Stop pleading with people who can't be bothered, or don't want to be vaccinated and allow people who want to be vaccinated to get the jabs.
Also stop sending out invites to people from the DHB and the GP at the same time to the same people. One could understand if there is some confusion if you can’t even get that right.
Hard to imagine the vaccine programme failing given the heavy coercion via media, and all that censorship.
I'm fully expecting vaccine lotteries similar to those in the US and Canada to be rolled out next although it might be illegal here at present. Be surprised to see medical Drs speaking out against this type of manipulation if it does occur
Well i would be happy if they could just co-ordinate enough to send the same person to two different places at the same time because they are ovbiously on more then one list.
After all is that not what a new IT system was invented? I have heard that from a few people now, specifically those that appear on different lists as they are healthcare workers, or in a particular age group and then again in a different group due to health reasons.
I honestly don't care if people go for the vaccine or not – unless it is made mandatory you can't force people to get it, but you can prioritise those that WANT the vaccine, and then sweep up those that may change their mind over the time.
I however am not happy about getting people back from Melbourne without a requirement to either go into quarantine or self isolate, but then the risk is acceptable to us unvaccinated. Right?
What censorship? I've not heard of any. Unless you're referring to the conspiracy theories which people are rightfully encouraged to ignore.
I agree with Sabine. Stop wasting time on the lazy and the doubters. I have a close relative who is 77 with underlying conditions (not overly serious but they exist) and he tried to get a jab from the one and only vaccine clinic in the North Shore region. He was turned down on the basis he was out of the zone. He lives in Devonport.
Based on that premise it means all over 65s who live in the south of the region are currently out of luck – unless you received an official invitation to make a booking which only applies to a portion of the local elderly. Nobody seems to know why they got an invite and not the rest of us. The invitees I know don't know either.
Clever response, Rosemary. It's very hard to identify good censorship.
On the other hand, and by the same logic, how do we know we are being censored at all?
How do you prove that something is not happening, especially when the proponents are saying it is happening but you don't know it is because that is the nature of censorship, od secrecy, and dare I say it, of conspiracy?
I see the answer might be found below at #6 from Isaac. The key to it all……..
Coercion: the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats
Hard to imagine the vaccine programme failing given the heavy coercion via media, and all that censorship.
What heavy coercionvia media? If some do feel heavily coerced about anything in the NZ media, my advice is to limit their exposure to said media – a kind of reverse censorship. It's really easy as no-one can be coerced to 'consume' media offerings.
I do hope that NZ's optional COVID-19 vaccination programme achieves it aims of limiting the spread of COVID-19 and/or the severity of symptoms, just like other optional vaccination programmes to protect against rotavirus, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal disease, chickenpox, measles, mumps, rubella, human papillomavirus, and shingles.
No vaccine is 100% effective, as they all rely on immune systems, but their ‘prevent and protect‘ functions are, on balance, beneficial to human health.
If you want to get vaccinated, or vaccinate your children, then go for it – I'm looking forward to getting my COVID-19 jabs – no (heavy) coercionvia media required.
Coercion: the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats
Maui – yes, there's plenty of MSM coverage about COVID-19 vaccines, both positive and negative. As the global pandemic death toll closes in on 4 million tragic deaths (with the realistic death toll much higher) that's hardly surprising.
As far as I can tell no Ministry of Health staff or reputable media outlets are concealing the fact that the Pfizer vaccine is effective for ‘only‘ ~19 of every 20 recipients, or that there is a (very very) tiny risk of significant side-effects. Just type "COVID vaccine side-effects" into a Google search to see for yourself.
So if you believe that the media coverage amounts to "heavy coercion" = use of heavy force or heavy threats (to do what?), then we'll have to agree to disagree.
Tbh, it saddens me that you, or anyone, might feel coerced by the release of factual information about the effects and side-effects of COVID-19 vaccines.
Maybe peer pressure or social pressure are better terms? There’s always pressure to conform to the majority view. I have to confess that I often like to give the finger to majority views and social ‘expectation’ especially when it there appears to have no solid foundation. I’ve learned to resist that temptation though because of OOS 😉
Hard to imagine the vaccine programme failing given the heavy coercion via media, and all that censorship.
Hard to imagine anyone wanting the 'vaccine programme' to fail, but…
Yep Incognito, pressure/encouragement from peers and wider society (including government agencies) to get vaccinated against COVID will be significant; certainly far greater than peer pressure to not get vaccinated.
Can't rule out the possibility that there are instances of "heavy coercion" to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but imho such a claim should be supported by at least one NZ example.
I support the freedom of any NZer to remain unvaccinated, although it's reasonable that those in critical border control and healthcare roles who choose not to, or are unable to get vaccinated must accept redeployment to duties with a relatively low risk of COVID-19 infection.
I have to confess that I often like to give the finger to majority views…
I too have a propensity to be suspicious of majority views. Regarding this global pandemic, is there a credible minority view (notPlan B) that's advocating against the widespread use of effective COVID-19 vaccines?
Will be interesting to see if, like the 1918 'Spanish flu', this pandemic burns out, or whether it settles into a (hopefully low-level) 'virus-vaccine arms race'.
Penny Tucker is concerned that there are “miracle drugs and biologics that have transformed many conditions from a death sentence to a surmountable challenge” and blames the lack of supply of these squarely on Pharmac. She is disappointed that Pharmac’s budget is not part of the review and is critical of its bureaucracy.
I acknowledge that she has declared no involvement with the pharmaceutical industry but her arguments sound about the same as those from Graeme Jarvis of Medicines New Zealand. She makes no mention of the role that the pharmaceutical industry plays in the difficulty of funding these.
The headline “Pharmac works well. Unless you’re sick” is seriously misleading. The contrary is true for the vast majority of New Zealanders, who received pharmaceuticals worth $1.04 billion last year
Funny thing is though, that this is true for both, Pharmac is ok for those that don't need extra super duper special medication, but for those that need it, Pharmac does not work quite so well. And for those that had their working meds changed to a cheaper alternative without consultation, Pharmacs decision can be well say challenging.
Virtually every drug has side effects and often people have to stop taking them, luckily for me Pharmac had a second choice but because it was more expensive needed a specialist sign off.
A bit baffled over a generic switch , but not surprised the concerns were from people with a 'mood related ' disorder or have been on a previous drug for a long time can forget the original adjustment wasnt easy either.
Placebo and Nocebo effects show no active ingredient or no change in drug can still trigger side effects
Another side to the PHARMAC story from someone who would benefit from them being much more generous with funding certain miracle drugs and procedures if you read the media reports. I research the relevant medical publications and expert assessments relevant to my condition and conclude that PHARMAC decisions are robust and clinically sound in this respect.
quite correct incognito. the usual moaners on here looking for a reason to whinge, should get out and pay full $$ for their meds. would make them stop and be very slightly grateful for pharmac(but probably not, too full of their own misery). their will ALWAYS be patients with unusual medical problems that need meds that arent subsidized, but with the HUGE range of meds for all sorts of conditions, that really is unavoidable. as someone who takes lots of meds, I am grateful for pharmac and how much they save me. a couple of the meds arent subsidized but winz often helps, and I figure if pharmac is saving me $50 on every ventolin inhaler, I can afford to put something toward meds they dont subsidize. too many on here are constantly whineing about how the gov isnt doing enough..get off your arse and help yourselves!!
Why does nobody go after the drug greedy companies, $70k a year for the latest alzheimer medicines, hell if they sold it for $10k a year I bet they would sell more than 7 times the amount.
Not sure what you mean . My point us once a drug is developed selling more of it at a cheaper rate must increase profits, but they chose to be arsholes!!
If the UN had balls or teeth they would sort this out . If companies are gouging fuck them and their patents just steal thier recipe.
I have this strange belief that the demand for alzheimers treatment is less related to price and more related to the number of people with the condition. Especially in NZ where there is public funding.
But if we take your reasoning as true then they are apparently surpressing alzheimers by 7x just by over charging. Maybe they could be asked to reduce the condition further by over charging even more?
lol, how very anti-capitalist. There are some things we are not allowed to touch, and big pharma is one of them. AIDS drugs in Africa being a prime example, but covid vaccines is fast catching up.
And to think Glaxo started in NZ – "…symbolises the culture of innovation that New Zealand is known for around the world."
Joseph Nathan and Co. was founded in 1873, as a general trading company in Wellington, New Zealand, by a Londoner, Joseph Edward Nathan. In 1904, it began producing a dried-milk baby food from excess milk produced on dairy farms near Bunnythorpe. The resulting product was first known as Defiance, then as Glaxo (from lacto), and sold with the slogan "Glaxo builds bonnie babies." The Glaxo Laboratories sign is still visibleon what is now a car repair shop on the main street of Bunnythorpe.
Pfizer has asked some Latin American countries for “indemnity from civil cases, meaning that the company would not be held liable for rare adverse effects or for its own acts of negligence, fraud or malice,” according to a recent report from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. “This includes those linked to company practices – say, if Pfizer sent the wrong vaccine or made errors during manufacturing.” In comments featured in the Bureau of Investigative Journalism report, Georgetown Law professor Lawrence Gostin explained that “[s]ome liability protection is warranted, but certainly not for fraud, gross negligence, mismanagement, failure to follow good manufacturing practices.”
(A copy of the contract is embedded in the article, and is written in both Spanish and English.)
Essentially the Act is about protection of the public – makes sure that all those who are covered by it have appropriate qualifications, standards and scopes of practice etc and prevents others who do not have the right training from being able to call themselves a doctor, nurse, physiotherapist or whatever other health profession.
The Act covers all the health professions but until now the Chinese medicine practitioners have not been covered by it.
5,000 years of empirical practice, theory development and building knowledge. Not to diss folk medicine but TCM is a form of medicine that requires training to n complex theory and practice. What qualifications in TCM does your doctor have?
So, lip service to the woo-believers while patients, families and communities are not only left to fund their own drugs, they're forced to stump up to administer life saving therapies to friends and loved ones.
Because Keytruda is unfunded in New Zealand for all cancers other than advanced melanoma: The Ministry of Health has directed that public hospitals are not to administer unfunded medicines and therefore Keytruda can only be given in a private hospital setting.
This directive adds another $27,000 on top of the $60,000 which pays for the administration, scans, oncologist fees and GST for the private hospital.
An awful lot of time spent waiting for wind and tide to be in the right direction, and for loading and discharging.
A big contrast to a modern container ship working 24/7 day and night every day of the year.
I worked years ago with many of the old scow sailors and several people who were on the Pamir.
Most of them much preferred the more relaxed, old days.as
Plenty of stories of days in the pub, waiting for wind and tide. One swore that the story of a scow spearing an, occupied, farmers dunny with the bowsprit while tacking up a creek, was true.
Yeah, she had sails, but an engine too. You use the sails when you've got a bit of room, not up tidal creeks and such. Electrification is I think a later step for improving transport fuel efficiency – just getting freight off the roads is the first step, and given industry resistance, you'd want to see how that battle played out before electrifying our largely extinct coastal shipping.
I think the government hasn't really given much thought to coastal shipping. You'd want to develop Clifford Bay or somewhere nearby, as the fairweather ferry port, and move freight through there when conditions allow – knocks a big chunk of fuel out of the interisland equation. And fuel = emissions.
Oh dear Clifford Bay again. I knew it was a bit closer for trucks and the ferry. Now you say that it would be a better port from the weather situation. If it was open could Picton still be used by inter-islander for tourist purposes and the rail link? Would that be viable? Picton needs to use its investment in seagoing ventures, and they keep the town going. It would be bad for it to divert too much elsewhere.
A port outside the Sounds saves about an hour on the ferry, together with some wake erosion. Picton will still be needed in strong easterlies apparently, so it doesn't close. Less ferries and more leisure craft can still keep it prosperous.
I seem to have a vague memory of Gerry Brownlee selling the land at Clifford bay that was being held fr a port. My understanding was, if a breakwater was built, then the ferry trip from wellington is shorter, the trip to christchurch is shorter and the rail wagons don't have to be hauled over the Dashwood incline.
The "Janey!" – Do you have the pamphlet written about her and the crew? A real work horse. The Warkworth Cement works started by Wilsons was dependent upon her fetching shell from the shell banks at Miranda in the Firth of Thames – where the godwits now feed. She is of course back at her old locality on the Maharangi River in Warkworth. My wife is an descendant of Davy Darroch who built her. Named after the ship which brought Davy and his father George and mother Nicholas to NZ in 1842. (Jane Gifford was the wife of the owner of the ship). Davy's tools are held in the Warkworth museum.
I still have a copy of The Janey and Her Skipper – written by Ivy Collins – Reg's wife.
He worked her pretty hard, loading shell and shingle by barrow as often as not. My understanding was he let her go when the rules changed requiring him to carry an engineer – which must have affronted someone who lost so much hair nursing a temperamental diesel into life with a blowtorch.
I enjoyed reading a lent copy of it from a g'son of a former crew member. The family here have a fond attachment to the Janey and have a copy of the painting of the Jane Gifford and The Duchess of Argyll arrival in Auckland on the wall.
Amongst the photogenic pictures of 'Jane' there were ads for Omaha Beach's Jane Gifford Place and this was put up only 2 years ago.
Imagine waking to the gentle sounds of surf, leaping out of bed, a 3-minute stroll to watch the sun rise on the pristine, white sands of Omaha Beach. Walk your dog with a friend, cast your fishing rod or catch a wave, then wander back via the café
I hope that people have finally caught up with the idea of – a Sea level rise b Weather bombs c King/queen tides more frequent d Huge waves from local or distant weather events. Just not what you want to wake up to and definitely not 'the gentle sounds of surf'.
I hope too the Rip van Winkels don't wake up with a shock, and go waah Council, government, come and help us now we have been foolish and wilfully ignorant and invested in wet sand. Even the bible warns against that though note; it isn't the real estate 'profession' bible.
..shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. Matthew 7: 24-27
The actuaries at insurance companies dont seem to agree with your reckons.
"Christchurch and Dunedin have the largest numbers of homes affected by premiums quadrupling or worse – at least 4850 and 3100, respectively, after 13-14cm of sea level rise."
The timing of insurance retreat chart is worth attention.
The historical reason for Blenheim being where it is comes from the fact that it was the first firm land suitable for wagons to unload cargoes from coastal scows such as the Edwin Fox etc.
It would be interesting to see the Clifford Bay proposal revisited in these changing times.
Nice work by NZ (UoA) scientists in 2004 – published in Nature, no less. But iron oxide particles belong in pigeon beaks, not in humans, which is where they will be if Big Pharma has its wicked way. No-one's proven that these iron oxide-based vaccine delivery systems can't turn people into compliant 'pigeons' – keep your guard up.
Homing pigeons reveal true magnetism
Iron crystals in their beaks give birds a nose for north. It's official: homing pigeons really can sense Earth's magnetic field. An investigation of their ability to detect different magnetic fields shows that their impressive navigation skills almost certainly relies on tiny magnetic particles in their beaks.
quiztest. In this game you’re told you’re playing a game against somebody and that person has been given a pot of money which they must share with you. They may have $10 and make you an offer of $2.
“And then you have a choice, you can choose to take that $2, which is real money, walk away and buy something, or you can decide to turn the offer down.
But if you turn the offer down, then you leave with no money, and the other person also leaves with no money…”
“But what they found was that if people were offered $2 out of a $10 pot then around half of people would turn that down.” This held true even for larger amounts of money, he says.
“An American group then did it where it was $100 a game. And they still found that when people were offered 20 bucks out of that 100, around half would still turn it down. So even if there's quite a lot of money on the line people will still spitefully turn it down.
“They turned it down because they didn't want the other person to get more money than they did.” This could simply be a fairness instinct manifesting itself, but other games show a darker impulse.
The ‘Joy of Destruction’ game is when everybody has a task and earns the same amount for it. “At the end, you're asked under conditions of anonymity whether you'd like to destroy some of the other person's money just because you can do and about 40 percent of people spitefully choose to destroy the other person's money – just because they can.”
What do you think. A bit of something, is worth more than a lot of nothing, all things being equal?
I have observed the instinct in cases where the person wasn't going to get anything but was simply jealous of someone they don't know being fortunate. The one where people will reject quite large sums still surprises me though. I simply don't understand the psychology of such people.
In terms of the spite behavior though I can offer the variant I never understood either. An acquaintance of mine bought an old Rolls Royce a couple of years ago. It was about 30 years old and it only cost him about $15,000, ie the price of a 3 year old basic car. He just wanted to own one once in his life and it being old and a bit unreliable didn't bother him.
It was totally ruined for him because he couldn't park it anywhere in Wellington. It would have some idiot run a coin down the side, just for spite it appeared. It happened to him 4 or 5 times in just a couple of months. Why did people behave that way? He got rid of it because the behavior of other people who were simply jealous of someone they didn't even know was too much for him.
Nobody was earning, it was (potentially) fortuitous gain…the logical and fair thing to do was offer to split it….id suggest if that was done the uptake would be near universal.
I wonder if the outcome would have been different if it had been apples, pies or marbles, for example, instead of dollars. We seem to have an other-worldly relationship with money.
I suspect Ashley Church may be rather better informed about housing affordability than Chloe. And I'd suggest Chloe may need to do more reading if she is seriously advocating for rent controls.
I suspect Ashley Church is not an elected MP with an electorate seat who is in Parliament for the whole of Aotearoa-New Zealand. You sure make some silly comments.
Never said that. Point is that as an MP, she gets to make policy and decisions that affect many more than just a Real Estate lobby group. She’s accountable to all Kiwis. You’re betting on the wrong horse, but maybe you have an engrained bias against the Green Party or an agenda or both.
My comment was never about influence, it was about knowledge and experience.
"I suspect Ashley Church may be rather better informed about housing affordability than Chloe."
If Chloe wants to use her policy and decision making ability in a constructive way, she could a lot worse than to have a chat about housing affordability with someone with Ashley Church's experience.
So you did, which was a meaningless comment, at best, and more like an attack on a Green MP. For example, Andrew Little is not medically qualified in the slightest yet he’s the Minister of Health. The way it works is that Government MPs and Ministers get professional and expert advice from qualified people. I doubt Ashley Church is among those, for obvious reasons. National MPs OTOH might welcome it with open arms and lots of hugs & kisses; a few former MPs are now Real Estate agents I’ve heard.
" I doubt Ashley Church is among those, for obvious reasons."
The only "obvious reason" would be that Church is informed, knowledgeable and experienced. Chloe is not. Which, despite your obvious misreading of my post, is why I suggested she does some more research.
CoreLogic notes that affordability analysis can rarely be based on absolute comparisons – it has to be an area’s figures measured relative to its own history or to other parts of the country. All in all, Mr Davidson says, “There is nothing new about increasing unaffordability – to combat it, New Zealand needs more supply of housing and more intensified housing – making use of prefab techniques and tiny housing.”
“The key message from this report is that housing affordability worsened quite appreciably in the final three months of 2020 and any further declines will increase the divide between existing owners and those who aspire to buy, and lessen the pool of people who can actually enter the market, ensuring that this issue remains right at the top of the public agenda for some time to come.”
About CoreLogic
With coverage of 99% of the New Zealand property market and more than 500 million decision points in our database, we're absolutely passionate about data accuracy which allows us to deliver on our promise of the most reliable and powerful property insights and analytics.
Maybe Church's analysis is the odd one out, which would be odd indeed given that he's a former CEO of the Property Institute of New Zealand.
That being said, maybe the recent tax changes for residential investment properties will begin to have an effect at the lower end of the property market.
I have the answer for you. It is in the words "final three months of 2020". Church's analysis covers a considerably longer time frame.
“That being said, maybe the recent tax changes for residential investment properties will begin to have an effect at the lower end of the property market.”
My personal view is they won’t, because there is still a huge issue with supply. Ashley Church, in his letter to the PM, points out that the biggest impediment to first home buyers is the deposit, and there are ways to fix that that the government could be considering.
Auckland Business leader Ashley Church is calling on people to reject MMP in tomorrow’s referendum.
Mr Church, who currently heads the Newmarket Business Association, was a vocal opponent of MMP prior to the 1993 referendum and says that all of the concerns he expressed at that time have been realised since the system was implemented.
We are calling out the Israel Institute. This has gone too far.
The Israel Institute calls itself an independent think-tank. Its three co-directors are David Cumin, Perry Trotter and Ashley Church. It is not a registered charity, or charitable trust, or incorporated society. It is not tax exempt. We found no accountability documentation.
Oh Church is certainly not apolitical. But I note you haven't found anything to undermine his credentials on housing. Which is, after all, what we're talking about.
No, before you bring in your dodgy propagandist, you must answer Chloe's case.
Church seems to be disqualified by avarice (he's a rentier) and inclination (he is involved with the untruthful and frankly toxic taxevader's "union") from meaningful commentary – if we wanted even more failed Chicago school bullshit, we need only consult the ape-descended primates on Kiwibog.
So being a rentier disqualifies a person from having an informed opinion on the property market? That's like saying anyone who benefits financially from climate change policy is disqualified from having a qualified on opinion on climate change. It's silly.
As for Chloe's case, I have answered it. She speaks about it taking decades for housing to return to affordability, but as Ashley Church points out, housing is more affordable now than it was 33 years ago.
Chloe also argues for rent controls, and in support links to the UK Labour Party's proposals, which are untried, while ignoring the evidence that rent controls have perverse outcomes.
I have nothing against Chloe personally, but she is seriously out of her depth.
I have nothing against Chloe personally, but she is seriously out of her depth.
How lovely to know that your attacks on Chlöe are not personal, nor on James Shaw or the Green Party at large, I take it. And you would know this because your hero/guru Ashley Church told you?
The Green Party has opened this for public discussion and feedback and put up eight options to start the debate.
Clearly, housing affordability is low, especially in Auckland. As the Greens point out, there are international examples of various ways of control and regulation that work. Unsurprisingly, you had to cherry-pick the untested proposals by Labour UK. However, I do assume that those proposals are founded on research too, as is the case with the Green Party’s initiative.
The Taxpayers’ Onion has no credibility whatsoever until they put up a discussion document that National or ACT can take to Parliament. Instead, they fear-monger in the hope of stymying the debate and killing off any firm policy proposals by this Government. It goes without saying that they don’t ACT in good faith. Never have. Never will. Do you donate to them?
Pointless exercise ….gypsy has misinterpreted the claim in his linked 2019 article (median house price has increased by over 30% since) where Ashley Church does what he accuses others of doing and cherry picks 'serviceability' criteria to compare two points in time to create a false narrative and conveniently ignores deposit criteria, mortgage terms and income ratios.
Corelogics most recent report notes these factors in its analysis and is a much better source of analysis than an industry spruiker.
The Core Logic data is looking at a much narrower window. I havn't misinterpreted any claim. And the deposit criteria is something Ashley Church specifically mentions in his letter to the PM.
What I do find strange is the seeming willingness to accept untried political opinions over the word of someone who understands the housing market. I doubt that principle would be applied in other areas?
Lol…what I find strange is the supporting links in his letter to the PM are his own articles….he provides ZERO evidence for his talking points…all of which are regularly trotted out by the industry.
The fact is housing affordability is completely controllable by the government should they so choose….the real question is whether the consequences are politically saleable.
As the Gov and RBNZ are well aware its a question of when not if the housing ponzi crashes….and every action to date has been to defer that day.
If (contrary to what Ashley Church espouses) the Gov can control housing affordability as you agree AND that is a political decision then why would you listen to his advice ( a failed politician) over that of a successful politician (Chloe Swarbrick)?
He's a lobbyist using an industry provided outlet and his opinion deserves to be viewed as such.
" If (contrary to what Ashley Church espouses) the Gov can control housing affordability as you agree AND that is a political decision then why would you listen to his advice ( a failed politician) over that of a successful politician (Chloe Swarbrick)? "
1. That isn't what Ashley Church espouses. In fact his letter makes suggestions about how the government could fix the housing market.
2. Why would I listen to the advice of a proven expert over someone with zero experience?
3. Ashley Church was the youngest ever person elected to the Napier Council. He served 3 terms. Like Stuart, you don't seem to know much about Ashley.
2. You can’t control house prices.
The housing policies of successive governments, both here and around the world, have been grounded on the rocks of their attempts to bring house prices under control. It can’t be done. That’s not my opinion – it’s the evidence of over 40 years of history of the New Zealand housing market. If your goal is to reduce or reverse house price inflation, the market will beat you and you’ll have needlessly expended political energy and capital on a battle that you can’t possibly win.
Do you understand the difference between house prices (from Ashley's Church's quote) and housing affordability (from your quote I replied to)? Clearly you don't, which could explain a lot. FYI, this was the headline of his letter to the PM “Dear Prime Minister, how I would ‘fix’ the housing market”.
Ashley Church's credentials are well recognised. I'm not aware that Chloe Swarbrick is called on to offer her expert opinion on any aspect of the property market.
Your reference is a Napier general election result. In a safe Labour seat in which Church stood for National. Church served for 3 terms as an elected Councillor. “He was responsible for the ‘NapierLife’ Marketing program, which was a key driver in reversing population decline and re-energising economic activity in Hawke’s Bay during the 1990s. ” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_Church#Political_career). Chloe failed in her bid at the Auckland mayoralty. She only got 7.33% of the vote. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Auckland_mayoral_election) Does that make her a 'failed politician'? I think not.
You do understand the meaning of 'affordability' and its relationship to price?
2. Ashley Church's credentials have no basis in housing affordability, the area you attribute his 'expertise'….indeed his experience is more accurately in property investment and sales and marketing, the almost antithesis of affordability.
3.Yes Chloe Swarbrick lost her first foray into local body politics and went on to succeed within national level politics whereas Mr Church never managed to progress beyond local Councillor….and we know the quality of local body politics.
4. You are welcome to hang on Mr Church 's property proclamations regarding property investment but if he wishes to make policy then he can re-offer his services to the electorate and see if he fares any better this time round, meanwhile C Swarbrick can continue to perform the role she was elected to do.
"You do understand the meaning of 'affordability' and its relationship to price?"
Yes. It is one component of many. But you really did confuse the two didn't you.
"Ashley Church's credentials have no basis in housing affordability"
Of course they do. He is a well regarded expert on property matter generally, and has written on the topic for a living.
"Yes Chloe Swarbrick lost her first foray into local body politics and went on to succeed within national level politics whereas Mr Church never managed to progress beyond local Councillor….and we know the quality of local body politics."
So by your own standard, Chloe has failed at politics. Unless you have a different standard for people you disagree with?
"You are welcome to hang on Mr Church 's property proclamations regarding property investment but if he wishes to make policy then he can re-offer his services to the electorate and see if he fares any better this time round, meanwhile C Swarbrick can continue to perform the role she was elected to do."
I don't hang my hat on anything. It is important to consider a range of viewpoints. If and when Chloe establishes her bona fides in property, I will even listen to her.
" Clearly, housing affordability is low, especially in Auckland. "
Ashley Church has presented an argument that housing affordability is better than it was 30 years ago. You have an opportunity to refute that.
" The Green Party has opened this for public discussion and feedback and put up eight options to start the debate. "
I never critiqued Green party policy. I was commenting on an article written by Chloe Swarbrick that contained her ideas about housing affordability and rent controls. I consider her opinion ill-informed, and have provided references to support that view.
“How lovely to know that your attacks on Chlöe are not personal, nor on James Shaw or the Green Party at large”
In this entire discussion I have not made any comment about James Shaw (who I admire) or the Green party generally. I have also made no mention of the Tax Payers Union, National or Act.
[Time to start moderating you because it seems that you’re pushing a nefarious agenda on this site and your comments don’t appear to be in good faith, as others have come to realise and have noted too.
Housing affordability is low, especially in Auckland.
This is a fact that does not get nullified by some historical comparison, which is a disingenuous debating trick. In addition, the comparison is arguably flawed anyway, as others have already pointed out.
I never critiqued Green party policy. I was commenting on an article written by Chloe Swarbrick that contained her ideas about housing affordability and rent controls.
Actually, Chlöe Swarbrick didn’t give or discuss any specific ideas about rent controls in her article in the Guardian. She mentioned that her party had started talking about rent controls (see the link in my comment listing 8 options to kick-off debate and consultation). And you went apeshit. When you try to refute her “ideas about housing affordability and rent controls”, by using Ashley Church as your prop – do you have any expertise of your own at all in this area? – you are, in fact, trying to critique “Green party policy”. Don’t you even realise what you’re doing here or is this part of your gaslighting MO? So far, you have not critiqued anything, but just went out on a full-scale blanket attack against the broad concept of rent control in Aotearoa-New Zealand. Quite possibly, because you’re ideologically opposed or have vested interests or both.
In this entire discussion I have not made any comment about James Shaw (who I admire) or the Green party generally.
Strictly speaking, this is correct, but I (and others here) read all your comments and I put this in context of what you’re doing here specifically in this thread. For example, starting here with your obscure Listener article that nobody else here could access: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13-06-2021/#comment-1797969. Short memory? Comes with the job, I guess.
So, others and I see a pattern emerging and when challenged, you deny and obfuscate.
I have also made no mention of the Tax Payers Union, National or Act.
Not verbatim, correct again, but you mentioned/introduced Ashley Church and keep propping him up. Are you playing cute when insulting our intelligence?
The way I see it is that you are a slippery commenter who does not comment in good faith, particularly on housing affordability, rent controls, and Chlöe Swarbrick. You don’t engage in constructive debate, which is why others are wasting their time on your comments (26 so far here and going on for 3 full days now). Here is your warning: stop with this disingenuous way of commenting or take it somewhere else. Please acknowledge that you have read and understood this warning, thanks – Incognito]
There is a problem with housing affordability for the younger working age group, and it has been shown that the number of years income required to buy a house has shot up skyhigh, compared to earlier times when there was more gradual rise in line with young adults' earnings.
I think this is generally recognised and you criticising people for thinking differently makes you seem a hostile provocateur in the column. Are you a rentier yourself only concerned with your own interests or those of family or friends or clients? We are thinking about the interests of general society, it is a different perspective; it seems there is a chasm between the two sides.
gypsy You are cherry picking things to go on about, and repeat, and go on about, and… Why don't you take up building mountains out of molehills elsewhere? We want to see real housing being carried out, and not leaky stuff either, and haven't got time to indulge in acrimonious arguments with people 'vaccinated with a gramophone needle' as my Gran used to say. Please go and find yourself a good hobby where you can show off your aggression and erudition to an appreciative well-heeled audience. Body building or ultimate fighting might be to your taste.
Seamen have been known to enhance their expressive range with deck spanners – nor is their tolerance for fools infinite. But it is better not to lay one's vices off on one's profession. A certain terseness and directness of expression sometimes, perhaps.
" There is so much to read and follow and these people are a distraction "
No-one is forcing you to engage. Given your responses, I would suggest your issue is sensitivity to criticism of Chloe rather than truly believing she is more qualified to speak authoritatively on this than Ashley Church.
You have thoroughly established yourself as a bad faith commenter.
I consider her opinion ill-informed
I consider your opinion fatuous.
I would suggest you get help,
I'm sure we are all amused by
your assumption of mental health credentials you don't possess
your departure from them by offering diagnosis without consultation or consent
But it is entirely consistent with the quality of your opinions on real estate, and on Chloe Swarbrick; that is to say, not worth a moment of anybody's time.
When you try to refute her “ideas about housing affordability and rent controls”, by using Ashley Church as your prop – do you have any expertise of your own at all in this area? \
Providing expert opinion is not a 'prop'. I can just imagine your response if I had given my own opinion without support! And yes I have expertise. Considerable. But that doesn't actually matter, so I quoted from an industry professional whose analysis people actually pay for.
[So much to unpack in this short comment; a most revealing litigious comment, which should have been a short and simple acknowledgement of a Moderation note, no more, no less.
If all you do is refer to one single so-called expert without providing your own arguments and facts, yes, then it is a prop. You’re hiding behind your prop and this is the well-known authority fallacy.
My imagined response is mostly irrelevant; more importantly, imagine the response of other commenters if you had given your opinion supported with well laid out arguments and information and you had engaged in good faith; we wouldn’t be having this convo right now. But no, Ashley Church is the best thing since sliced bread, apparently, and Chlöe Swarbrick is ignorant, inexperienced, and young – “a 26 year old who has no experience”, FFS!!
So, it does actually matter that you argue from your own position of knowledge and expertise instead of hiding behind a prop. It also adds authenticity to your comments, which builds trust and respect, even when others don’t necessarily agree with you. This is the kaupapa of this site and your comments run counter to this.
So, you chose a prop that people pay for? What kind of argument is that? Should we be impressed, in awe, and stunned? Does it make his opinion any better than Chlöe Swarbrick’s who’s also paid by the people to do her job dutifully as MP? Does it make him more trustworthy and accountable?
It is a pathetic argument and we know it – Incognito]
Housing affordability is low, especially in Auckland.
Now this is a really good example of how you operate – you either don't understand the content or you deliberately misrepresent it. I have never argued affordability is or is not 'low'. What i did was introduce Ashley Church's evidence that housing is more affordable than it was 30 years ago. Chloe's article was headed " Under the government’s current plans it will be half a century before house prices return to affordability ". The point I made from the outset was that this is misleading, because housing is more affordable now than it was 30 years ago. That's why I referred to the work by Ashley Church.
[Chlöe Swarbrick correctly stated in her article that housing affordability is low. I stated the same thing (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10-06-2021/#comment-1798194). Your response was to mention some silly historical comparison by Ashely Church with which you agreed, obviously. Now you’re saying “I have never argued affordability is or is not ‘low’.” You’re lying through your teeth; you attacked that statement of fact more than once!
Chlöe’s statement was about how long it might take to correct this unaffordability, a projection into the future, which you ‘countered’ with a backward statement. If that isn’t the comment of a disingenuous troll, I don’t know what is.
Now this is a really good example of how you operate – you either don’t understand the content or you deliberately misrepresent it. [my italics]
QFT
The only one who has been misleading is you – Incognito]
This is a fact that does not get nullified by some historical comparison, which is a disingenuous debating trick.
Chloe's article was headed " Under the government’s current plans it will be half a century before house prices return to affordability ". Presenting historical evidence that housing is more affordable now than 30 years ago in response to that claim is a "disingenuous debating trick"?
Seriously, I've enjoyed this little exchange. And yes, I understand the warning. It is a petulant rant from a moderator who clearly doesn't like their pets being criticized.
[Nope, you pulled the debating trick arguing against my comment that housing affordability is low, particularly in Auckland. This is undeniable and yet you deny it!? And it could indeed take decades to get down to levels that are more acceptable.
Yes, I’m sure you’ve enjoyed your little exchange with me and all those other ones with other commenters here. So far, 31 comments here. Unfortunately, you don’t want to understand the warning and rather attack the Moderator, which is a silly thing to do. Your attack is misplaced and misguided, anyway, because they are not my “pets” nor did you criticise anything. All you did was sniping and yapping.
I see that you ran some other counter-attacks on my Moderation note, which is just wasting more Moderator time. I will deal with those later, but first I will put a stop to this charade. Banned for 31 days, one day for each comment – Incognito]
You need to get over yourself. This isn’t North Korea FFS.
But you mentioned/introduced Ashley Church and keep propping him up. "
No, I responded to ad-hominem attacks on an expert commentator that were irrelevant to the post. Have you moderated those who carried on those attacks? I’ll bet you haven’t.
but I (and others here) read all your comments and I put this in context of what you’re doing here specifically in this thread.
This seems to go to the heart of your moderating. You don’t like criticism of something you agree with. But whatever you may assert, an article in the listener is not 'obscure'. I do note that criticism of any Green Party policy is now unacceptable to you. Particularly one that is supported by a reference.
Actually, Chlöe Swarbrick didn’t give or discuss any specific ideas about rent controls in her article in the Guardian.
This is arguably one of your sillier comments.
Her piece in the guardian is headed "Everyone deserves a decent, secure life. It’s time New Zealand talked about rent controls." Her article links to Green Party policy on housing, which includes control of rents!
I could go on, but you have form that I was warned about by other commenters here when i was new. In the case of this convo, I understand it goes back to your silly comment here.
[This is a note for future reference.
Indeed, this is not North Korea, because here you can freely comment and argue your opinion without fear of repercussions. FFS.
Moderators here are more concerned about ad homs at other commenters and, above all, Authors. If somebody doubts your ‘expert’ this is hardly the stuff that would trigger moderation unless it kills debate and/or creates a bad vibe. Moderation usually starts with a warning, anyway.
Moderation is all about commenting behaviour, not about disagreeing at all. You’ve got it all wrong. I really don’t care if you want to criticize any Green Party policy but that’s not what you did here; you attacked a Green MP in a dishonest way without proper arguments other than your prop Ashley Church.
It is rather puzzling that you think so highly of Ashley Church and think his opinion on the matter is definitive and some kind of ‘industry standard’ since you wrote about a week ago:
That is a personal opinion provided based on someone’s experience. That has value, but it is certainly not definitive.
The Listener article that you quoted was “obscure” because it was inaccessible to others here, me included, i.e. it was hidden. This is an accepted meaning of “obscure”.
Indeed, Chlöe Swarbrick and the Green Party want (us) to talk about rent controls. The Green Party website lists 8 options to kick-start the discussion. You did not counter any of those options. You want to kill off any debate about rent controls full stop. No discussion needed around any of the options. No need to evaluate the supporting material provided. Just abort it ASAP. All rent control is bad, according to you, without actually arguing any specifics in the GP discussion document. We should simply take Ashley Church’s word for it. Yeah, right!
If you don’t want to debate rent controls here on this site, then you can leave it or go somewhere else. Others may want to discuss it and don’t need you riding roughshod all over the thread and diverting it away to Ashley Church of all people, i.e. without you diversion trolling here.
No, you cannot go on, because you have now been banned and when you come back you can pull your head in.
Yes, I saw your comment at the time (https://thestandard.org.nz/about-trevor-mallard/#comment-1791405) and thought it was silly and I took it a face value. So, you were new here, were you? Not only do you treat other commenters here with contempt, you also treat a Moderator as a fool. Let’s stop playing your silly little game, because we both know how this will end, don’t we? – Incognito]
No, you have not even begun to answer Chloe's point, the crisis of unaffordability, nor are the opinions of a dishonest extreme right provocateur of interest.
housing is more affordable now than it was 33 years ago
House price increases and income levels do not determine affordability. You have ignored interest rates for one. And providing a single comment from a moment in time 6 years ago is not a credible argument.
Your comment is precisely the reason you need to be listening to more informed voices.
Edit – if you enjoy snap shot comments, here’s one for you:
You trying to peddle the views of a dishonest redneck on a left-leaning site really takes the cake.
you need to be listening to
No, no I don't. You and the revolting Mr Church can find somewhere else to peddle your facile lies.
Here, we are concerned with making progress on the clusterfuck people like you and the revolting Mr Church have made of what was once a functional and well-ordered society.
If you're not with that program, maybe you don't belong here. People on the BFD are apparently stupid enough to pay attention to you – you'll be right at home.
I rate Chloe infinitely more trustworthy and better informed than either of you – you constitute a mighty low bar.
Secondly – he knows his stuff when it comes to property. In the context of this discussion, that's all that matters, notwithstanding your irrational dislike for the man.
Secondly – he knows his stuff when it comes to property.
You have produced no evidence whatsoever to support this dubious assertion – on the contrary, you have pointed out his conflicts with the well respected Chloe Swarbrick, and it has surfaced in the course of discussion that he is a member of that rat pack, the so-called taxpayer's union. With the possible exception of the Nazi party or Nambla you would look long and hard to find an organization less deserving of public confidence.
Now, have you anything rational to offer beyond beyond your tawdry and utterly discredited appeal to authority?
Look – I posted a good sensible column from Ms Swarbrick, on housing policy.
You rubbished her, without addressing anything she said, and wheeled out the despicable person of Ash Church.
As you seem to possess a pathological dislike for the guy, I would have thought you would have known more about him. Including:
He is a frequent commentator on property matters across multiple forums.
He is a past CEO of the Auckland Property Investors Association.
He is a past CEO of the Property Institute of NZ.
All of which make him competent to advise on property investment – and make his advice self-interested and unworthy of consideration in relation to public policy.
The wankers and property speculators who have created the present housing crisis are not competent in regard to housing policy, which thanks to their antisocial input now stands in need of frankly heroic intervention, as Chloe points out, and which you would know if you had read and understood her column instead of trying to crawl up Asley Church's spotty bottom.
Is the penny finally starting to drop yet?
The function of government is not to enrich sociopathic assholes like Mr Church – nor yet their lamentable lickspittle lackeys neither.
We've had this type of commenter before haven't we. Can't be convinced of anything because it doesn't suit them to think or change. Could be someone working for the right, working for NZ Initiative, or even the Treasury. You can't convince them of anything that doesn't enhance their position. And the other thing they like to do is adopt the superior position! They have all the facts and understand them thoroughly, and you are either ignorant, or missing the point, or putting the wrong construction on the wording.
It's your time if you want to keep replying, but remember we already have Alwyn. Do we want another wilfully ignorant person here with commenters wasting their time on them? There is so much to read and follow and these people are a distraction; I believe they set out to be and possibly have a modus operandi that they follow that presses our buttons, but fail to ring a warning bell in our heads.
" I posted a good sensible column from Ms Swarbrick, on housing policy. "
And I refuted two key elements of her 'policy' using the writings of someone far more eminently qualified. Chloe is 26 years old. I'm not aware she has ever owned a house, let alone had any experience of managing housing as a market.
You refuted nothing, instead resting your flimsy smear on the reputation of a liar and a profiteer.
We can forgive fools who make errors through ignorance, but not those whose motive for wrongdoing is profit.
Church's knowledge of property is like the wolf's knowledge of sheepfarming – exhaustive, but motivated by self interest, not general prosperity.
Address Chloe's argument without reference to that charlatan – if your object is to actually discuss housing policy and not exhibit your unseemly enthusiasm for that despicable grifter.
Yes your hatred is truly psychopathic. That doesn't affect in any way the expertise of the source.
Your failure to engage in actual argument is typical of trolls – without your false prophet you are incapable of grappling with the issues the surround housing, and fall back on ad homs, first of Ms Swarbrick, and now of me.
Housing is, frankly, a mess. As Swarbrick notes, and your idol is unable to refute, it is going to take fifty years on current trends, for housing to return to reasonable affordability – which given the way variability affects economic predictions over time, is tantamount to never.
Property investors and real estate companies are largely to blame for this. They are also to blame for many of our homeless, and those the government is presently lodging in dodgy motels as a stopgap. They are freeloaders, whose business model was built on tax free capital gain, but neither the homelessness nor the tax evasion is the greatest damage they have done to New Zealand. That would be the massive inflation they have caused, and continue to cause – some 30% this year. Anything over 20% or so is usually referred to as hyperinflation.
This imposes massive deadweight costs right across the economy, money that should be circulating productively is sucked into the black hole of property. There will be no rising tide, even with the current dairy receipt boom, while property is sucking all the liquidity out of the economy.
It needs to be addressed – but we fully understand why the guilty parties, Church and his fellow travelers, are desperate that it not be.
Your disparagement of Swarbrick is part of an extended campaign on behalf of the self-styled Taxpayers Union that goes back to its ill-natured and ineffectual attacks on Mojo Mathers. How proud you must be to be part of that group of momentarily unincarcerated villains.
I was commenting on an article written by Chloe Swarbrick that contained her ideas about housing affordability and rent controls.
I consider her opinion ill-informed, and have provided references to support that view.
You, on the other hand, have engaged in an ad-hominem diatribe that reveals an irrational hatred of real estate agents, property investors, the Taxpayers Union, none of whom I have even commented on.
I would suggest you get help, but no doubt you've got some deep set hatred of anyone who could help you.
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The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
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:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
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 ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
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. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
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 A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
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https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/covid-19-coronavirus-auckland-30000-jabs-behind-vaccine-schedule-hipkins-pleads-for-priority-people-to-step-forward/EU7BLNG3U73GWXVYZ4KEYEUCSQ/
Stop pleading with people who can't be bothered, or don't want to be vaccinated and allow people who want to be vaccinated to get the jabs.
Also stop sending out invites to people from the DHB and the GP at the same time to the same people. One could understand if there is some confusion if you can’t even get that right.
Hard to imagine the vaccine programme failing given the heavy coercion via media, and all that censorship.
I'm fully expecting vaccine lotteries similar to those in the US and Canada to be rolled out next although it might be illegal here at present. Be surprised to see medical Drs speaking out against this type of manipulation if it does occur
Well i would be happy if they could just co-ordinate enough to send the same person to two different places at the same time because they are ovbiously on more then one list.
After all is that not what a new IT system was invented? I have heard that from a few people now, specifically those that appear on different lists as they are healthcare workers, or in a particular age group and then again in a different group due to health reasons.
I honestly don't care if people go for the vaccine or not – unless it is made mandatory you can't force people to get it, but you can prioritise those that WANT the vaccine, and then sweep up those that may change their mind over the time.
I however am not happy about getting people back from Melbourne without a requirement to either go into quarantine or self isolate, but then the risk is acceptable to us unvaccinated. Right?
… and all that censorship.
What censorship? I've not heard of any. Unless you're referring to the conspiracy theories which people are rightfully encouraged to ignore.
I agree with Sabine. Stop wasting time on the lazy and the doubters. I have a close relative who is 77 with underlying conditions (not overly serious but they exist) and he tried to get a jab from the one and only vaccine clinic in the North Shore region. He was turned down on the basis he was out of the zone. He lives in Devonport.
Based on that premise it means all over 65s who live in the south of the region are currently out of luck – unless you received an official invitation to make a booking which only applies to a portion of the local elderly. Nobody seems to know why they got an invite and not the rest of us. The invitees I know don't know either.
Bit of a mess here.
What censorship? I've not heard of any.
Excellent! It's working then.
Clever response, Rosemary. It's very hard to identify good censorship.
On the other hand, and by the same logic, how do we know we are being censored at all?
How do you prove that something is not happening, especially when the proponents are saying it is happening but you don't know it is because that is the nature of censorship, od secrecy, and dare I say it, of conspiracy?
I see the answer might be found below at #6 from Isaac. The key to it all……..
Coercion: the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats
What heavy coercion via media? If some do feel heavily coerced about anything in the NZ media, my advice is to limit their exposure to said media – a kind of reverse censorship. It's really easy as no-one can be coerced to 'consume' media offerings.
I do hope that NZ's optional COVID-19 vaccination programme achieves it aims of limiting the spread of COVID-19 and/or the severity of symptoms, just like other optional vaccination programmes to protect against rotavirus, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal disease, chickenpox, measles, mumps, rubella, human papillomavirus, and shingles.
No vaccine is 100% effective, as they all rely on immune systems, but their ‘prevent and protect‘ functions are, on balance, beneficial to human health.
If you want to get vaccinated, or vaccinate your children, then go for it – I'm looking forward to getting my COVID-19 jabs – no (heavy) coercion via media required.
"What heavy coercion via media?"
Where have you been living for the past year? We get daily news about everything vaccine in the major print, radio, tv and internet news.
Anyone with a negative view towards the vaccine is labelled "anti-vax", "vaccine hesitant", or a "conspiracy theorist".
Anyone taking a critical look at what the media has been saying for months should clearly be able to see this bias.
Someone with a negative view towards anything would be "anti", or at least "hesitant", about that thing, no?
How would reporting that be "bias"?
Maui – yes, there's plenty of MSM coverage about COVID-19 vaccines, both positive and negative. As the global pandemic death toll closes in on 4 million tragic deaths (with the realistic death toll much higher) that's hardly surprising.
As far as I can tell no Ministry of Health staff or reputable media outlets are concealing the fact that the Pfizer vaccine is effective for ‘only‘ ~19 of every 20 recipients, or that there is a (very very) tiny risk of significant side-effects. Just type "COVID vaccine side-effects" into a Google search to see for yourself.
So if you believe that the media coverage amounts to "heavy coercion" = use of heavy force or heavy threats (to do what?), then we'll have to agree to disagree.
Tbh, it saddens me that you, or anyone, might feel coerced by the release of factual information about the effects and side-effects of COVID-19 vaccines.
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-vaccine-side-effects-and-reactions
Fwiw, vaccine hesitancy is fairly commonsense, and shouldn’t be confused or lumped in with ‘anti-vax’.
Maybe peer pressure or social pressure are better terms? There’s always pressure to conform to the majority view. I have to confess that I often like to give the finger to majority views and social ‘expectation’ especially when it there appears to have no solid foundation. I’ve learned to resist that temptation though because of OOS 😉
Hard to imagine anyone wanting the 'vaccine programme' to fail, but…
Yep Incognito, pressure/encouragement from peers and wider society (including government agencies) to get vaccinated against COVID will be significant; certainly far greater than peer pressure to not get vaccinated.
Just thought 'heavy coercion' was ott – more appropriate to describe the treatment of WWI conscientious objectors, 1951 Waterfront workers, or indeed events such as the Dawn and Urewera raids.
Can't rule out the possibility that there are instances of "heavy coercion" to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but imho such a claim should be supported by at least one NZ example.
I support the freedom of any NZer to remain unvaccinated, although it's reasonable that those in critical border control and healthcare roles who choose not to, or are unable to get vaccinated must accept redeployment to duties with a relatively low risk of COVID-19 infection.
I too have a propensity to be suspicious of majority views. Regarding this global pandemic, is there a credible minority view (not Plan B) that's advocating against the widespread use of effective COVID-19 vaccines?
Potentially useful prediction of how much of the population needs to be vaccinated for herd immunity.
Will be interesting to see if, like the 1918 'Spanish flu', this pandemic burns out, or whether it settles into a (hopefully low-level) 'virus-vaccine arms race'.
Good news for the Left, Socialists look to be winning in elections in Peru, despite vicious attacks and smears from the local MSM….of course.
Socialist Castillo clings on to tight lead in Peru election as count nears end
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/socialist-castillo-holds-slim-lead-peru-presidential-vote-count-reaches-tense-2021-06-08/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1KzFJ3BWOs
The other side to the PHARMAC story by somebody who has at least has some inkling how things work – no mention of cycling & walking bridges anywhere 🙂
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/125379927/stop-blaming-pharmac–wed-be-worse-off-without-it
Funny thing is though, that this is true for both, Pharmac is ok for those that don't need extra super duper special medication, but for those that need it, Pharmac does not work quite so well. And for those that had their working meds changed to a cheaper alternative without consultation, Pharmacs decision can be well say challenging.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/118814341/bipolar-disorder-patients-suffer-terrible-side-effects-after-pharmac-drug-brand-switch
But then, if this does not affect certain people, these same people might not give a dime that someone else is suffering.
Virtually every drug has side effects and often people have to stop taking them, luckily for me Pharmac had a second choice but because it was more expensive needed a specialist sign off.
A bit baffled over a generic switch , but not surprised the concerns were from people with a 'mood related ' disorder or have been on a previous drug for a long time can forget the original adjustment wasnt easy either.
Placebo and Nocebo effects show no active ingredient or no change in drug can still trigger side effects
Another side to the PHARMAC story from someone who would benefit from them being much more generous with funding certain miracle drugs and procedures if you read the media reports. I research the relevant medical publications and expert assessments relevant to my condition and conclude that PHARMAC decisions are robust and clinically sound in this respect.
quite correct incognito. the usual moaners on here looking for a reason to whinge, should get out and pay full $$ for their meds. would make them stop and be very slightly grateful for pharmac(but probably not, too full of their own misery). their will ALWAYS be patients with unusual medical problems that need meds that arent subsidized, but with the HUGE range of meds for all sorts of conditions, that really is unavoidable. as someone who takes lots of meds, I am grateful for pharmac and how much they save me. a couple of the meds arent subsidized but winz often helps, and I figure if pharmac is saving me $50 on every ventolin inhaler, I can afford to put something toward meds they dont subsidize. too many on here are constantly whineing about how the gov isnt doing enough..get off your arse and help yourselves!!
Why does nobody go after the drug greedy companies, $70k a year for the latest alzheimer medicines, hell if they sold it for $10k a year I bet they would sell more than 7 times the amount.
the guys in the US ask that one too.
Best one to ask this question is this Lady here……
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/katie-porter-big-pharma-whiteboard-b1850248.html
You think drug companies would be made more popular meerely by planning to increase alzheimer's patient numbers by 7 fold?
Not sure what you mean . My point us once a drug is developed selling more of it at a cheaper rate must increase profits, but they chose to be arsholes!!
If the UN had balls or teeth they would sort this out . If companies are gouging fuck them and their patents just steal thier recipe.
I have this strange belief that the demand for alzheimers treatment is less related to price and more related to the number of people with the condition. Especially in NZ where there is public funding.
But if we take your reasoning as true then they are apparently surpressing alzheimers by 7x just by over charging. Maybe they could be asked to reduce the condition further by over charging even more?
lol, how very anti-capitalist. There are some things we are not allowed to touch, and big pharma is one of them. AIDS drugs in Africa being a prime example, but covid vaccines is fast catching up.
Maybe "we are not allowed to touch", but 'big pharma' occasionally takes its lumps.
And to think Glaxo started in NZ – "…symbolises the culture of innovation that New Zealand is known for around the world."
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/01/26/2164640/0/en/Drug-Guardians-Exposes-the-Growing-Number-of-Lawsuits-against-Giant-Pharma.html
And our very own favourite Pfizer has had it's day in court…https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/features/biggest-pharmaceutical-lawsuits/
…but if anything goes awry in the Dominican Republic with the Covid vaccine….Pfizer has well and truly protected it's butt.
https://www.keionline.org/35485
Pfizer has asked some Latin American countries for “indemnity from civil cases, meaning that the company would not be held liable for rare adverse effects or for its own acts of negligence, fraud or malice,” according to a recent report from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. “This includes those linked to company practices – say, if Pfizer sent the wrong vaccine or made errors during manufacturing.” In comments featured in the Bureau of Investigative Journalism report, Georgetown Law professor Lawrence Gostin explained that “[s]ome liability protection is warranted, but certainly not for fraud, gross negligence, mismanagement, failure to follow good manufacturing practices.”
(A copy of the contract is embedded in the article, and is written in both Spanish and English.)
And yet we NZers can't get enough of (some of) those wonder(ful) drugs!
Never heard of Dr Ben Goldacre?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Pharma
Chinese medicine to be included under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act (HPCAA). Now that's a big step for the government.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/5/388498
What does the Act do?
Essentially the Act is about protection of the public – makes sure that all those who are covered by it have appropriate qualifications, standards and scopes of practice etc and prevents others who do not have the right training from being able to call themselves a doctor, nurse, physiotherapist or whatever other health profession.
The Act covers all the health professions but until now the Chinese medicine practitioners have not been covered by it.
Its not medicine, its folk cures as my (indian) doctor calls them.
Apart from acupuncture.
5,000 years of empirical practice, theory development and building knowledge. Not to diss folk medicine but TCM is a form of medicine that requires training to n complex theory and practice. What qualifications in TCM does your doctor have?
So, lip service to the woo-believers while patients, families and communities are not only left to fund their own drugs, they're forced to stump up to administer life saving therapies to friends and loved ones.
/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/415797/without-keytruda-30-deaths-a-week-in-nz-from-cancer-lung-foundation
Because Keytruda is unfunded in New Zealand for all cancers other than advanced melanoma: The Ministry of Health has directed that public hospitals are not to administer unfunded medicines and therefore Keytruda can only be given in a private hospital setting.
This directive adds another $27,000 on top of the $60,000 which pays for the administration, scans, oncologist fees and GST for the private hospital.
https://www.bowelcancerfoundation.org.nz/immunotherapy
For reducing fossil fuels use coastal shipping? The Jane Gifford, a dainty looking scow is still going.
https://www.junctionmag.co.nz/junctionmag/2020/7/31/the-historic-jane-gifford-scow
http://www.janegifford.org.nz/
My granddad had that boat for a few years.
Looks like one of those reliable usefully shaped workhorses of the sea that could come into its own again do you think?
https://www.ultimatenzsoccer.com/Onehunga/other_vessels_of_note.htm
I think ‘Jane’ had masts and they took them down. So sail and fuel enhancement – batteries?
Not to forget our war prize.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIHuQgEJ5Oc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamir_(ship)#World_War_II_and_beyond
What a busy, demanding job being a seaman on a sailing ship eh!
Well. It could be, at times.
An awful lot of time spent waiting for wind and tide to be in the right direction, and for loading and discharging.
A big contrast to a modern container ship working 24/7 day and night every day of the year.
I worked years ago with many of the old scow sailors and several people who were on the Pamir.
Most of them much preferred the more relaxed, old days.as
Plenty of stories of days in the pub, waiting for wind and tide. One swore that the story of a scow spearing an, occupied, farmers dunny with the bowsprit while tacking up a creek, was true.
In the pub, after a few beers, that would have expanded into a true saga in technicolour.
Can't say to much.
I need to protect the guilty.
Yeah, she had sails, but an engine too. You use the sails when you've got a bit of room, not up tidal creeks and such. Electrification is I think a later step for improving transport fuel efficiency – just getting freight off the roads is the first step, and given industry resistance, you'd want to see how that battle played out before electrifying our largely extinct coastal shipping.
I think the government hasn't really given much thought to coastal shipping. You'd want to develop Clifford Bay or somewhere nearby, as the fairweather ferry port, and move freight through there when conditions allow – knocks a big chunk of fuel out of the interisland equation. And fuel = emissions.
Oh dear Clifford Bay again. I knew it was a bit closer for trucks and the ferry. Now you say that it would be a better port from the weather situation. If it was open could Picton still be used by inter-islander for tourist purposes and the rail link? Would that be viable? Picton needs to use its investment in seagoing ventures, and they keep the town going. It would be bad for it to divert too much elsewhere.
A port outside the Sounds saves about an hour on the ferry, together with some wake erosion. Picton will still be needed in strong easterlies apparently, so it doesn't close. Less ferries and more leisure craft can still keep it prosperous.
I seem to have a vague memory of Gerry Brownlee selling the land at Clifford bay that was being held fr a port. My understanding was, if a breakwater was built, then the ferry trip from wellington is shorter, the trip to christchurch is shorter and the rail wagons don't have to be hauled over the Dashwood incline.
The "Janey!" – Do you have the pamphlet written about her and the crew? A real work horse. The Warkworth Cement works started by Wilsons was dependent upon her fetching shell from the shell banks at Miranda in the Firth of Thames – where the godwits now feed. She is of course back at her old locality on the Maharangi River in Warkworth. My wife is an descendant of Davy Darroch who built her. Named after the ship which brought Davy and his father George and mother Nicholas to NZ in 1842. (Jane Gifford was the wife of the owner of the ship). Davy's tools are held in the Warkworth museum.
I still have a copy of The Janey and Her Skipper – written by Ivy Collins – Reg's wife.
He worked her pretty hard, loading shell and shingle by barrow as often as not. My understanding was he let her go when the rules changed requiring him to carry an engineer – which must have affronted someone who lost so much hair nursing a temperamental diesel into life with a blowtorch.
I enjoyed reading a lent copy of it from a g'son of a former crew member. The family here have a fond attachment to the Janey and have a copy of the painting of the Jane Gifford and The Duchess of Argyll arrival in Auckland on the wall.
Here she is approaching her berth at the Warkworth Wharf.
Got to love anything schooner rigged – they always look like they're going a million miles an hour.
She's popular.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFn5iHRdEAU
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Jane+Gifford
Amongst the photogenic pictures of 'Jane' there were ads for Omaha Beach's Jane Gifford Place and this was put up only 2 years ago.
Imagine waking to the gentle sounds of surf, leaping out of bed, a 3-minute stroll to watch the sun rise on the pristine, white sands of Omaha Beach. Walk your dog with a friend, cast your fishing rod or catch a wave, then wander back via the café
I hope that people have finally caught up with the idea of – a Sea level rise b Weather bombs c King/queen tides more frequent d Huge waves from local or distant weather events. Just not what you want to wake up to and definitely not 'the gentle sounds of surf'.
I hope too the Rip van Winkels don't wake up with a shock, and go waah Council, government, come and help us now we have been foolish and wilfully ignorant and invested in wet sand. Even the bible warns against that though note; it isn't the real estate 'profession' bible.
..shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. Matthew 7: 24-27
Sea level rise is not a worry in the South Island, it just couldn't keep up with the tectonic plates.
Sounds helpful, for this low lying Christchurch resident! Do you have a reference?
The actuaries at insurance companies dont seem to agree with your reckons.
"Christchurch and Dunedin have the largest numbers of homes affected by premiums quadrupling or worse – at least 4850 and 3100, respectively, after 13-14cm of sea level rise."
The timing of insurance retreat chart is worth attention.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/123560377/homes-to-start-losing-access-to-insurance-within-15-years—report
Adrian If that was meant to be ironic – on this sensitive matter you should have put /sarc at the end.
Damn – I've never sailed on her – my marine career was mostly down south. Did the Foveaux yacht race a couple of seasons – never got up to Warkworth.
The historical reason for Blenheim being where it is comes from the fact that it was the first firm land suitable for wagons to unload cargoes from coastal scows such as the Edwin Fox etc.
It would be interesting to see the Clifford Bay proposal revisited in these changing times.
Had my first on Tuesday but sadly, I'm no Magneto.
https://twitter.com/WorldofIsaac/status/1402679431282499594
https://twitter.com/Tylerjoelb/status/1402288748575002632
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1402284824279367690.html
Can't resist. Tenpenny ain't the full quid.
Tuppence short of a shilling.
"' no one there looks like they are going to be splitting the atom anytime soon ".
A chocolate fish to the first to name the TV series that comes from.
?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLQzfa0F1Sw
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2790184/characters/nm0000437
Marvellous, another true believer, still hands down the best, most beautifully written damn show ever. Where do you want it sent to Joe?.
"' no one there looks like they are going to be splitting the atom anytime soon ".
A chocolate fish to the first to name the TV series that comes from.
Adrian True Detective and I have to tell the truth sir, I looked it up.
Superparamagnetic nanoparticles in vaccines?
So last decade.
Nice work by NZ (UoA) scientists in 2004 – published in Nature, no less. But iron oxide particles belong in pigeon beaks, not in humans, which is where they will be if Big Pharma has its wicked way. No-one's proven that these iron oxide-based vaccine delivery systems can't turn people into compliant 'pigeons' – keep your guard up.
Further studies eh – the evil, heartless bastards
Cooo.
So I shouldn't give up on my Magneto aspirations just yet?
/
So I shouldn't give up on my Magneto aspirations just yet?
Hold fast to your dreams, Sunshine….and if all else fails there's Magnetic implants!
Its an actual thing.
Spite. There is a fair amount of it in politics and surrounds.
Interesting thoughts – https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/queensbirthday/audio/2018798701/can-any-good-come-from-spite
quiztest.
In this game you’re told you’re playing a game against somebody and that person has been given a pot of money which they must share with you. They may have $10 and make you an offer of $2.
“And then you have a choice, you can choose to take that $2, which is real money, walk away and buy something, or you can decide to turn the offer down.
But if you turn the offer down, then you leave with no money, and the other person also leaves with no money…”
“But what they found was that if people were offered $2 out of a $10 pot then around half of people would turn that down.”
This held true even for larger amounts of money, he says.
“An American group then did it where it was $100 a game. And they still found that when people were offered 20 bucks out of that 100, around half would still turn it down. So even if there's quite a lot of money on the line people will still spitefully turn it down.
“They turned it down because they didn't want the other person to get more money than they did.”
This could simply be a fairness instinct manifesting itself, but other games show a darker impulse.
The ‘Joy of Destruction’ game is when everybody has a task and earns the same amount for it.
“At the end, you're asked under conditions of anonymity whether you'd like to destroy some of the other person's money just because you can do and about 40 percent of people spitefully choose to destroy the other person's money – just because they can.”
What do you think. A bit of something, is worth more than a lot of nothing, all things being equal?
I have observed the instinct in cases where the person wasn't going to get anything but was simply jealous of someone they don't know being fortunate. The one where people will reject quite large sums still surprises me though. I simply don't understand the psychology of such people.
In terms of the spite behavior though I can offer the variant I never understood either. An acquaintance of mine bought an old Rolls Royce a couple of years ago. It was about 30 years old and it only cost him about $15,000, ie the price of a 3 year old basic car. He just wanted to own one once in his life and it being old and a bit unreliable didn't bother him.
It was totally ruined for him because he couldn't park it anywhere in Wellington. It would have some idiot run a coin down the side, just for spite it appeared. It happened to him 4 or 5 times in just a couple of months. Why did people behave that way? He got rid of it because the behavior of other people who were simply jealous of someone they didn't even know was too much for him.
Nobody was earning, it was (potentially) fortuitous gain…the logical and fair thing to do was offer to split it….id suggest if that was done the uptake would be near universal.
I wonder if the outcome would have been different if it had been apples, pies or marbles, for example, instead of dollars. We seem to have an other-worldly relationship with money.
Chloe is in good form in the Guardian – a bit of common sense on renting.
Under the government’s current plans it will be half a century before house prices return to affordability
I suspect Ashley Church may be rather better informed about housing affordability than Chloe. And I'd suggest Chloe may need to do more reading if she is seriously advocating for rent controls.
I suspect Ashley Church is not an elected MP with an electorate seat who is in Parliament for the whole of Aotearoa-New Zealand. You sure make some silly comments.
Being an elected MP does not make Chloe any more educated on housing affordability. That is abundantly clear from her comments.
Never said that. Point is that as an MP, she gets to make policy and decisions that affect many more than just a Real Estate lobby group. She’s accountable to all Kiwis. You’re betting on the wrong horse, but maybe you have an engrained bias against the Green Party or an agenda or both.
My comment was never about influence, it was about knowledge and experience.
"I suspect Ashley Church may be rather better informed about housing affordability than Chloe."
If Chloe wants to use her policy and decision making ability in a constructive way, she could a lot worse than to have a chat about housing affordability with someone with Ashley Church's experience.
So you did, which was a meaningless comment, at best, and more like an attack on a Green MP. For example, Andrew Little is not medically qualified in the slightest yet he’s the Minister of Health. The way it works is that Government MPs and Ministers get professional and expert advice from qualified people. I doubt Ashley Church is among those, for obvious reasons. National MPs OTOH might welcome it with open arms and lots of hugs & kisses; a few former MPs are now Real Estate agents I’ve heard.
" I doubt Ashley Church is among those, for obvious reasons."
The only "obvious reason" would be that Church is informed, knowledgeable and experienced. Chloe is not. Which, despite your obvious misreading of my post, is why I suggested she does some more research.
I suspect a property spruiker is the absolute last person you would seek information from regarding property affordability
In a choice between Ashley Church and Chloe Swarbrick, Chloe wouldn't even get second.
Vox populi says otherwise – the only Ash I know of, except the man with the boomstick, is a doctor.
Popularity is temporary. Wisdom and knowledge not so much.
Thanks, gypsy, for that confirmation of where you're coming from.
Sound familiar?
By all means point to the errors in her reasoning – looked pretty good to me.
Look at Chloe's claims on housing affordability, then look at Ashley's Church's evidence based article. That's just a start.
Swarbrick/Church aren't the only ones making claims on housing affordability.
Maybe Church's analysis is the odd one out, which would be odd indeed given that he's a former CEO of the Property Institute of New Zealand.
That being said, maybe the recent tax changes for residential investment properties will begin to have an effect at the lower end of the property market.
I have the answer for you. It is in the words "final three months of 2020". Church's analysis covers a considerably longer time frame.
“That being said, maybe the recent tax changes for residential investment properties will begin to have an effect at the lower end of the property market.”
My personal view is they won’t, because there is still a huge issue with supply. Ashley Church, in his letter to the PM, points out that the biggest impediment to first home buyers is the deposit, and there are ways to fix that that the government could be considering.
Maybe Church is an apolitical and expert observer of NZ housing policies.
His comments haven't always been 'on the money', but then he is a business leader, and Chairman of the Taxpayers' 'Union' board.
Oh Church is certainly not apolitical. But I note you haven't found anything to undermine his credentials on housing. Which is, after all, what we're talking about.
No, before you bring in your dodgy propagandist, you must answer Chloe's case.
Church seems to be disqualified by avarice (he's a rentier) and inclination (he is involved with the untruthful and frankly toxic taxevader's "union") from meaningful commentary – if we wanted even more failed Chicago school bullshit, we need only consult the ape-descended primates on Kiwibog.
So being a rentier disqualifies a person from having an informed opinion on the property market? That's like saying anyone who benefits financially from climate change policy is disqualified from having a qualified on opinion on climate change. It's silly.
As for Chloe's case, I have answered it. She speaks about it taking decades for housing to return to affordability, but as Ashley Church points out, housing is more affordable now than it was 33 years ago.
Chloe also argues for rent controls, and in support links to the UK Labour Party's proposals, which are untried, while ignoring the evidence that rent controls have perverse outcomes.
I have nothing against Chloe personally, but she is seriously out of her depth.
How lovely to know that your attacks on Chlöe are not personal, nor on James Shaw or the Green Party at large, I take it. And you would know this because your hero/guru Ashley Church told you?
The Green Party has opened this for public discussion and feedback and put up eight options to start the debate.
https://www.greens.org.nz/reasonable_rents
Clearly, housing affordability is low, especially in Auckland. As the Greens point out, there are international examples of various ways of control and regulation that work. Unsurprisingly, you had to cherry-pick the untested proposals by Labour UK. However, I do assume that those proposals are founded on research too, as is the case with the Green Party’s initiative.
The Taxpayers’ Onion has no credibility whatsoever until they put up a discussion document that National or ACT can take to Parliament. Instead, they fear-monger in the hope of stymying the debate and killing off any firm policy proposals by this Government. It goes without saying that they don’t ACT in good faith. Never have. Never will. Do you donate to them?
Pointless exercise ….gypsy has misinterpreted the claim in his linked 2019 article (median house price has increased by over 30% since) where Ashley Church does what he accuses others of doing and cherry picks 'serviceability' criteria to compare two points in time to create a false narrative and conveniently ignores deposit criteria, mortgage terms and income ratios.
Corelogics most recent report notes these factors in its analysis and is a much better source of analysis than an industry spruiker.
Thanks. Indeed, it is obvious what gypsy is doing here. Have seen it before and it always ends the same way, which they should know by now 🙁
The Core Logic data is looking at a much narrower window. I havn't misinterpreted any claim. And the deposit criteria is something Ashley Church specifically mentions in his letter to the PM.
What I do find strange is the seeming willingness to accept untried political opinions over the word of someone who understands the housing market. I doubt that principle would be applied in other areas?
Lol…what I find strange is the supporting links in his letter to the PM are his own articles….he provides ZERO evidence for his talking points…all of which are regularly trotted out by the industry.
The fact is housing affordability is completely controllable by the government should they so choose….the real question is whether the consequences are politically saleable.
As the Gov and RBNZ are well aware its a question of when not if the housing ponzi crashes….and every action to date has been to defer that day.
" the supporting links in his letter to the PM are his own articles….he provides ZERO evidence for his talking points…"
Yes he does…they are in the articles he links to.
"The fact is housing affordability is completely controllable by the government should they so choose…"
Over the long run, I agree. But as you point out, there would be political costs that would likely be unpalatable.
If (contrary to what Ashley Church espouses) the Gov can control housing affordability as you agree AND that is a political decision then why would you listen to his advice ( a failed politician) over that of a successful politician (Chloe Swarbrick)?
He's a lobbyist using an industry provided outlet and his opinion deserves to be viewed as such.
" If (contrary to what Ashley Church espouses) the Gov can control housing affordability as you agree AND that is a political decision then why would you listen to his advice ( a failed politician) over that of a successful politician (Chloe Swarbrick)? "
1. That isn't what Ashley Church espouses. In fact his letter makes suggestions about how the government could fix the housing market.
2. Why would I listen to the advice of a proven expert over someone with zero experience?
3. Ashley Church was the youngest ever person elected to the Napier Council. He served 3 terms. Like Stuart, you don't seem to know much about Ashley.
1.
2. You can’t control house prices.
The housing policies of successive governments, both here and around the world, have been grounded on the rocks of their attempts to bring house prices under control. It can’t be done. That’s not my opinion – it’s the evidence of over 40 years of history of the New Zealand housing market. If your goal is to reduce or reverse house price inflation, the market will beat you and you’ll have needlessly expended political energy and capital on a battle that you can’t possibly win.
https://www.oneroof.co.nz/news/ashley-church-an-open-letter-on-housing-to-the-prime-minister-39589
2. Evidence please, not opinion
3.Napier Braybrooke (L)10,784 Church (N)5,835 Shakes (D)53
https://www3.stats.govt.nz/New_Zealand_Official_Yearbooks/1987-88/NZOYB_1987-88.html#idsect1_1_10211
2. Ashley Church's credentials have no basis in housing affordability, the area you attribute his 'expertise'….indeed his experience is more accurately in property investment and sales and marketing, the almost antithesis of affordability.
3.Yes Chloe Swarbrick lost her first foray into local body politics and went on to succeed within national level politics whereas Mr Church never managed to progress beyond local Councillor….and we know the quality of local body politics.
4. You are welcome to hang on Mr Church 's property proclamations regarding property investment but if he wishes to make policy then he can re-offer his services to the electorate and see if he fares any better this time round, meanwhile C Swarbrick can continue to perform the role she was elected to do.
"You do understand the meaning of 'affordability' and its relationship to price?"
Yes. It is one component of many. But you really did confuse the two didn't you.
"Ashley Church's credentials have no basis in housing affordability"
Of course they do. He is a well regarded expert on property matter generally, and has written on the topic for a living.
"Yes Chloe Swarbrick lost her first foray into local body politics and went on to succeed within national level politics whereas Mr Church never managed to progress beyond local Councillor….and we know the quality of local body politics."
So by your own standard, Chloe has failed at politics. Unless you have a different standard for people you disagree with?
"You are welcome to hang on Mr Church 's property proclamations regarding property investment but if he wishes to make policy then he can re-offer his services to the electorate and see if he fares any better this time round, meanwhile C Swarbrick can continue to perform the role she was elected to do."
I don't hang my hat on anything. It is important to consider a range of viewpoints. If and when Chloe establishes her bona fides in property, I will even listen to her.
" Clearly, housing affordability is low, especially in Auckland. "
Ashley Church has presented an argument that housing affordability is better than it was 30 years ago. You have an opportunity to refute that.
" The Green Party has opened this for public discussion and feedback and put up eight options to start the debate. "
I never critiqued Green party policy. I was commenting on an article written by Chloe Swarbrick that contained her ideas about housing affordability and rent controls. I consider her opinion ill-informed, and have provided references to support that view.
“How lovely to know that your attacks on Chlöe are not personal, nor on James Shaw or the Green Party at large”
In this entire discussion I have not made any comment about James Shaw (who I admire) or the Green party generally. I have also made no mention of the Tax Payers Union, National or Act.
[Time to start moderating you because it seems that you’re pushing a nefarious agenda on this site and your comments don’t appear to be in good faith, as others have come to realise and have noted too.
Housing affordability is low, especially in Auckland.
This is a fact that does not get nullified by some historical comparison, which is a disingenuous debating trick. In addition, the comparison is arguably flawed anyway, as others have already pointed out.
Actually, Chlöe Swarbrick didn’t give or discuss any specific ideas about rent controls in her article in the Guardian. She mentioned that her party had started talking about rent controls (see the link in my comment listing 8 options to kick-off debate and consultation). And you went apeshit. When you try to refute her “ideas about housing affordability and rent controls”, by using Ashley Church as your prop – do you have any expertise of your own at all in this area? – you are, in fact, trying to critique “Green party policy”. Don’t you even realise what you’re doing here or is this part of your gaslighting MO? So far, you have not critiqued anything, but just went out on a full-scale blanket attack against the broad concept of rent control in Aotearoa-New Zealand. Quite possibly, because you’re ideologically opposed or have vested interests or both.
Strictly speaking, this is correct, but I (and others here) read all your comments and I put this in context of what you’re doing here specifically in this thread. For example, starting here with your obscure Listener article that nobody else here could access: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13-06-2021/#comment-1797969. Short memory? Comes with the job, I guess.
So, others and I see a pattern emerging and when challenged, you deny and obfuscate.
Not verbatim, correct again, but you mentioned/introduced Ashley Church and keep propping him up. Are you playing cute when insulting our intelligence?
The way I see it is that you are a slippery commenter who does not comment in good faith, particularly on housing affordability, rent controls, and Chlöe Swarbrick. You don’t engage in constructive debate, which is why others are wasting their time on your comments (26 so far here and going on for 3 full days now). Here is your warning: stop with this disingenuous way of commenting or take it somewhere else. Please acknowledge that you have read and understood this warning, thanks – Incognito]
It seems gypsy that you are a candidate for thought along the lines of Bertrand Russell:
There is a problem with housing affordability for the younger working age group, and it has been shown that the number of years income required to buy a house has shot up skyhigh, compared to earlier times when there was more gradual rise in line with young adults' earnings.
I think this is generally recognised and you criticising people for thinking differently makes you seem a hostile provocateur in the column. Are you a rentier yourself only concerned with your own interests or those of family or friends or clients? We are thinking about the interests of general society, it is a different perspective; it seems there is a chasm between the two sides.
"I think this is generally recognised…"
What is generally recognised is that getting together a deposit is the problem, which is precisely the point Ashley Church makes.
" We are thinking about the interests of general society, "
…which cannot be served by poor analysis of the problem. Being nice is not a solution. On this issue, Chloe is neither experienced or wise.
gypsy You are cherry picking things to go on about, and repeat, and go on about, and… Why don't you take up building mountains out of molehills elsewhere? We want to see real housing being carried out, and not leaky stuff either, and haven't got time to indulge in acrimonious arguments with people 'vaccinated with a gramophone needle' as my Gran used to say. Please go and find yourself a good hobby where you can show off your aggression and erudition to an appreciative well-heeled audience. Body building or ultimate fighting might be to your taste.
" We want to see real housing being carried out, "
I have only been commenting on Chloe's opinion piece, and only about housing affordability and rent controls.
seaman's language?
Seamen have been known to enhance their expressive range with deck spanners – nor is their tolerance for fools infinite. But it is better not to lay one's vices off on one's profession. A certain terseness and directness of expression sometimes, perhaps.
" There is so much to read and follow and these people are a distraction "
No-one is forcing you to engage. Given your responses, I would suggest your issue is sensitivity to criticism of Chloe rather than truly believing she is more qualified to speak authoritatively on this than Ashley Church.
You have thoroughly established yourself as a bad faith commenter.
I consider her opinion ill-informed
I consider your opinion fatuous.
I would suggest you get help,
I'm sure we are all amused by
But it is entirely consistent with the quality of your opinions on real estate, and on Chloe Swarbrick; that is to say, not worth a moment of anybody's time.
You continue to believe the word of a 26 year old who has no experience, and I'll continue to listen to expert opinion. I hope you feel better soon.
See my Moderation note @ 1:13 pm.
When you try to refute her “ideas about housing affordability and rent controls”, by using Ashley Church as your prop – do you have any expertise of your own at all in this area? \
Providing expert opinion is not a 'prop'. I can just imagine your response if I had given my own opinion without support! And yes I have expertise. Considerable. But that doesn't actually matter, so I quoted from an industry professional whose analysis people actually pay for.
[So much to unpack in this short comment; a most revealing litigious comment, which should have been a short and simple acknowledgement of a Moderation note, no more, no less.
If all you do is refer to one single so-called expert without providing your own arguments and facts, yes, then it is a prop. You’re hiding behind your prop and this is the well-known authority fallacy.
My imagined response is mostly irrelevant; more importantly, imagine the response of other commenters if you had given your opinion supported with well laid out arguments and information and you had engaged in good faith; we wouldn’t be having this convo right now. But no, Ashley Church is the best thing since sliced bread, apparently, and Chlöe Swarbrick is ignorant, inexperienced, and young – “a 26 year old who has no experience”, FFS!!
So, it does actually matter that you argue from your own position of knowledge and expertise instead of hiding behind a prop. It also adds authenticity to your comments, which builds trust and respect, even when others don’t necessarily agree with you. This is the kaupapa of this site and your comments run counter to this.
So, you chose a prop that people pay for? What kind of argument is that? Should we be impressed, in awe, and stunned? Does it make his opinion any better than Chlöe Swarbrick’s who’s also paid by the people to do her job dutifully as MP? Does it make him more trustworthy and accountable?
It is a pathetic argument and we know it – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 7:09 pm.
Housing affordability is low, especially in Auckland.
Now this is a really good example of how you operate – you either don't understand the content or you deliberately misrepresent it. I have never argued affordability is or is not 'low'. What i did was introduce Ashley Church's evidence that housing is more affordable than it was 30 years ago. Chloe's article was headed " Under the government’s current plans it will be half a century before house prices return to affordability ". The point I made from the outset was that this is misleading, because housing is more affordable now than it was 30 years ago. That's why I referred to the work by Ashley Church.
[Chlöe Swarbrick correctly stated in her article that housing affordability is low. I stated the same thing (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10-06-2021/#comment-1798194). Your response was to mention some silly historical comparison by Ashely Church with which you agreed, obviously. Now you’re saying “I have never argued affordability is or is not ‘low’.” You’re lying through your teeth; you attacked that statement of fact more than once!
Chlöe’s statement was about how long it might take to correct this unaffordability, a projection into the future, which you ‘countered’ with a backward statement. If that isn’t the comment of a disingenuous troll, I don’t know what is.
QFT
The only one who has been misleading is you – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 7:21 pm.
This is a fact that does not get nullified by some historical comparison, which is a disingenuous debating trick.
Chloe's article was headed " Under the government’s current plans it will be half a century before house prices return to affordability ". Presenting historical evidence that housing is more affordable now than 30 years ago in response to that claim is a "disingenuous debating trick"?
Seriously, I've enjoyed this little exchange. And yes, I understand the warning. It is a petulant rant from a moderator who clearly doesn't like their pets being criticized.
[Nope, you pulled the debating trick arguing against my comment that housing affordability is low, particularly in Auckland. This is undeniable and yet you deny it!? And it could indeed take decades to get down to levels that are more acceptable.
Yes, I’m sure you’ve enjoyed your little exchange with me and all those other ones with other commenters here. So far, 31 comments here. Unfortunately, you don’t want to understand the warning and rather attack the Moderator, which is a silly thing to do. Your attack is misplaced and misguided, anyway, because they are not my “pets” nor did you criticise anything. All you did was sniping and yapping.
I see that you ran some other counter-attacks on my Moderation note, which is just wasting more Moderator time. I will deal with those later, but first I will put a stop to this charade. Banned for 31 days, one day for each comment – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 7:25 pm.
You need to get over yourself. This isn’t North Korea FFS.
But you mentioned/introduced Ashley Church and keep propping him up. "
No, I responded to ad-hominem attacks on an expert commentator that were irrelevant to the post. Have you moderated those who carried on those attacks? I’ll bet you haven’t.
but I (and others here) read all your comments and I put this in context of what you’re doing here specifically in this thread.
This seems to go to the heart of your moderating. You don’t like criticism of something you agree with. But whatever you may assert, an article in the listener is not 'obscure'. I do note that criticism of any Green Party policy is now unacceptable to you. Particularly one that is supported by a reference.
Actually, Chlöe Swarbrick didn’t give or discuss any specific ideas about rent controls in her article in the Guardian.
This is arguably one of your sillier comments.
Her piece in the guardian is headed "Everyone deserves a decent, secure life. It’s time New Zealand talked about rent controls." Her article links to Green Party policy on housing, which includes control of rents!
I could go on, but you have form that I was warned about by other commenters here when i was new. In the case of this convo, I understand it goes back to your silly comment here.
[This is a note for future reference.
Indeed, this is not North Korea, because here you can freely comment and argue your opinion without fear of repercussions. FFS.
Moderators here are more concerned about ad homs at other commenters and, above all, Authors. If somebody doubts your ‘expert’ this is hardly the stuff that would trigger moderation unless it kills debate and/or creates a bad vibe. Moderation usually starts with a warning, anyway.
Moderation is all about commenting behaviour, not about disagreeing at all. You’ve got it all wrong. I really don’t care if you want to criticize any Green Party policy but that’s not what you did here; you attacked a Green MP in a dishonest way without proper arguments other than your prop Ashley Church.
It is rather puzzling that you think so highly of Ashley Church and think his opinion on the matter is definitive and some kind of ‘industry standard’ since you wrote about a week ago:
The Listener article that you quoted was “obscure” because it was inaccessible to others here, me included, i.e. it was hidden. This is an accepted meaning of “obscure”.
Indeed, Chlöe Swarbrick and the Green Party want (us) to talk about rent controls. The Green Party website lists 8 options to kick-start the discussion. You did not counter any of those options. You want to kill off any debate about rent controls full stop. No discussion needed around any of the options. No need to evaluate the supporting material provided. Just abort it ASAP. All rent control is bad, according to you, without actually arguing any specifics in the GP discussion document. We should simply take Ashley Church’s word for it. Yeah, right!
If you don’t want to debate rent controls here on this site, then you can leave it or go somewhere else. Others may want to discuss it and don’t need you riding roughshod all over the thread and diverting it away to Ashley Church of all people, i.e. without you diversion trolling here.
No, you cannot go on, because you have now been banned and when you come back you can pull your head in.
Yes, I saw your comment at the time (https://thestandard.org.nz/about-trevor-mallard/#comment-1791405) and thought it was silly and I took it a face value. So, you were new here, were you? Not only do you treat other commenters here with contempt, you also treat a Moderator as a fool. Let’s stop playing your silly little game, because we both know how this will end, don’t we? – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 6:55 pm.
No, you have not even begun to answer Chloe's point, the crisis of unaffordability, nor are the opinions of a dishonest extreme right provocateur of interest.
housing is more affordable now than it was 33 years ago
Liar.
"Only one country in a worldwide survey saw house prices rise faster than New Zealand in 2015. And no country could top New Zealand for house price jumps relative to income." New Zealand house price rises outpace all but one country | Stuff.co.nz
You and Ashleigh Church can ‘make love elsewhere’.
House price increases and income levels do not determine affordability. You have ignored interest rates for one. And providing a single comment from a moment in time 6 years ago is not a credible argument.
Your comment is precisely the reason you need to be listening to more informed voices.
Edit – if you enjoy snap shot comments, here’s one for you:
“We’ve always been expensive. When I bought my first house 46 years ago, I struggled to get it. I sold all the nice things and put in flat mates. It was never easy.” https://www.oneroof.co.nz/news/kiwi-house-prices-how-do-they-compare-to-the-rest-of-the-world-38726
You trying to peddle the views of a dishonest redneck on a left-leaning site really takes the cake.
you need to be listening to
No, no I don't. You and the revolting Mr Church can find somewhere else to peddle your facile lies.
Here, we are concerned with making progress on the clusterfuck people like you and the revolting Mr Church have made of what was once a functional and well-ordered society.
If you're not with that program, maybe you don't belong here. People on the BFD are apparently stupid enough to pay attention to you – you'll be right at home.
I rate Chloe infinitely more trustworthy and better informed than either of you – you constitute a mighty low bar.
Ashley Church is a commentator on property with considerable knowledge and experience. I can only suggest you have lost all sense of proportion.
Ashley Church is a commentator on property with considerable knowledge and experience. I can only suggest you have lost all sense of proportion.
Ashleigh Church is a liar and a provocateur. These things are bad manners in civilized societies.
Sod off and take your scoundrel with you.
Brief and salty Stuart – seaman's language?
First it's Ashley, not Ashleigh.
Secondly – he knows his stuff when it comes to property. In the context of this discussion, that's all that matters, notwithstanding your irrational dislike for the man.
First it's Ashley, not Ashleigh.
His mother might care, but we do not.
Secondly – he knows his stuff when it comes to property.
You have produced no evidence whatsoever to support this dubious assertion – on the contrary, you have pointed out his conflicts with the well respected Chloe Swarbrick, and it has surfaced in the course of discussion that he is a member of that rat pack, the so-called taxpayer's union. With the possible exception of the Nazi party or Nambla you would look long and hard to find an organization less deserving of public confidence.
Now, have you anything rational to offer beyond beyond your tawdry and utterly discredited appeal to authority?
" You have produced no evidence whatsoever to support this dubious assertion "
As you seem to possess a pathological dislike for the guy, I would have thought you would have known more about him. Including:
And Chloe's credentials on property are?
Look – I posted a good sensible column from Ms Swarbrick, on housing policy.
You rubbished her, without addressing anything she said, and wheeled out the despicable person of Ash Church.
As you seem to possess a pathological dislike for the guy, I would have thought you would have known more about him. Including:
All of which make him competent to advise on property investment – and make his advice self-interested and unworthy of consideration in relation to public policy.
The wankers and property speculators who have created the present housing crisis are not competent in regard to housing policy, which thanks to their antisocial input now stands in need of frankly heroic intervention, as Chloe points out, and which you would know if you had read and understood her column instead of trying to crawl up Asley Church's spotty bottom.
Is the penny finally starting to drop yet?
The function of government is not to enrich sociopathic assholes like Mr Church – nor yet their lamentable lickspittle lackeys neither.
We've had this type of commenter before haven't we. Can't be convinced of anything because it doesn't suit them to think or change. Could be someone working for the right, working for NZ Initiative, or even the Treasury. You can't convince them of anything that doesn't enhance their position. And the other thing they like to do is adopt the superior position! They have all the facts and understand them thoroughly, and you are either ignorant, or missing the point, or putting the wrong construction on the wording.
It's your time if you want to keep replying, but remember we already have Alwyn. Do we want another wilfully ignorant person here with commenters wasting their time on them? There is so much to read and follow and these people are a distraction; I believe they set out to be and possibly have a modus operandi that they follow that presses our buttons, but fail to ring a warning bell in our heads.
greywarsharp!
" I posted a good sensible column from Ms Swarbrick, on housing policy. "
And I refuted two key elements of her 'policy' using the writings of someone far more eminently qualified. Chloe is 26 years old. I'm not aware she has ever owned a house, let alone had any experience of managing housing as a market.
You refuted nothing, instead resting your flimsy smear on the reputation of a liar and a profiteer.
We can forgive fools who make errors through ignorance, but not those whose motive for wrongdoing is profit.
Church's knowledge of property is like the wolf's knowledge of sheepfarming – exhaustive, but motivated by self interest, not general prosperity.
Address Chloe's argument without reference to that charlatan – if your object is to actually discuss housing policy and not exhibit your unseemly enthusiasm for that despicable grifter.
Yes your hatred is truly psychopathic. That doesn't affect in any way the expertise of the source.
Yes your hatred is truly psychopathic. That doesn't affect in any way the expertise of the source.
Your failure to engage in actual argument is typical of trolls – without your false prophet you are incapable of grappling with the issues the surround housing, and fall back on ad homs, first of Ms Swarbrick, and now of me.
Housing is, frankly, a mess. As Swarbrick notes, and your idol is unable to refute, it is going to take fifty years on current trends, for housing to return to reasonable affordability – which given the way variability affects economic predictions over time, is tantamount to never.
Property investors and real estate companies are largely to blame for this. They are also to blame for many of our homeless, and those the government is presently lodging in dodgy motels as a stopgap. They are freeloaders, whose business model was built on tax free capital gain, but neither the homelessness nor the tax evasion is the greatest damage they have done to New Zealand. That would be the massive inflation they have caused, and continue to cause – some 30% this year. Anything over 20% or so is usually referred to as hyperinflation.
This imposes massive deadweight costs right across the economy, money that should be circulating productively is sucked into the black hole of property. There will be no rising tide, even with the current dairy receipt boom, while property is sucking all the liquidity out of the economy.
It needs to be addressed – but we fully understand why the guilty parties, Church and his fellow travelers, are desperate that it not be.
Your disparagement of Swarbrick is part of an extended campaign on behalf of the self-styled Taxpayers Union that goes back to its ill-natured and ineffectual attacks on Mojo Mathers. How proud you must be to be part of that group of momentarily unincarcerated villains.
" Your failure to engage in actual argument… "
I was commenting on an article written by Chloe Swarbrick that contained her ideas about housing affordability and rent controls.
I consider her opinion ill-informed, and have provided references to support that view.
You, on the other hand, have engaged in an ad-hominem diatribe that reveals an irrational hatred of real estate agents, property investors, the Taxpayers Union, none of whom I have even commented on.
I would suggest you get help, but no doubt you've got some deep set hatred of anyone who could help you.
Is that you on meth, alwyn?
@Il Vino.
I would suggest that it is yourself who is on some illicit drug.
I haven't made a single comment on this subject, except for this one.
Fair enough, old boy. I have come to like your wry humour, even if your attitude often shows a right-wing bias.
But it seems to me that this gypsy fellow is a bigger nit-picker than either of us ever was.