Open mike 10/06/2020

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 10th, 2020 - 63 comments
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63 comments on “Open mike 10/06/2020 ”

  1. Ad 1

    It's great to see that Donald Trump is finally getting all the massive public crowds he's been seeking for so long.



    • Andre 1.1

      The Tinyfingers Twittertwat is also inspiring awesome political advertising buys in the DC market just to reach him personally. Not because it has any chance of influencing any political outcome; DC is the strongest Dem electorate in the country.

      His campaign is buying ads so he sees them on his tv and is mollified that his campaign is actually doing something for him, and the likes of the Lincoln Project are placing ads to drive bunkerboy ever further out of his dysfunctional facsimile of a mind.

      https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/6/9/1951722/-Trump-campaign-tries-to-calm-Trump-s-fear-and-rage-by-wasting-400-000#read-more

      • RedLogix 1.1.1

        Trump is high functioning psychopath. He ticks all the boxes.

        What this means is that he is of course a dangerously unsuitable person to be the President of the USA. It doesn't mean he is always wrong, always evil and always to be condemned. In many ways I see the left grossly over-reaching in their reflexive hatred of him. But it does mean we constantly reduce complex issues to idiotic sound bites.

        It's seems the pressures of the past few months are going to cause Trump to implode, his re-election that seemed certain in January, is now very much less likely, due not to any Democrat brilliance, but to two random events that have exploded out of control. Whether this all works out well remains to be seen.

        But what few tribal left wingers want to do, is ask themselves why so many people pulled the lever for Trump, in at least some knowledge of his manifest unsuitability for the job. And why so many Americans, and by extension much of the democratic world, despairs of being offered little but a choice of two slightly different flavours of unpalatable. It is of course easy and exciting to say "the system is broken" and hand out demolition hammers to it in order to finish it off, but absent the effort to construct what must effectively replace it … at the end all you have is a crew of wreckers left in charge of smoking ruins.

        • Adrian 1.1.1.1

          Why pull the levers? MONEY !

        • Molly 1.1.1.2

          " But what few tribal left wingers want to do, is ask themselves why so many people pulled the lever for Trump, in at least some knowledge of his manifest unsuitability for the job. And why so many Americans, and by extension much of the democratic world, despairs of being offered little but a choice of two slightly different flavours of unpalatable. "

          I think there are people asking this question, but as you seem to indicate they are drowned out by the sheer volume of easy to get soundbites, and reactive responses to his actions. (Many of which are atrociously venal, inhumane and destructive.)

          There is a deeper problem to solve than making it to the next election and defeating Trump.

        • Andre 1.1.1.3

          much of the democratic world, despairs of being offered little but a choice of two slightly different flavours of unpalatable.

          Hotelling's Law and its application to politics really needs to get more airtime. Two party politics is just a minor variation on why two ice cream carts on the beach are always parked next to each other, or two petrol stations in a town are almost always right next door. Apparently game theory has an explanation why there cannot exist viable solutions with more than two options.

          https://www.ft.com/content/1188eefe-dd0a-11e4-975c-00144feab7de

          In the US, voter turnout is further complicated by the way it really really is a painful hugely time-wasting process to go out and vote. Furthermore, a large measure of voter apathy does not come from voter perception of lack of differentiation between the two choices on offer, it's simple ignorance or indifference to the impact politics has on their lives.

          Efforts to improve the situation are much better directed towards electoral reform such as ranked choice voting for electorates where there can only be one winner (just been adopted in Maine), or other options such as amalgamating multiple electorates into a single multi-member electorate. Here in NZ the adoption of MMP really means the only legitimate topic the whiners have is the ridiculous 5% threshold.

          What is clearly not a good answer is simple-minded whining about the state of politics as it is.

          Nor is advocating withdrawing from the system by not voting in protest (nobody pays the slightest attention whatsoever to those who choose wilful irrelevance). Or voting for a miniscule fringe option those has zero chance of success (that too is choosing wilful irrelevance).

          Nor is apologia for those who knowingly choose the deplorable option in hopes of seeing harm come to others.

          Nor is denying that there do in fact exist real differences between the two choices on offer and ignoring the real differences in outcome that result from election of one or the other.

          Particularly stupid is the response by extremists of undermining the option that is in fact closest to their position, for whatever reason excites the irrationality rattling in their cranial cavities.

          • RedLogix 1.1.1.3.1

            Yup. That last sentence nails it. One thing I'm certain of, is I am not alone in believing I don't have a political home anymore.

            That application of Hotelling law makes sense also from an evolutionary perspective, that because humans naturally have temperaments that sit on a spectrum from conservative to progressive, the two dominant players must both evolve to attract as close as possible to 50% of the vote by default. Which in the long run ensures mediocrity and mendacity.

            Honestly I'm increasingly convinced that while political parties have served a useful purpose, their downsides, the polarisation and tribalism is becoming more costly than the benefits. Re-imagining our political structures, with a view to building tighter linkages between local, nation and global concerns is where my thoughts have been heading for some time now.

            Cheers. That was a very welcome comment Andre.

            • woodart 1.1.1.3.1.1

              plain old misogny was one of the biggest reasons for people voting for trump. america had just voted (twice) for a black man ,and now the same party had put up a woman.! a step to far for many americans. added to that was his appeal as being NOT a politician. many millions of americans felt betrayed by washington, (they have been) and bought trumps line about draining the swamp. many,if not most of those same voters will now be doubly disallusioned. you can pontificate all day, but they are the two main reasons for trumps election.

              • swordfish

                .

                plain old misogny was one of the biggest reasons for people voting for trump. america had just voted (twice) for a black man ,and now the same party had put up a woman.! a step to far for many americans.

                Since the early 1970s, overwhelming majorities of Americans have told Pollsters they would be happy to vote for a Woman Presidential Candidate. Over the past decade, this has ranged between 92-96% in the Gallup Poll, for instance.

                Even way back during the supposedly “ultra-conservative” decade of 1950s 'domesticity', a slight majority of voters were prepared to do so.

                In contrast, only a minority in the 50s were prepared to entertain the concept of voting for a Black Presidential candidate (and, until relatively recently, these numbers always trailed well behind the Woman candidate figures).

                Perhaps, as an alternative explanation. it was the fact that Hillary couldn't read the Zeitgeist if she fell over it. Her close alignment with an increasingly despised US establishment, her paid Goldman Sachs speeches & murky web of business connections leaving erstwhile Democrats doubting the sincerity of her rhetoric around reform. All reinforced by her tendency to alienate voters the more they get to know her. Few trusted her & many were put off by her arrogance and hubris.

                • McFlock

                  I think most of the reasons people voted for the orange one were tactical rather than any big reason.

                  HRC went in with 20 years of repug lies on her back. She didn't have a brilliant campaign – it was solid, but no sparks. Would have won against Romney, not a demagogue. And then there was the Comey bullshit a week out which turned out to have been because of fuckboy Weiner rather than anything related to Clinton's email server, but it resonated with the previous slanders.

                  But HRC also had no idea how to deal with the buffoon in debates because he was such an atypical candidate, and the repugs identified and targeted swing states much better than the dems.

                  Dolt45 dominated a stage of over a dozen bland characters because he was the only bully.That gave him momentum. His demagoguery played well to crowds compared to a run of the mill HRC, his team targeted states better than the dems did, and their social media game was highly effective (and so was putins). And his visuals and sheer gall got the MSM ratings, so they gave him more publicity.

        • joe90 1.1.1.4

          why so many people pulled the lever for Trump, in at least some knowledge of his manifest unsuitability for the job.

          Best explanation I've seen.

        • Drowsy M. Kram 1.1.1.5

          "But it does mean we constantly reduce complex issues to idiotic sound bites." – excellent observation RL; fits Trump to a tee.

          Trump Falsely Targets Buffalo Protester, 75, as ‘Antifa Provocateur
          "The president attacked Martin Gugino even as the activist was in the hospital recovering from a head wound sustained when the police shoved him to the ground."

    • Cinny 1.2

      And the wall is finished, least the one surrounding the white house is.

  2. Ad 2

    So, the SIS kept active files not only on Keith Locke, but also on Richard Northey. As an MP Richard Northey (one of the most dedicated and diligent and quietly effective local left activist politicians I’ve seen) had an oversight role of the SIS while in Parliament as Chair of the Justice select committee.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/the-service/418609/sis-spied-on-labour-mp-richard-northey

    I think it's time we ripped open the SIS filing cabinets.

  3. Sanctuary 3

    What is white privilege and class bias in action? The Herald running a story where the opinions of white men who run decile ten secondary schools get to dominate the narrative.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12338500

    There is probably a story here about the emergency delivery of this stuff and issues related to it. But quoting some toff like decile-10 Rangitoto College principal Patrick Gale saying "…The cost of what they are doing is just enormous and I'm concerned by the wastage…," grates. His concern money might be being wasted on a scheme parimarily aimed at the poor is truly, deeply middle class and honestly, a tear sprung to my eye. It is just a pity he doesn't seem to feel the need to burst into print to discuss the anomolies created by the enormous inbuilt privileges his school has on occasions other than concern at this.

    • RosieLee 3.1

      I think the point of his comment was that the wastage lay in the fact that this equipment was going to a school which didn't need it, rather than reaching schools which did.

      • ianmac 3.1.1

        It seems incredible to me that some Principal's decry an over-supply of modems. Boo Hoo. Well organised Principals should send a surplus on to more needy kids. Simon Collins works hard to explore the negatives of a system arranged at short notice to help 70,000 kids in need.

    • AB 3.2

      National Party scouring its extensive networks to find negative stories (however lame and ridiculous) that get fed to the Herald.

      More revealingly, the guy seems to know so little about the world that he doesn't realise that when you have to rush into a big emergency, the duration of which is unknown with zero advance notice and (quite possibly) poor quality information – all sorts of irritating mistakes are going to happen at the margins. You fix them up and try to be better prepared next time.

      Remember when Tory headmasters used to bang on about 'excellence' ('iksullince' in Kiwi) – a sort of disembodied general superiority that they were inculcating in their students by wearing a tie to work and other forms of privilege-signalling? Tiresome bunch. Probably we need to look at breaking up big, powerful schools.

    • millsy 3.3

      The principals interviewed are the leading advocates and beneficiaries of the whole user-pays commodified education system.

      They just don't like (poor) people getting free stuff.

    • Herodotus 3.4

      How the ignorant or those with set agendas bend a story to suit their ends perhaps reading the article in full may help

      there are other examples of principals decrying the lack of coordination and that their students in need had missed out

      “At the other end of the income scale, many students who need computers and access to internet are still waiting for them more than three weeks after all students returned to classes.”

  4. Ad 4

    With thanks to the excellent Richard Harman's Politik website, a neat little observation with a very important diplomatic outcome for New Zealand's security positioning between China and our Five Eyes Allies:

    "Australian Defence Minister, Linda Reynolds, sees Five Eyes as a bridge to ANZUS. Speaking last year to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), she said Australia’s relationship with the United States mattered a great deal. “Today this relationship is not just about our mutual support obligations, enshrined in the ANZUS Treaty,” she said. “Rather, it is about ensuring the alliance is more focused on, and responsive to, shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific. “As I discussed with key allies at the Shangri-La Dialogue, it is now about co-ordinating the implementation of our respective Indo-Pacific strategies. “And it is about determining where we can have a better combined effect, particularly with our five eyes partners, where we need to develop complementarities, and where we must build self-reliance. “These will be important messages both I and the Minister for Foreign Affairs will be reinforcing not long from now at the next Australia‑United States Ministerial Consultations. “They will help guide how we focus lines of interoperability and where we direct effort to ensure that the alliance’s whole remains greater than the sum of its parts – in terms of the intelligence that guides us, the capability we operate, and the technology that advantages us.”

    The executive director of ASPI, Peter Jennings, told “The Australian” that Five Eyes was gaining stronger relevance amid the strategic tensions that had emerged during the pandemic but that the economic crisis was now a paramount security issue. He said Five Eyes had been pointing in this direction. “Now, there is an understanding that we have to address the ­security implications of the ­economic relationships in a way we haven’t had to since World War II. “I think, increasingly, that what Five Eyes will do … it will have to evolve into those areas to create a shared approach on how democracies deal with those things. “I think the other point of Five Eyes is that it does bring like-minded democracies together against an authoritarian challenge. Principally, when it was set up after World War II, it was dealing with the Soviets (but) most conversations within Five Eyes now are about China,” he said.

    It is the potential for China to see this Five Eyes move as a hostile one aimed at them that poses challenges for New Zealand. New Zealand last week delicately side-stepped being seen to join a Five Eyes anti-China statement opposing China’s imposition of a National Security Law on Hong Kong and instead issued its own.

    The two statements were similar but not the same; the New Zealand one repeated some but not all of the language of the Five Eyes statement. It refrained from directly criticising China and omitted a line from the Five Eyes statement which said that:

    “allowing the people of Hong Kong to enjoy the rights and freedoms they were promised can be the only way back from the tensions and unrest that the territory has seen over the last year.” Rather than saying that was the only way, the New Zealand statement left a door open for China to implement a National Security Law by saying: “It is important that any national security law respects these fundamental freedoms and has the support of the people of Hong Kong.”

    The next day, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, excluded New Zealand from his condemnation of the Five Eyes statement. “The unwarranted comments and accusations made by the relevant countries constitute a flagrant interference in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs,” he said. “China deplores and firmly opposes that and has made stern representations with the relevant countries.”

    Continue reading at https://www.politik.co.nz/2020/06/10/fancy-footwork-needed-with-five-eyes/?ct=t%28POLITIKToday_07_10_2016_10_6_2016_COPY_05%29&mc_cid=6732d3da14&mc_eid=2879a67368 | Politik

    • RedLogix 4.1

      Thanks for this Ad, a useful morning read. In my view both Australia and New Zealand are making strategic mistakes here:

      Australia has been talking about expanding the scope of Five Eyes since the middle of last year, but in doing so, it has linked Five Eyes to the ANZUS partnership. In 1985 the United States suspended its security guarantee to New Zealand which was a key part of the Treaty because of New Zealand’s nuclear ship ban which we have never rescinded and thus have remained outside ANZUS ever since. In the process, New Zealand has developed what the former Prime Minister, Bill English, called “a truly independent” foreign policy. That includes a strategic partnership with China.

      Australia will soon find that while it's unlikely the USA will freeze them out altogether, they will nonetheless slide well down their list of priorities. The next US President and administration will be even more hawkish on trade, and even less likely to commit military resources to security outside of NAFTA. The era of US led globalisation is over.

      By the same token New Zealand is making a symmetrically opposite mistake in thinking that China will inevitably rise to fill the US vacuum. Of course the CCP have every intention of aggressively doing so, but it's not at all clear they can. I've written to their numerous structural weaknesses, all of which have arrived at a perfect storm right now.

      And the idea that NZ, even in alliance with Australia can in any meaningful way be "independent" is not entirely ludicrous, after all our vast oceans ensure some measure of physical security, but we have other avenues of vulnerability that make such a position tenuous at best.

      The only decent option both Australia and NZ have is a 'pivot to SE Asia', our immediate neighbours. All of whom are facing their own crisis induced by the same trade order collapse. They are just as motivated to find new arrangements as we would be, in particular NZ and Australia are the best option (along with maybe Argentina) to provide the temperate climate agricultural component of such a network.

      Between Japan in the north and Aoteoroa in the south, there is a natural alliance of peoples awaiting it's turn in the tide of human affairs.

      • Maurice 4.1.1

        During WWII Japan desired a Naval Base in New Zealand to 'split' the Pacific and isolate Australia from the US … that strategic objective is now perhaps a CCP wish?

        • RedLogix 4.1.1.1

          Third Island Chain. There isn't a lot of good references to it, but it seems a real CCP strategy.

          • Drowsy M. Kram 4.1.1.1.1

            RL, in the interest of balance it's worth noting (again) that the "Third Island Chain", taking in Hawaii and terminating in NZ, is a US concept and (containment) strategy. Calling it a "CCP strategy" is fearmongering, IMHO.

            There is no evidence that NZ is part of a ‘CCP Third Island Chain‘. Try harder!

            "Less certain is the place a notional Third Island Chain, centred on US bases in Hawaii, enjoys in official thinking. Authoritative PLAN writings do not mention it, but some other PLA and state-affiliated sources do. Certainly, Chinese military sources recognize the role Hawaii plays, but what else might be logically connected to that remains unclear." [within your own link, FFS]
            https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/china-quarterly/article/barriers-springboards-and-benchmarks-china-conceptualizes-the-pacific-island-chains/B46A212145EB9D920616650669C697F0

            • RedLogix 4.1.1.1.1.1

              It seems however the CCP and PLAN have long quietly held the strategic concept of "Island Chains". It's entirely rational and logical that they might.

              The First and Second are described in some detail, while the Third is indeed a lot more ambiguous. Possibly because the CCP would quite like it to include Hawaii … and it's premature to be overtly trumpeting that to the Americans.

              But we can safely deduce a Third Chain is intended in the Pacific, because the Fourth and Fifth are located off in the Indian Ocean. However vague it might be at present, if any real world version of it came into being, it would inevitably impinge on Australian and NZ interests.

              • Drowsy M. Kram

                …that they might.” "Possibly because the CCP would quite like it to include Hawaii…"

                Anything's possible, but such qualifications undermine the credibility of your fearmongering, IMHO.

                "But we can safely deduce a Third Chain is intended in the Pacific…"

                What we both know is that The Third [Pacific] Island Chain was envisioned by US strategists for the containment of Russia and China. What you are apparently imagining is that The Third Island Chain has been repurposed by the CCP for power projection into the Pacific, but you offer no evidence to support you imaginings.

                By all means continue to paint the CCP as an aggressive bogeyman bent on a NZ takeover (such fearmongering has worked before, and might work again!), but for goodness sake when will you realise that continuing to insist ‘The Third Island Chain’ is part of a CCP expansionist strategy/plot is nonsense.

                Nevertheless, I encourage you to continue in the hope that you will eventually craft a more realistic strategy for your CCP villain – then you might be able to whip up some real fear in NZ.

  5. Tricledrown 5

    I wonder if the SIS is looking into the influence of the CCP in the National Party

    • RedBaronCV 5.1

      Doubt it – We've never seen a RW politician spied on have we?. Time to defund the SIS, send in a small trusted group from across the political spectrum to gather up the institutional knowledge and then start a new group with better rules, institutional oversight and respect for across the spectrum peaceful views.

  6. francesca 6

    RL

    I remember the shock of hearing Jim Bolger say "NZ is an Asian country"

    .I thought whaat?

    So what happened ?

    Then I found this 2015 piece by Chris Trotter. Say what you like , he always has a thought provoking take on things

    I think he's changed his tune a little, or maybe he enjoys being the devil's advocate

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/70168276/opinion-china-has-expectations-of-new-zealand

    Isn't the thing about China that they don't require you to tow a political line as a quid pro quo for trade?

    And is it toe or tow or both?

    • RedLogix 6.1

      It's my understanding that the original version of that idiom was 'toe the line'. But language is a living thing, and many people have morphed it into the 'towing a rope' version. Both work, although they have different connotations I think.

      Helen Clark's FTA deal with China was the one thing that govt did that I truly believed was a mistake. Asia yes as CT's article presages, but the CCP no. We have not been careful enough to be clear on the difference. The Taiwanese could educate us on this.

    • JanM 6.2

      Toe – from the Royal Navy I saw when I looked it up – standing with toes against a line on the deck for inspection. I always thought it was a sport expression, but seemingly not!

  7. Tricledrown 7

    Goldsmith says the govt should end the wage subsidy after businesses want it to continue.

    His reasoning is the govt should concentrate on growing the economy.

    But his unresearched homespun anti govt rhetoric means destroying more of the economy before trying to rebuild stick to your knit witting Paul.

    • RedBaronCV 7.1

      But but but haven't we been told repeatedly that private enterprise creates jobs and needs a "no rules" environment to do so? So why is Nact now blaming the government for not doing the private enterprise job?

  8. observer 8

    Deputy Leader of National Party annoys National supporters:

    Kaye criticises Goldsmith, gets told to zip it, sweetie

    I blame Kate Sheppard and the PC brigade of 1892.

  9. Johnny on the Spot 9

    National are polling, they asked for my wife by name, answered negative to questions, especially to: "would you like to receive emails on you phone from Todd Muller" sic

    Why emails on your phone? Emails go to any device set up for emails, maybe they just want the email address, and mobile number, they have the landline (actually VOIP).

  10. joe90 10

    Rest of his natural if it's shown to be a revenge killing.

    https://twitter.com/CBSEveningNews/status/1270485898585690112

  11. joe90 11

    November election fuckey dry run.

    https://twitter.com/brent_peabody/status/1270379173383733249

    Georgia debacle shows we’re heading toward an election disaster in November

    By

    Paul Waldman and

    Greg Sargent

    June 9, 2020 at 9:01 p.m. UTC

    Tuesday was primary day in Georgia, and things went about as well as you might have expected:

    Lines snaked out the doors, some polling locations didn’t open on time and others struggled with new voting machines in Georgia’s primary election Tuesday, a potential preview of how new voting procedures brought on by the coronavirus pandemic could affect the presidential election in November.

    Problems were concentrated in Atlanta and surrounding counties, where voters described arriving before polls opened and standing in line for hours, with election officials processing ballots painfully slowly because they couldn’t get new touch-screen machines to work or they had not been delivered in time.

    Over the course of the day, state and local officials blamed each other; at least part of the problem stemmed from the fact that the state was using new technology, in which voters make their selections on a touch-screen and then the machine prints out a paper ballot with their choices on it.

    http://archive.li/2ezYE (wapo)

    • greywarshark 11.1

      That is the correct way to implement the new world-wide technological hegemony; it's logical, cause people to have learned helplessness by ensuring that everything they could do for themselves in a simple action has to be done through using a machine.

  12. Peter 12

    I see a Herald headline 'Mike Hosking slams Ministry of Education for 'wastage' as his child makes free modem shortlist.'

    He doesn't know why his kid should be identified on a list as one needing help.

    Here is the news: Michael, Kate, your child is at a huge disadvantage. It threaten his whole life. There are two main problems. I'll give you a guess what they are.

    • Chris T 12.1

      It does sound like a bit of a cluster tbf.

      • The Al1en 12.1.1

        Yeah, it's clearly an outrage, being able to say it's okay I don't need a modem.

        Barrel bottom properly scraped. Lol

        • Chris T 12.1.1.1

          I take it you didn't actually read the article

          https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12338660

          It is a bit of a hash of a job

          • The Al1en 12.1.1.1.1

            Of course I read it, and wondered whatever did he do first, reach for his clutching pearls or rattle his jewellery is fake outrage. I guessed a little bit of both at the same time.

            • Herodotus 12.1.1.1.1.1

              The concern was Not who received these, BUT those who were/are in need that have missed out. Better to be caught out with some not in need receiving these than those in need missing out. Pity the article was framed around one of Mikes moments. 😱 and lost a little impact ?

              If decile-1 Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate is just under 400 outstanding and decile-2 Aorere College is 370, and those students in other schools, what of them? Hope the Ministry has a plan for these students.

              • Chris T

                "The concern was Not who received these, BUT those who were/are in need that have missed out. Better to be caught out with some not in need receiving these than those in need missing out. Pity the article was framed around one of Mikes moments"

                Totally agree.

            • Chris T 12.1.1.1.1.2

              Still think you may not have actually read it. Allan

              • The Al1en

                "Allan" D'oh lol

                You're not in the naughty boy punishing business now. At ease private :smirk:

                Sure, modems should have been sent to all who needed them, but mistakes happen, and during a deadly pandemic, through a lock down and general social upheaval, if that's the worst thing you can support Hoskins on, then scrape away at that barrel.

                • Chris T

                  Sorry Allan. Can you point out where I have supported Hosking please?

                  What I said was they made a cluster of the program.

                  Keep your straw men to yourself.

  13. Ad 13

    Why is it that the first world-transforming protest after Covid has hit is a movement which has nothing to do with us, has eclipsed the 2018-9 gender equality movement and the 2015-9 climate movement, and has overshadowed every other movement?

    • RedLogix 13.1

      Because the video was so very graphic and confronting. It played out old fears in a visceral drama. It united all of us that something very wrong had happened here.

      But maybe if the news had been showing in full drawn out detail the slow, gasping deaths of just some of the many thousands who have died of COVID 19 on high rotation, there would be fewer people objecting to lockdowns.

      Maybe the USA would not be on track for another spike in infections and avoidable deaths within 3 – 5 weeks.

      And as Stalin said "the death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions a mere statistic".

    • Chris T 13.2

      Because it is probably more fashionable to get a selfie attending a BLM rally which means zilche to our country than doing one for the little kid in Flaxmere who finally got released from Starship after months and nearly dying and his family not talking on who beat the shit of the poor wee chap?

  14. ickey 14

    when are the cameras going on the fishing boats or have labour and nz first been paid off

  15. Eco Maori 15

    Kia Ora

    The Am Show.

    New Zealand is in A better place than most other countries.

    It was sad when the 60 million raised for the Australian Bush fires didn't get to the people who needed it the most.

    Ka kite Ano

  16. Eco Maori 16

    Kia Ora

    Newshub.

    Its better to teach a person to fish than it is to give putea to them.

    Its good that the back bone of Aotearoa is small businesses.

    Cool that our government has invested more money into Manuka hospitals.

    That's is great Outrageous fortune's and the West Side a good franchise that has been duplicated around the world.

    Ka kite Ano

  17. Eco Maori 17

    Kia Ora

    Te Ao Maori Marama.

    I agree social media will have a big part to play in the election.

    That's a good Wero.

    It is a great Wikitoria.

    Its great to see Kiwi rail getting more support.

    Ka kite Ano

  18. Eco Maori 18

    Kia Ora

    The Am Show.

    A lot of people will be happy in Aotearoa with the sport resuming this weekend.

    That's the way promoting Adventure tourism in Aotearoa.

    That's cool people helping free A Whale from rope waste being dump in the Moana.

    Ka kite Himi

    Ka kite Ano.

  19. Eco Maori 19

    Kia Ora.

    That will be good the Americas sailer will be able to come into Aotearoa.

    So funny A cyber attack is causing alcohol supply to be slowed down.

    Ka kite Ano.

  20. Eco Maori 20

    Kia Ora

    Te Ao Marama.

    At ta were are the captions.

    Eco Maori does not back all Maori News being run by Maori TV. Maori needs A broad range of news not stories controlled by one entity. The more channels that screen Maori stories and views the bigger the audience.

    I can see a lot of the students of the Kohanga and Kura Kaupapa and Kapa shining bright.

    Ka kite Ano

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  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 27

    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 hour ago
  • Ticket To Anywhere

    You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 hours ago
  • Stories of varying weight

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    19 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    24 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

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