planning. If we had a system of taxing the uplift in capital equity that results from rezoning, we would have a significant fund for state and social housing. The Unitary Plan team briefly considered this mechanism before discarding it without public discussion.

                    " The Auckland Plan was the most comprehensive and democratised framework for planning that Auckland has ever had. Not sure where you were. "

                    Stayed through to the bitter end, when only the self-interested and developers were left standing. Democratically washed, ultimately same beneficiaries. The failure of the Unitary Plan to require adherence to the Auckland Design Manual was indicative of where all that democracy ended up. All the way through consultation the ADM was proposed to be the insurance to ensure quality. It ended up as a reference manual only.

      • Ad 1.6.4
        8 June 2021 at 3:26 pm

        They've just done the budget where they made those tradeoffs at a Departmental allocation level.

        The main issue at a political budget level is that this government can basically count on the state sector unions to always vote for them every single time – so they have zero political leverage and are no longer in play politically.

        The areas of politics still in play for this government – like transport – get more oil simply because they are better at politics.

        • Sacha 1.6.4.1
          8 June 2021 at 5:49 pm

          Transport (including huge highway projects) is also where Labour's timid centrism makes it keep promising and spending as if they lost the election, not won it. Won't see the police budget being cut any time for the same reason.

          • Ad 1.6.4.1.1
            8 June 2021 at 5:56 pm

            I don't see this government as timid due to the scale of their spending, and breadth of their reforms.

            But generally agree. Budgets help you get re-elected.

            • Sacha 1.6.4.1.1.1
              8 June 2021 at 6:05 pm

              Compared with the scale of what is needed to tackle climate change and poverty, their efforts are piffling.

              • Ad …
                8 June 2021 at 7:15 pm

                You might want to wait until they come out with their Net Zero By 2040 plan, which is due out this week.

                Given the blowback on cycling in the MSM and indeed here, I'm not convinced our voters will let them go any faster or harder.

    • gypsy 1.7
      8 June 2021 at 10:50 am

      You've made my day. Thank you!

  2. Jenny How to get there 2
    8 June 2021 at 7:35 am

    ‘
    While cyclists feel the love.

    Nurses feel hurt

    Nurse fears for 'exhausted' profession as colleagues gear up for strike

    Harry Lock 1 hour ago

    ……"It's one thing I really do not want to do, but if it's the only way we're going to get an improvement, it's the only thing we can do."

    Nurse fears for 'exhausted' profession as colleagues gear up for strike (msn.com)

    • Treetop 2.1
      8 June 2021 at 9:36 am

      Exhausted nurses are more likely to make mistakes and some mistakes can cause irreversible harm.

      • ghostwhowalksnz 2.1.1
        8 June 2021 at 5:14 pm

        Exhausted is just the PR and media headline.

        The cost seems to 17% pay rise and the exhaustion goes away …for another day.

        • Treetop 2.1.1.1
          8 June 2021 at 6:32 pm

          The only thing going away is NZ trained nurses heading overseas.

          By giving a good pay rise, retaining nurses can be fixed and more people would choose a nursing career.

  3. Sacha 3
    8 June 2021 at 8:37 am

    Really does not matter how many times anyone explains how govt actually works, does it. And we wonder why change is difficult to get.

    • Incognito 3.1
      8 June 2021 at 8:48 am

      When it doesn’t fit the narrative, people don’t want to hear it, don’t want to know it, and don’t want to change it, least of all their own believes and convictions. In this good-old binary world of us vs. them, it is always somebody else’s problem and fault.

    • Rosemary McDonald 3.2
      8 June 2021 at 8:57 am

      When successive governments, including this lot, constantly bang on about budgets and priorities they are the ones setting one group off against another.

      I don't understand why folks don't understand this.

      • RosieLee 3.2.1
        8 June 2021 at 9:16 am

        Yes.

      • Sabine 3.2.2
        8 June 2021 at 9:41 am

        +1

      • Molly 3.2.3
        8 June 2021 at 10:10 am

        +1

      • JO 3.2.4
        8 June 2021 at 10:31 am

        I don't understand why folks don't understand that we have the power to choose how to think. Folks can either choose to be pliable followers of one group or another, or we could stop blaming whoever's currently 'banging on', take a scary leap into freedom and make up our own minds.

      • Incognito 3.2.5
        8 June 2021 at 10:40 pm

        Many here seem to think that politics means and is intended to please all and everyone at the same time all the time. No wonder their commentary is so confused.

        • weka 3.2.5.1
          8 June 2021 at 11:25 pm

          No-one actually thinks that though do they.

          • Incognito 3.2.5.1.1
            9 June 2021 at 7:44 am

            Yes and no. What is the definition and purpose of politics? How do commenters here perceive it? The answers are important and coupled to binary thinking of us vs. them and alleged zero-sum systems and processes they dictate much if not all of their commentary. So, they might as well think in the ridiculous way I described, for all intents and purposes.

    • Jenny How to get there 3.3
      8 June 2021 at 10:01 am

      "That's not how government works"

      Pontius Pilate 36 AD

    • gsays 3.4
      8 June 2021 at 10:53 am

      Does the Government need more communication facilitators?

      • Sabine 3.4.1
        8 June 2021 at 11:23 am

        Yes we surely do need some more Press Secretaries and other State owned Stenographers., There are some that are not quite yet on the 'all is well on the kindness and gentleness boat'.

        • gypsy 3.4.1.1
          8 June 2021 at 12:28 pm

          You’ve been reading Andrea Vance? :>

          • Sabine 3.4.1.1.1
            8 June 2021 at 12:39 pm

            well, is what she said incorrect?

            I personally don't know her, have no beef with her, but unless she outright lied, she might actually has a point, and considering that the ombudsman/women upheld her complaints, it might just be that she has a point.

            But funnily the only reason i read this article was the frothing at the seams a few days ago when someone linked to it, and everyone else was just bashing the writer without ever actually mentioning hte article. And so i did read it.

            And it does appear that the government now owns a whole lot of press secretaries and state owned stenographers more then the government before that. 🙂

            But yeah, if we had more press secretaries surely we would all be singing kumbaya in our boat that is build of kindness and gentleness and no glue.

            • gypsy 3.4.1.1.1.1
              8 June 2021 at 1:06 pm

              I'm old enough to know the business of politics is dodgy at the best of times, but AV has been around a long time, and when a journo with her experience expresses concerns such as these, we really do need to at least pay attention.

  4. Pat 4
    8 June 2021 at 9:14 am

    There is no easy way out for the government for they cannot fuel wage inflation through public sector increases and they cannot increase progressive taxation as they will not be reelected….sadly for all of us the only option is a continuation of the churn of population as the international market place for labour swaps out those able/willing to chase the rewards where they can….and that model is currently hamstrung by covid.

    There will only be sops.

    • Jenny How to get there 4.1
      8 June 2021 at 12:14 pm

      Wages increases are called inflationary = ‘Bad’

      Profit increases are called growth = ‘Good’

      I mean who decides this?

      And does it depend from where they are sitting?

      • Pat 4.1.1
        8 June 2021 at 3:17 pm

        Who decides?….the powers that be I suppose. It always depends upon where you sit but the curious thing is the rhetoric around needing to increase wages for all manner of reasons but when the time comes to act it appears there are compelling reasons why it cannot occur.

        They have however attempted to move the floor up but they appear determined to restrict incomes of the middle to upper waged/salaried which with an open border with Australia may cause them some difficulty.

        If they are waiting for a lead from our trading partners they may be waiting in vain.

  5. Rosemary McDonald 5
    8 June 2021 at 9:23 am

    On a positive note….Happy Aotearoa Nuclear Free Declaration day!

    Arguably our finest hour.

    • Jenny How to get there 5.1
      8 June 2021 at 9:37 am

      We have had many finest hours.

      Votes for women.

      The Welfare State

      Nuclear Free

      Covid Free

      • Jenny How to get there 5.1.1
        8 June 2021 at 9:41 am

        I might add; Every single one of these 'finest hours' has been opposed by the Right and Championed by the Left.

      • Rosemary McDonald 5.1.2
        8 June 2021 at 9:53 am

        Votes for women. And shamefully high rates of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

        The Welfare State Hmmm…failure of this government to enact all WEAG reccomendations.

        Nuclear Free AFAIK, still holding strong.

        Covid Free Time will tell how effective (in the long term) our response has been.

        • Sabine 5.1.2.1
          8 June 2021 at 9:57 am

          We are NOT Covid 'free'.

          We have Covid contained in the MIQ facilities. And we bring a little bit of Covid here every time we allow some more people in from overseas.

  6. mpledger 6
    8 June 2021 at 9:36 am

    I don't understand why people flying back from Melbourne/Victoria don't have to go into quarantine on arrival. Melbourne has an outbreak with a virus mutation that can't be traced to the boarder so it's unknown how far and wide it's traveled in the community before being noticed. And while passengers have to have a covid test before they come (within 3 days of traveling IIRC) that doesn't get over the fact that traveling across borders is the most likely place to get it. A good strategy came with some good luck but we can't rely on luck in place of a strategy.

    (and it's a more infectious version of covid-19 as well – we should be taking even more care to keep it out – it's only a few months or so till everyone can get vaccinated.)

    • Sabine 6.1
      8 June 2021 at 9:41 am

      but we were told the risk is 'low', so surely that must mean 'acceptable'.

      • greywarshark 6.1.1
        8 June 2021 at 11:05 am

        Who is in charge of the Covid19 response now? Is it still Director of Health? Ashley Bloomfield. Or is he on recuperative leave for a year or something and NBA has now resumed (Normal Bland Assurance)?

        I want the Crimson Assurance! These are men of mettle and muster all their powers to fight the forces of whatever needs fighting.

        (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSO9OFJNMBA

    • alwyn 6.2
      8 June 2021 at 10:17 am

      I read your comment and was agreeing with it until I came to the last few words " it's only a few months or so till everyone can get vaccinated.". Yeah right. I will be surprised if we get anywhere near 50% having had one jab by the end of the year. The record so far really doesn't give one any faith does it?

      However we are supposed to believe that if people have had a negative test within 72 hours of the flight everything is OK and thousands of people can simply go free and untested when they get back here.

      What could possibly go wrong? The golfers among us can answer that. Look at Jon Rahm in the PGA event The Memorial Tournament held last week.

      On Monday he was advised that he had been in contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid 19. He was tested and was negative. He was tested again on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. All were negative. No problems huh? Then on Saturday, just after the third round of a Tournament that he was leading by a margin of 6 strokes he was tested again and had a positive. He was immediately withdrawn from the event and went into isolation. He showed no symptoms.

      Compare that to what we are doing. A single test which can be taken while they have 72 hours remaining in Melbourne. That's it. No further test required. No isolation. No nothing. Well I, at least am not impressed. I might be willing to accept it if I had been vaccinated, or at least had had the chance of vaccination but I haven't. I haven't and I can't even get a date when I really might be able to get it.

      It is all very well for Ministers like Little, Hipkins and Verrall to tell us everything is sweet. They, after all, had their vaccinations months ago and don't have to worry. Well I am worried. I am in the age group where catching the disease can have very serious risks and where death is a quite likely possibility. Well stuff it. Our Government has an obligation to protect people like me. It doesn't have to concentrate there efforts on not inconveniencing people who chose to travel to Melbourne of their own free will.

      • swordfish 6.2.1
        8 June 2021 at 4:48 pm

        Agree … casual, lax attitude … real complacency.

        My Parents (89 & 90 … one with diabetes & hypertension … so very high-risk) have just been told by their GP they'll have to wait until late July or August … meanwhile two of their acquaintances (in their mid-late 60s) have already had the first jab.

        Pretty bloody useless organisation, I'd say.

  7. Morrissey 7
    8 June 2021 at 9:57 am

    All donations and bequests to Daisycutter Sports Inc. are requested to be paid, from now on, in Bitcoin…

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/picture-shows-human-races-weird-new-bitcoin-phase/M2GPFLMB4GPMCXD43X7DQBXLDI/

  8. KSaysHi 8
    8 June 2021 at 10:40 am

    Personally I'm hoping that certain types of disabilities are given $ to buy their own places since neither the govt or private landlords are willing to provide them. In my mind this is a much better use of money than chucking more towards a rental market that doesn't give a f***

    https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/accommodation-supplement-ends-up-going-towards-landlords-is-under-review-grant-robertson/ar-AAKfxy0?ocid=UP97DHP&li=BBqdk7Q

    The Accommodation Supplement is being looked at closely as part of a wider review of the Working for Families scheme, the Finance Minister has revealed.

    "What we do know about the Working for Families system is it's been in place now for the best part of 15 years – well, 16 years," he told Newshub Nation.

    "It's actually a system that's served New Zealand well, but within it, there are components that I think everybody would question, the Accommodation Supplement being a really obvious one – very important for supporting people's needs, but a real question mark about whether it's the best way to deliver accommodation support, given that it tends to end up going towards landlords ultimately."

    Finally!

    AS doesn’t work for people who own their own properties either as they can’t afford the upkeep on what they are given, and end up having to downsize (eventually to caravans). Again, it’s the long term disabled who suffer most.

    • Rosemary McDonald 8.1
      8 June 2021 at 11:47 am

      I'm hoping that certain types of disabilities are given $ to buy their own places …

      Back in the day, Kay, there were State Advances loans which did just that.

      A part of our history we can be proud of…now disappearing into a black hole.(Follow the link to Te Ara's main page and type in "State Advances Loans" into the Search box.)

      https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/finance-public/page-9

      • ghostwhowalksnz 8.1.1
        8 June 2021 at 5:24 pm

        From your link…. 'small incomes' were ordinary working people not disabled as such…they would have been steered to State house rentals which were available for a wider range of people…I remember a single aunt who was a lifetime tenant of a bed-sit in a block of around 20 , and she had a full time job.

        My parents received a state advances loan as the banking system wasnt set up for ordinary people, and even the savings banks would only lend to long time customers and who had large deposits …maybe 20%.

        There were economic reasons for the regulated banking system , as the banks certainly couldnt raise money offshore which is done now and the government rules meant it funded a lot of its internal borrowing from banking and insurance companies, not leaving much for low income lending.

        • Rosemary McDonald 8.1.1.1
          8 June 2021 at 7:11 pm

          As I wrote….the link one would expect to take you to the TeAra site expanding on the State Advances Loan scheme is not there. Fuck knows where it has gone.

          Pity, because I know of at least three significantly physically disabled people who purchased their first home through the 'State Advances' some forty five or so years ago. Only one of these people was working full time. The other was on a lowish income. This was in the days before ACC. Even then there were moves afoot (pun intended) to free the foobarred and infirm from the 'institutions' and facilitate them living in the community.

          As Kay says… since neither the govt or private landlords are willing to provide them … it made sense to free up the $$$ so folk could sort their own housing shit out.

          And back then one could apply for a suspensory loan for basic modifications, and service groups like Lions and Rotary were even known to step up and pitch in.

          Ah, the good old days.

          • ghostwhowalksnz 8.1.1.1.1
            9 June 2021 at 5:30 pm

            Really …convenient That Te Ara has rewrote history just for you

  9. weka 9
    8 June 2021 at 10:48 am

    Also, anyone without kids isn’t part of WFF, so GR is making me nervous there.

    • greywarshark 9.1
      8 June 2021 at 11:14 am

      I have a statement on housing of decades ago referring to the most disadvantaged in NZ, the poorest were single women.

      • Sabine 9.1.1
        8 June 2021 at 11:28 am

        Yes, single women and single women with children. And they are poor because that female poverty is baked in. Be it in lesser pay during their working days, no pay during their child rearing years, little to no pay as care givers, thus no savings, etc.

        But surely these women just need to get themselves a provider. Right? Al problems solved, just find yourself a meal ticket to keep and hold forever.

        • greywarshark 9.1.1.1
          8 June 2021 at 11:53 am

          It is single women without children who are the poorest, they have no emotional response from government to call on. Let's face it gummint has given up on caring for people at all, except if they are politically essential for votes. So older people are okay and there is still emotional involvement with them as the pollies own parents will still be alive.

          But to get any care or notice from gummint the socially responsible have to call on the example of children's poverty you notice. Adult poverty doesn't count any more under this hard neolib regime thought up by male economists with their eyes fixed on political movements rather than people. They were concerned about totaliatarianism? more ie Hayek and Friedman. Then comes womens lib which gets better conditions for middle class women university graduates etc., not all women. Then there is Ayn Rand escaping to USA from Russia, its historical practices, I think it had pogroms, its religionosity? and its patriarchal attitudes to women, so publishes with Braden, The Virtue of Selfishness.

          The trend is away from sharing and enjoying life with others at different levels, its all for narrow upward mobility, maximum efficiency at squeezing profit and going for set percentages of return no matter what. Cool business heads that can break through any emotional plea for reasonable wages to enable pleasant living conditions.

          The NZ PTB listened to the wiles of Treasury and the cool financiers, and switched off the heating in their own brains. That is why they are so cold-blooded now, I think it is an early evolutionary step towards becoming snakes or lizards. After all they called the lead character in film Wall Street, Gordon Gekko. Rowling introduced a snake, Nagini, into her Harry Potter books which are about the duality of life.

          • Sabine 9.1.1.1.1
            8 June 2021 at 12:02 pm

            Well surely our current government will do something? Like re-instating the women over 50 benefit, or the widowers benefit, or really just put the benefit to about 500 (after tax) per week with the option of earning another 300 without abatement rates so that a beneficiary could potentially reach the 'min wage'.

            Surely a Government that has poverty reduction at its heart will do such a thing, right? Cause it is the kind and gentle thing to do? Oh yeah, crickets. Here have a benefit increase that was asked for in 2019, and that will now be paid out in instalments – the last one to coincide with the anual increase of benefits rates. (i think that benefit increase will just be absorbed and certainly not added on, but we can discuss this next year in April).

    • Sabine 9.2
      8 June 2021 at 11:26 am

      Grant Robertson should make anyone nervous. Any time the guy opens his mouth.

      • Molly 9.2.1
        8 June 2021 at 11:30 am

        +1. I've never had much time for him myself.

      • Ad 9.2.2
        8 June 2021 at 3:40 pm

        Grant Robertson is by a long way the most generous Minister of Finance we've had since Walter Nash working with PM's Savage and Peter Fraser.

        • Herodotus 9.2.2.1
          8 June 2021 at 6:39 pm

          Generous to those who are multi home owners ONLY increased 37% or $300,000 increase in the last 2 years since labour took office. Yes Robertson has been VERY generous. How many here just love to support and accept this government without any critical analysis.

          So our PM has said there is no money ""In this Covid environment, just as with the GFC, we are in a position where we are financially constrained."- Does she not listen to her Fin minister or unable to understand. Net core debt $2.6BILLION less than foercast – We are better off than expected !!!!

          "“The continued strength of the economy and confidence in the recovery has meant the Crown’s financial accounts are in better shape than expected,” Grant Robertson said."

          Now what is the next excuse to be wheeled out and some here will blindly support.

          https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2106/S00028/crown-accounts-reflect-govt-focus-on-securing-recovery.htm

          https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2021/05/house-prices-increase-21-percent-as-govt-reserve-bank-changes-fail-to-hit-market.html

          • Ad 9.2.2.1.1
            8 June 2021 at 7:08 pm

            Apparently your point, somewhere in there, is that the government should spend more money.

            • Herodotus 9.2.2.1.1.1
              8 June 2021 at 7:23 pm

              That the government has more money than it thought it would have a few months ago. So the government and our PM is being disingenuous with its reasoning for the nurses pay, and that your comment is misdirected in its "innocence ", in who has been the recipient of its generosity. I note it was to the teachers and now the nurses who are being told there is no money, both sectors that are heavily female.

              In being so generous what the social costs are and will be that we as a society will be paying for generations to come, and a little guilty money being paid to a few beneficiaries to keep our government happy.

              • Ad …
                8 June 2021 at 7:26 pm

                Yup fair point.

                Both Ardern and Rpbertson areconstantly referring to nation-smacking crises as a reason to keep more in reserve. They now appear to be hitting us once a year.

                But you still have a fair point.

        • RosieLee 9.2.2.2
          8 June 2021 at 7:59 pm

          crying

  10. Adrian Thornton 10
    8 June 2021 at 10:56 am

    Here is a good conversation with the important political author Thomas Frank on the current Liberal obsession with censoring anything that moves that does not agree with their world view….

    • ghostwhowalksnz 10.1
      8 June 2021 at 5:32 pm

      Censoring of 'views' has always existed, its just the social media world has made a wider range available for some who seek them out. Doesnt mean they are all getting into the MSM

      The US in the 1950s was the McCarthy era when anyone with a left wing viewpoint was hounded out of Hollywood and the media.

      The 1960s saw the counter culture forced to rely on its own outlets and phamplets and when small NYC newspapers like The Village Voice grew into popularity.

  11. Sabine 11
    8 June 2021 at 11:36 am

    oh well, surely one day the prices are gonna drop…..one day soon!

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/125370891/trade-me-property-asking-prices-jump-17-per-cent

    The average asking price for houses increased 17 per cent year-on-year in May to reach a record $820,950, Trade Me says.

    Trade Me property sales director Gavin Lloyd said May was usually when the property market began to cool off ahead of the winter months, but that didn’t seem to be the case this year.

    “New Zealand house prices continued their record-breaking streak, hitting an all-time high for the ninth consecutive month in May.”

    Increased demand and the lack of available properties on the market were driving the increases, with site traffic up 2 per cent nationwide last month, compared to April. Supply was down by 3 per cent, he said.

  12. Sabine 12
    8 June 2021 at 11:57 am

    oh this makes for some laughing out loud reading. But the reader must be careful as this might be considered satire by some, and simply politics as usual by others, or maybe politics is just satire. Who knows in these trying times.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/125367733/transports-of-delight-for-freewheeling-spenders

    Some Wellington children will be getting a cycle lane near their school, thanks to Waka Kotahi. This organisation, whose name many people wrongly translate as meaning “Cars are No 1”, was formerly the New Zealand Transport Agency.

    Calls for a cycleway began years ago when a child was knocked off their bike on the busy road on the way to school. Recently, concerned parents and some cycling activists, one of whom was the knocked-over child, now 29 and doing a masters in urban planning, decided, after years of waiting for a protected cycle lane, to take matters into their own hands.

    They deposited a few planter boxes on the side of the road, thereby creating their own little cycle lane. Local kids were delighted, but some residents were not………………..

    “That would be illegal,” explained Bridgeport-Flyover. “Allow guerrilla cycle lanes and, before you know it, New Zealanders will be breaking the law in other ways, like swearing in their homes, smoking pot at parties and drinking alcohol before they are 18. Total anarchy will ensue!”

    Are we likely to see other cycleways in Wellington receive Waka Kotahi funding? “Unlikely, given they’ve blown the entire cycling budget for the next 10 years on this one,” replied Sir Kingston.

    • Ad 12.1
      8 June 2021 at 3:07 pm

      Poor old Sabine. If you couldn't see that "Sir Bridgeport-Flyover" was a satire itself, you're not in the right game.

      There are thankfully tonnes more cycle lanes that are funded by NZTA, in Wellington.

      I covered all of this in a post a week ago. If you can't keep up, inhale into a paper bag for a bit.

      • Sabine 12.1.1
        8 June 2021 at 8:31 pm

        But the reader must be careful as this might be considered satire by some, and simply politics as usual by others, or maybe politics is just satire. Who knows in these trying times.

        yes, dear.

  13. greywarshark 13
    8 June 2021 at 11:59 am

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018798247/holistic-education-good-for-everyone

    …We're trying to help teachers deepen their understanding of how that relates to socio-emotional wellbeing and how to adapt and maybe reframe some of what they already do… in ways that more explicitly enable [socio-emotional] learning for young people."

    The researchers are especially interested in how children themselves perceive wellbeing, belonging and relationship skills, she says.

    Language around emotion and wellbeing is "quite linguistically based", Professor Finkel says, so kids often need help developing their own emotional vocabulary.

    ie People need to learn from childhood how to talk about their problems and understand themselves, and then they can understand others as well. It would be particularly good for boys and men who seem to go around in a bubble quite often.

  14. Sabine 14
    8 June 2021 at 3:27 pm

    no matter what they just can't help themselves.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/125372846/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-says-nurses-wanted-17-per-cent-pay-increase-government-financially-constrained

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the nurses’ union wanted a 17 per cent pay increase for all nurses, but the Government is strapped for cash.

    The New Zealand Nurses Organisation, which represents 30,000 nurses working in Government district health boards, has rejected a second pay offer and its members will go on a nationwide eight-hour strike on Wednesday over pay and working conditions.

    The Government in April offered a “reasonable and responsible” a deal, which the union said would give “most members” a salary increase “little more than 1.38 per cent, just under the rate of inflation”. The offer was overwhelmingly rejected by the union on Monday.

    cycling for the few or well paid nurses…, americas cup for the few or well paid nurses,

    refurbishment of their offices or well paid nurses, Nurses and medical staff that we need considering we are in the times of a pandemic, nurses and staff that OZ is happy to take of us, as would England or the US for that matter, ………wants vs needs.

    Or maybe the dear nurses just need to understand that they had their once a decade largesse rained down on them in 2018 and now they need to just come around to accept that its gonna take another decade for the next round of 'government largesse'.

    I wonder how much the Press Secretaries and the Labour Stenographers are paid?

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/363551/nurses-latest-pay-offer-accept-what-you-need-to-know

    • Ad 14.1
      8 June 2021 at 3:36 pm

      That nursing union had better figure out how to win.

      If they can't turn all that Covid 19 public health emotion and righteousness into a decent winning campaign, they need to resign.

      The question you are taking too long to get to is this:

      How can the cyclists win but the nurses can't?

      Therein is the tale of effective advocacy.

      • Sabine 14.1.1
        8 June 2021 at 4:07 pm

        Well, i guess the nurses just have to run over a police barricade, while on their expensive bikes, creating a bit of a traffic issues on an otherwise ordinary sunday, and voila bingo the government is again reminded that it needs Auckland to win, b ut nurses are optional and thus can be imported as cheap as possible by the government……:) (oh and be white while doing all this lawbreaking while cycling is also helpful to not get arrested, not get fined, not get done for 'resisting police orders' and such).

        I suggest that the nurses go on strike and stay on strike. That is the only thing this government deserves.

        As for health care i would suggest that any booboos the Labour lot has should be looked at by a cyclist – any cyclist will do, cause nurses are a ‘nice to have but not really needed’ item on the agenda of the Labour lot.

        • Ad 14.1.1.1
          8 June 2021 at 7:12 pm

          Striking is exceedingly unlikely to get the nurses what they want.

          They need a campaign manager that knows how to win.

          Now, nurses on bikes. That would get some attention.

      • greywarshark 14.1.2
        8 June 2021 at 7:31 pm

        What occurs to me is that the cyclists are frequently a mostly male group. The nurses are a mostly female group. Males and females come at things in different ways. Males know they should have things, and expect to get them. Females believe they should have things, and that they deserve them, and expect to get treated fairly, and their hurt feelings don't register as adequate justification.

  15. greywarshark 15
    8 June 2021 at 7:40 pm

    My Auckland rellies thought the idea of having a port at Whangarei was crazy. This must be how most NZs decide on their voting preferences. Quick decisions based on commonsense.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/444236/exporters-seek-urgent-solutions-over-constricted-global-supply-chains

    Ships aren't coming our way like they used to. And ports are congested. Commonsense answer – give them a good dose of Vicks. Hah hah.

    Any ideas about having some of our own ships with capacity for containers, a homegrown sea transport system to be little brother to our airline?

    Feb. 2021 https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2102/S00004/on-the-case-for-investing-in-coastal-shipping.htm
    The enduring damage done by the economic reforms of the 1980/1990s is still playing out in the communities that lost thousands of well-paid full time jobs, and with a subsequent influx of drugs, domestic violence and mental health problems. A far less visible victim of the market mania for de-regulation has been coastal shipping. As Maritime Union national secretary Craig Harrison recently pointed out:

    We had 34 New Zealand flagged ships in 1994. Today we have just one Kiwi flagged container ship. That’s an incredible loss. We used to protect our coastal shipping by requiring domestic freight to be shipped only by New Zealand registered vessels operating under New Zealand law. We did this because we recognised shipping was vital to our economic interests. When that protection was removed in the deregulation of the 1990’s, the fleet dwindled in the face of international companies, running crews who weren’t protected by New Zealand’s minimum employment standards.

    and back a bit –

    Apr 2010 https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/ports-there-will-be-blood/LP7ORAETC6XS6VW73CRXXDCBBU/

  16. KJT 16
    9 June 2021 at 9:33 am

    Disappointing that so many on here are dissing an attempt to build long lasting infrastructure in Auckland, that will make a big difference to Auckland's emissions for decades.

    It seem it is never the right time to spend money on AGW mitigation, despite all the talk from many on here.

    BTW. Paying nurses more is current expenditure, while the bridge is long term investment which will pay off far into the future. Two different things.

    • Incognito 16.1
      9 June 2021 at 11:03 pm

      yes

      BTW. Paying nurses more is current expenditure, while the bridge is long term investment which will pay off far into the future. Two different things.

      Correct, of course, but some here seem to think that all Taxpayers’ dollars go into one big hat so that the Great Magician can pull rabbits out of the hat until all rabbits have been pulled. That’s the rabbit hole that many (here) have fallen into. In other words, it is all the same!

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Infrastructure & home building slumping on Govt funding freeze
    New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    49 mins ago

  • Brainwashed People Think Everyone Else is Brainwashed
    Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 hours ago

  • Peters’ real foreign policy threat is Helen Clark
    Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 hours ago

  • NZ’s trans lobby is fighting a rearguard action
    Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    12 hours ago

  • Your mandate is imaginary
    This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    17 hours ago

  • 14,000 unemployed under National
    The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    20 hours ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Discontent and gloom dominate NZ’s political mood
    Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    20 hours ago

  • Taking Tea with 42 & 38.
    National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    21 hours ago

  • Beware political propaganda: statistics are pointing to Grant Robertson never protecting “Lives an...
    Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”. As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    21 hours ago

  • Winding back the hands of history’s clock
    Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    22 hours ago

  • Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
     Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    22 hours ago

  • Business confidence sliding into winter of discontent
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
    Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 day ago

  • New HOP readers for future payment options
    Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago

  • 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Road photos
    Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    3 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Streamlining Building Consent Changes
    The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.      “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-05-01T21:39:32+00:00