My pick is that no-one will correct the systemic failures that give rise to a country with 90% renewable energy having to subsidise its citizens’ power bills.
And that’s not just the latest crowd, that’s your beloved lefty parties too.
All the power for three years, but not an ounce of courage amongst them.
That is the beauteous thing about sell offs of state owned organisations to make them privately owned "for profit" companies, which have as their primary aim to make profits for shareholders. Make it a small group of companies and there should be competition between them – "Right" Chess Player? Well actually they of course act independently, but since that watching isn't too hard, nobody needs to work too hard to keep the price escalator moving up step by step with different companies leading or trailing from time to time. But they are even better than that – the prices are now so bound up with sign up bonuses and loyalty bonusses and free hours and other complications that many can no longer determine who is cheapest this month . . .
So what can be done – well of course they should be bought back – we have all that money raised from the sales, shouldn't that be available? Well actually no; it disappeared very quickly into other government priorities of the day. With recent other priorities of dealing with Covid and just a few extreme weather events, what do you think should have been done by the last government, Chess Player? Or what do you think should be now done by the current government?
But to give just a little suggestion, it should be possible to require providers to accept power fed back to the system to be received at the average price of electricity charged to that customer on that day, or perhaps an average for the billing period. Perhaps that may make a marginal difference to get a few more people to invest in generation through their own resources (wind, solar or water).
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that a “gap” remains between Israel’s stated intent of protecting civilians in the Gaza Strip and what has unfolded over the past week as fighting has resumed.
At a news conference alongside Britain’s foreign minister, former prime minister David Cameron, Blinken was asked whether the Israelis have “disregarded” what he requested last week when he announced that they had agreed to the Biden administration’s “imperative” to mitigate civilian casualties after restarting the offensive in Gaza. In response, Blinken listed what the administration considers several positive developments.
For instance, he said the Israelis now are evacuating neighborhoods instead of entire cities. He also highlighted Israel’s creation of “deconfliction areas” where people can “be safe” from surrounding violence and said its military operation is being conducted in a “more narrowly focused area.”
“Having said that,” Blinken added, “as we stand here almost a week into this campaign in the south after the humanitarian pause ended, it is imperative — it remains imperative — that Israel put a premium on civilian protection. And there does remain a gap between exactly what I said when I was there — the intent to protect civilians — and the actual results that we’re seeing on the ground.”
Israeli forces should focus on “a number of things,” Blinken said. The administration wants them to tell civilians where to go and when so they can be safe. Israel should also make “very clear” when it’s safe to move, he said. Israeli leaders must ensure that these “daily pauses” apply to a broad area, not just a single neighborhood, so people “have confidence to know that they can move out of harm’s way.”
They should also pledge to “fully” supply the safe zones with food, medicine and water, Blinken said.
I would have thought the recent American statement an expression of concern about past civilian deaths and expectations about IDF procedures. Which includes improved guarantees of safe passage from areas under attack.
In the instance in the above report – there was a time for leaving the hospital, but no ambulances arrived because the only body supplying them said it was not safe.
And the addition of US expectation of full supply to the safe zones (given another truce including aid hostages swaps is not likely in the short term) is because of both lack of amount being processed through the border (and the claims of lack of safety for UN workers moving it – some deaths in the recent past).
Why the UN is not talking about shipping in aid to the safe zone by the coast is beyond me.
The ability to spew death of Gaza are based on a simple premise, the USA Empire is providing arms and more importantly, cover – in the way of forward naval projection.
So sure distract with nice words if you want.
But the bottom line is the IDF lied, they have been caught out, once again, and all we get is misdirection and obfuscation. While Palestinian Jews, Christians and Muslims die in droves.
In theory demand for oil should begin to fall as EV's take over.
However, EV's are predicted to be less than 30% of the stock of light vehicles in use in the world in 2035. This is way too slow. There need to be much stronger incentives and regulations forcing the switch to EV's.
Luxon took the government's EV discount for himself (his Tesla) and then dumped it. He has ended the ban on offshore oil and gas prospecting and production. He has committed to building 13 massive roading projects but has dumped light rail and is scaling back bike trails….and so on.
We already have a Green Party with considerable economic nous-take a look at their clever Wealth Tax proposal in their manifesto under "Ending Poverty".
Well, the Greens and National worked together on the home insulation improvements, so collaboration is definitely possible.
Collaboration on specific policies is a far better way to achieve improvements than having to wait until Labour gets its occasional turn in government.
But I do realise that most on this blog are too highly principled to be pragmatic.
Imagine if we had a large right-wing party that said it "cared deeply" about getting GHG emissions down, but clearly intended to do nothing effective about it – and on top of that pretended that the reason it wasn't going to do anything about it was because it had economic 'nous' and 'knew' that only market-led solutions were acceptable?
And if imagine if that economically-illiterate, large right-wing party insisted that a well established environment party, which really did have economic 'nous' and a record of commitment, support them in whatever f*ckwittery the large party wanted to do?
Imagine if wishes were horses. It's at least a reasonable expectation of Labour, given the Greens tend to be their natural coalition party, although the environment seems to becoming increasingly less important to the Green back benchers.
I don't know what you're smoking, but I hope you brought enough for everyone. I don't care how big you try to make the centre – National is on the right of it.
Na my principles don't matter, national don't give a fuck about the environment, remember wadable rivers are good enough for them , they've started oil and Gas exploration again , ypu either a dreamer or a shit stirrer,
$16B to provide for dry years and protect us from the market – I guess National plans to finance their future tax cut plans out of the profits in the power companies (rising charges to the public for powering up their cars).
Little wonder they seek to maintain the car addiction.
The alternative is power companies have surplus carrying capacity to cover dry years. Expensive and thus higher costs every year.
The battery storage development would be more likely to cover variability in wind generation, or seasonal cold, as it is not on this scale.
The government owns 49% of most power companies. FACT.
So far it earns more from 49% ownership than from 100% in the past. Thus offload of a nice earner to those looking to diversify their investment portfolio – the profiteering off historic government assets to a minority of the people.
There is a growth in power demand coming from EV's. FACT
An investment in dry year management is advantageous for consumers, including business. And hydro stuff lasts decades.
It would also allow more flexibility on the power currently going to the smelter.
It is much sounder strategically.
But then NZ Inc, is not how National think.
No need to be in the dark. This information is freely available by using google – Onslow dam.
Where will we put the next dam, once the current and planned ones feed the growth economy and we need more?
South Island people aren't keen on damming more rivers, which is why the two attempts on the Clutha and one on the Waitaki in recent decades have failed.
People like Onslow because its in the back of beyond and most people don't understand what is there and think it's just a nothing space, Terra Nullius.
it's moving us to a steady state or degrowth economy
It would only be there as a reserve for dry years (when hydro dams are not providing the usual power generation). It would not add to normal year capacity.
Really? Is the government planning to tell people they can’t have more power?
Obviously there is a relationship between demand and low hydro lake levels and the need for more power.
Steady state in this context means we build the storage and we reduce demand for power. Not build the storage and pretend we don’t live in an economy that is increasing demand.
Surely not the same power companies of which large stakes were flogged off by John Key and his merry band? I wonder who the current shareholders are and how they voted in GE-2023.
You asserted that these investors can be found in the respective Annual Reports, which is misleading, at best, so you may want to correct your faux pas and apologise. And while you’re at it, you may want to include information on how the(se) shareholders voted in the latest General Election.
I suggest it’s you who need to apologise. But you won’t. Shareholder disclosures for the electricity companies are required and have been for decades under the Companies Act 1993. It’s also a requirement under the NZX listing rules.
You want to know how the voted at the last election? The largest shareholder is the government. Ask the Labour minister then responsible how the voted.
If you call talking if fact rather than ignorance trolling , I plead guilty your high reverence.
[Where is your link to a list of individual shareholders?
Despite several clear warnings, incl. a Mod note on 19 Oct, you continue trolling and showing blatant disrespect for others on this site. Since you’re pleading guilty, don’t act surprised when I hand down your sentence – Incognito]
See my comment at 7:33 pm. A list from any of those companies will do if you wish to keep your commenting privileges here at all. You claimed it’s easy to find because of legal disclosure requirements and all that. I’d suggest that you won’t be providing anything, because you can’t – you’re talking out of your arse aka you’re trolling. You may want to refresh your obviously short memory and go back to my rhetorical question (for your convenience: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-09-12-2023/#comment-1980275).
Bradford's reforms were a bloody stupid idea back in 1998 and all the evidence was against it. But National ploughed ahead anyway with their ideological fantasies, and the Kiwi consumer got shafted. SOP for the Gnats.
Asset sales cost hits $1 billion [24 Feb 2016]
“Every year since National’s asset sales, New Zealanders are losing out on millions of dollars that are going to private investors instead,” Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes said.
“With the cost of asset sales tipping over a billion dollars, it’ll only be a few more years before the total cost is more than the asset sales raised – after that, there will be an ongoing net loss to New Zealand.
we can't triple our energy production, and there's not much point given the limits of growth and nature. We live on a finite planet, best we get used to it now while we still have some choices.
Fortunately we have alternatives. Public transpower, relocalising economies, creating urban villaged, relocalising food and many other things.
We don't need to use the amount of energy we do, we are just habituated to it.
“A historic Waitangi Tribunal report expected to call for the return of all Crown-owned land across much of Northland will be handed over to the country's largest iwi this morning.
The almost 2000-page stage 2 report of Te Paparahi o Te Raki, also known as the Northland Inquiry, details land loss, military conflict and Treaty breaches suffered by Ngāpuhi between 1840 and 1900.”
This is an interesting statement about the Labour Party, from its own leader. That it will not be driven to the left by the election defeat in 2023.
The Labour Party will not be driven to the left by October's election loss, leader Chris Hipkins says.
Hipkins said the election result came about because of the mood that "people were looking for a change" and it "wasn't necessarily a policy-driven vibe".
"I think it was a reflection of the fact New Zealanders have had a tough time with COVID and cost of living and a whole lot of other things and were just looking for something different."
The other things that are not to be named are Labour being seen as pro Maori and the Kiwi not iwi 2005 reprise this time came to bite.
But that is because the "left wing" impulse is to confront inequality and injustice and seek to do better. However the three headed hydra managed to create a climate of fear and insecurity around "Maori privilege" and this added to a post COVID cloud exacerbated by rising costs.
I suspect what he has overlooked, both before and now after the election, is the necessity to provide hope.
Agreeing with the Greens 3% rent increase cap and placing 5% windfall profits tax on major banks to finance an increase to IETC would have given more working class people confidence they would get by.
It might have made for a close contest. Probably still a losing one given the NZF role as conduit for majoritarian conservatives.
In that sense there is a positive in not losing because of the captains call on the modest wealth tax proposal (as per DP and GR). Only losing left wing votes to Greens and TPM.
But the future of Labour is in stating the obvious, 35 of 36 OECD nations have either a CGT or estate tax or both. That is not left wing, that is the mainstream of the first world.
A modest wealth tax is a CGT and estate tax in one – where it only applies in the top 10% level of wealth in the society.
The other things that are not to be named are Labour being seen as pro Maori and the Kiwi not iwi 2005 reprise this time came to bite.
I suspect Labour is well aware of those other 'unnamed' causes but have chosen to say nothing about them.
What Hipkins did say about two weeks ago is that everything is back on the table. I think we can safely assume that a "modest" CGT type tax is going to be back on the table – iirc ten years after it was first mooted under the Cunliffe leadership.
So Cunliffe just might end up having the last laugh.
Another bad captains call. Kiwis wanted change, Chippy stopped it. Kiwis were tired of identity politics and the cabal of ideologues (in the vein of Dr Elizabeth Kerekere) that appeared to be running things to the detriment (and alienation) of the working class. So what does he do? Nothing. A failure to identify the actual problems, again.
Hipkins keeps pumping the brakes. We need a few basic reforms to make Aotearoa a "kinder" place again, instead of its current sorry state as a playground for the 1% and screw the rest.
One tax that had potential to make a real difference was Robbo's "Closing the loophole" tax on negatively geared property investments. That was one of the first things on the Nats' chopping block.
What to do when the lower rate of nicotine results in less use and lower tax revenues?
Germany to grow local: Germany’s centre-Green coalition government has also agreed on several changes to their cannabis legislation. The proposals are now expected to be enacted in two parts: legalisation of adult use and home growing from March or April 2024, and the licensing of cultivation associations in July.
USA
Martha Stewart “I was an early adopter of CBD and have become an advocate because I’ve experienced first-hand the benefits of adding it to my health and wellness routine”
Where cannabis has been made legal, the biggest growth in use has been with seniors. Some have rediscovered cannabis they long ago stopped using, while others have been turned on to the wellness benefits of CBD and THC. Latest figures show more than ten percent of older Americans have used cannabis in the past year.
A legalisation or full on decriminalisation would generate revenue
cannabis legalisation would generate $1 billion in tax revenue and 3000 legit jobs.
In addition to the existing medicinal marijuana regime, legal possession (up to maximum amounts) and licensed growing of low THC product product for personal use and commercial supply.
The best cup of "tea" I've ever had was a THC infused honey and herbal mixture – was buzzing for a few days and actually felt good about myself for once.
5 councillors claim the finding that they were in breach of their code of practice was only because the Mayor and Council hired a partisan lawyer/shark.
The review's findings were councillors Calvert, Young, Chung and Pannett breached the code by failing to observe confidentiality when they responded to media inquiries.
Randle and Young breached the code by failing to show respect to other councillors when they made comments casting aspersions on the actions and motivations of fellow councillors who could not speak out in reply.
Chung, Calvert and Young breached the code by criticising council staff in public statements.
As surprising number of these (but not any of the others) made comments about the Mayor's drinking and suggested she resign.
The Epsom seat deal where ACT got a free pass from National for years. I started thinking, what benefit have the voters of that electorate got from the deal having Seymour as their MP over Paul Goldsmith. Goldsmith being told he cannot campaign for the seat but instead he has to sit back and pretend he is fine with Seymour taking what would naturally be his seat. Must privately be quite humiliating for him to watch Seymour suck John Key even if he publicly says he is ok with it. That aside though, the benefits to Epsom voters. Someone feel free to add if I have overlooked anything.
Charter schools – which made little if any difference to education but added costs to the education system
3 strikes law – which made little if any difference to crime rates but added extra costs
A euthanasia law – which might be beneficial for people who want to do so, but very very very very very very minute in comparison to big issues the country is facing.
plus the tens of thousands of dollars payable to Seymour as ACT leader, and often only MP, and his party leaders budget over paying Goldsmith as an MP.
Seems like Epsom got a pretty crap deal and frankly it has cost NZ millions more dollars than it could have. A case it seems, with ACT wanting to cut government costs, of doing what I say not what I do.
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The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
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. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
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 ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, 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 ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
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What's your pick over the "Winter warmth allowance"?
1 Cancelled
2 Cancelled for beneficiaries but not superannuants
3 Untouched
My pick is number 3 because Winston won't allow 1 and 2 would be to damaging – but I guess the RW does love its raw meat so…?
ACT's policy was to make it targeted
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2305/S00003/act-would-end-winter-energy-payment-money-go-round.htm
Would be good to know if anyone has done the costing on that.
I believe Act? did not want it for all.
My pick is that no-one will correct the systemic failures that give rise to a country with 90% renewable energy having to subsidise its citizens’ power bills.
And that’s not just the latest crowd, that’s your beloved lefty parties too.
All the power for three years, but not an ounce of courage amongst them.
That is the beauteous thing about sell offs of state owned organisations to make them privately owned "for profit" companies, which have as their primary aim to make profits for shareholders. Make it a small group of companies and there should be competition between them – "Right" Chess Player? Well actually they of course act independently, but since that watching isn't too hard, nobody needs to work too hard to keep the price escalator moving up step by step with different companies leading or trailing from time to time. But they are even better than that – the prices are now so bound up with sign up bonuses and loyalty bonusses and free hours and other complications that many can no longer determine who is cheapest this month . . .
So what can be done – well of course they should be bought back – we have all that money raised from the sales, shouldn't that be available? Well actually no; it disappeared very quickly into other government priorities of the day. With recent other priorities of dealing with Covid and just a few extreme weather events, what do you think should have been done by the last government, Chess Player? Or what do you think should be now done by the current government?
But to give just a little suggestion, it should be possible to require providers to accept power fed back to the system to be received at the average price of electricity charged to that customer on that day, or perhaps an average for the billing period. Perhaps that may make a marginal difference to get a few more people to invest in generation through their own resources (wind, solar or water).
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/08/middleeast/babies-al-nasr-gaza-hospital-what-we-know-intl/index.html
I'm not sure how the IDF can manage the PR on this one. Fortunate that the staff recorded their interactions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/07/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-update-palestine/
The will do what SPC did in response to your post, put out misdirection and obfuscation.
Too subtle?
I would have thought the recent American statement an expression of concern about past civilian deaths and expectations about IDF procedures. Which includes improved guarantees of safe passage from areas under attack.
In the instance in the above report – there was a time for leaving the hospital, but no ambulances arrived because the only body supplying them said it was not safe.
And the addition of US expectation of full supply to the safe zones (given another truce including aid hostages swaps is not likely in the short term) is because of both lack of amount being processed through the border (and the claims of lack of safety for UN workers moving it – some deaths in the recent past).
Why the UN is not talking about shipping in aid to the safe zone by the coast is beyond me.
Just more of it.
The ability to spew death of Gaza are based on a simple premise, the USA Empire is providing arms and more importantly, cover – in the way of forward naval projection.
So sure distract with nice words if you want.
But the bottom line is the IDF lied, they have been caught out, once again, and all we get is misdirection and obfuscation. While Palestinian Jews, Christians and Muslims die in droves.
Palestinian Jew, there have been none since 1948.
Your comment explains a lot.
So does the river to the sea terminology, mate.
Israel maintains a naval blockade
Oil is still US$75 a barrel despite war in Middle East.
OPEC's power has been broken by Russia invading Ukraine and dumping oil at massive discount.
Sure beats 1973 50 years ago.
But also underlines why NZ must achieve full energy production independence: this war suppresses both global economic growth and old alliances.
In theory demand for oil should begin to fall as EV's take over.
However, EV's are predicted to be less than 30% of the stock of light vehicles in use in the world in 2035. This is way too slow. There need to be much stronger incentives and regulations forcing the switch to EV's.
https://www.ev-volumes.com/
Imagine if we had an environment party that included people with economic nous, and would work with whatever large party was leading the government.
We’d be unstoppable.
Imagine if those 2 major parties gave the enviro/econ party you describe the influence it deserves; they'd be unstoppable.
Agreed – but can’t happen unless all parties open to a conversation
Luxon took the government's EV discount for himself (his Tesla) and then dumped it. He has ended the ban on offshore oil and gas prospecting and production. He has committed to building 13 massive roading projects but has dumped light rail and is scaling back bike trails….and so on.
We already have a Green Party with considerable economic nous-take a look at their clever Wealth Tax proposal in their manifesto under "Ending Poverty".
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSWSfQJunWVEuNIQjF4sdIy3Qa7uFoe6R6vHIk5lh9EmSH_Amf7yXFssfK9GHzu8S19NbrzPcB8Oj_o/pub
Why would a Green party ever trust Luxon on anything Chess?
Two Teslas. Got to grab a good thing when it’s going cheap.
Well, the Greens and National worked together on the home insulation improvements, so collaboration is definitely possible.
Collaboration on specific policies is a far better way to achieve improvements than having to wait until Labour gets its occasional turn in government.
But I do realise that most on this blog are too highly principled to be pragmatic.
Fair call re the insulation.
But I do think this has the look of a one term government.
Luxon and Seymour are singularly unimpressive, and Peters has partially lost it.
Imagine if we had a large right-wing party that said it "cared deeply" about getting GHG emissions down, but clearly intended to do nothing effective about it – and on top of that pretended that the reason it wasn't going to do anything about it was because it had economic 'nous' and 'knew' that only market-led solutions were acceptable?
And if imagine if that economically-illiterate, large right-wing party insisted that a well established environment party, which really did have economic 'nous' and a record of commitment, support them in whatever f*ckwittery the large party wanted to do?
That'd all be pretty bad eh?
Imagine if wishes were horses. It's at least a reasonable expectation of Labour, given the Greens tend to be their natural coalition party, although the environment seems to becoming increasingly less important to the Green back benchers.
Imagine if the right wing parties were laughing in your face at the suggestion.
There’s only one right wing party in parliament in NZ and that’s ACT.
And they’re about as far right as a mild Republican in the US, I’d say.
I don't know what you're smoking, but I hope you brought enough for everyone. I don't care how big you try to make the centre – National is on the right of it.
The greens working with a party that thinks allowing its support party to have Andrew Hoggard as associate environment minister is an impossible dream
Hoggard?
Bucolic but.
Ok, sure, while you pontificate on the perfect solution, and resist until that arrives, the world burns.
But you kept your principles intact aye, so all good.
Na my principles don't matter, national don't give a fuck about the environment, remember wadable rivers are good enough for them , they've started oil and Gas exploration again , ypu either a dreamer or a shit stirrer,
…plus passenger vehicles are only around 26% of global oil consumption…so 30% of 26% = 8% of total oil requirement.
Thanks Uncooked-interesting. And as you say puts further pressure on upping the percentage of EV's in use.
We need to triple our electricity production in order to switch our vehicle fleet to EV
Didn’t National just cancel a hydro project?
MBIE and EA could at least do us a national energy Strategy.
Or the market is going to fuck us.
Nope, they cancel a $16,000,000,000 bucket. Not generation capacity.
$16B to provide for dry years and protect us from the market – I guess National plans to finance their future tax cut plans out of the profits in the power companies (rising charges to the public for powering up their cars).
Little wonder they seek to maintain the car addiction.
Is that based on fact or reckons?
It is designed for dry years. FACT.
The alternative is power companies have surplus carrying capacity to cover dry years. Expensive and thus higher costs every year.
The battery storage development would be more likely to cover variability in wind generation, or seasonal cold, as it is not on this scale.
The government owns 49% of most power companies. FACT.
So far it earns more from 49% ownership than from 100% in the past. Thus offload of a nice earner to those looking to diversify their investment portfolio – the profiteering off historic government assets to a minority of the people.
There is a growth in power demand coming from EV's. FACT
An investment in dry year management is advantageous for consumers, including business. And hydro stuff lasts decades.
It would also allow more flexibility on the power currently going to the smelter.
It is much sounder strategically.
But then NZ Inc, is not how National think.
No need to be in the dark. This information is freely available by using google – Onslow dam.
National plans to finance their future tax cuts plans out of the profits in the power companies
Fact or reckon?
Fair call, National has proven they can deliver tax cuts without the money to afford them.
You need to wait until the budget on the 20th. Then you will have the facts.
build it and they will come.
Where will we put the next dam, once the current and planned ones feed the growth economy and we need more?
South Island people aren't keen on damming more rivers, which is why the two attempts on the Clutha and one on the Waitaki in recent decades have failed.
People like Onslow because its in the back of beyond and most people don't understand what is there and think it's just a nothing space, Terra Nullius.
I've been there, weka.
It's the most appropriate "space" imaginable for the proposed project.
I have no problem with using natural landscapes for such projects, under the following conditions.
Because there is no escaping the fact that if we keep breaking nature to grow the economy, the economy will keep growing until nature breaks us.
It would only be there as a reserve for dry years (when hydro dams are not providing the usual power generation). It would not add to normal year capacity.
Really? Is the government planning to tell people they can’t have more power?
Obviously there is a relationship between demand and low hydro lake levels and the need for more power.
Steady state in this context means we build the storage and we reduce demand for power. Not build the storage and pretend we don’t live in an economy that is increasing demand.
It is also designed to balance the grid due to increased renewables….without balance the grid goes down.
The options to balance that intermittence are limited and simply increasing capacity does not solve the problem.
All the options are expensive….though how expensive will never be known until delivery.
Surely not the same power companies of which large stakes were flogged off by John Key and his merry band? I wonder who the current shareholders are and how they voted in GE-2023.
I wonder who the current shareholders are
No need to be in the dark. This information is freely available in their annual report on each company’s website. Not hard.
Don’t be a disingenuous troll.
You asked the question. I gave you the answer. Problem?
'Twas a 2-part rhetorical question and only a dim-witted troll would take it as an excuse to troll.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3732963/SOEs-to-be-sold-to-mum-and-dad-Kiwis-says-Key
You asserted that these investors can be found in the respective Annual Reports, which is misleading, at best, so you may want to correct your faux pas and apologise. And while you’re at it, you may want to include information on how the(se) shareholders voted in the latest General Election.
I suggest it’s you who need to apologise. But you won’t. Shareholder disclosures for the electricity companies are required and have been for decades under the Companies Act 1993. It’s also a requirement under the NZX listing rules.
Cool, then you won’t have any trouble linking to a list of all the shareholders of one of those companies.
And humour me, what should I apologise for?
You want to know how the voted at the last election? The largest shareholder is the government. Ask the Labour minister then responsible how the voted.
More disingenuous trolling; a troll on a roll.
If you call talking if fact rather than ignorance trolling , I plead guilty your high reverence.
[Where is your link to a list of individual shareholders?
Despite several clear warnings, incl. a Mod note on 19 Oct, you continue trolling and showing blatant disrespect for others on this site. Since you’re pleading guilty, don’t act surprised when I hand down your sentence – Incognito]
Mod note
Sorry your fucking thick.
Ive told you how and where to get this information, including why this is legally required to be disclosed.
There are many many electricity companies in New Zealand.
Which one would you specifically like more info on?
See my comment at 7:33 pm. A list from any of those companies will do if you wish to keep your commenting privileges here at all. You claimed it’s easy to find because of legal disclosure requirements and all that. I’d suggest that you won’t be providing anything, because you can’t – you’re talking out of your arse aka you’re trolling. You may want to refresh your obviously short memory and go back to my rhetorical question (for your convenience: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-09-12-2023/#comment-1980275).
Bradford's reforms were a bloody stupid idea back in 1998 and all the evidence was against it. But National ploughed ahead anyway with their ideological fantasies, and the Kiwi consumer got shafted. SOP for the Gnats.
D, Kalderimis: PURE IDEOLOGY: THE "OWNERSHIP SPLIT" OF POWER COMPANIES IN THE 1998 ELECTRICITY REFORMS (wgtn.ac.nz)
I'd like to know roughly what proportion of the 51% of asset sale shares are still in Kiwi hands – see Blazer @7:43 pm. Not hard?
I voted Green. The dividends are much better, even now, than bank term deposits.
Millions of shares were sold to offshore investors.
Yes some Kiwi 'mum and dad' investors bought shares…that was part of the 'justification'.
That's funny coz it's a dam held in reserve for dry years and generates power like any other dam.
we can't triple our energy production, and there's not much point given the limits of growth and nature. We live on a finite planet, best we get used to it now while we still have some choices.
Fortunately we have alternatives. Public transpower, relocalising economies, creating urban villaged, relocalising food and many other things.
We don't need to use the amount of energy we do, we are just habituated to it.
Yes, Lake Onslow, but it wasn’t a confirmed project as such yet.
Just one of the many infrastructure projects around the country that was log jammed in consultation.
“A historic Waitangi Tribunal report expected to call for the return of all Crown-owned land across much of Northland will be handed over to the country's largest iwi this morning.
The almost 2000-page stage 2 report of Te Paparahi o Te Raki, also known as the Northland Inquiry, details land loss, military conflict and Treaty breaches suffered by Ngāpuhi between 1840 and 1900.”
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/504282/waitangi-tribunal-to-present-historic-report-into-land-loss-treaty-breaches-suffered-by-ngapuhi
It will be fascinating to see how the new government handles this.
Let the Games begin!
This is an interesting statement about the Labour Party, from its own leader. That it will not be driven to the left by the election defeat in 2023.
The other things that are not to be named are Labour being seen as pro Maori and the Kiwi not iwi 2005 reprise this time came to bite.
But that is because the "left wing" impulse is to confront inequality and injustice and seek to do better. However the three headed hydra managed to create a climate of fear and insecurity around "Maori privilege" and this added to a post COVID cloud exacerbated by rising costs.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/12/election-2023-labour-party-won-t-be-driven-left-after-loss-chris-hipkins-says.html
I suspect what he has overlooked, both before and now after the election, is the necessity to provide hope.
Agreeing with the Greens 3% rent increase cap and placing 5% windfall profits tax on major banks to finance an increase to IETC would have given more working class people confidence they would get by.
It might have made for a close contest. Probably still a losing one given the NZF role as conduit for majoritarian conservatives.
In that sense there is a positive in not losing because of the captains call on the modest wealth tax proposal (as per DP and GR). Only losing left wing votes to Greens and TPM.
But the future of Labour is in stating the obvious, 35 of 36 OECD nations have either a CGT or estate tax or both. That is not left wing, that is the mainstream of the first world.
A modest wealth tax is a CGT and estate tax in one – where it only applies in the top 10% level of wealth in the society.
+100 on the Wealth Tax SPC.
CGT is very complicated, slow to start working and produces an unpredictable level of tax receipts.
Hipkins has to go. I'm so sick of being not given a reason to vote Labour. I guess this means the Greens again.
Ardern was 'Tony Blair in..high heels'…Hipkins is' Tony Blair…in…hush puppies'…hopeless!
So can anyone tell what kind of country Hipkins wants?
It's not too much to ask.
Obviously one with national in government for 9 years.
I suspect Labour is well aware of those other 'unnamed' causes but have chosen to say nothing about them.
What Hipkins did say about two weeks ago is that everything is back on the table. I think we can safely assume that a "modest" CGT type tax is going to be back on the table – iirc ten years after it was first mooted under the Cunliffe leadership.
So Cunliffe just might end up having the last laugh.
Another bad captains call. Kiwis wanted change, Chippy stopped it. Kiwis were tired of identity politics and the cabal of ideologues (in the vein of Dr Elizabeth Kerekere) that appeared to be running things to the detriment (and alienation) of the working class. So what does he do? Nothing. A failure to identify the actual problems, again.
Hipkins keeps pumping the brakes. We need a few basic reforms to make Aotearoa a "kinder" place again, instead of its current sorry state as a playground for the 1% and screw the rest.
One tax that had potential to make a real difference was Robbo's "Closing the loophole" tax on negatively geared property investments. That was one of the first things on the Nats' chopping block.
Bryan Cadogan is a shining light in the darkness.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/opinion/301020851/new-governments-te-reo-demotion-pandering-to-the-perpetually-outraged
Bryan unfailingly gets it, writes about it, and stands by it. He's a good man.
Bryan Cardogan..brilliant. Thanks for that.Where does he publish?
Southland Times via Stuff.co.nz
That's brave for a Southland mayor.
Heartwarming.
Agree 100% Ad, real blue down there.
What to do when the lower rate of nicotine results in less use and lower tax revenues?
A legalisation or full on decriminalisation would generate revenue
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2023/12/09/marijuana-media-auckland-j-day-cannabis-taxes-and-worldwide-weed/
In addition to the existing medicinal marijuana regime, legal possession (up to maximum amounts) and licensed growing of low THC product product for personal use and commercial supply.
https://cannaflower.com/low-thc-cannabis-popular/
Big ups to the sleep drops, especially for all you retired people.
You vouch for sleep drops actually working?
The best cup of "tea" I've ever had was a THC infused honey and herbal mixture – was buzzing for a few days and actually felt good about myself for once.
It seems the country has come to the town.
5 councillors claim the finding that they were in breach of their code of practice was only because the Mayor and Council hired a partisan lawyer/shark.
As surprising number of these (but not any of the others) made comments about the Mayor's drinking and suggested she resign.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/301023940/five-wellington-councillors-breached-code-of-conduct-investigation-finds
The Epsom seat deal where ACT got a free pass from National for years. I started thinking, what benefit have the voters of that electorate got from the deal having Seymour as their MP over Paul Goldsmith. Goldsmith being told he cannot campaign for the seat but instead he has to sit back and pretend he is fine with Seymour taking what would naturally be his seat. Must privately be quite humiliating for him to watch Seymour suck John Key even if he publicly says he is ok with it. That aside though, the benefits to Epsom voters. Someone feel free to add if I have overlooked anything.
Charter schools – which made little if any difference to education but added costs to the education system
3 strikes law – which made little if any difference to crime rates but added extra costs
A euthanasia law – which might be beneficial for people who want to do so, but very very very very very very minute in comparison to big issues the country is facing.
plus the tens of thousands of dollars payable to Seymour as ACT leader, and often only MP, and his party leaders budget over paying Goldsmith as an MP.
Seems like Epsom got a pretty crap deal and frankly it has cost NZ millions more dollars than it could have. A case it seems, with ACT wanting to cut government costs, of doing what I say not what I do.
Shoutout to Sanctuary for an awesome long lunch thankyou.
I just woke up from my post lunch nap! Lovely to see you.