The Greens are as alienating as a Spin-off dinner party where everyone is arguing over who hates white men the most.
But there's more!
The Greens repeatedly get screwed over by Labour in a never ending cycle of abuse that started with Helen Clark and you kind of feel like someone should step in and intervene now.
Jacinda’s tepid incrementalism will not be challenged by the Greens, it will be supported by them. As the climate crisis events explode over the next 2 years, as welfare reform goes no where, as housing stagnates, as poverty spreads, the Greens will sit alongside Labour like a parasitic twin unable to think for itself let alone change things.
I've made a few milder comments onsite here over the past year so I'm not disagreeing with his view, just inclined to cut Labour some slack on the basis of prioritising pandemic management. Let's see what this year brings us before rendering a verdict.
It is rapidly becoming apparent that Labour and the Greens are not the political vehicle for transformative change. With Labour too focused on preventing Covid from exploding in NZ and the Greens now gagged, no forward thinking vision on how to transform things will be articulated.
It’s a Labour + Green supported Government, that gives them 75 seats in a 120 seat Parliament and yet they STILL CAN’T be transformative?
Sad, but true. They believe they must walk and therefore they can't possibly chew gum at the same time. Conformity rules, ok?
The Greens don’t know if they are Arthur or Martha and if they did they would need a 7month hui to discuss pronoun use.
Dunno if it would take that long. More likely a couple of hours on a zoom call to hear all views, after which the Executive would meet to thrash out a way to fake consensus.
Despite my contempt for what the Greens have mutated into I will still probably vote for them in 2023 but will jump the second there is a real alternative.
There Is No Alternative. TINA. Got it?
Imagine Jacinda as Prime Minister with Chloe as Deputy.
Alternate realities can be fun. They can be instructive too, providing guidance. This one will not be permitted by Labour during this term. Get a grip, lad, the path to resilience gets easier if you toughen up first…
I have a little insight into governance and the challenges it holds and expect the Green leadership will be engaged in navigating those as best they can – mostly, anyone from outside of the "circle" won't be able to accurately gauge what's happening inside, so I don't expect to hear anything much beyond speculation tinged with prejudice on the issue of James & Marama. Accounts from high-profile people who have worked with James indicate that he's very able indeed and held in high regard in and around Parliament. I have met Marama – she seemed very capable also. Likeable too. I still celebrate The Green's having achieved the position they now hold, particularly when I remember how they were portrayed/regarded/treated in the years prior to this present situation, where they hold significant roles and sit beside, not opposite to, the Government.
Good response to a good question Robert. You are the right person to ask because we know the answer will be a rational one.
I have a little insight into governance and the challenges it holds and expect the Green leadership will be engaged in navigating those as best they can – mostly, anyone from outside of the "circle" won't be able to accurately gauge what's happening inside.
To put it another way: too many ignorant loud mouthed pseudo 'experts' think they can dogmatically crucify political parties of a left persuasion in particular despite their having no knowledge what they're talking about. Journos figure prominently among them. 😉
I don't, Blade. Have you been watching/listening to any of her interviews around Maori issues, particularly those made by Maori media? She's respected and hardworking, imo.
I saw one of her interviews on Maori TV. She was OK.
I believe she is in her co-leadership position as a token gesture to diversity. When Metiria Turei was disgraced, they seem to have picked another Maori person just to show the electorate not all Maori are bad.
Jeanette Fitzsimons noted in the 90s that the Greens had to expand from their hard leftist roots if they wanted to gain political power.
She was right. But that expansion has come at a cost. The Greens have gained factions the further they moved from their roots. I predicted last year the Greens would splinter. The run up to the next election will put huge pressure on all Green factions. What gives will be the question.
James and Marama are living on borrowed time in my opinion,
We are all of us, on borrowed time, Blade. Wider circumstances will dictate the future of The Greens, as they will all of us. They have taken an ideological position that will bring them further and further forward into the political and public "lime-light" – they recognised this long ago and have remained true to their realisation. Risk-taking now could jeopardise all that preparatory work. While relative caution has its downside (criticism from risk-taking supporters), maintaining a position where their very presence has a positive effect across the Parliament and public sphere (The Greens are in! The Greens are still in! What has the world come to!! * say all critics of The Greens) is vital. Their sinking back into Opposition and losing that "iconic" role would be something to worry all of us, Imo.
That's the subtext of what we get from the complaining Greens. Just wanna oppose govt when it doesn't do sufficiently leftist stuff. Sorta like driving a car while continually turning the steering wheel to the left regardless of whether the car is approaching a left turn or not.
The Greens have essentially created a noose for their own neck by taking two Associate Minister positions in areas of policy where it is highly improbable that there will be improvement even if they could implement any significant policy changes (which they won't be able to do). Taking on Housing and Family violence will just mean the Greens get blamed when nothing improves.
Big ups then for The Greens in taking on those roles, knowing they'd be thankless ones. Lesser politicians would perhaps choose easier challenges, for the sake of looking good in the public's eye; kudos to the Green MPs for their integrity, I say.
It might be noble but it is terrible politics. If the Greens want to be regarded as serious players they need to get better at playing the game. Politics is about the art of the possible. The Greens should focus on the areas that they can make progress in. Climate change is an obvious area which they are doing this in however they should have stuck to areas like conservation or even welfare reform where they could implement changes that might make a difference rather than housing and family violence.
It's the only goal of politics and The Greens are just like every other party, right – that's why, as Gosman points out, they choose only the soft-option roles … oh … hang on …
Loosing representation in Parliament after going with Labour.
That's priceless 🤣
The Greens are in for the longterm and don't rely on one person to gain power.
PR what you want is for the greens to collapse their vote.or to Moderate their policies to be able to form a coalition with National with policies that don't change anything.
The blue rinsing of the Greens something Winston was able to do.
The only chance National has to form a Coalition next election.
Winston's Days are over he only ever sucked in National voters who wanted to put a handbrake on Labour.
Do I wish The Greens played the same sort of game Winston plays?
No thank you.
Their game is a long one. It's not surprising people scratch and itch when they don't see the plays they are used to seeing in other parties.
Are they achieving what I'd like them to achieve?
I'm confident they'll achieve all they can and they certainly don't need me chiding them. As to what I'd like to see happen, in politics, society, the environment and so on… no party comes very close to what I'd like to see (will see 🙂 but The Greens are at least within cooee 🙂
'or to Moderate their policies to be able to form a coalition with National with policies that don't change anything.'
Well close but, as an example, I would like to see no more dairy farms in areas where they're not sustainable, less water taken out of Canterbury rivers and mandatory shade shelters put up in paddocks
I think thats something that would be quite achievable for a National/Green coalition or a Labour/Green coalition
Pucky – all that glisters is not gold – it's the unseen shifting of the Overton Window that I'm watchful for. I've seen this in my own council, to dramatic effect, over time but am aware that members of the public can't easily detect the changes, as they are looking for different markers.
Hmm. Yeah, I think having the Greens on board is useful for Labour in that any policies that are good for addressing climate change or the environment but that might be unpopular with voters also ensures that any dissatisfaction is directed at the Greens rather than Labour.
But against this has to be balanced the likelihood that many ordinary voters & younger voters in particular will likely approve of them.
I don’t think the Greens are doing too badly out of the current cooperation arrangement.
Addressing family violence & housing (homelessness) are certainly going to be big challenges though. There’s only so far one can take blaming family violence on a century of colonial oppression & I think that’s been done to death in the minds of most voters now. Somewhere along the line those who commit family violence are going to have to take responsibility for their bad behaviour themselves.
And filling the towns’ & cities’ hotels & motels & Kainga Ora state housing up with some homeless people that are gang members or affiliates, and antisocials, is generating negative reactions from ordinary townfolk who have to suffer the consequences of gang-related drug dealing/usage, violence & general antisocial behaviour they weren’t previously cursed with.
But I don’t think the Greens will carry the can problems in these two areas. I think Labour will.
There's some truth to his argument, but he's mixed up cause and effect. He slates them continually, urging his readers off them, then complains when they don't have leverage.
So they try any strategy to get cut through (wacky things, straight, boring things) then get slated for that.
I reckon if he encouraged his readers to vote for them, so Labour actually needed them, THEN they'd be able to demand more policy without compromise.
They actually do, Roy, insofar as they are partly within & partly without. So you can see they have a triad of options:
1. operating within the govt, which is what the co-leaders are doing
2. remainder of caucus operating outside the govt, of which the apparent lack thereof is the basis for the complaints from the disaffected Greens
3. using a principled basis to integrate those two and communicating the strategy to the party, the broader Green movement, and the public
Note that the comms strategy they ain't using is likewise a triad. That's an example of how suitable political framing can be derived from metaphysics.
The GP also don't have the adequate media coverage. So they'll try a combination of protests and stunts (C-word rally), compromise, if that's the right word (meetings with Feds), cage-rattling (Chloe's debating other poli's), and irony (that unicorn picture). Any publicity is good publicity and all that.
My point is that Bradbury and others can't seem to differentiate between the actions they are able to perform versus what the rest of the electorate 'must be thinking about them' (because they only see through the media lens). I just think it would be way more helpful if we highlighted the good stuff, which would translate to votes, then to action. Shaming them for how they appear just isn't working in our favour.
That's a very good psychological point. Too subtle for most punters, no doubt! But definitely one that any pr or media pro the GP is using ought to get their head around tout suite!
More and more people around the world are suffering because their immune systems can no longer tell the difference between healthy cells and invading micro-organisms. Disease defences that once protected them are instead attacking their tissue and organs.
The focus of the reporter is research "to identify common genetic patterns among those suffering from an autoimmune disease". Blaming fast food is easy, habitual, and I've never noticed correlative evidence being amassed to support it. I'm more inclined to suspect the web of electromagnetic fields we live in, which has intensified considerably in recent decades.
Think of it as a matrix. It is a deep dimension of our environmental habitat which we can escape only via retreat to living remotely. Science has discovered various ways that organisms are effected by these dynamic intangible components of our life matrix. The pandemic highlights the relation of the health of victims to the state of their auto-immune defence system. I hope researchers take a broader view.
A slight touch, no more. Just enough to remind us of the longish concern that the 5G pathology arises from – the historical context stretching back to the mid-20th century. The entirety of the thing is vast.
I've been diffidently attempting to encompass it throughout my life. Easy to see how those without scientific education get spooked by simplifying it!
Thank goodness for Tiwai and it's high-quality aluminium!
I wonder if anyone in Southland has realised the huge potential down here, for a hat-making industry?
Love how so many people look for a single cause for a complex problem.
Yes, DNA hasn't changed, but we're living a lot longer and counting better – especially in emergent economies/nations . Rheumatoid Arthritis, one of the highlighted examples, is prevalent in older age groups, despite onset often occurring much, much younger.
The headline is playing to the crowd. Further down is the more important:
If you look at some autoimmune diseases – for example, lupus – it has become clear recently there are many different versions of them, that may be caused by different genetic pathways,” said Vinuesa. “And that has a consequence when you are trying to find the right treatment.
“We have lots of potentially useful new therapies that are being developed all the time, but we don’t know which patients to give them to, because we now realise we don’t know exactly which version of the disease they have. And that is now a key goal for autoimmune research. We have to learn how to group and stratify patients so we can give them the right therapy.”
For Rheumatoid, tobacco smoking (primary or secondhand) is a proven environmental factor in the development of an important 'version' and there probably a range of other environmental factors, fast food might be one, or not one at all.
Yes I see it as a natural consequence of biodiversity but also of complex systems generally. Reductionists are averse to such contemporary views.
Correlating patients with causes & effects requires pattern-matching ability, and is more inherently sophisticated than the old put 'em in known simple categories…
Reductionists are averse to such contemporary views.
Also reductionists write headlines. Did you see how many times that piece has been shared?! I'm not looking forward to another round of 'advice' from the 'well-being' people (apologies to the ones that do good work).
I keep thinking about a review I once did on childhood immune-mediated inflammatory arthritis. There's a known decent correlation between peaks and earlier bacterial/viral disease outbreaks. It could be interesting, with Covid, to review the number of cases of various auto-immune diseases in a few years.
What if the law were not merely a fossilised instrumental arm of the patriarchy? What if it were to transform itself into a force for good? Natural rights! Dr Greg Severinsen is a senior policy adviser at the Environmental Defence Society and has a PhD in resource management law:
In a recent article in Policy Quarterly I outlined the different kinds of justice we can use to scrutinise whether change is necessary for our seas. These include distributional (or intragenerational) equity, environmental justice, intergenerational justice, ecological justice, and procedural justice. Cutting across all of these is te Tiriti o Waitangi and indigenous justice.
Ecological justice is different. It is more about the interests and rights of nature itself, and looking at ways we can give the natural world a “voice” in its own future… Perhaps nature as a whole should be recognised as an entity with recognisable rights that can be defended in court
No perhaps about it – the necessity has been evaded far too long already. We expect the law profession to conserve the past and ignore the future as usual, but when the survival of humanity is at stake we need legal advocates to extricate themselves from their congenital laziness and make progress instead. Advocates for Gaia are essential.
We don’t internalise the true costs of resource use to those causing damage, and the polluter doesn’t pay – society does. So too do future generations. Coastal communities, Māori and others who rely on the ocean for food and wellbeing are often disproportionately affected by such damage in their watery backyards. For some, including Māori, this harm can also have a spiritual or metaphysical component…. humans could be viewed as part of a complex web of relationships with the natural world that needs to be respected. We are not just resource users. The environment is not just a supermarket shelf. That view is more consistent with te ao Māori, which considers whakapapa and whanaungatanga (kinship relationships) to be at the heart of environmental management, with the moana taking pride of place as an ancestor.
Well day one was not quite what I was expecting but then the first test didn't go as I thought it would.
The Black Caps were obviously hurt by their performance in the first test and surprised by the outstanding performance by Bangladesh so they wanted to put out a statement and did they ever
Are the Black Caps looking to put on their biggest test score ever, previously 715/6 declared against Bangladesh 2019, bat 7 sessions and bowl them out twice?
Is Will Young shaping up to be the new Mark Richardson, average 45 but only 4 100s and a high of 140 so reliable and consistently made good scores but didn't push on and if Young does turn out like Richardson is that bad thing (I don't think it is at all)
Will the Boss get a 100 in his last game, will it matter?
Can Bangladesh come back from (two days in the field in hot weather takes it out of you)
Conway's third century in his first five tests certainly seems an admirable foundation for a test career. Statistics suggests he could maintain that 60% rate if he stabilises self-discipline with technique…
Not only that, it's promising for the future. I started listening to test cricket in the mid-1950s when we were non-contenders & like the way the side has been trending in recent years…
I'd imagine he would and even if it takes a little longer we finally have the depth to cover him being out (as much as you can cover someone like Williamson)
Too soon to say, eh? Most unlikely to be in Bradman's class, that's for sure. There's a natural tendency for young guys to start well and then fade slowly – notice how Williamson has been unable to maintain the high standard he set in his first few years, for instance.
I see your point but conditions come into it as well (Patel 10 for against India) plus the need for rotation so your bowlers don't break down has to be considered
Personally I like variation so my team (assuming injury free) would be:
1. Latham
2. Young (I'd prefer NZ develop another opening batter)
3. Williamson
4. Conway
5. Nicholls
6. Mitchell (keep it tight at one end for the others to attack)
7. Seifert (though I'd like to see him score some runs)
8. Kyle Jamieson (height for variety)
9. Trent Boult (left arm swing for variety)
10. Adam Milne/Ben Sears/bowler that clocks above 145 (pace for variety)
11. Patel (spinner for variety)
Wagner and Southee would then come in to rest bowlers or as injury replacements (the pace bowlers most likely)
Yeah that would be good as we haven't had any genuine all rounders since Chris Cairns and Dan Vettori but I sort of see it like Tim Southee
I think Tim Southee could have worked on his batting a more and contributed a bit more with the bat but, and its a pretty big but, hes taken over 300 test wickets at under 29, only the third NZ player to do so
Would he have taken over 300 wickets if he'd concentrated on his batting a bit more…I don't know but in the same vein for Kyle I'd rather see him concentrate on his bowling and bowl teams out and therefore win
I mean if he can do both then great but bowlers win matches and maybe Mitchell can become the number 6 (and bowl a tight line like Chatfield) and Ravindra can come in at 7 or that Nathan Smiths not tracking badly …
Yeah I thought at least another 20 overs, take the score to 600 and still have 10 sessions to bowl them out twice would have been a better plan
Theres forecast for rain on Wednesday but it doesn't look to bad…still if they win it'll be deemed a good decision by the captain especially in light of the last ashes test
Why would they bother? In the first test New Zealand only got 63 runs in the first innings after the fall of the sixth wicket and only 15 in the same interval in the second innings. At that sort of rate we would only have got another 40 or so runs and all the bowlers would have to have gone out to bat. We are probably better of having all the bowlers ready to fire without having to have a session out there batting.
I think the captain asks the bowlers if they can do it or if they need a session off, basically. Hot weather down here, but on the other hand, unsettled weather later in the week, so a finely balanced decision.
I would enforce because they basically played a one dayer so less bowling and less time in the field than usual plus they probably want a little bit of payback so an innings victory will on their minds
So yeah should be good to go again tomorrow however if the bowlers are feeling a bit iffy then you'd have to take that into account
Nice to see a different thread on this site. So while we are at it, when can we return to a commentary team of articulate knowledgeable pundits rather than the qualification of "I've played test cricket so I'm an expert." Commentary used to be given by wordsmiths who had a grounding in the game. As for television we are constantly given "expertise" on what we can see for ourselves.
And finally – when did the expression "running between the wickets" come in – where else do batsmen run to – square leg?
Actually it's not finally. The second new ball came after 160 overs or 400 runs. The new ball was due after 80 overs.
Ian Galloway, Alan McGilvray and Brian Johnston would be embarrassed by this current lot. (Right throughout the cricketing world of commentary boxes)
I fear that, to get some truly great commentators we are going to have to find some way of reincarnating the dead.
I always thought the best were Brian Johnstone and Richie Benaud. Johnstone unfortunately died in 1994 and Benaud in 2015 so getting them back in the commentary box might be difficult.
Benaud had one practice I always approved of. He was doing commentary before they had the third umpire but while they had instant replay on TV. He would show you the replay and sometimes the umpire had made a mistake. However he would always finish by playing the incident at full speed with the comment that "That was what the umpire saw". At full speed it was very easy to see how they could get it wrong.
It’ll be interesting to see how National play the early part of the year. Luxon seems to have decided to drop the consistently negative approach to our Covid response.
Attack lines are going to have to be carefully managed. Housing, immigration, inflation, poverty, all have serious fish hooks for National given their track record over their last term in office. My guess would be inflation will be a primary target. Voters don’t really care that it’s not the government’s fault when it comes to supply chains, product shortages etc. National will be blaming the government as much as they can.
Okay, I admit that as a non-economist I defaulted to global framing (inflation is produced when the capitalist system malfunctions) whereas your focus was Aotearoa.
Fake vax exemption doctor Jonie Girouard 'no longer able to practise in New Zealand'
"The North Canterbury doctor under investigation for allegedly issuing fake vaccine exemptions can no longer practise medicine in New Zealand.
Dr Jonie Girouard – who runs a weight loss clinic – is an unvaccinated GP who was captured in an undercover Newshub sting late last year issuing fake certificates and coaching patients on how to get away with using them."
Went to a garage sale on the weekend. It was at the front of six units of flats. I talked to a bro who was running the garage sale. He said the landlord was selling up because of new rules around renting. He said all tenants had told the landlord they wouldn't complain about anything even if the flats didn't meet new standards. But the landlord said it was too risky. The bro and one other flat tenant are the lucky ones. They both have clapped out vans that could be slept in. The other tenants will be hitting the streets. Not a good situation. But it's happening all over New Zealand. Its another reason why this Labour coalition gummint has to go. We need firm policy from National as to how they will tackle these renting market issues. Will they have the guts to make changes? Or will it be another typical Tory government that continues the status quo? I said last year it's only a matter of time before visible tent communities spring up all over New Zealand. It looks like that process is well under way.
Expecting a Natz government to give a solitary f**k about the poor of this country seems to fit the definition of insanity to me.
True – and yet it would probably be their best competitive strategy. Housing has already been identified as a govt. weak point – if National actually got off their gluteus and did something useful for the first time in four or five decades, they might have a dogs show of getting back in.
I've been spending a bit of time in the MacKenzie recently. One cannot help but notice that none of our current parties seems up to public interest projects on the scale of the canals. They are like jackals slinking through the ruins of our country – certainly not the equal of the parties that went before them.
Christchurch suffered a bit of an inflexion a few years back, and one of the curiosities in the way it was rebuilt, where it was, is that many rebuilds have, shall we say, a whiff of Evergrande about them – they seem somehow less permanent than they might be.
The first cause is still going strong all around the Ring of Fire, but as a housing solution, it does not bend especially readily to human convenience:
And if California slides into the ocean
Like the mystics and statistics say it will
I predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill ~ Warren Zevon
I have a feeling however, that good governance lies more in deliberate constructive action, than in abandoning one's responsibilities to either the vagaries of 'the market' or to the cthonic forces released along the subduction zones of the Pacific plate.
Doing something different is the way to go when facing a vexing problem. However, doing something different – successfully or not – to only align with your ideological worldview is no better than keeping the status quo.
I had occasion to call the Apple-online assistance today. And the automated system gave me some options. What type of music I should prefer in the possible/likely event, that I might be on hold. I could choose Contemporary, Classic, Jazz, and (well I do not know how many further options because I had already pressed "2" for classical. Sadly, it didn't last the eternity of our IP's, Insurances, IRD or other help desks. Apple were too efficient and someone in The Philippines soon interrupted my blissful disposition and took up my service request. However, if only …
…one can still hope. Just who is it that selects the screeching crass sounds that pass for music on most "waiting" systems.
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles and that ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
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 Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
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Greens voter slags the Greens:
But there's more!
I've made a few milder comments onsite here over the past year so I'm not disagreeing with his view, just inclined to cut Labour some slack on the basis of prioritising pandemic management. Let's see what this year brings us before rendering a verdict.
Sad, but true. They believe they must walk and therefore they can't possibly chew gum at the same time. Conformity rules, ok?
Dunno if it would take that long. More likely a couple of hours on a zoom call to hear all views, after which the Executive would meet to thrash out a way to fake consensus.
There Is No Alternative. TINA. Got it?
Alternate realities can be fun. They can be instructive too, providing guidance. This one will not be permitted by Labour during this term. Get a grip, lad, the path to resilience gets easier if you toughen up first…
"I warned the Greens!", warbles Bradbury, as he regularly does.
"I know what's best for them!" he doubtless thinks.
Are you happy with the GP ,its leadership and performance Robert?
I have a little insight into governance and the challenges it holds and expect the Green leadership will be engaged in navigating those as best they can – mostly, anyone from outside of the "circle" won't be able to accurately gauge what's happening inside, so I don't expect to hear anything much beyond speculation tinged with prejudice on the issue of James & Marama. Accounts from high-profile people who have worked with James indicate that he's very able indeed and held in high regard in and around Parliament. I have met Marama – she seemed very capable also. Likeable too. I still celebrate The Green's having achieved the position they now hold, particularly when I remember how they were portrayed/regarded/treated in the years prior to this present situation, where they hold significant roles and sit beside, not opposite to, the Government.
Good response to a good question Robert. You are the right person to ask because we know the answer will be a rational one.
To put it another way: too many ignorant loud mouthed pseudo 'experts' think they can dogmatically crucify political parties of a left persuasion in particular despite their having no knowledge what they're talking about. Journos figure prominently among them. 😉
So you don't consider Marama a liability for the Greens, Robert? I do, although I'm only going by her public utterances.
I don't, Blade. Have you been watching/listening to any of her interviews around Maori issues, particularly those made by Maori media? She's respected and hardworking, imo.
I saw one of her interviews on Maori TV. She was OK.
I believe she is in her co-leadership position as a token gesture to diversity. When Metiria Turei was disgraced, they seem to have picked another Maori person just to show the electorate not all Maori are bad.
Jeanette Fitzsimons noted in the 90s that the Greens had to expand from their hard leftist roots if they wanted to gain political power.
She was right. But that expansion has come at a cost. The Greens have gained factions the further they moved from their roots. I predicted last year the Greens would splinter. The run up to the next election will put huge pressure on all Green factions. What gives will be the question.
James and Marama are living on borrowed time in my opinion,
We are all of us, on borrowed time, Blade. Wider circumstances will dictate the future of The Greens, as they will all of us. They have taken an ideological position that will bring them further and further forward into the political and public "lime-light" – they recognised this long ago and have remained true to their realisation. Risk-taking now could jeopardise all that preparatory work. While relative caution has its downside (criticism from risk-taking supporters), maintaining a position where their very presence has a positive effect across the Parliament and public sphere (The Greens are in! The Greens are still in! What has the world come to!! * say all critics of The Greens) is vital. Their sinking back into Opposition and losing that "iconic" role would be something to worry all of us, Imo.
sinking back into Opposition
That's the subtext of what we get from the complaining Greens. Just wanna oppose govt when it doesn't do sufficiently leftist stuff. Sorta like driving a car while continually turning the steering wheel to the left regardless of whether the car is approaching a left turn or not.
The Greens have essentially created a noose for their own neck by taking two Associate Minister positions in areas of policy where it is highly improbable that there will be improvement even if they could implement any significant policy changes (which they won't be able to do). Taking on Housing and Family violence will just mean the Greens get blamed when nothing improves.
Big ups then for The Greens in taking on those roles, knowing they'd be thankless ones. Lesser politicians would perhaps choose easier challenges, for the sake of looking good in the public's eye; kudos to the Green MPs for their integrity, I say.
It might be noble but it is terrible politics. If the Greens want to be regarded as serious players they need to get better at playing the game. Politics is about the art of the possible. The Greens should focus on the areas that they can make progress in. Climate change is an obvious area which they are doing this in however they should have stuck to areas like conservation or even welfare reform where they could implement changes that might make a difference rather than housing and family violence.
Get better at playing the game?
They seem to be sitting on the better side of the House, Gosman.
That's well-played, in my opinion.
The Greens should, The Greens should, intone their opponents.
Perhaps The Greens have and are.
They're not flailing helplessly on the Opposition benches, as other small parties are and will be for some considerable time yet.
Power for the sake of power, is that it Robert?
Of course that's what I meant, Pucky!
It's the only goal of politics and The Greens are just like every other party, right – that's why, as Gosman points out, they choose only the soft-option roles … oh … hang on …
Are they achieving what you'd like them to achieve given what Winston was able to do?
Loosing representation in Parliament after going with Labour.
That's priceless 🤣
The Greens are in for the longterm and don't rely on one person to gain power.
PR what you want is for the greens to collapse their vote.or to Moderate their policies to be able to form a coalition with National with policies that don't change anything.
The blue rinsing of the Greens something Winston was able to do.
The only chance National has to form a Coalition next election.
Winston's Days are over he only ever sucked in National voters who wanted to put a handbrake on Labour.
Do I wish The Greens played the same sort of game Winston plays?
No thank you.
Their game is a long one. It's not surprising people scratch and itch when they don't see the plays they are used to seeing in other parties.
Are they achieving what I'd like them to achieve?
I'm confident they'll achieve all they can and they certainly don't need me chiding them. As to what I'd like to see happen, in politics, society, the environment and so on… no party comes very close to what I'd like to see (will see 🙂 but The Greens are at least within cooee 🙂
At Tricledrown:
'or to Moderate their policies to be able to form a coalition with National with policies that don't change anything.'
Well close but, as an example, I would like to see no more dairy farms in areas where they're not sustainable, less water taken out of Canterbury rivers and mandatory shade shelters put up in paddocks
I think thats something that would be quite achievable for a National/Green coalition or a Labour/Green coalition
At Robert, a very long game indeed
PR after Nick Smith single handedly undermined Ecan allowing unfettered pollution to destroy Canterbury rivers.
The chances of the Greens going into coalition with National are Zero.
So you would be better voting Green and Labour that would a least give a chance for Rivers to be cleaned up.
Under National more rivers will be damaged.
Pucky – all that glisters is not gold – it's the unseen shifting of the Overton Window that I'm watchful for. I've seen this in my own council, to dramatic effect, over time but am aware that members of the public can't easily detect the changes, as they are looking for different markers.
Hmm. Yeah, I think having the Greens on board is useful for Labour in that any policies that are good for addressing climate change or the environment but that might be unpopular with voters also ensures that any dissatisfaction is directed at the Greens rather than Labour.
But against this has to be balanced the likelihood that many ordinary voters & younger voters in particular will likely approve of them.
I don’t think the Greens are doing too badly out of the current cooperation arrangement.
Addressing family violence & housing (homelessness) are certainly going to be big challenges though. There’s only so far one can take blaming family violence on a century of colonial oppression & I think that’s been done to death in the minds of most voters now. Somewhere along the line those who commit family violence are going to have to take responsibility for their bad behaviour themselves.
And filling the towns’ & cities’ hotels & motels & Kainga Ora state housing up with some homeless people that are gang members or affiliates, and antisocials, is generating negative reactions from ordinary townfolk who have to suffer the consequences of gang-related drug dealing/usage, violence & general antisocial behaviour they weren’t previously cursed with.
But I don’t think the Greens will carry the can problems in these two areas. I think Labour will.
There's some truth to his argument, but he's mixed up cause and effect. He slates them continually, urging his readers off them, then complains when they don't have leverage.
So they try any strategy to get cut through (wacky things, straight, boring things) then get slated for that.
I reckon if he encouraged his readers to vote for them, so Labour actually needed them, THEN they'd be able to demand more policy without compromise.
Couldn't be worse than his current strategy.
they don't have leverage
They actually do, Roy, insofar as they are partly within & partly without. So you can see they have a triad of options:
1. operating within the govt, which is what the co-leaders are doing
2. remainder of caucus operating outside the govt, of which the apparent lack thereof is the basis for the complaints from the disaffected Greens
3. using a principled basis to integrate those two and communicating the strategy to the party, the broader Green movement, and the public
Note that the comms strategy they ain't using is likewise a triad. That's an example of how suitable political framing can be derived from metaphysics.
The GP also don't have
theadequate media coverage. So they'll try a combination of protests and stunts (C-word rally), compromise, if that's the right word (meetings with Feds), cage-rattling (Chloe's debating other poli's), and irony (that unicorn picture). Any publicity is good publicity and all that.My point is that Bradbury and others can't seem to differentiate between the actions they are able to perform versus what the rest of the electorate 'must be thinking about them' (because they only see through the media lens). I just think it would be way more helpful if we highlighted the good stuff, which would translate to votes, then to action. Shaming them for how they appear just isn't working in our favour.
That's a very good psychological point. Too subtle for most punters, no doubt! But definitely one that any pr or media pro the GP is using ought to get their head around tout suite!
The focus of the reporter is research "to identify common genetic patterns among those suffering from an autoimmune disease". Blaming fast food is easy, habitual, and I've never noticed correlative evidence being amassed to support it. I'm more inclined to suspect the web of electromagnetic fields we live in, which has intensified considerably in recent decades.
Think of it as a matrix. It is a deep dimension of our environmental habitat which we can escape only via retreat to living remotely. Science has discovered various ways that organisms are effected by these dynamic intangible components of our life matrix. The pandemic highlights the relation of the health of victims to the state of their auto-immune defence system. I hope researchers take a broader view.
A touch of 5G-itis this morning, Dennis?
A slight touch, no more. Just enough to remind us of the longish concern that the 5G pathology arises from – the historical context stretching back to the mid-20th century. The entirety of the thing is vast.
I've been diffidently attempting to encompass it throughout my life. Easy to see how those without scientific education get spooked by simplifying it!
Thank goodness for Tiwai and it's high-quality aluminium!
I wonder if anyone in Southland has realised the huge potential down here, for a hat-making industry?
Good thinking there! Raise it with your local chamber of commerce. Make
hayhats while thesun still shinesthing still produces.Tiwai Pt…the longest Bluff in NZ corporate history…'give us $30 million' or we …will..shoot ..ourselves!
Dr Neil Cherry.
Yep, has plenty of company too. A good global review of research here: https://www.healthline.com/health/emf
In this debate, you'll run the risk of being accused of cherry-picking, Blade!
Love how so many people look for a single cause for a complex problem.
Yes, DNA hasn't changed, but we're living a lot longer and counting better – especially in emergent economies/nations . Rheumatoid Arthritis, one of the highlighted examples, is prevalent in older age groups, despite onset often occurring much, much younger.
The headline is playing to the crowd. Further down is the more important:
For Rheumatoid, tobacco smoking (primary or secondhand) is a proven environmental factor in the development of an important 'version' and there probably a range of other environmental factors, fast food might be one, or not one at all.
Yes I see it as a natural consequence of biodiversity but also of complex systems generally. Reductionists are averse to such contemporary views.
Correlating patients with causes & effects requires pattern-matching ability, and is more inherently sophisticated than the old put 'em in known simple categories…
Also reductionists write headlines. Did you see how many times that piece has been shared?! I'm not looking forward to another round of 'advice' from the 'well-being' people (apologies to the ones that do good work).
I keep thinking about a review I once did on childhood immune-mediated inflammatory arthritis. There's a known decent correlation between peaks and earlier bacterial/viral disease outbreaks. It could be interesting, with Covid, to review the number of cases of various auto-immune diseases in a few years.
What if the law were not merely a fossilised instrumental arm of the patriarchy? What if it were to transform itself into a force for good? Natural rights! Dr Greg Severinsen is a senior policy adviser at the Environmental Defence Society and has a PhD in resource management law:
No perhaps about it – the necessity has been evaded far too long already. We expect the law profession to conserve the past and ignore the future as usual, but when the survival of humanity is at stake we need legal advocates to extricate themselves from their congenital laziness and make progress instead. Advocates for Gaia are essential.
January 9 2022 the date that the NZ Herald launched the National party election campaign for 2023:
Cricket, cricket, cricket!
Well day one was not quite what I was expecting but then the first test didn't go as I thought it would.
The Black Caps were obviously hurt by their performance in the first test and surprised by the outstanding performance by Bangladesh so they wanted to put out a statement and did they ever
Are the Black Caps looking to put on their biggest test score ever, previously 715/6 declared against Bangladesh 2019, bat 7 sessions and bowl them out twice?
Is Will Young shaping up to be the new Mark Richardson, average 45 but only 4 100s and a high of 140 so reliable and consistently made good scores but didn't push on and if Young does turn out like Richardson is that bad thing (I don't think it is at all)
Will the Boss get a 100 in his last game, will it matter?
Can Bangladesh come back from (two days in the field in hot weather takes it out of you)
Conway's third century in his first five tests certainly seems an admirable foundation for a test career. Statistics suggests he could maintain that 60% rate if he stabilises self-discipline with technique…
A top five of:
Latham
Young
Williamson
Conway
Nicholls
Isn't too shabby at all
Not only that, it's promising for the future. I started listening to test cricket in the mid-1950s when we were non-contenders & like the way the side has been trending in recent years…
Yeah our middle order batting looks strong and guys waiting in the wings, all these guys average 40+ in FC cricket:
Mark Chapman (handy spinner)
Dane Clever (wicket keeper)
Tom Bruce
Will Williamson recover from the elbow injury?
I'd imagine he would and even if it takes a little longer we finally have the depth to cover him being out (as much as you can cover someone like Williamson)
That would be quite a feat. After all Bradman only got centuries in 56% of the tests he played and Tendulkar only got a century in 26% of his tests.
Do you think that Conway is better than they were?
Too soon to say, eh? Most unlikely to be in Bradman's class, that's for sure. There's a natural tendency for young guys to start well and then fade slowly – notice how Williamson has been unable to maintain the high standard he set in his first few years, for instance.
I'd be more than happy with Conway averaging only 50 over his entire test career…
Well the Boss certainly has a good chance of a 100 now…
Regarding team selection.
Shouldn't you select your best bowlers no matter what the conditions?
And if the bowler who could take wickets when no one else could is one of your best, shouldn't they be selected?
I see your point but conditions come into it as well (Patel 10 for against India) plus the need for rotation so your bowlers don't break down has to be considered
Personally I like variation so my team (assuming injury free) would be:
1. Latham
2. Young (I'd prefer NZ develop another opening batter)
3. Williamson
4. Conway
5. Nicholls
6. Mitchell (keep it tight at one end for the others to attack)
7. Seifert (though I'd like to see him score some runs)
8. Kyle Jamieson (height for variety)
9. Trent Boult (left arm swing for variety)
10. Adam Milne/Ben Sears/bowler that clocks above 145 (pace for variety)
11. Patel (spinner for variety)
Wagner and Southee would then come in to rest bowlers or as injury replacements (the pace bowlers most likely)
Possibly Jamieson will evolve into a proper allrounder.
Hold his place as both bowler and batter. At the moment our all rounders don't achieve that.
Then he could bat at 6, and leave room for another bowler.
Yeah that would be good as we haven't had any genuine all rounders since Chris Cairns and Dan Vettori but I sort of see it like Tim Southee
I think Tim Southee could have worked on his batting a more and contributed a bit more with the bat but, and its a pretty big but, hes taken over 300 test wickets at under 29, only the third NZ player to do so
Would he have taken over 300 wickets if he'd concentrated on his batting a bit more…I don't know but in the same vein for Kyle I'd rather see him concentrate on his bowling and bowl teams out and therefore win
I mean if he can do both then great but bowlers win matches and maybe Mitchell can become the number 6 (and bowl a tight line like Chatfield) and Ravindra can come in at 7 or that Nathan Smiths not tracking badly …
Didn’t think we’d declare so early. Usually 30/40 minutes before stumps? Or just before lunch on day 3.
Yeah I thought at least another 20 overs, take the score to 600 and still have 10 sessions to bowl them out twice would have been a better plan
Theres forecast for rain on Wednesday but it doesn't look to bad…still if they win it'll be deemed a good decision by the captain especially in light of the last ashes test
Why would they bother? In the first test New Zealand only got 63 runs in the first innings after the fall of the sixth wicket and only 15 in the same interval in the second innings. At that sort of rate we would only have got another 40 or so runs and all the bowlers would have to have gone out to bat. We are probably better of having all the bowlers ready to fire without having to have a session out there batting.
11/4 so maybe not a bad decision
Not wanting to get ahead of myself but…
Do you enforce the follow on if they’re more than 250/300 behind. Aussie seem not, and it works for them.
I think the captain asks the bowlers if they can do it or if they need a session off, basically. Hot weather down here, but on the other hand, unsettled weather later in the week, so a finely balanced decision.
I would enforce because they basically played a one dayer so less bowling and less time in the field than usual plus they probably want a little bit of payback so an innings victory will on their minds
So yeah should be good to go again tomorrow however if the bowlers are feeling a bit iffy then you'd have to take that into account
Nice to see a different thread on this site. So while we are at it, when can we return to a commentary team of articulate knowledgeable pundits rather than the qualification of "I've played test cricket so I'm an expert." Commentary used to be given by wordsmiths who had a grounding in the game. As for television we are constantly given "expertise" on what we can see for ourselves.
And finally – when did the expression "running between the wickets" come in – where else do batsmen run to – square leg?
Actually it's not finally. The second new ball came after 160 overs or 400 runs. The new ball was due after 80 overs.
Ian Galloway, Alan McGilvray and Brian Johnston would be embarrassed by this current lot. (Right throughout the cricketing world of commentary boxes)
@logie97
I fear that, to get some truly great commentators we are going to have to find some way of reincarnating the dead.
I always thought the best were Brian Johnstone and Richie Benaud. Johnstone unfortunately died in 1994 and Benaud in 2015 so getting them back in the commentary box might be difficult.
Benaud had one practice I always approved of. He was doing commentary before they had the third umpire but while they had instant replay on TV. He would show you the replay and sometimes the umpire had made a mistake. However he would always finish by playing the incident at full speed with the comment that "That was what the umpire saw". At full speed it was very easy to see how they could get it wrong.
It’ll be interesting to see how National play the early part of the year. Luxon seems to have decided to drop the consistently negative approach to our Covid response.
Attack lines are going to have to be carefully managed. Housing, immigration, inflation, poverty, all have serious fish hooks for National given their track record over their last term in office. My guess would be inflation will be a primary target. Voters don’t really care that it’s not the government’s fault when it comes to supply chains, product shortages etc. National will be blaming the government as much as they can.
Whether it works or not, time will tell.
Steve Forbes has a binary view: https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2022/01/07/will-inflation-cause-a-stock-market-crash-in-2022/?sh=6921bf3d5a44
Okay, I admit that as a non-economist I defaulted to global framing (inflation is produced when the capitalist system malfunctions) whereas your focus was Aotearoa.
I was pleased to see this:
Fake vax exemption doctor Jonie Girouard 'no longer able to practise in New Zealand'
"The North Canterbury doctor under investigation for allegedly issuing fake vaccine exemptions can no longer practise medicine in New Zealand.
Dr Jonie Girouard – who runs a weight loss clinic – is an unvaccinated GP who was captured in an undercover Newshub sting late last year issuing fake certificates and coaching patients on how to get away with using them."
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-delta-outbreak-fake-vax-exemption-doctor-jonie-girouard-no-longer-able-to-practise-in-new-zealand/ELYAK5VECGTJDU6KLBDQTX4DEM/
Went to a garage sale on the weekend. It was at the front of six units of flats. I talked to a bro who was running the garage sale. He said the landlord was selling up because of new rules around renting. He said all tenants had told the landlord they wouldn't complain about anything even if the flats didn't meet new standards. But the landlord said it was too risky. The bro and one other flat tenant are the lucky ones. They both have clapped out vans that could be slept in. The other tenants will be hitting the streets. Not a good situation. But it's happening all over New Zealand. Its another reason why this Labour coalition gummint has to go. We need firm policy from National as to how they will tackle these renting market issues. Will they have the guts to make changes? Or will it be another typical Tory government that continues the status quo? I said last year it's only a matter of time before visible tent communities spring up all over New Zealand. It looks like that process is well under way.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/127062235/the-people-sleeping-rough-in-nelson
Einstein's (I think it was) definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Expecting a Natz government to give a solitary f**k about the poor of this country seems to fit the definition of insanity to me.
Expecting a Natz government to give a solitary f**k about the poor of this country seems to fit the definition of insanity to me.
True – and yet it would probably be their best competitive strategy. Housing has already been identified as a govt. weak point – if National actually got off their gluteus and did something useful for the first time in four or five decades, they might have a dogs show of getting back in.
I've been spending a bit of time in the MacKenzie recently. One cannot help but notice that none of our current parties seems up to public interest projects on the scale of the canals. They are like jackals slinking through the ruins of our country – certainly not the equal of the parties that went before them.
Ok so if all prices are raising but Christchurch is still rated as affordable (for now)
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/454639/christchurch-housing-remains-affordable-despite-rising-prices
The question should be asked is how did Christchurch manage this and can it be done in other centres
Christchurch suffered a bit of an inflexion a few years back, and one of the curiosities in the way it was rebuilt, where it was, is that many rebuilds have, shall we say, a whiff of Evergrande about them – they seem somehow less permanent than they might be.
The first cause is still going strong all around the Ring of Fire, but as a housing solution, it does not bend especially readily to human convenience:
And if California slides into the ocean
Like the mystics and statistics say it will
I predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill ~ Warren Zevon
I have a feeling however, that good governance lies more in deliberate constructive action, than in abandoning one's responsibilities to either the vagaries of 'the market' or to the cthonic forces released along the subduction zones of the Pacific plate.
Wizards aren't famous for explaining their spells – hadn't you noticed??
Doing something different is the way to go when facing a vexing problem. However, doing something different – successfully or not – to only align with your ideological worldview is no better than keeping the status quo.
Ah, bliss at last.
I had occasion to call the Apple-online assistance today. And the automated system gave me some options. What type of music I should prefer in the possible/likely event, that I might be on hold. I could choose Contemporary, Classic, Jazz, and (well I do not know how many further options because I had already pressed "2" for classical. Sadly, it didn't last the eternity of our IP's, Insurances, IRD or other help desks. Apple were too efficient and someone in The Philippines soon interrupted my blissful disposition and took up my service request. However, if only …
…one can still hope. Just who is it that selects the screeching crass sounds that pass for music on most "waiting" systems.
The credibility of this site takes a hit when any old shit like the It's Time junk is allowed past the vetting process.
Go ahead and unpick his arguments…then.