Open mike 08/10/2020

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 8th, 2020 - 132 comments
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132 comments on “Open mike 08/10/2020 ”

  1. Forgive me, lefties, for I have sinned. Well almost but not quite, thank goodness.

    I almost felt, for a moment, sorry for Judith.

    I’ve been a political observer since before I was able to vote, but I’ve never witnessed a train wreck like this Natz campaign under Judith and Gerry.

    I was out of the country in 2002 when English managed an epic low: was his campaign so full of hilarious moments as this one?

    Merv from Manurewa!

    Goldsmith’s holes!

    Leaked emails!

    ‘Private’ moment of prayer!

    Shouty leader insisting we don’t diss Samoa!

    Sham stroll!

    What have I missed – and more importantly, what’s next?

    • Dennis Frank 1.1

      Next, Tony, is the CB poll on One News tonight! If there's no rise for National, time to do something more desperate. Where's Simon Lusk??

      Ben Thomas talks about staging:

      There’s a persistent myth that the “ordinary people” travellers to North Korea meet during tightly controlled trips into Pyongyang’s underground commuter train or shopping areas are actors paid to profess to foreigners their loyalty to, and love for, whichever great leader is in power at the time. This claim appears to be baseless.

      Instead, they are (like most North Koreans) simply polite, well indoctrinated by a national propaganda apparatus, and shy if not suspicious of outsiders.

      In the same way, is it correct to say that the National Party supporters lined up at apparently uniform distances along Ponsonby Road, like the parade markings of many Pyongyang public squares, to greet Judith Collins were “fake”? They were real supporters, after all, dedicated enough to participate in the charade.

      If that devotion to performance did make them thespians, then yesterday they would probably have most aptly described as crisis actors, as the walkabout spun out of control. The idea the National is coming apart at the seams is overhyped.

      https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/08-10-2020/keen-to-see-judith-collins-jettisoned-careful-what-you-wish-for/

      Ben's thesis is that we ought to appreciate the Judith: she's a liberal. Roll her, we end up with a fundie christian. I say, what better way to consign the National Party to the dustbin of history? Bring it on!

      • Wensleydale 1.1.1

        Ben Thomas — the man to call when you need a band-aid slapped on a gaping chest wound. "It's really not as bad as it looks. Yes, I know we can see her internal organs, but on a positive note, they all look fairly healthy."

    • weka 1.2

      heh, I've been on the verge of feeling sorry for her too. It's good to have some capacity for compassion for people who are doing despicable things, it's part of humanity and not being like them 😉

  2. Dennis Frank 2

    Did you know there's a basis upon which the rightist rabble has coalesced?

    ACT, the New Conservatives and the Advance New Zealand Party are all strong opponents of 1080 and that opposition features prominently in their rallies. NZ First has been much more circumspect up to now.

    And that's why Winston

    is now planning a campaign trip to Waiheke Island on Thursday to show off a predator control project there which does not use 1080. “I just want to be clear that New Zealand First has never been a believer in 1080,” he said.

    “We think there should be alternatives and trapping and hunting and all sorts of other range of initiatives should be taking place. “We believe 1080 is dangerous, but it’s very difficult to get control of this issue, even though we negotiated in the coalition agreement to put millions aside for it when it’s in control of some other minister.”

    That ”other Minister” is Eugenie Sage, the Minister of Conservation and a Green. But Peters is running out of time to turn his party’s fortunes around. Figures released last night by the Electoral Commission show that so far 271,369 people have already voted; that’s a 76% increase on the number who voted over the first three days of advance voting last election in 2017.

    This doesn’t help Peters, and he obviously needs time, so he made a plea. yesterday to people not to vote early. “Wait and find out everything that is in the mix of policies, because there are clangers after clanger after clanger out there being dropped every day now,” he said. “Only a fool tests the water with both feet. “Know all the facts first.”

    https://www.politik.co.nz/2020/10/07/while-national-reels-nz-first-plays-for-time/ | Politik

    This idea of Winston's that facts emerge during an election campaign, and they can be known, and furthermore everyone ought to refrain from advance voting until they have all emerged, is so wacky that even conspiracy theorists will be stunned!!

  3. bwaghorn 3

    Polls need to be outlawed!

    I've talked to 3 people in the last week who like me had top come in 1st or 2nd on the vote compass, none of us intend to vote for them due to the poor polling.

    By the way all of us had labour and the greens as the other 2 in the top 3. So this line that top is right wing is bs.

    • Nic the NZer 3.1

      Those polls should not be taken very seriously. They are massively influenced by how the things which seem most relevant to the election (the questions) distribute peoples views which may be not important at all to them. Then there is the problem you identified with TOP where their policy wonk positions are interpreted as economically left wing by the pollster, which is a debatable interpretation at best.

      • bwaghorn 3.1.1

        A $250 ubi, a wealth tax on equity and raising taxes on superannuatants who work so that they dont have to raise the retirement age . Not very right wing.

        I struggle with taxing unrealized profit in housing but what do I know.

        • Nic the NZer 3.1.1.1

          I see the UBI as being a cut in the existing welfare for the most vulnerable (and its not been suggested as complimentary by TOP).

          I see the capital tax as an ineffective attempt to leave housing policy to the market, and its not addressing the underlying problem, but from TOPs point of view they largely ignore other policies such as those Labour is attempting.

          And the idea of all these retirement policies is to privatise retirement income. I really don't know why Cullen has been given any left wing cred for his parts because at best its just an offshore investment fund and an attempt to privatise social security.

          Basically taxes up=left, taxes down=right is a massive charicature of policy positions, and makes for bad economic policy thinking.

        • mikesh 3.1.1.2

          but what do I know.

          Not much, it seems.

          The equity tax is not actually a tax on equity, but a tax on equity's yield However it is applied only when that yield is less than 3%: more than 3% and tax would simply be paid in the normal way in any case.

          Probably the largest group, that this tax would affect, would be owners of family homes, whose equity in their property attracts no tax at present. Arguably, applying the tax in this case is justified by the fact that the rent that they save, by living in their own home, represents a sort of quasi income which should be taxed.

      • Morrissey 3.1.2

        Those polls should not be taken very seriously.

        But they are taken seriously—by the news media. If they didn't have polls to talk about, or cute animal stories—this morning featured a pesky raccoon annoying a CNN reporter—they would have to report on trivia, like the show trials of political dissenters.

        [link deleted]

        [Link deleted. You’ve already linked to it @ 10, which is the appropriate thing to do, but in this particular thread it could easily act as a detraction and diversion – Incognito]

    • Byd0nz 3.2

      I found that too. Seems like they are trying to stear away the Labour/Green vote yea it's bs, but no L/G voter will be sucked in, like you they will see through that.

    • weka 3.3

      "So this line that top is right wing is bs."

      They're not right wing, they're radical centrists. By positioning (they will support a National govt, so you might want to consider that in your voting choices), and by some of their policies (anti-welfare is the on I am most familiar with, but there are others).

      I agree about polling though. We'd be much better off without polling in the month before the election. We'd probably have to ban publication of leaked internally polling too.

      • mikesh 3.3.1

        TOP are neither left wing nor right wing; but neither are they really centrists. I think they are sufficiently unique as to defy categorization.

        By the way they are not opposed to welfare. However they would like to see a UBI replace welfare, though in practice top-ups would probably be necessary.

        • Nic the NZer 3.3.1.1

          They are welcome to present a more nuanced welfare reform policy at any time, one which acknowledges positive discrimination has benefits. But when they do so they will probably have to explain that the so called 'efficiency' gains of universalism are a fiction.

          Until then I will go with how this has worked in other countries where UBI policies have tried to undermine better functioning welfare regimes.

        • greywarshark 3.3.1.2

          Chary with the truth mikesh but sounding nicely authoritative.

          By the way they are not opposed to welfare. However they would like to see a UBI replace welfare, though in practice top-ups would probably be necessary.

          After listening to authoritative commenters for long enough one can start hallucinating about double rainbows – what does it mean..

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwGqGFzPWQ0

          • Dennis Frank 3.3.1.2.1

            what does it mean

            I recall being taught the answer in a physics class long ago. Vaguely recollect it as refraction plus reflection but don't quote me. Light bouncing off the back wall of the droplet after passing thro, then re-entry into atmosphere at a different angle to the primary refracted beam…

            • greywarshark 3.3.1.2.1.1

              Refraction plus reflection – what I get when I read your thoughtful memos, and further refract though my vision is deteriorating. Wow a double rainbow – I sure look for one just now.

        • weka 3.3.1.3

          Simmons has an ideological commitment to getting rid of welfare. TOP don't have any real policy around top ups or a range of other issues related to welfare, including an adequate policy for disabled people and others who cannot work. When they change all that, I'll stop calling them anti-welfare, but at the moment their policy is dangerous for vulnerable people and those who may end up needing state assistance in the future.

          "though in practice top-ups would probably be necessary."

          See that's the problem right there, there's no probably about it and that degree of vagueness is just no ok in political work. TOP's UBI policy is defacto discriminatory against people who cannot work. Imagine TOP negotiating with National and ACT, what sort of UBI do you think we would end up with? Do you think that TOP would take a UBI off the table if NACT refused to treat disabled people well, or do you think that TOP would compromise and let welfare be dismantled before anything else was put in place?

        • weka 3.3.1.4

          "TOP are neither left wing nor right wing; but neither are they really centrists. I think they are sufficiently unique as to defy categorization."

          This is probably true, but I think my description stands. They've positioned themselves to be able to work between the left and right dominant parties ie they're in the centre. And their policies can often be understood in left or right terms as well.

          They're certainly not left wing. Some of what they do is progressive, and there are some solid ideas there. Some of what they do is regressive. Some of it is conservative.

  4. PsyclingLeft.Always 4

    golden dawn…nazis convicted. Awesome !

    'Tens of thousands rallied outside the court, holding banners reading "Fascism, Never Again" and "Freedom for the People, Death to Fascism".

    "We must send a message to the younger generations, a message against fascism," said 69-year-old Sophia. "It's our duty to democracy to be here today, to show we are standing up against such criminal actions." '

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/427834/greece-s-far-right-golden-dawn-declared-a-criminal-group

  5. ScottGN 5

    Big shout out to Auckland Central branch of the National Party for giving us all the unexpected delight of hearing the term “Potemkin Village” introduced into the election campaign.

    • lprent 5.1

      Yeah, and as a semi-resident of Ponsonby (the road starts one short block away and I grew up there for the first few years of my life), let me tell you that I suspect that description alone will cause blow back on to whatshername Mellon(?) the National candidate.

      They may be bovine and like that kind of thing in Parnell or Remmers – but it goes down like a sick balloon around here.

  6. ScottGN 6

    The PM is heading to East Cape today to give Kiri Allan’s already good chances of taking this seat a further push.

  7. ScottGN 7

    Amazingly Republican veteran Lindsey Graham is getting outspent and completely outplayed in the South Carolina Senate race. The Cook Political report has moved it into the toss-up column.

    https://cookpolitical.com/analysis/senate/south-carolina-senate/south-carolina-senate-moves-toss

  8. ScottGN 8

    New post debate, post Trump Covid diagnosis Quinnipiac Poll

    FLORIDA: Biden 51%, Trump 40%

    PENNSYLVANIA: Biden 54%, Trump 41%

    IOWA: Biden 50%, Trump 45%

    • AB 8.1

      Looks good. We need a landslide to render any electoral f*ckery by the Republican machine ineffectual.

  9. swordfish 9

    Likely Milestone coming up:

    Labour hitting the 1 mill+ mark for the first time ever.

    They came so close yet so far in 2005 (935k) & 2017 (956k).

    Nats, meanwhile, are likely to fall below 1 mill for the first time since they hit that particular milestone way back in 2008.

  10. Morrissey 10

    ‘None Of It Reported’: How Corporate Media Buried The Assange Trial

    by DAVID CROMWELL, Media Lens, 7th October 2020

    One of the most imposing features of state-corporate propaganda is its incessant, repetitive nature. Over and over again, the ‘mainstream’ media have to convince the public that ‘our’ government prioritises the health, welfare and livelihoods of the general population, rather than the private interests of an elite stratum of society that owns and runs all the major institutions, banks, corporations and media.

    We are constantly bombarded by government ministers and their media lackeys telling us that ‘our’ armed forces require huge resources, at public expense, to maintain the country’s ‘peace’ and ‘security’. We do not hear so much about the realpolitik of invading, bombing or otherwise ‘intervening’ in other countries with military force, diplomatic muscle, and bribes of trade and aid deals to carve up natural resources and markets for the benefit of a few.

    For those old enough to remember 2002-2003, who can forget the endless repeated rhetoric of the ‘threat’ posed by Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, of how his ‘weapons of mass destruction’ could be launched within 45 minutes of his order, and how ‘we’ simply had to remove him from power? Or how, in 2011, the US, UK and France had to launch ‘humanitarian intervention’ to stop the ‘mass slaughter’ of civilians by Gaddafi’s forces in Libya. And on and on.

    Read more…

    https://www.medialens.org/2020/none-of-it-reported-how-corporate-media-buried-the-assange-trial/

    • greywarshark 10.1

      Thanks Morrissey that makes the point strongly. Most of us will have noticed this in much of the media, but not seen how widely practised it is. Will read later. Keeping up is time-consuming don't you think!

      • McFlock 10.1.1

        Frankly, the current hearings are just a preamble.

        Not matter the outcome, the losing party will appeal, and the losing party of that will appeal, and so on up to the UK Supreme Court. Again.

        Unless the US gets a sane potus, in which case they might drop it.

        • greywarshark 10.1.1.1

          There are some and I wish more, people would tell him to get off the pot-us.

          • McFlock 10.1.1.1.1

            I'm struggling to think of a good call the current oaf has made.

            He's probably only going for extradition because Obama's office reckoned it was too close to the 1st amendment to try.

    • Andre 10.2

      Umm, it's an extradition hearing, not a trial. Words have actual meanings, and it's helpful to clear communication to use the words that correctly describe a situation. If, on the other hand, your intent is propaganda and disinformation, then misusing words is quite a useful tool.

      I won't be surprised if one of Biden's early actions as president will be to make some statement along the lines of 'Discussions with the incoming Attorney General have affirmed the determination made by Obama and Attorney General Holder in 2013 that it is not in the interest of the United States to prosecute Mr Assange, for the reasons that were publicised at the time. We therefore withdraw the extradition proceedings'.

    • Morrissey 11.1

      This article is spin. Ben Thomas is a National Party operative—more pleasant than Matthew Hooton but just as ideological. He's a regular guest on RNZ National—usually billed as a representative of the ludicrously mislabelled “centre-right.” He’s desperate to put the best possible interpretation on this embarrassment.

    • mac1 11.2

      Ben Thomas is arguing that if Collins goes, then we'll get a religious right replacement whereas Judith is a liberal.

      Who cares? Such a retreat to the religious right would mean that the National party would split, as it should.

      Who cares? This would mean that National are still in opposition with an illiberal leader. More for ordinary folk to dislike.

      The only downside is that NZ would lack an effective opposition which good democracy demands, in the absence of a second chamber, a presidential/governor-general veto, and now with a four year term being promoted.

  11. Anker 12

    I have had moments of feeling sorry for judith Collins. Pretty humiliating last few days for her.

    but then I remember dirty politics orivida and the lies about her visit to their office and subsequent dinner with a border official. Her association with Cameron Slater. And I think of all the dirty tricks National have pulled over the years too many to list.

    Then I feel more comfortable with Collins being the casualty. Their chickens coming home to roost. Long overdue.

    hope this is causing Key, Joyce and Bennett some pain, but usually psychopathic types feel very little

    • Tricledrown 12.1

      These type are fame seekers and loosing face is a body blow to their arrogant egotistical narcissism.

      Now their reputations have been exposed that's the end of the line National will have to ditch all these Dirty Political players out of a very small caucus given the back stabbing leaks it's going to be a very painful process. ACT being farther to the right in larger numbers will make hard for National to be a centrist party.

      National the strong team is shot to pieces driving around rural areas many farmers who would normally have hoardings up in their paddocks haven't bothered ,

      They are not impressed with National money for campaigning is down .

      After the election blood letting will be the order of they day.

      • Wensleydale 12.1.1

        Bloodletting… and then looking for a new job because you've just been chucked out for behaving like a rapacious brigand, or being content to surround yourself with rapacious brigands. I don't wish Collins any ill-will, but this is pure karma. She's spent her career cultivating a different kind of unpleasantness, one not liberally coated in Teflon. Unlike Saint John of Key, things tend to stick to Judith Collins.

      • greywarshark 12.1.2

        Nats going to ACT could be a disadvantage to the left. When there is a group herd mentality of rightists they will encourage each other to greater corruption. National when it had some real democratic principles guiding it acted as a brake on the rapacious specialising in sly selfishness and material display, and disdain for citizen equality. As the saying goes – be careful what you wish for.

  12. ScottGN 13

    @Morrissey 11.1

    I think most people will have no trouble sifting through the spin and desperation on this one.

  13. Pat 14

    How real is the possibility that the National Party could splinter into seperate entities a la Labour post Douglas?

    • woodart 14.1

      good question. with nzfirst looking like not being in parliament ,next term, would presume winston will retire, opens door for many former nats to come in. think nzfirst will survive, and the corpse is worth $$$. who better to pick up a slightly used political party than pissed off cashed up nats? surprised that experts like frankdennis havent pontificated about this possibility. you can bet that people without a real life, like hooten and farrar, have thought about this.

  14. adam 15

    [deleted]

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12371339

    [deleted]

    [please don’t post potentially defamatory comments, it puts the site owners at risk – weka]

    • Tricledrown 15.1

      Key promised to wipe the scourge of P from NZ [deleted]

      Cutting police numbers by 880 while the population increased by 20% played right into the Drug Barrons hands.

      Crushless Collins and pullya Benefit were police ministers administering cuts, while pretending to be tough on Crime.

      [please don’t post potentially defamatory comments, it puts the site owners at risk – weka]

      • weka 15.1.1

        mod note

        • adam 15.1.1.1

          The worst part weka is you left the link which without comment, which makes it totally fubar.

          Key is a Tory cunt and needs to be called out for his shitfuckery, but no. Can't say that, someone will get offended.

          • weka 15.1.1.1.1

            you can call him a Tory cunt (honestly held opinion). You can't make claims of fact about him that might end up with Lynn and Mike in court. Nothing to do with being offended, so fuck off with that bullshit lying about moderation. If you have a problem with the site policy take it up with Lynn and see how you get on.

    • weka 15.2

      mod note.

    • adam 15.3

      Fuck off weka, read some news for fuck sake.

      https://www.icij.org/investigations/fincen-files/

      Key has his hands all over this shit, along with all the other Aussie banks and their bosses.

      Totally fucked off with your censorship, it’s fucking tiresome from you and the other moderators.

      • Incognito 15.3.1

        You put the site at risk with potentially defamatory content and you think the Moderators are in the wrong protecting the site!? You only seem to be concerned about your own wants & needs on this site and cry foul when you’re moderated, screaming “censorship!”. Commenters like you don’t change their behaviour and are a chronic pain in the arse, IMHO.

        Ultimately the trust is responsible for comments put on the site and we will act against anyone who puts us at what we perceive as a legal risk.

        If we and/or our lawyers feel that the the [sic] comment or post oversteps a legal bound, violates good taste, invades the privacy of people outside the public domain, or goes beyond the scope of our site – then and only then will we do something about it.

        As guidelines to consider. Publishing facts that are manifestly false is relevant to our decision, but clearly stated opinion is not.

        https://thestandard.org.nz/policy/

        • adam 15.3.1.1

          I know the policy incognito – read what I wrote again, and ask yourself what there is defamation under the law.

          What I said about Key is public record, his bank of which he is on the board – [deleted] The fact the jumped up prick said this maybe you might want to start connecting some dots.

          https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/feb/25/new-zealand-troops-iraq-isis-john-key-parliament-video

          P.S. have you read this site lately – your moderation and those of others has stimmed conversation to the level of a total limited borish fuck fest. It’s dull, repetitive, and limp. No one can have free thought and discussion when you do what you do. Censorship at its core is the shutting down of ideas, and quite frankly incognito, you do that more often than not.

          [6 month ban for ignoring moderation, and picking a fight with mods. You know how it works here, *all you had to do was provide a link backing up your claim. Instead you chose to repeat the defamation and throw shit at moderators.

          This is nothing to do with censorship, and everything to do with setting boundaries to 1. protect the site owners, and 2. protect the moderators so we don’t have to waste time on people who think they can spray shit around the place. Had you in the first or second instance made an actual political argument with evidence there would be no moderation – weka]

  15. greywarshark 16

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/427849/authorities-insist-on-nasal-swab-despite-woman-s-bleeding-risk

    Her husband, Warwick Jordan, said she was happy to have as many throat swabs as needed and had even had one before she left Europe to be cautious.

    She was becoming increasingly distressed at being labelled a test dodger, he said. It was her eighth day staying at the Ibis Hotel isolation facility in Rotorua, and every morning since day three a tester and a person in military uniform had turned up asking her to take a nasal test, he said.

    When in Rome do as the Romans do. Old saying that people coming to NZ need to remember; if you want to be here and we let you in, and we have something good you can't get somewhere else (Covid-19 free) then you don't moan and try to organise things to suit yourself you twits. Stay in isolation, and while you are there see if you can find a way to stop your nose bleeding, do some research. Good might come of the time spent inside. (Diet, less warfarin etc.)

    • The Al1en 16.1

      government information given to all guests at the Ibis in Rotorua said though the more sensitive nasal swab was preferred, a throat swab was an option for those who could not tolerate one.

      From your link, the medical note from her doctor should be enough to warrant the throat swab option being used, and certainly not a case of piling on and victim blaming/shaming.

      • greywarshark 16.1.1

        Who is the victim? If any at all, NZ is. Always under attack no matter what we do, and how good the outcomes are.

    • weka 16.2

      Well the Romans in this case are saying a throat swab is an option. From your link,

      "That was despite official documents given to guests on arrival that say a throat swab is an option if necessary."

      Looks like some local level bullshit and I hope the RNZ coverage gets her some better medical treatment. Coercing people into unsafe medical testing is really not ok. But oh look, the MoH not taking any responsibility.

      • The Al1en 16.2.1

        You think people would actually read the articles they link to, eh?
        Would save an awful lot of knee jerking injuries.

        • greywarshark 16.2.1.1

          Anyone looking at the article could draw conclusions from it. Not everyone is as erudite as yourself TA.

          • The Al1en 16.2.1.1.1

            You don't need 'having or showing great knowledge or learning' to see the article contains a valid reason why the woman has a case for medical exemption from a nasal swab, and that quarantining visitors were given the option by authorities to have throat tests in the first place, so yeah, likely it was only the only people who were busy bashing their chin with their patellas who could see a problem and launch an attack.

            • McFlock 16.2.1.1.1.1

              quarantining visitors were given the option by authorities to have throat tests in the first place

              Hmmm. The copy of the "Welcome pack" on the managed isolation and quarantine site doesn't mention throat swabs at all. Closest it gets is in the appendix: "You should let the person taking the swab know if you have any condition that reduces the strength of your skin, affects the ability of your blood to form clots, or if you are on blood thinning medication. If you have any of these conditions they may decide not to proceed with the test as your health is the primary concern."

              The RNZ article also seems to be unclear as to what is a quote from the DHB medical officer, and what the journalist is stating as fact.

              So this government information that allows travellers to choose which option they want might bear closer examination by whomever distributed it. And the MoH need to sort out whether the online documentation is the same as the documentation actually given in the hand.

              • The Al1en

                Just going from the text in the rnz link at 16 – Part of which I quoted in 16.1

                If the info is incorrect I'll retract it as soon as they do, but I will cede to your more informed piece as you appear to have delved in to it.

                • McFlock

                  I have an open mind on it at the moment – it could easily be a case of multiple comms and policy failures between ministry, DHB, and isolation staff, just like 'the sticker says on the box', as it were.

                  But equally, it might be over-egged by a media system that loves emotional pain and also loves sticking unattributed "context" of doubtful accuracy right after direct quotes.

                  • The Al1en

                    Knowing the media's attention span, it'll all be forgotten tomorrow, but regardless of whether the true facts are revealed, I hope the poor woman can get tested in accordance with her doctor's medical advice.

                    • McFlock

                      I hope she gets help dealing with isolation and that the staff make it clear that she's not being blamed for refusing that particular test.

                  • weka

                    whatever the veracity/spin of the story, it looks like reasonably serious communication fail to me, compounded by the MoH's response to RNZ that the decision was up to the DHB. Meaning that there is a decision to be made rather than there being a blanket policy? I'm hoping they don't mean that each DHB can determine its own policy.

                    But as Rosemary and I have said, this is pretty standard DHB and MoH MO. I'm just surprised to see it still happening this far into the pandemic.

                    • McFlock

                      Unfortunately, it's also standard practise to go to the media when one doesn't like a fair decision that has been made. Especially during election time.

                      And there's a lot in this story hinging on whether an unnamed piece of "government information" explicitly stated that throat swabs could be chosen by the person in isolation, chosen as a common alternative by the isolation facility's testing provider/funder, might be considered by testing provider under specific circumstances, or even mentioned throat swabs specifically at all (in which case that "government information" wasn't the same "welcome pack" I linked to earlier from the MIQ website). One thing that is consistent is that throat swabs are more likely to give a false negative, and thereby enable another cluster to form.

                      So I don't know whether this is another campaign by individuals for a bigger slice of the pie, or another example of shite coordination within the health system crunching people into flour.

                    • weka

                      yep. As I said in the post, I'm less concerned about the extra time in isolation that I am about the communication. Although people who pay for isolation or those that have jobs or kids to get back to, need to know this stuff in advance.

                      What makes me give RNZ more of the benefit of the doubt than the MoH, and DHB is that I think it's reasonable to assume that RNZ would have fact checked the hotel info that was given out in that specific facility, and this isn't the first time during covid that there have been mixed or contradictory messages from health authorities. They just need to sort it out, not fob it off.

                    • weka

                      I also think it's entirely possible that the woman has been treated badly. Or she's overegging it for some reason. Who knows, but the story is theoretically credible.

                    • McFlock

                      This is one of the things I like about some NZ media websites – they'd have a pdf or photo of the document itself, clearing up the veracity question right there.

                      The other query is that they apparently don't have a review process on the ground. I mean, they must have doctors available – what if someone screws up the count on their blood pressure meds? Or was it just easiest for the testing tech to roll their eyes and log it as a refusal, when a doc calling the woman's GP could have gotten more background on why it was an issue?

                      It could even be some bullshit about the lab only getting contracted for the throat swabs, so there's no reason to tell higher ups about the possible reasons for a throat swab instead.

                      There's some fuckage afoot, we just don't know what it is.

      • Rosemary McDonald 16.2.2

        Looks like some local level bullshit and I hope the RNZ coverage gets her some better medical treatment. Coercing people into unsafe medical testing is really not ok. But oh look, the MoH not taking any responsibility.

        Sadly, SSDD.

        Some meglomaniacal local bureaucrat willy waving. Encountered so many of their ilk in the disability arena. Even when clearly in error, the higher-ups at the Misery almost always back them up.

        They'd feel like failures if they displayed either compassion or clinical common sense.

          • greywarshark 16.2.2.1.1

            Nothing like a bunch of smart people who know how to do everything sitting sniping on the sidelines. I think there is a DIploma in that at most universities and erudite educational establishments.

            The piece of news did say that the woman could stay in isolation for another week if she wishes. They may be tightening up on throat swabs to get reliable stats, have all taken the same way. Can you give other people the benefit of the doubt that they know a bit more than you? Or offer a suggestion for change rather than a thundering condemnation?

            • weka 16.2.2.1.1.1

              I did offer suggestions for change. And I covered what the issues are. You can sit here and try and guess what is going on, my expectation is that the MoH and DHBs communicate much more effectively during a pandemic than they have here.

              Nothing like commenters who don't bother reading a post (and who seem to imply that the author has no expertise).

            • The Al1en 16.2.2.1.1.2

              Give it up, mate. Claiming we're all smart with qualifications to be know alls just makes your point that much weaker when, in fact, it would be easier for you to acknowledge you made a boo boo in a rush to judgement.

              Yes, the article states she can stay for an extra week, just like it also states the people have volunteered to have as many throat swabs as required, too.

              Assuming the woman is one of those now having to pay for quarantine, why should she shoulder the extra costs involved to stay longer when the people in charge are ignorantly going against the rules they themselves gave to arrivals? And she still has a valid medical reason to avoid nasal poking.

              I wouldn't worry about those erudite classes if I were you, but I would look into seeing if there are any compassion courses going.

        • Draco T Bastard 16.2.2.2

          Some meglomaniacal local bureaucrat willy waving.

          And who hadn't read the policy. Unfortunately, neither had the defence force person apparently. If they had they could have stepped in and said that a throat swab was fine.

    • Gabby 16.3

      Sounds like a nondecision made by some jobsworth really. Nagging her about it is just the sort of institutional sadism those people get off on.

  16. Dennis Frank 17

    Five minor party leaders in TVNZ's multi-party debate tonight: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/minor-party-leaders-go-head-in-tvnzs-multi-debate-tonight

    In our High Court yesterday the New Conservative party lost its bid to be included :

    after hearing two hours of submissions, Justice Woolford gave an immediate order dismissing the application with his reasons to follow later. https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/court-dismisses-new-conservative-partys-bid-participate-in-tvnz-debate

    Political editor Jessica Mutch McKay will moderate, runs 7-8pm on One.

  17. Dennis Frank 18

    John Campbell talked to James Shaw & Shane Jones for 13 mins this morning & it was extremely good viewing – convivial three-way discourse & to the point. Shane at his best for a change. The segment is viewable here:

    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/breakfast/clips/james-shaw-and-shane-jones-talk-politics-with-general-election-less-than-two-weeks-away

    [fixed the link]

    • weka 18.1

      use the share button Dennis. Click on one of them and then cut and past the URL from that. The main Breakfast URL just reverts back to TVNZ.

      • Dennis Frank 18.1.1

        share button

        Where is it?? I put the cursor over all the icons above the reply window & none identified as such…

        • weka 18.1.1.1

          bottom right, in line with the play button. It's the three dots and two lines in a shape like this <

          It will give you a number of options, which might depend on if you have an account with FB, twitter etc, but the email one should work.

          • Dennis Frank 18.1.1.1.1

            Thanks. I tested the theory by going to their site, found the share icon below right as you said, clicked on the email icon. It produced an email with the clip-specific link contained within, which I could then copy to use here. Simple! yes

            • weka 18.1.1.1.1.1

              nice one! This works from quite a few websites that like to control their URLs. It's also good practice to chop the tracking bits off the end of URLs eg FB links. That's everything after the ?

  18. Andre 19

    When your own team has spent decades honing their savage attack skills, then they get a wee bit grouchy with you, it's not a good idea to poke them with a stick.

    https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/10/7/1984433/–Trump-Goes-Decides-To-Go-Up-Against-Steve-Schmidt-Bad-Move

    Result is kinda like:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxosMgthFN4

    More good background on The Lincoln Project linked below. Note that very few people are endorsing them, or are under the delusion they are anything other than dangerous operatives opposed to everything progressive. Nevertheless, there is still a very temporary alignment of interests as they vainly attempt to wipe the cheeto-tinged skidmark from their image and reputations.

    https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/10/12/inside-the-lincoln-projects-war-against-trump

  19. greywarshark 20

    Degrowth. Degrowth. DEGROWTH. Trying the word out for size, to get familiarity with it. Not heard it before. How would this be helpful for us?

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018766960/jason-hickel-how-degrowth-will-save-the-world

    Enough is enough and more is too much, says Dr Jason Hickel, an economic anthropologist at Goldsmiths University of London…
    He makes his case in his new book Less is More: How DeGrowth Will Save The World.

    The current ecological crisis is systemic, not the result of individual bad behaviour, Hickel says.
    “It’s ultimately being driven by a system – capitalism – that requires perpetual expansion.
    “So, we basically become victims of this system and so too does the planet.”

    Degrowth and recession are not the same things, he says
    “A recession is what happens when a growth-oriented economy like capitalism fails to get growth, things fall apart.”…

    Much of Europe outperforms the USA with only a third or a half of America’s GDP, he says.
    “The answer is some countries distribute income more fairly and crucially invest in universal public services like robust education and welfare, affordable housing and public transportation.”

    And the growth mantra is fuelling the greatest crisis humanity has faced, he says….

    “We’re not really seeing it in our politics yet, except in a few countries, New Zealand being one of them actually where this is a conversation that is happening.”

    Hear, hear, here, to this. When do we want it? – We want it now.
    What did you say? – We want it now.
    Do we really need it? Yes we really do!:

    “We need economies that can shift into a lower gear without harming people’s lives, so degrowth basically calls for a planned down-shifting of the economy so that we use less fossil fuels, we use less unnecessary resources but at the same time distribute existing income and opportunities more fairly so that people can have access to the things they need to live flourishing lives.”

    😀

    • Dennis Frank 20.1

      Not heard it before.

      Well, that's a puzzle! Much mentioned here in recent years by myself & Weka, if not others. But yeah, thanks for posting about that book!

      Incidentally, the word just codifies the steady-state economy really, so it's jargon updating the Green alt-economy agenda from almost half a century back…

      • greywarshark 20.1.1

        Mentioned degrowth – yes. Many things have been mentioned over the 20th century and recently but getting everyone to pay attention and then accept and see workable ways of putting the ideas into practice is the task of Sisyphus. Has to go beyond wise guys on political blogs. And by wise guys I mean both the fact of your wisdom, and the flip comment that the general public often makes.

  20. tc 21

    Granny wheels out some fluff copy for shonky john to slap his moniker against about how great Jude's going.

    Then shonky john gets to tell everyone why he's voting no on cannabis reform. Zero surprises from the tobacco and alcohol party.

  21. greywarshark 22

    Is it possible to concentrate on getting the election over with left facing parties in and standing shoulder to shoulder in strength and commitment for that and not get onto all the particular wounds we need to address?S Munro?

  22. ScottGN 23

    Haha. Hosking in the Herald says the election is Labour’s to lose and that’s why we’re so nervous. There will be an absolute torrent of this tripe from all the usual suspects over the next few days.

  23. Descendant Of Smith 25

    Employers still being dinosaurs.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/123020092/ema-under-fire-over-gross-employment-presentation

    It's OK apparently to scour peoples facebook pages when wanting to employ them – it is time actually that an actual ethical position is taken that it is not. Facebook does not always equal real life.

    I can't believe this sort of juvenile memeing/dog-whistling/sexist/racist bull-shit is part of a presentation to employers. But then I can cause having been part of many groups with them involved I have been exposed to their banality. There are good intelligent employers out there but this sought of crap gives them a bad name. And plenty of us baby boomers can't stand Elvis.

    Then of course comes the fake apology. The ridiculous we apologise if you were offended. What about just simply saying "we're a bunch of idiots and Ms Sparke is right"

    "In a statement, the association (EMA) chief executive Brett O’Riley said the presenter had attempted to “inject some lightness into a complex topic”.

    “We apologise if this caused Ms Sparke offence. The deliberately provocative slide of the heavily tattooed and pierced person was used to highlight what employers cannot and must not discriminate against.”

    A second slide compared the attitudes of three generations – baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y – to work, sex, money and other influences.

    While baby boomers were shown to be prepared to work their way to the top, Gen X were said to be looking for a shortcut, and Gen Y purportedly threatened to quit unless they were given Saturday off."

    I have a feeling they were in the cart for the same/similar presentation a few years back as well.

    • Nic the NZer 25.1

      I would say Ms Sparke comes off extremely well there. I don't doubt the EMA would be pushing some form of group identity narrative if it suites their purpose while continuing to claim Green politics is the divisive force.

  24. joe90 26

    But he's pro-life!

    But riddle me this.

    Trump is pushing for Amy Coney Barrett to reach the Supreme Court, not because he gives a flying fruitcake about the right to life or any other rights. His powerful donors do, though, and he has to keep them happy if he’s to stay in power.

    And Trump was standing on that balcony, touting his virility and strength, but leaving out the one drug that contributed to his recovery: Regeneron.

    Perhaps you heard the docs talk about monoclonal antibodies. They worked wonders in fighting back Ebola, and scientists have hope for its use in other diseases, though it’s still experimental in COVID-19.

    Here’s the rub. The antibodies come from stem cells recovered from human embryos.

    How do I know? Regeneron told me so:

    From their website:

    “As is the case with many other science-focused biotechnology companies, Regeneron uses a wide variety of research tools and technologies to help discover and develop new therapeutics. Stem cells are one such tool. The stem cells most commonly used at Regeneron are mouse embryonic stem cells and human blood stem cells. Currently, there are limited research efforts employing human-induced pluripotent stem cell lines derived from adult human cells and human embryonic stem cells that are approved for research use by the National Institutes of Health and created solely through in vitro fertilization.”

    They further explain in a paper in the journal Science, “The cells were originally isolated …from an aborted human fetus.”

    For the West Coast audience, that’s, “…an aborted human fetus.”

    https://medium.com/illumination/the-state-of-the-nation-hypocrisy-version-8f8ff98bcefa

  25. Muttonbird 27

    Nobel Peace Prize announced 10pm Friday.

    How did the Nobel Committee know that was one week before the New Zealand general election?

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2020/10/what-jacinda-ardern-will-receive-if-she-wins-the-2020-nobel-peace-prize.html

  26. greywarshark 28

    A quiet read to take the mind of the hubbub of the present . 'What did we do before the world wars Mum and Dad'? Will we have to consider reshaping our lives to achieve similar?

    1870 is the setting for the Lark Rise to Candleford book trilogy summarised below.

    About it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lark_Rise

    Flora Thompson's immortal trilogy, containing "Lark Rise", "Over To Candleford" and "Candleford Green", is a heartwarming portrayal of country life at the close of the 19th century.

    This story of three closely related Oxfordshire communities – a hamlet, the nearby village and a small market town – is based on the author's experiences during childhood and youth. It chronicles May Day celebrations and forgotten children's games, the daily lives of farmworkers and craftsmen, friends and relations – all painted with a gaiety and freshness of observation that make this trilogy an evocative and sensitive memorial to Victorian rural England.

    The stories are available on Project Gutenberg. But I don't know just how and copyright law for one's own country throws a shadow.

    This is the Australian entry relating to Gutenberg and the law.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Gutenberg_Australia

    This is the general info about project Gutenberg.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Gutenberg

    These sites are newly available.
    https://www.gutenberg.org/help/new_website.html
    https://www.gutenberg.org/

  27. Matiri 29

    Unprecedented recommendation from New England Journal of Medicine to vote Trump out of office

    https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2029812?fbclid=IwAR1ItqGusykclxzEVo8EmRlWA0H5MNtGfSoxk0RidlrNCaaBsxG074UlUtg

  28. Andre 30

    Hoo boy. The cult that SCOTUS nominee Barrett belongs to may literally have been the inspiration for "The Handmaid's Tale".

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amy-coney-barrett-handmaid-people-of-praise_n_5f7dfbd6c5b6fc1dec78c952

  29. Cricklewood 31

    Fuck the Warehouse and its associated brands… healthy profit on the back of the wage subsidies… plenty of cash on hand…and they say without it they would have had a 4 million loss, I say keep the 4 million and hand the other 50 million or so back…

    Corporations have taken the pissand are lining their executive and shareholder pockets.

    The new govt needs to send Ird into these businesses and assess their actual eligibility and contemplate a Covid Koha tax on these pofitable firms

  30. ianmac 32

    Well, I accidentally watched the Harris Pence debate. Pence would start an answer with a rabbit hole then start to answer the actual question and run over his allotted 2minutes, looking hard done by for not having enough time to answer. Repeatedly. (God would be clutched in the Pence right fist as he would, if he got the chance, like to carry out the very right agenda. Warning! Warning!)

    Harris came across as informed, fluent and answered the questions pretty concisely. Make a good President? Yes. (Reminded me of Jacinda???)

    There was a live spaced -out masked audience who were completely silent throughout.

    The winner was the black fly sitting on Pence's very white hair.

    • Gabby 32.1

      You don't see white doggy doo so much these days.

      • Peter 32.1.1

        Pence is like a male fox terrier who has been nutted. The one from the litter behind all the others who missed out on an allocation of 'character'.

  31. Ffloyd 33

    Spaced-out. Lol.

  32. greywarshark 34

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/caucus/story/2018767507/collins-and-peters-on-thin-ice-as-ardern-finds-her-feet

    Image of praying/preying mantis woman in church with plastic bottle. Is it ordinary drinking water, christening water, or hand sanitiser all ready to 'cleanse the spot from my hand' – Shakespeare?

    Declaims in voice of doom: Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?

  33. Dennis Frank 35

    ASA, a regulator unable to enforce decisions. Very postmodern.

    Advertising Standards Authority chief executive Hilary Souter said the Authority was a voluntary organisation; it relied on its members (which include most major media, advertising and marketing groupings) to comply with its rulings. "It's disappointing that we've got really good engagement from all the other parties but that Advance NZ have chosen not to engage," she said. "But we don't have any legislative framework behind us – we haven't needed to in the past."

    Last night, the party's co-leader Jami-Lee Ross told Newsroom they would not comply with the ruling against using the advertisements again.

    "The ASA should not be trying to interfere in election debate and the free speech of political parties," he said. "They have no standing in regulating free speech. The evidence to back up our claims were in the advert in question at the bottom. We stand by the ads' content."

    Last year, Justice Minister Andrew Little said he had little confidence in the Authority, after it rejected his complaint against a National Party advertisement.

    "I just think they're not equipped to do the quasi-judicial job of ensuring that somebody who asserts in a paid advertisement that it is in fact," Little said. "The test that the Advertising Standards Authority seems to use now is that if the advertiser believes it to be true then it will be true."

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/politics/jami-lee-ross-defies-ad-ruling-as-complaints-surge

    Expert practitioners of postmodernism then, the ASA. ANZ & JLR, expert practitioners of truthiness. Each group deserves the other…

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  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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