Cynical, malevolent and bandwagon-ing bunch maybe, but National is right to join the chorus of questioning bank profits. Now a majority of the house is onto this. Stopped clock etc.
And Labours response as usual is tepid…why?, because like National, they are free market fundamentalists, both whom believe the markets and commodification can fix every problem..even in the face of the World burning, caused by free markets and unfettered commodification….not a lot of difference between these guys and ISIS as far as I am concerned..both extremist nutters who would kill us all to prove their ideology is right.
I don't even know what your comment means?…anyway I commute 20km each way to and from work most days and drive a 1988 800cc Suzuki Alto, so fuel doesn't cost me fuck all.
Sam Stubbs brilliantly ripped the banks to pieces in RNZ's Morning Report this morning at about 8.15. A must listen
Key point: the profits the Australian banks are making in NZ are much higher than profits made by banks internationally. Conclusion: WINDFALL TAX
Come on Robertson FFS this is a win-win. A couple of billion in the coffers with most of the population (not the top 5% of course) cheering to the rafters.
Holy hika, he's absolutely SLATED them! Government inquiry, open banking, expansion of Kiwibank are all feasible measures the govt could take. Listen to the RNZ report, it's most insightful.
The banking sector [18 May 2022]
New Zealand currently has 27 registered banks, with four large Australian-owned banks (ANZ, ASB, BNZ and Westpac) responsible for 85% of bank lending. The five New Zealand-owned banks account for 9% of bank lending.
Many Kiwis will have good reasons to use Aussie-owned banks – for those that don’t, a selection of ‘solutions’ are available. Switching banks is very doable.
Switching banks [NZ Bankers Association]
Switching banks is safe, easy and fast. Your new bank can take care of everything in five working days. It’s among the fastest switching in the world.
This process also links recurring payments, such as direct debits and automatic payments, to your new bank account number. Your new bank can do all that for you, through a single form.
Bank profits are positively correlated with the OCR. Thats going to become a bit of a conundrum at some point if much inflation policy is monetary policy.
I was being a bit cynical. I know someone working at one of the big Australian banks, who attends these meetings.
From the little I know. Grant Robertson appears to be asking for direction on monetary policy from them. If true, he's obviously following it, hence the huge profits.
What your describing sounds like complete industry capture. Frankly one hopes this is not true.
The main issue being the links between monetary policy and bank profits are much more clear and better established than the links between monetary policy and inflation control. In fact if a lot of the price revisions are coming from overseas then the impact of monetary policy may be (quite obviously) none. Monetary policy does impact interest rates accruing to savers however so relying on it is making a wide range of inequality pressures worse.
The other thing is Robertson appears to be saying we don't want to use an increase in unemployment to target inflation. But this is part of how monetary policy supposedly works, if it works. So he's saying the RBNZ can use their policy tool just as long as it doesn't actually work the way its supposed to work. Orr must be very confused about what he is supposed to do under his monetary policy targets agreement (annually re-agreed) with Robertson. Probably he is supposed to do, nothing which reflects badly on Robertson or the government.
The little information I do have from the conversation, was that discussions about inflationary housing costs and lending were taking place regularly, so you might not be too far off the mark. However, I'm trying to not overstate the unknown.
(I hesitated about posting hearsay without verification, but then considered that someone reading might be interested enough to do an OIA request that I don't currently have time to do.)
QE isn't really facilitating any additional ability to lend. The banks always have as much flexibility to lend without ever running into an interbank payment constraint in terms of reserves. This is because the RBNZ will lend what ever volume of reserves needed at the OCR as part of monetary policy anyway.
The actual constraints against lending are things like LVR ratios, or debt to income ratios or how many years the bank agrees as a repayment term. But as long as the borrower can repay and will pay interest above the OCR then the bank can make that loan profitably.
QE is just an expedient way of operating relatively typical monetary policy while having the central bank lend to the govt. Commercial banks and other large scale financials are involved in primary lending and in return get a small return as the RBNZ will usually buy the bonds back again for marginally more again on the secondary market. Other than this small cut however the RBNZ may as well be lending directly to the government.
Banks, supermarket monopolies, fuel companies, Fletchers, etc, etc.
There's an election next year, polls are being done all the time.
Is the National Party going to make big noises about massive profits being terrible, implying everything will be different after they get in? Of course.
And after they and ACT are elected next year will everything in regards to massive profits be different and better, to the advantage of most? Of course not. It's all bluster, all piss and wind.
Did you listen to the Green's "Finance Spokesman" on Morning Report this morning? It was Julie Anne Genter. She was a total joke and clearly knew absolutely nothing about the topic.
If a party doesn't have anyone who knows the topic under consideration they shouldn't even try and put up a representative. It merely makes them a laughing stock.
I didn't hear what she said but she might just be too far ahead of her time. It's happened before with the Greens of course, Russell Norman raised the fact that the reserve bank could just use QE to directly fund the government back in 2012.
It took a further 8 years and a pandemic but as it turned out, well yes, the government can just pay for everybody's wages if it thinks that's a good idea. Somehow for the interim period 2012-2020 the countries finances were constantly narrated as we can't afford this, we can't afford that, we are borderline bankrupt and then it just happened we weren't.
A challenge to orthodoxy and BAU is often met with accusations of ignorance and usually such accusations lack substance and argument coming from fearful empty hollow vessels yearning for yesteryear.
The IMF this week said that windfall taxes,create uncertainty and decrease investment,one of the messages that Robertson would have received,as was the emphasis on stability,and debt management.
Genter is well out of her depth here,and lettuce economics carries little weight in a high risk economy like NZ,where to attract investment ( read fund debt) we have to offer higher interest rates, then other G10 economies.
NZ is a price taker in attracting debt,due to the risks with being a commodity currency,a large current account deficit,and trade imbalance increasing debt by local and central government (based on policies of low interest rates).
Total government borrowings are now 219,232 m vs a budget forecast of 209,291m in increase in debt of 9914000000 $ in 3 months.The government needs to get its spending under control,as inflation is the only game in town.
We do not have a policy of low interest rates as that is essentially determined by markets,which look at the ability to pay in the future.With high overseas debt loading,we also have a forex risk,as flows are not say like Australia with both commodity and investment inflows (from australian offshore investments) sustaining a current account surplus.This reduces the demand on borrowing.
With a lower inflation rate,it is the real rate of return on the interest bearing bond eg central bank rate less inflation.
The policies were structured during a period of low interest rates,now with cost increases,they are demand drivers for inflation.As surpluses do not exist,they are driven by debt to pay borrowing,which increases inflation infintitum.
Seems like government is a bit stuffed then. You've pointed out a $10 billion treasury forecasting error 3-months out and the 'correct' financing depends on getting both the inflation and interest rate forecasts right about 2-5 years out.
Rather than changing the name of New Zealand and going through that whole palaver do you think we should just cut to the chase and apply to be de-listed as a country immediately?
The "highest interest rates in the Western world" are not "determined by "the markets", they are determined by our absurd and one eyed "reserve Bank act" setting rates artificially higher than the "markets", encouraging speculative flows. Plus extra profit taking by banks operating in NZ. "Some of the highest bank profits in the world".
What hasn’t been commented on is that an increase in interest rates will also penalise every business and household in the country including everyone resident in Auckland and Christchurch who already have a mortgage and have no intention of buying or selling a home.
Funny that with all the talk in the media on dis and misinformation, that an actual story on some serious industrial sized dissemination of misinformation hasn't become a MSM story….I wonder why that is?
Researchers Find Massive Anti-Russian ‘Bot Army’ "An Australian university has unearthed millions of Tweets by fake accounts pushing disinformation on the Ukraine war, Peter Cronau reports. The sample size dwarfs other studies of covert propaganda about the war on social media."
This part in the abstract was interesting….and quite telling…
"By aggregating account groups we find significant information flows from bot-like accounts to non-bot accounts with behaviour differing between sides. Pro-Russian non-bot accounts are most influential overall, with information flows to a variety of other account groups. No significant outward flows exist from pro-Ukrainian non-bot accounts, with significant flows from pro-Ukrainian bot accounts into pro-Ukrainian non-bot accounts."
This recent brouhaha about mis/disinformation has me a tad bemused.
Often, the information would be more accurately described as ' This information doesn't suit my view/opinion/narrative.' or, 'I don't like this persons perspective on other things, they are probably lying'.
If misinformation is such a problem then surely the government wouldn't employ practitioners of 'public affairs consultantcy', strategic communication experts or spin doctors …/sarc
The newsrooms and current affairs production hubs of RNZ and TVNZ have become ideological monocultures. Senior executives, producers, journalists, technical staff and, seemingly, the entire workforce of the public broadcasters, subscribe to a single version of economic, political, social and cultural reality. A journalist wishing to put together a programme on the bitter divisions rending the women’s movement over transgender issues, for example, would not only be denied permission, she would be lucky to hold on to her job. The RNZ and TVNZ of today grow only a single crop. If you don’t like the taste of “Woke” – then you had better find an alternative menu of ideas.
Perhaps it is this complete indifference to the traditions of free inquiry and frank debate that enlivened the public broadcasters of yesteryear that explains the new entity.
At the summit of both RNZ and TVNZ sit people who despise the whole Reithian concept of broadcasting as a public service.
There seems to be a bit of a left twitter storm about TV3's Jenna Lynch's relationship with the ACT chief of staff. But I heard Mari Dunlop giving Christopher Luxon a hard time on RNZ yet everyone remained silent on her relationship with Kiri Allan. Jessica Mutch-McKay famously shacked up with Jacinda's hipster bodyguard, and Katie Bradford's mum needs little introduction whilst the odious pairings over at the ZB troll farm hardly need further comment. And one can of course refer to the Jane Clifton/Trevor Mallard marriage for the boomers out there.
Now, on the one hand you could argue this is unimportant – New Zealand is small country, we should rely on the professionalism of our journalists for impartiality and on Chinese walls to keep the pillow talk to a minimum. But I am not so sure. To me the uncomfortably cosy personal relationships between the MSM and members of the political class points to a wider issue in journalism – the excessively narrow, middle class, base most of them seem to be drawn from. The obsession with airfares and overseas holidays, an economic narrative invariably favourable to the asset owning classes, all buttressed by the underlying value assumptions of centrist liberalism (paywalled) are symptoms of the malaise of a disconnected class of journalists.
What it all does IMHO is fuel public suspicion of the "MSM" and the "deep state" where the "paid for" media is often literally in bed with the "swamp" that needs draining.
For what it is worth, I think that in these days of conspiracy theories the establishment media needs to be more vigilant of the public's generally dim view of its often excessively close relationships with it's subjects. On a dual hosted public broadcaster I thought it a mistake for Dunlop to be given the job of aggressively interviewing the LOTO, for example.
At the very least MSM websites ought to carry personal disclosure statements about relationships that may affect public perceptions of their journalists. The journalists will resent it immensely, but I would say tough.
Knew about Kiri Allen before but hard to know how she will manage her conflict of interest now she is interviewing.
I think Jacinda's body guard situation less problematic.
Katie Bradford I think has done an outstanding job of appearing not to be biased, but then again, we don't always agree with our mums. I never detected bias from Jane Clifton who also had a relationship with Murray McCully. that always intrigued me!
I do think, particularly in an election year having Mani go hard out against Luxon isn't a good look, unless she is equally hard with Lab.
In a time of such deep distrust and disdain of media and journalism, media companies should go out of their way to hire people with no connections to the political class so they can't be accused of bias and quite frankly, nepotism.
We shouldn't be in a situation where those who hold our leaders to account are dating, married or closely related to leaders or figures in political parties, without disclosures. We Also shouldn't be giving retired polis tv shows. Ugh
You mentioned a great point about the upper middle classification of politics and journalism, the things these journalists cover are usually vapid upper middle class issues , the journalists have no concept of poverty, unions, minimum wage, state houses or the benefit system and it shows in their coverage.
And since these are the issues they cover they are the issues governments think are important and politicians who belong almost exclusively to the same upper middle class with the same lack of understanding of ground level issues pass policy by and for the middle class.
We desperately need diversity of class in our politics
Our new public media should absolutely be as obsessed with diversity of class as it is with diversity of race gender and sexuality. It should be mandated.
Tvnz political panels for instance should have random working class and beneficiaries giving their views on the panel on q and a not just rich journalists , former polis and CEOs.
If we're going to return faith to journalism and politics we need to have journos and politicians from diverse backgrounds of class not just upper middle class opinions m
Which jobs should go first? Hmmm, let's start with bank economists, then right wing business journalists perhaps then move on to highly paid PR staff in the AUckland mayor's office…
The powerful Russian businessman and a close Vladimir Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted to interfering in US elections on the eve of a midterm vote in which Republicans will seek to take control of Congress and state-wide offices across the country.
“Gentlemen, we interfered, we are interfering and we will interfere,” Prigozhin, who has previously been accused of influencing the outcome of elections across continents, said in a statement posted by his catering company, Concord.
“Carefully, precisely, surgically and the way we do it, the way we can,” Prigozhin, 61, added.
Yevgeny Prigozhin is of course head of the Wagner group, increasingly an organisation that is a mercenary political army that operates as a rival to the regular Russian Army. I have read there are three armies fighting different and disconnected wars against the Ukraine – the regular Russian army, the mercenary Wagner group, and the LNR/DNR militia. In any event, Putin's distrust of his army means Prigozhin and his political army are rapidly assuming an importance analogous to Himmler and the SS as a parallel political army loyal only to it's leader. If you want to know where Prigozhin's Wagner forces are on the totem pole of Russian power right now, they currently engaged in near suicidal frontal assaults on the heavily fortified Ukrainian positions outside the city of Bakhmut, were it looks like freshly mobilised, untrained Russian troops are being used as cannon fodder first wave assaults for Wagner forces, and suffering horrendous losses.
”I will answer you very subtly, delicately and I apologize, I will allow a certain ambiguity. Gentlemen, we interfered, we interfere and we will interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way, as we know how. During our pinpoint operations, we will remove both kidneys and the liver at once.”
Heaven forbid that we have record low unemployment and high wages.
Im telling you right now, the price for low inflation will always be low wage growth and high unemployment. Every single time. Look at during the 1990's, inflation was at 1%, but wages never even moved. Also unemployment was rampant, and people were stuck on the same wage throughout the decade.
You might be right Nic. I haven't followed it much, but saw that Rachael Stewart tweeted that Sean should have done due diligence on the "court documents". Time will tell.
Reading between the lines (just an opinion), sounds like Farrier got sucked into a web by a very cunning [deleted] and his mental health has suffered as a result, for which I have a lot of sympathy. I think it is possible Sean got played by the [deleted], which shows how dangerous and cunning these people can be.
given the litigious nature of the situation, can we please be more circumspect on what we call people? This is to protect TS's owners from legal action as publishers.
Just booked my tickets to the David Farrier film 'Mr Organ' Going on Saturday. I have followed David (Webworm) for a while now and looking forward to the film very much.
Who can apply for a Protection Order? Anyone who needs protection from someone who is violent, abusive or making threats can apply. You must have, or previously had, a close personal relationship with that person. It could be a partner, ex-partner, flatmate, carer or family/ whānau member. They don’t have to be living with you.
The general page also provides the link to Restraining Orders for cases not covered by Protection Orders.
Wouldn't almost anyone? I almost feel some (very) slight nostalgia for David Clark. He wasn't any more competent but at least he wasn't bitchy when being questioned.
In the 'last few years', lets say 5, most measurements have got a lot worse in health. Oh that's right, we don't measure anymore as targets are unhelpful!/
Wait times and access to primary care are covered under Better primary health care, which you would have known if you’d actually opened and read the link I’d provided. And if you’d read the Introduction to the Health System Indicators framework, you’d have a better understanding of the “six Government priorities and 12 high-level indicators” and possibly even understood why setting and measuring targets as done in the past is essentially meaningless and doesn’t fix anything. As it stands, you’re only confirming your own bias and parroting simplistic Nat propaganda slogans.
No, the targets were dumped as they were weighted too much in favour of middle class cancer patients, while the chronically sick poor were just left to rot.
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One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
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 ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
The Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, we’re starting to see this technology affect every ...
Cynical, malevolent and bandwagon-ing bunch maybe, but National is right to join the chorus of questioning bank profits. Now a majority of the house is onto this. Stopped clock etc.
National urges govt to probe monetary policy over banks' huge profits https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/478252/national-urges-govt-to-probe-monetary-policy-over-banks-huge-profits
And Labours response as usual is tepid…why?, because like National, they are free market fundamentalists, both whom believe the markets and commodification can fix every problem..even in the face of the World burning, caused by free markets and unfettered commodification….not a lot of difference between these guys and ISIS as far as I am concerned..both extremist nutters who would kill us all to prove their ideology is right.
"not a lot of difference between these guys and ISIS"
Yeah but how much to fuel the enormous clown car you ride round in?
I don't even know what your comment means?…anyway I commute 20km each way to and from work most days and drive a 1988 800cc Suzuki Alto, so fuel doesn't cost me fuck all.
Sam Stubbs brilliantly ripped the banks to pieces in RNZ's Morning Report this morning at about 8.15. A must listen
Key point: the profits the Australian banks are making in NZ are much higher than profits made by banks internationally. Conclusion: WINDFALL TAX
Come on Robertson FFS this is a win-win. A couple of billion in the coffers with most of the population (not the top 5% of course) cheering to the rafters.
Holy hika, he's absolutely SLATED them! Government inquiry, open banking, expansion of Kiwibank are all feasible measures the govt could take. Listen to the RNZ report, it's most insightful.
"are all feasible measures the govt could take"…but won't.
https://www.heartland.co.nz/
https://www.kiwibank.co.nz/personal-banking/
https://www.sbsbank.co.nz/
https://www.co-operativebank.co.nz/
https://www.tsb.co.nz/
Many Kiwis will have good reasons to use Aussie-owned banks – for those that don’t, a selection of ‘solutions’ are available. Switching banks is very doable.
Grant Robertson meets with the major banks regularly, to discuss their current positions and forecasts.
He most likely will have some insights.
Bank profits are positively correlated with the OCR. Thats going to become a bit of a conundrum at some point if much inflation policy is monetary policy.
I was being a bit cynical. I know someone working at one of the big Australian banks, who attends these meetings.
From the little I know. Grant Robertson appears to be asking for direction on monetary policy from them. If true, he's obviously following it, hence the huge profits.
What your describing sounds like complete industry capture. Frankly one hopes this is not true.
The main issue being the links between monetary policy and bank profits are much more clear and better established than the links between monetary policy and inflation control. In fact if a lot of the price revisions are coming from overseas then the impact of monetary policy may be (quite obviously) none. Monetary policy does impact interest rates accruing to savers however so relying on it is making a wide range of inequality pressures worse.
The other thing is Robertson appears to be saying we don't want to use an increase in unemployment to target inflation. But this is part of how monetary policy supposedly works, if it works. So he's saying the RBNZ can use their policy tool just as long as it doesn't actually work the way its supposed to work. Orr must be very confused about what he is supposed to do under his monetary policy targets agreement (annually re-agreed) with Robertson. Probably he is supposed to do, nothing which reflects badly on Robertson or the government.
"What your describing sounds like complete industry capture. Frankly one hopes this is not true."
I hope not as well.
Do our Minister's have publicly published schedules?
I read somewhere that Robertson was meeting weekly with banks during the Covid response, though I have no links to back that up with.
'Where should govt put QE funding to get us through Covid?'
Just hand it to us and we will inflate the housing casino further and pad our profits.
Sure thing. How much do you want?
The little information I do have from the conversation, was that discussions about inflationary housing costs and lending were taking place regularly, so you might not be too far off the mark. However, I'm trying to not overstate the unknown.
(I hesitated about posting hearsay without verification, but then considered that someone reading might be interested enough to do an OIA request that I don't currently have time to do.)
QE isn't really facilitating any additional ability to lend. The banks always have as much flexibility to lend without ever running into an interbank payment constraint in terms of reserves. This is because the RBNZ will lend what ever volume of reserves needed at the OCR as part of monetary policy anyway.
The actual constraints against lending are things like LVR ratios, or debt to income ratios or how many years the bank agrees as a repayment term. But as long as the borrower can repay and will pay interest above the OCR then the bank can make that loan profitably.
QE is just an expedient way of operating relatively typical monetary policy while having the central bank lend to the govt. Commercial banks and other large scale financials are involved in primary lending and in return get a small return as the RBNZ will usually buy the bonds back again for marginally more again on the secondary market. Other than this small cut however the RBNZ may as well be lending directly to the government.
Banks, supermarket monopolies, fuel companies, Fletchers, etc, etc.
There's an election next year, polls are being done all the time.
Is the National Party going to make big noises about massive profits being terrible, implying everything will be different after they get in? Of course.
And after they and ACT are elected next year will everything in regards to massive profits be different and better, to the advantage of most? Of course not. It's all bluster, all piss and wind.
https://twitter.com/NZGreens/status/1589767200524890112?
Did you listen to the Green's "Finance Spokesman" on Morning Report this morning? It was Julie Anne Genter. She was a total joke and clearly knew absolutely nothing about the topic.
If a party doesn't have anyone who knows the topic under consideration they shouldn't even try and put up a representative. It merely makes them a laughing stock.
I didn't hear what she said but she might just be too far ahead of her time. It's happened before with the Greens of course, Russell Norman raised the fact that the reserve bank could just use QE to directly fund the government back in 2012.
https://www.odt.co.nz/business/printing-more-money-answer
It took a further 8 years and a pandemic but as it turned out, well yes, the government can just pay for everybody's wages if it thinks that's a good idea. Somehow for the interim period 2012-2020 the countries finances were constantly narrated as we can't afford this, we can't afford that, we are borderline bankrupt and then it just happened we weren't.
Who knew? Turns out it was Russell Norman.
A challenge to orthodoxy and BAU is often met with accusations of ignorance and usually such accusations lack substance and argument coming from fearful empty hollow vessels yearning for yesteryear.
You mean, you!, didn't understand what Julie Ann Genter, was saying.
Why don't you try and see if you can understand her, or whether you think she knows anything at all about what she was saying.
The interview is here
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018865925/tax-excessive-gains-by-mega-banks-greens
The IMF this week said that windfall taxes,create uncertainty and decrease investment,one of the messages that Robertson would have received,as was the emphasis on stability,and debt management.
Genter is well out of her depth here,and lettuce economics carries little weight in a high risk economy like NZ,where to attract investment ( read fund debt) we have to offer higher interest rates, then other G10 economies.
Why is our currency so heavily traded internationally?
It pays higher interest rates then any G10 currency,and pairs (usd.nzd) with a hedge (nzd aud) on the short.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fg_Q5dYWYAAFOI5?format=png&name=small
Thanks
Because our reserve Bank keeps our interest rates artificially high.. In vain attempts to target inflation.
Attracting currency flows.
KJT. Random musings on all sorts of things.: Search results for Interest rates (kjt-kt.blogspot.com)
NZ is a price taker in attracting debt,due to the risks with being a commodity currency,a large current account deficit,and trade imbalance increasing debt by local and central government (based on policies of low interest rates).
Total government borrowings are now 219,232 m vs a budget forecast of 209,291m in increase in debt of 9914000000 $ in 3 months.The government needs to get its spending under control,as inflation is the only game in town.
Are you sure NZ can be both a price (interest rate) taker and have a policy of low interest rates.
We do not have a policy of low interest rates as that is essentially determined by markets,which look at the ability to pay in the future.With high overseas debt loading,we also have a forex risk,as flows are not say like Australia with both commodity and investment inflows (from australian offshore investments) sustaining a current account surplus.This reduces the demand on borrowing.
With a lower inflation rate,it is the real rate of return on the interest bearing bond eg central bank rate less inflation.
So central and local government have not been increasing debt "based on policies of low interest rates"?
The policies were structured during a period of low interest rates,now with cost increases,they are demand drivers for inflation.As surpluses do not exist,they are driven by debt to pay borrowing,which increases inflation infintitum.
Seems like government is a bit stuffed then. You've pointed out a $10 billion treasury forecasting error 3-months out and the 'correct' financing depends on getting both the inflation and interest rate forecasts right about 2-5 years out.
Rather than changing the name of New Zealand and going through that whole palaver do you think we should just cut to the chase and apply to be de-listed as a country immediately?
The "highest interest rates in the Western world" are not "determined by "the markets", they are determined by our absurd and one eyed "reserve Bank act" setting rates artificially higher than the "markets", encouraging speculative flows. Plus extra profit taking by banks operating in NZ. "Some of the highest bank profits in the world".
Aussies are banking on bumper profits in NZ – Milford Asset
Bank profits to overseas banks are themselves a large factor in our negative current accounts. Compare bank profits to net dairy earnings.
Well higher interest rates have been the norm in NZ,for the 21st century,being higher in property bubbles,and property crashes.
https://twitter.com/RobinBrooksIIF/status/1586352385684709377/photo/1
TBF, Sam Stubbs was far more articulate, informed and passionate than Genter came across.
Dann didn't interrupt Subbs as much as he did Genter.
Stubbs needs to look after his own house,Should Simplicity fees be reduced,with such an appalling rate of return.
https://simplicity.kiwi/kiwisaver/performance/
The tweet after Arkie’s has a link to their more detailed policy document: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/beachheroes/pages/16835/attachments/original/1666994726/Excess_Profits_-_October_2022.pdf?1666994726%22
Funny that with all the talk in the media on dis and misinformation, that an actual story on some serious industrial sized dissemination of misinformation hasn't become a MSM story….I wonder why that is?
Researchers Find Massive Anti-Russian ‘Bot Army’
"An Australian university has unearthed millions of Tweets by fake accounts pushing disinformation on the Ukraine war, Peter Cronau reports. The sample size dwarfs other studies of covert propaganda about the war on social media."
Thanks, Adrian – interesting article.
Study link below if anyone wants to dive deeper:
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2208.07038.pdf
Thanks Molly,
This part in the abstract was interesting….and quite telling…
"By aggregating account groups we find significant information flows from bot-like accounts to non-bot accounts with behaviour differing between sides. Pro-Russian non-bot accounts are most influential overall, with information flows to a variety of other account groups. No significant outward flows exist from pro-Ukrainian non-bot accounts, with significant flows from pro-Ukrainian bot accounts into pro-Ukrainian non-bot accounts."
This recent brouhaha about mis/disinformation has me a tad bemused.
Often, the information would be more accurately described as ' This information doesn't suit my view/opinion/narrative.' or, 'I don't like this persons perspective on other things, they are probably lying'.
If misinformation is such a problem then surely the government wouldn't employ practitioners of 'public affairs consultantcy', strategic communication experts or spin doctors …/sarc
Goodness but it is clear no one at RNZ is returning Chris Trotter's calls these days.
??
???
Because of this?
More Than One Way To Skin A Cat. | The Daily Blog
There seems to be a bit of a left twitter storm about TV3's Jenna Lynch's relationship with the ACT chief of staff. But I heard Mari Dunlop giving Christopher Luxon a hard time on RNZ yet everyone remained silent on her relationship with Kiri Allan. Jessica Mutch-McKay famously shacked up with Jacinda's hipster bodyguard, and Katie Bradford's mum needs little introduction whilst the odious pairings over at the ZB troll farm hardly need further comment. And one can of course refer to the Jane Clifton/Trevor Mallard marriage for the boomers out there.
Now, on the one hand you could argue this is unimportant – New Zealand is small country, we should rely on the professionalism of our journalists for impartiality and on Chinese walls to keep the pillow talk to a minimum. But I am not so sure. To me the uncomfortably cosy personal relationships between the MSM and members of the political class points to a wider issue in journalism – the excessively narrow, middle class, base most of them seem to be drawn from. The obsession with airfares and overseas holidays, an economic narrative invariably favourable to the asset owning classes, all buttressed by the underlying value assumptions of centrist liberalism (paywalled) are symptoms of the malaise of a disconnected class of journalists.
What it all does IMHO is fuel public suspicion of the "MSM" and the "deep state" where the "paid for" media is often literally in bed with the "swamp" that needs draining.
For what it is worth, I think that in these days of conspiracy theories the establishment media needs to be more vigilant of the public's generally dim view of its often excessively close relationships with it's subjects. On a dual hosted public broadcaster I thought it a mistake for Dunlop to be given the job of aggressively interviewing the LOTO, for example.
At the very least MSM websites ought to carry personal disclosure statements about relationships that may affect public perceptions of their journalists. The journalists will resent it immensely, but I would say tough.
Not quite true, I heard RNZ announce it just as Mani was becoming the Morning Report host. That's how I knew about it.
But good points – you left out Brooke Sabin son of that odious man that exited or was exited from the Nat Party some years ago for… I forget now…
Knew about Kiri Allen before but hard to know how she will manage her conflict of interest now she is interviewing.
I think Jacinda's body guard situation less problematic.
Katie Bradford I think has done an outstanding job of appearing not to be biased, but then again, we don't always agree with our mums. I never detected bias from Jane Clifton who also had a relationship with Murray McCully. that always intrigued me!
I do think, particularly in an election year having Mani go hard out against Luxon isn't a good look, unless she is equally hard with Lab.
Its tricky.
You obviously missed Marni Dunlop giving the Prime Minister a hard time on Monday morning.
Fully agree.
In a time of such deep distrust and disdain of media and journalism, media companies should go out of their way to hire people with no connections to the political class so they can't be accused of bias and quite frankly, nepotism.
We shouldn't be in a situation where those who hold our leaders to account are dating, married or closely related to leaders or figures in political parties, without disclosures. We Also shouldn't be giving retired polis tv shows. Ugh
You mentioned a great point about the upper middle classification of politics and journalism, the things these journalists cover are usually vapid upper middle class issues , the journalists have no concept of poverty, unions, minimum wage, state houses or the benefit system and it shows in their coverage.
And since these are the issues they cover they are the issues governments think are important and politicians who belong almost exclusively to the same upper middle class with the same lack of understanding of ground level issues pass policy by and for the middle class.
We desperately need diversity of class in our politics
Our new public media should absolutely be as obsessed with diversity of class as it is with diversity of race gender and sexuality. It should be mandated.
Tvnz political panels for instance should have random working class and beneficiaries giving their views on the panel on q and a not just rich journalists , former polis and CEOs.
If we're going to return faith to journalism and politics we need to have journos and politicians from diverse backgrounds of class not just upper middle class opinions m
Lets see
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/130403417/which-jobs-would-be-the-first-to-go-if-unemployment-rose
OK lose jobs- lower tax take
More unemployed thus higher govt expenditure.
And that will reduce inflation HAH
Which jobs should go first? Hmmm, let's start with bank economists, then right wing business journalists perhaps then move on to highly paid PR staff in the AUckland mayor's office…
Ooh, this will exercise some people here. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/07/putin-ally-yevgeny-prigozhin-admits-interfering-in-us-elections
Yevgeny Prigozhin is of course head of the Wagner group, increasingly an organisation that is a mercenary political army that operates as a rival to the regular Russian Army. I have read there are three armies fighting different and disconnected wars against the Ukraine – the regular Russian army, the mercenary Wagner group, and the LNR/DNR militia. In any event, Putin's distrust of his army means Prigozhin and his political army are rapidly assuming an importance analogous to Himmler and the SS as a parallel political army loyal only to it's leader. If you want to know where Prigozhin's Wagner forces are on the totem pole of Russian power right now, they currently engaged in near suicidal frontal assaults on the heavily fortified Ukrainian positions outside the city of Bakhmut, were it looks like freshly mobilised, untrained Russian troops are being used as cannon fodder first wave assaults for Wagner forces, and suffering horrendous losses.
Don't take it too hard Sacha, you're not the first to be totally suckered by a trolling Russian , you won't be the last
I like the reference to kidneys and liver which you missed out.
No such reference in the article.
You mean one article was enough for you?
Could do better
”I will answer you very subtly, delicately and I apologize, I will allow a certain ambiguity. Gentlemen, we interfered, we interfere and we will interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way, as we know how. During our pinpoint operations, we will remove both kidneys and the liver at once.”
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/11/putins-chef-ridicules-us-news-outlets-adds-election-interference-comedy-sketch.html#more
Bad faith.
Luxon shocked government doesn't do what Willis says.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300733275/national-shocked-by-adrian-orrs-reappointment-to-head-of-reserve-bank
Adrian Orr has utterly failed his remit and should not have been retained.
Heaven forbid that we have record low unemployment and high wages.
Im telling you right now, the price for low inflation will always be low wage growth and high unemployment. Every single time. Look at during the 1990's, inflation was at 1%, but wages never even moved. Also unemployment was rampant, and people were stuck on the same wage throughout the decade.
…epitomises what's wrong with capitalist economics…
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/07/forest-regeneration-that-earned-multimillion-dollar-carbon-credits-resulted-in-fewer-trees-analysis-finds
People scamming the ets, no surprises there!!
Good.
https://twitter.com/TodayFM_nz/status/1589714503138410497
https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/08-11-2022/from-bashford-antiques-to-sean-plunket-a-timeline-of-david-farrier-and-mister-organ
Yes a good example of how our free speech laws work. It appears Plunket slandered Farrier, so good for him taking legal action.
Isn't the problem that Plunket released court documents on Twitter, not that he said anything untrue himself.
You might be right Nic. I haven't followed it much, but saw that Rachael Stewart tweeted that Sean should have done due diligence on the "court documents". Time will tell.
Reading between the lines (just an opinion), sounds like Farrier got sucked into a web by a very cunning [deleted] and his mental health has suffered as a result, for which I have a lot of sympathy. I think it is possible Sean got played by the [deleted], which shows how dangerous and cunning these people can be.
But the above is speculation on my behalf
given the litigious nature of the situation, can we please be more circumspect on what we call people? This is to protect TS's owners from legal action as publishers.
Just booked my tickets to the David Farrier film 'Mr Organ' Going on Saturday. I have followed David (Webworm) for a while now and looking forward to the film very much.
Review here:
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/11/08/review-mister-organ-grips-you-tight-and-wont-let-go/
Profuse apologies Weka.
My bad.
that was an interesting hour's reading.
Generally, can Family Protection Orders be used against people who aren't family?
Yes, but there has to be, or have been, a "close personal relationship".
https://www.justice.govt.nz/family/family-violence/apply-for-a-protection-order/ has general information, and in the application form, it has this section:
The general page also provides the link to Restraining Orders for cases not covered by Protection Orders.
thanks, that makes sense of it then. Kind of.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/q-and-a
Outstanding interview with Shane Reti on what he would do about the Health System.
Not sure why he isn't leader. Watched this after reading Chris T article which is on TS feed.
Yes Shane would be an excellent health minister and certainly a lot better than the current one.
Wouldn't almost anyone? I almost feel some (very) slight nostalgia for David Clark. He wasn't any more competent but at least he wasn't bitchy when being questioned.
Your nostalgia matches mine for Coleman – medical doctors should know better.
Still, if there's a buck to be made from healthcare, trust Coleman to sniff it out.
Don't have much awareness of recent history, do you.
Reti will continue National's disastrous privatisation and de-funding of health, which has caused so much trouble in the last few years.
In the 'last few years', lets say 5, most measurements have got a lot worse in health. Oh that's right, we don't measure anymore as targets are unhelpful!/
Is that right?
Health System Indicators framework: Measuring how well the health and disability system serves New Zealanders
https://reports.hqsc.govt.nz/HSI/_w_21ce52a1/#!/
Here's one measurement.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nearly-all-nz-hospitals-failing-to-meet-govts-ed-wait-time-targets/UUUS4R3CIRX5W46DQYRFDKUR4Y/
The rabid right often contradict themelves – alwyn @10.1.1 at least had the common sense to restrict his bitching to personal feelz.
Wait times and access to primary care are covered under Better primary health care, which you would have known if you’d actually opened and read the link I’d provided. And if you’d read the Introduction to the Health System Indicators framework, you’d have a better understanding of the “six Government priorities and 12 high-level indicators” and possibly even understood why setting and measuring targets as done in the past is essentially meaningless and doesn’t fix anything. As it stands, you’re only confirming your own bias and parroting simplistic Nat propaganda slogans.
No, the targets were dumped as they were weighted too much in favour of middle class cancer patients, while the chronically sick poor were just left to rot.
If Reti had his way, we would be paying as much to see the doctor as we do the dentist.
Andrew Little is the first minister of health in decades that doesnt see health as a tradeable commidity.
How much more dirty are the right going to get? With their au pair the Murdoc Press punching hard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoiZ8LgIEow