About the same as 440,000 cows. New Zealand in June 2014 had around 6.6 million dairy cows and 3.6 million beef cows. So New Zealand’s cow herd emits around 23 times as much methane as this California “state of emergency” leak.
Whoops, correction. Just noticed their comparison was two months of the leak to a year’s worth of cow. So New Zealand’s cow herd emissions are 4 times the size of the California leak.
The glearing difference is that cattle produce food (you know one of the 3 things humans can’t live without) where as a gas leak produces nothing good.
Christ! I thought I might have had a response by now ffs!
Andre was concerned about air quality
I was pointing out water quality
…. and ALL within that concept and trendy talk we now charactersise as ‘SPACE’. How very intelligent of us all eh? Time ….. and ….. Space
….. now what is that 3rd thing we need for humans?
We could of course rely on the jet stream to blow away the air quality toxins, and tidal flows to disperse the cow shit and put it all into a global economy of ‘the Earth versus the Human being’.
Mr/Ms/Ms/Mrs B Waghorn – I’m not having a go at you by any stretch of the imagination.
I am forever amused at my neighbours however, claiming very staunch GREEN creds as they do – shuvving inappopriate things in the green counsil bags (attracting mice and rats and various other predatory creatures foreign to the area), trotting off home after drunken nites out ditching their KFC/Makkers/etc rappers and RTD containers, ….. etc.
I think they even try to measure their ‘footprint’ – all the while forgetting some very basic inputs.
Some of those inputs we could go into but they involve things like littering and sewer flows and condoms and ‘fanny rags’ and all that kind of thing that are best not delved into (for the sake of propriety and correctness).
They’re about as GREEN as BROWN minus YELLOW – but at least they try when they’re half way conscious
I get this massive vibe from urban people that they do no wrong and its us farmers fucking the planet. Attacking people for playing to the rules is piontles and counter productive .
You want to change things get a good government into power that listens to and funds scientists.
Most farmers are OK people who get caught up in the basic human desire create and build .
Water food and oxegen where my 3
And comparing a gas leak in the us to cows in nz is odd
Apologies for expressing myself in a way that came across as an attack. I genuinely was only looking for some kind of comparison that we in New Zealand could relate to. At the time I put it up, I wasn’t trying to convey any kind of deeper meaning.
However, if I were trying to express a deeper meaning, it would be along the lines of how the sum of our cumulative tiny actions in fact do add up to something bigger than a single colossal fuckup, and how we are all contributors to the problem. If I had been thinking of that at the time I would have found and added a few other comparisons.
I agree that there’s a lot of sanctimonious criticism of others, particularly agriculture, from urban greenies that don’t have a clear picture of their own non-green habits. However, parts of the agricultural community adopt an attitude that somehow their emissions are more worthy because they are producing food and that they should therefore be exempt from scrutiny or requirement to change. Unfortunately, from a climate change perspective, cattle are really pretty bad, they turn more of their dry matter intake into methane relative to other livestock, and they require more dry matter in to produce protein out than most other livestock.
So I’m of the opinion we really need to change how we structure agricultural incentives so that greenhouse gas emissions become a factor in agricultural decision-making. Disclosure of interest: I am a (fairly silent) partner in an agricultural enterprise, and the major part of my personal carbon footprint could be attributed to that.
Finally, New Zealand has changed a lot in the 30 years since I was growing up and spending a lot of time in the outdoors and in rivers in particular. While there are a lot of farmers that do take pride and care in their land, a lot are frankly disgusting. A lot of the rivers that were once clean and running year round have become more akin to open sewers, and some even dry up in the summer now, and some lakes have become basically open-air settling ponds. Clean rivers and lakes were aspects of New Zealand I used to be proud of and thought were a big plus over the US. Not any more. And that’s entirely due to intensifying agriculture.
No offence taken.
I’m of a strong government mindset as people in genera peoplel won’t do what’s good for them if , I do know that its next to impossible to change someone’s behaviour by harangueing them , big carrot with an even bigger stick is the way.
Drove from Nelson return to Christchurch a few months ago. My most enduring recollection for most of the journey was the smell of cowshit. Not what I remember from previous trips 20 years ago.
If anyone’s interested, my quick calculation suggests one cow-years worth of methane emissions approximately equals burning 830 litres of petrol or 760 litres of diesel in your car, in terms of climate change effects.
Just to illustrate how easy it is to do major numbers fuckery when it comes to climate issues and trying to apportion blame: that cows-to-cars comparison I just did is based on the low end of cow emission estimates and on the 100 year global warming potential of methane (which I think is fair). If I wanted to really paint farmers as climate villains, I would choose the high end of the emissions estimates for cows, and the 20 year global warming potential of methane, and claim that one cow-year is roughly 4150 litres of petrol or 3800 litres of diesel in terms of climate change effects. Yes, a 5:1 difference just by tweaking assumptions and definitions.
So I’m less interested in trying to pass out blame, and more interested in getting to a system where everybody’s emissions and costs become more visible and people can make rational choices to reduce them.
You have created a new measure . now when reporters want to compare the scale of something ,insstead of swimming pools or buses they can use cow farts.
“I get this massive vibe from urban people that they do no wrong and its us farmers fucking the planet.”
In NZ, half our emissions come from agriculture yet they have been exempted from accountability by our current government. That might be your answer. Doubt it applies in the rest of the world, just here.
Urbanites need to sort out our transport and energy usage, for sure. Again, the current government would rather invest our limited transport funds in duplicate 1950s motorways through the countryside than in urban public transit infrastructure which can hugely reduce emissions. And we have a broken electricity ‘market’ which now has even more pressure on it to pay out dividends to shareholders.
I sure as hell hope you don’t get that vibe from me, or that you’re assuming I come from an urban background.
Looking at your comments (including below) …. we’re in agreement.
At the moment, I live next door to a slum landlord providing student accomodation. It’s interestin today’s media and WCC response to litter. I had to have a chortle and ask what the fuck took them so long.
Whilst I have a slum landlord next door, I also have a procession of transient student occupants – MOST of whom claim green creds.
Except that if you were to measure their carbon footprint …… it’d probably rival a bloody Chinese coal-fired power station.
They ‘recycle’ (which means they chuck anything from fanny rags and condoms to festering food scraps in green recycling bags – which strangely enough don’t get collected an encourage the rodent population)
When they ‘recycle’, they consistently put glass, RTD metal, KFC, Makkers (and whatever is the other 3rd choice of their staple diet) out on the wrong days such that it simply blows around for weeks on end. (The excuse id I imagine being that they were just a bit munted at the time – although I can’t explain why – given their claims to greenness – they make no effort to remedy their error. Christ – they even go to the Sunday Te Papa market and buy cheap veges and chuck the buskers a dime or two. It’s a shame most of the veges also rot in ‘green’ recycling bags unused during the following weak.
If one were to measure the toxins flowing down the gutter on a rainy day from the ‘green dwellers’ in the neighbourhood – I’d have to agree that any shit entering waterways from farming wouldn’t be that much more than the absolute SHITE that ends up near Moa Point AND directly into Wellington Harbour.
But hey …. they were pissed – some having bought their ‘bottles’ from the local supermarket (under investigation with licence being challenged) – so that’s okay then. Besides – they’ve got essays they need to submit at the last moment before the deadline, whereby they need some boxes tikked so they can get their degrees. And also besides – the landlord is a cnut so he deserves to be punished with rubbish (along with everybody else in the community.
But as I was surmising above – it is more about intensity and whilst I’d agree that farmers are an easy target, they sure as shit aren’t doing themselves any favours – in fact if they were a bit smarter, they’d start to realise that the Natzis aren’t ekshully doing much for them in terms of medium to long term sustainability (by that I mean everything from their mates ‘mis-selling’ of financial options, to the dismantling and corruption of their co-operative [Fonterrra], to various irrigation schemes [schemes] the operative word, to fostering G R O W T H – no matter what the cost or sustainability – except by large corporates ……)
mmmm . I’d better not go on because whilst I have the utmost empathy for the likes of the farmers just trying to get an earn to support him/herself and offspring, I’ll jeopardise that empathy witnessing the ever increasing numbers of Natzi-supporting farmers conned by promises, utter stupidity, and greed. I’m sure you know of the Mr Waghorn – theyre in your neighbourhood (and various other places where land use is better utilised, and where it is appropriate to farming – where there is a recognition of limits)
As you say … there are 3 fingers pointing and we can spread them around.
I’m waitng for the 4th finger that does the 360, but I fear I’ll be long gone before that fucking happens
Might it be an emergency because as of 2008 there were 30.000+ People living there?
Might it be an emergency because they are now ‘evactuating thausands of people’ from Porter Ranch? http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-porter-ranch-gas-leak-live-htmlstory.html
Might it be an emergency because at some stage the methane gas will start killing people?
Or is it only an emergency when cows are affected?
More on the “can of worms” TPP legal scrub weakens users rights.
Michael Geist from Canada has written a series of articles about the TPP. His recent article is titled The Trouble with TPP, Day 5: Rights Holders “Shall” vs. Users “May”.
The absence of users in the Internet provider section is not an anomaly. Throughout the TPP IP chapter, there are two distinct approaches. Where rights holders interests are concerned, the requirements are typically mandatory (ie. “shall”). Where the issue involves user rights or access, the requirements are not requirements, but rather non-mandated provisions (ie. “may”).
The weak language can similarly be found in safeguards against abuse of intellectual property rights. The TPP is filled with provisions aimed at guarding against misuse or infringement of IP rights. But what about when rights holders misuse their rights? Article 18.3(2) provides more weak language
Appropriate measures, provided that they are consistent with the provisions of this Chapter, may be needed to prevent the abuse of intellectual property rights by right holders or the resort to practices which unreasonably restrain trade or adversely affect the international transfer of technology.
You could write a counterfactual of what New Zealand would look like now if the 1984-1989 reforms hadn’t happened. Just project out a variant between Muldoon and Kirk.
Regarding the children working overseas, if you had a science degree, or arts degree, would you really choose to stay in New Zealand? Even LPrent has got to the perfect balance between overseas and local work, and he works in code.
The fields New Zealand’s economy supports are:
real estate and construction, agriculture and food and beverage broadly, and tourism. It would be worth staying around for those. Otherwise there’s not much point. We are one of the most mobile countries in the world for good reason.
It’s growing because we are the Mumbai of the Pacific — low wages, good skills, + English. Even Auckland’s higher salaries are insufficient to living costs, if you want to ever own a house. Best option for skilled younger Kiwis is to leave.
Hard to say really. Beginner is somewhere between 45k and 60k. Senior coders seem to be between 90 and 120k. Most available jobs seem to be between those two.
That puts you in the top 10% of income earners in NZ and you might be able to get on the bottom rung of the property ladder. Everyone below that 100K level is screwed though.
WTF, you’re blaming the council for high house prices, and your solution is to toss out democracy?? Nice one BM.
Ever heard of the leaky homes crisis or the Canterbury quakes or the SuperCity rush job? Many factors have converged to screw up housing development and it’s just transparently shitty spin to blame the Council
The housing problem started in 2009 about the same time that super city was a twinkle in Rodney Hide’s eye. I wish the Council was focussed on green living. And the finances are fine if they stop giving businesses further reductions.
…the government did a Ecan and took over and got the whole mess sorted.
They’d have to call out the army, allocate a whole lot more to the courts, and hope like hell that not too many of soldiers and judges are Aucklanders. We aren’t quite as quiescent about arsehole politicians feathering their and their mates nesteggs up here.
Besides, the National members of the government clearly have absolutely no frigging idea about how to do fuckall. Look at the idiot Brownlee, or their appointments to the ChChRecovery, or the actual pathetic performance of the sock-puppets that they shoved into ECan.
Just because the morons from NACT were stupid enough to create the whole city council doesn’t mean that we disliked it – it means that we finally managed to get the power to bulldoze the fuckwits in Wellington aside. It also meant that we wind up spending this decade to improve it by removing the stupidities that those ideological idiots in NACT shoved into the mix. Like the idiotic corporate entities running our assets.
That’s nice, but there are plenty of other Chch companies keeping IT salaries nice and low, just because they can. $35 K would probably be a more common starting rate. ($50 K would be for top end grads, I’m guessing)
Typical moaning from the Left. Someone points out growth and there’s an immediate Yeah, But. Actually not even a Yeah. Skilled young Kiwis have always left. They are now returning in droves. It’s a beautiful day, employment is at an all time high. The economy is growing at 2.2%. Wages are easily outstripping inflation. Enjoy the good times.
fisiani, I know it’s off the immediate topic here, but since you’ve expressed enthusiasm for TPP, what are your thoughts on TransCanada suing the US for $15 billion under the ISDS provisions in NAFTA?
All the modern trade agreements have the same (un)principled terms, but apparently our coming TPPA introduced some even curlier than before. We get the best deals!
But here is a clearcut example of a sovereign state exercising legitimate rights, being sued by a foreign corporate, using trade agreement clauses almost identical to what our government is about to sign us up to. I am honestly curious about your views on that. So I’ll ask again, what are your thoughts on TransCanada suing the US for $15 billion under the ISDS provisions in NAFTA?
Well, we can assure you that corporations will be suing the NZ government for billions of dollars under TPPA fully negating any possible benefit that it brings and it really doesn’t look like it’ll be bringing any.
Jesus Fizzz …. you really really don’t understand Indian perceptions or culture do you! (Statement not question)
Similarly, and perhaps more relevant – since you – is it you? that’s recently had that preoccuption with Venuzuela??? – you really do have no fucking idea.
I look forward to you and yours – claims of success in terms of your agenda.
It’ll all come with angst and battles that you (in your arrogance) no doubt are confident you’ll have an upper hand in.
PLEASE .
FTA South Amurrika (I’ve been waiting for progress in this space going forward since Chavez’s demise)
FTA Inja (We’ll see how Modi plays out and NZ’s treatment of Indian students – especially those sons and daughters of Indian politicians – not unlike those of the Brazilian).
Sorry folks – I find it hard sometimes to reconcile the fukkin IGNORANCE of the likes of Fizz’s spin. I D E O L O C I C A L and learned rote – or what!!
Employment is not at an all time high – I remember in 1980 we had unemployment of 0.5% – and it wasn’t this 1 hour a week bullshit or cancer victims being harrassed to abandon their only means of support.
I’ve recently returned from 10 years overseas and I can’t wait to get out of this horrible shithole.
The economy is only growing at 0.3% ex migration and Christchurch, wages haven’t kept pace with inflation for thirty years (excluding real estate inflation is bookkeeping of the kind that lands people in jail).
The country is lost and damned, and Auckland is mostly populated by orcs.
Best thing that could happen here is a seisachtheia.
Yes Ad, our young people go overseas for better job prospects and also to see the world as they have always done here. Two things which result in this mass migration is firstly these days they have the opportunity to come and go with air flights bringing them home within their salary range that they are earning overseas. In the 60’s it was a one off to go overseas as the sea travel was hideously expensive and you went over and stayed overseas for as long as immigration allowed you to. If that young person today has the luck of a UK father they can gain the Euro passport and the world is their oyster. Its great for them and I say good luck to them as the NZ we live in is not the lovely place it used to be – that pristine haven at the bottom of the world.
Secondly there is a knock on effect of these long stayers overseas, the negative side of it is it dislocates families and takes away that cohesive society we used to have of two or three generations all living close by and supporting one another. I know many many people who have kids away some as long as 17 years and longer, its lovely when they come home, say every 2-4 years but it still breaks up families. We always want the best for our kids but nevertheless its a different kettle of fish to the 60’s when one went for 2-3 years and then came home and settled down. NZ then wasn’t so bad to come home to.
I never gild the lily with my kid and her partner when they come home, they get the truth of what this country is all about and they are shocked at the cost of housing, food and other utilities we have to pay for. She owns a beautiful home which would cost 2 mil here and paid $424 US for it. Of course she earns huge money and why would she want to come home to a low waged economy so I don’t blame her staying away. She gets to see us quite often and has a far nicer lifestyle where she is.
Even in my twenties I was politically aware and wouldn’t have wanted to come back to this nasty place where dog eats dog and the vulnerable are not looked after. Where she lives now is probably pretty much the same but at least she is appreciated for her labour and is saving a great egg nest for their retirement which is what we, as all parents want our kids to do.
The Americans I’ve met (99% really nice people) are universally horrified at the costs of living here. Clothing, food, cars, petrol, and crummy housing, is all disgustingly overpriced. This is because the NZ market is TINY and big players can manipulate it and collude with ease.
Please @ Ad. Shoot me NOW!
I’ve just witnessed the discussion that follows (and in particular – the IGnorance of the Fizz.
I’m not sure whether he/she (actually he) hasn’t the capability for critical thought, or whether I should just bow down to @Paul/Paulm’s dnftt comments.
The latter would be so much easier.
He’s got me wondering whether it was his essays I once had to mark and to have had to seek a second opinion.
How the fuck did it come to this! There are words we once used as descriptors no longer seem to have any meaning – but I guess that’s what they intended.
I hope Fizz has a really exquisite looking tick on the certificate of achievement he’s in possession of cos fuck all else is going to safe him when we eventually delve into it all.
Sure Ad, rogernomics saved us from some of the awful consequences of Muldoon but it also introduced the iniquitous GST, sold off basic infrastructure assets for a pittance, and made the crash of 87 a hell of a lot worse. The shocking inequality and poverty produced from its hellspawn offspring, ruthanasia, changed NZ from a once decent country to one where the poor are actively demonised.
The 1984 reforms were necessary but not taken to the extreme that ACT party founder Roger Douglas went to. He destroyed David Lange and fucked up the Labour Party in the process. It was a shameful and despicable way to conduct government.
John Roughan is a blind idiot, I hope you were just paying devil’s advocate with that comment (3.1).
You tell us what it would be like to have import quotas and for NZers to manufacture most of the goods they needed instead,
Nope the goods may not be quite as fancy as that overseas – but 3% unemployment is better than 6.8% and rising.
And there would be a decent median wage.
House prices would be lower because we wouldn’t have sold all our major banks offshore.
We would be manufacturing our own rolling stock for our expanding rail system and we would be Carbon Neutral and virtually 100% renewable.
I could go on – but it would be just too depressing to think of all the opportunities we have lost because we cast it all aside and sold the silver for next to nothing.
Id be counting my beads or charms for sure. Nasty looking boil mid-Pacific. And we send a poor guy back because we don’t register when they put in application, only when it is complete in every detail. So the two days it took to get info complete meant he was over the bar because of those two days.
What are we planning to do for the Pacific Islanders? We can accept wealthy people who prop up this shaky economy in the Shake Isles. But PI people who were helpful workers once to the economy, are not the preferred people any more. Now it is those from the Indian continent, Indians from Fiji, and Filipinos. All needing places and jobs, but they are not from islands just above water level, lashed with increasing cyclones from sea level and winds from above like a punishment from hell.
There is a documentary being shown on TVOne at 10:10pm tonight that will be of interest to anyone interested in NZ history and/or Māori issues. It would be easy to miss considering the time slot it has been given.
“Hikoi – the Land March” commemorates the 1975 Land March led by Whina Cooper and features several of the people who participated.
Thanks, I saw the second half. The tv footage from 1975 was so clear it almost looked like it happened 5 years ago! I think I had forgotten a lot of what happened there, the bit at the end about Bastion Point and the 1000 police officers/army surrounding the occupiers was scary, almost fascist, rekindling an act from the New Zealand Wars almost. We do have some very poignant moments in our short history. The other takeaway for me was the stat that Māori only own was it 6% of NZ land currently, even after the large treaty settlements we’ve had in recent decades. In a lot of cases they’re just been offered the shit land back that pakeha never found a way to make a profit out of or exploit properly. Hope the doco makes it onto the OnDemand website.
Seen on a Facebook page. Does this define the zeitgeist of the young adult generation? If so, they will spend so long looking walking away from those with a wise message that they consider negative, that they cannot prepare themselves for the nasty future that awaits.
Walk away from anything or anyone who takes away from your joy..
Life is too short to put up with fools.
It’s not just young people. It’s in the hippy and new ager circles as well as the wider American culture of personal growth. Some of it is constructive, but there are very clear libertarian and neoconservative ethics at play as well. I agree, it creates problems on a number of levels and can be quite nasty. Poor people for instance are just full of negativity otherwise they wouldn’t be poor.
weka
The attitude is that poor people are too negative and cause their own poverty. I have come across that from a USAn, his refusal to consider tweaking policies in the community group we were operating was one factor in its demise.
But the meme is so pervasive that poor people can believe it is their own fault, feel guilty at asking for things, or nsisting on things that are their right actually, still there in the law.
The distressing thing is that this poisonous attitude that doesn’t want to front anything unpleasant or admit need for correction or improvement in society, means that everything that has a shitty smell stays that way. And if someone comes along all keen to make change and uses known community rousers and methods of self-firing in people which works, they are viewed as one-off outliers, and if they leave then the system and methods may just be allowed to fade away.
Of course this is ‘aided’ by the practice of neo liberals to want to cut ties between government central or local with the community and force groups to go to private enterprise for fund raising after a few successful years. Government will then fund some new group in the same temporary fashion, with the same result. It doesn’t matter how good, how useful, how carefully controlled the budget is, the neo liberal dead hand of government shows up soon and starves the organisation, or insists on user-pay which may dry up its good purpose.
For more than a decade, the Environmental Protection Agency has been under pressure from environmentalists and beekeepers to reconsider its approval of a class of insecticides called neonicotinoids, based on a mounting body of research suggesting they harm bees and other pollinators at tiny doses. In a report released Wednesday, the EPA basically conceded the case.
I watched “The Vanishing of the Bees” a few years back, and saw how the beekeepers themselves were looking into the reasons for the CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) that was destroying their hives and livelihoods.
The EPA’s role in approving the neonicotinoids is worthwhile to watch for itself. A 3 day trial, which does not follow the bees long term. While the film does not unequivocally state a reason, – it seems more than likely that when the bees feed on the honey during winter, the toxicity is concentrated in this winter fuel, and the effect is marked and leads to colony collapse.
Yes, me too.
Imagine if the victim had been say… Samoan and came from South Auckland… was the same age and a solo mum with two children. Do you think she would have got the same wall to wall coverage in the media? We all know the answer is NO. And of course P.B. wouldn’t have been seen spilling optrex down her face.
One hour talk David Whyte and Luke Hildyard
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSJey0VylMI
Google notes –
Feb 17, 2015 – David Whyte is Reader in Sociology at the University of Liverpool. He is an internationally established author on the subjects of state power and …
Luke Hildyard, deputy director of the High Pay Centre, a think-tank established to monitor pay, says the group has long since argued that “executive pay incentive payments have become totally dysfunctional and bear little relationship to company performance”. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/39959ed2-05e7-11e5-b676-00144feabdc0.html
I would like to pass on my great appreciation to MickySavage, Lprent, te reo putake, and any other TS people I have probably forgotten, who maintained the daily service over the Christmas New Year period. It must have kept you very busy when everyone else was taking it easy. For my part It meant that there was something meaty in politics or current affairs to read every day. Thank you all greatly.
Professor Jeremy Waldron is an esteemed law professor at New York University and Oxford.
He’s been described as the leading political and legal philosopher of our day. In the legal world, he is our most famous New Zealander. Professor Waldron is an outspoken critic of drone warfare, torture and hate speech, writing books that make the case for their corrosive effects in a democracy. He’s in demand for lectures all over the world.
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
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Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
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 ...
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 ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
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. ...
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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
Some people have asked for perspective on the size of the big gas leak in California.
http://www.carbonbrief.org/aliso-canyon-how-bad-is-the-california-gas-leak-disaster gives a good analysis.
About the same as 440,000 cows. New Zealand in June 2014 had around 6.6 million dairy cows and 3.6 million beef cows. So New Zealand’s cow herd emits around 23 times as much methane as this California “state of emergency” leak.
Whoops, correction. Just noticed their comparison was two months of the leak to a year’s worth of cow. So New Zealand’s cow herd emissions are 4 times the size of the California leak.
The glearing difference is that cattle produce food (you know one of the 3 things humans can’t live without) where as a gas leak produces nothing good.
True … but food and shitty rivers of water. I think maybe the point being made is more to do with the inappropriate intensity of it all (maybe)
Christ! I thought I might have had a response by now ffs!
Andre was concerned about air quality
I was pointing out water quality
…. and ALL within that concept and trendy talk we now charactersise as ‘SPACE’. How very intelligent of us all eh? Time ….. and ….. Space
….. now what is that 3rd thing we need for humans?
We could of course rely on the jet stream to blow away the air quality toxins, and tidal flows to disperse the cow shit and put it all into a global economy of ‘the Earth versus the Human being’.
Mr/Ms/Ms/Mrs B Waghorn – I’m not having a go at you by any stretch of the imagination.
I am forever amused at my neighbours however, claiming very staunch GREEN creds as they do – shuvving inappopriate things in the green counsil bags (attracting mice and rats and various other predatory creatures foreign to the area), trotting off home after drunken nites out ditching their KFC/Makkers/etc rappers and RTD containers, ….. etc.
I think they even try to measure their ‘footprint’ – all the while forgetting some very basic inputs.
Some of those inputs we could go into but they involve things like littering and sewer flows and condoms and ‘fanny rags’ and all that kind of thing that are best not delved into (for the sake of propriety and correctness).
They’re about as GREEN as BROWN minus YELLOW – but at least they try when they’re half way conscious
I get this massive vibe from urban people that they do no wrong and its us farmers fucking the planet. Attacking people for playing to the rules is piontles and counter productive .
You want to change things get a good government into power that listens to and funds scientists.
Most farmers are OK people who get caught up in the basic human desire create and build .
Water food and oxegen where my 3
And comparing a gas leak in the us to cows in nz is odd
Apologies for expressing myself in a way that came across as an attack. I genuinely was only looking for some kind of comparison that we in New Zealand could relate to. At the time I put it up, I wasn’t trying to convey any kind of deeper meaning.
However, if I were trying to express a deeper meaning, it would be along the lines of how the sum of our cumulative tiny actions in fact do add up to something bigger than a single colossal fuckup, and how we are all contributors to the problem. If I had been thinking of that at the time I would have found and added a few other comparisons.
I agree that there’s a lot of sanctimonious criticism of others, particularly agriculture, from urban greenies that don’t have a clear picture of their own non-green habits. However, parts of the agricultural community adopt an attitude that somehow their emissions are more worthy because they are producing food and that they should therefore be exempt from scrutiny or requirement to change. Unfortunately, from a climate change perspective, cattle are really pretty bad, they turn more of their dry matter intake into methane relative to other livestock, and they require more dry matter in to produce protein out than most other livestock.
So I’m of the opinion we really need to change how we structure agricultural incentives so that greenhouse gas emissions become a factor in agricultural decision-making. Disclosure of interest: I am a (fairly silent) partner in an agricultural enterprise, and the major part of my personal carbon footprint could be attributed to that.
Finally, New Zealand has changed a lot in the 30 years since I was growing up and spending a lot of time in the outdoors and in rivers in particular. While there are a lot of farmers that do take pride and care in their land, a lot are frankly disgusting. A lot of the rivers that were once clean and running year round have become more akin to open sewers, and some even dry up in the summer now, and some lakes have become basically open-air settling ponds. Clean rivers and lakes were aspects of New Zealand I used to be proud of and thought were a big plus over the US. Not any more. And that’s entirely due to intensifying agriculture.
No offence taken.
I’m of a strong government mindset as people in genera peoplel won’t do what’s good for them if , I do know that its next to impossible to change someone’s behaviour by harangueing them , big carrot with an even bigger stick is the way.
Drove from Nelson return to Christchurch a few months ago. My most enduring recollection for most of the journey was the smell of cowshit. Not what I remember from previous trips 20 years ago.
Couldn’t smell the carbon coming out of your exhaust?
If anyone’s interested, my quick calculation suggests one cow-years worth of methane emissions approximately equals burning 830 litres of petrol or 760 litres of diesel in your car, in terms of climate change effects.
Very interesting . proves the saying that when one points the finger there are 3 pointing back at you.
Just to illustrate how easy it is to do major numbers fuckery when it comes to climate issues and trying to apportion blame: that cows-to-cars comparison I just did is based on the low end of cow emission estimates and on the 100 year global warming potential of methane (which I think is fair). If I wanted to really paint farmers as climate villains, I would choose the high end of the emissions estimates for cows, and the 20 year global warming potential of methane, and claim that one cow-year is roughly 4150 litres of petrol or 3800 litres of diesel in terms of climate change effects. Yes, a 5:1 difference just by tweaking assumptions and definitions.
So I’m less interested in trying to pass out blame, and more interested in getting to a system where everybody’s emissions and costs become more visible and people can make rational choices to reduce them.
You have created a new measure . now when reporters want to compare the scale of something ,insstead of swimming pools or buses they can use cow farts.
Apparently most of it leaves by the front entrance, not the back door.
“I get this massive vibe from urban people that they do no wrong and its us farmers fucking the planet.”
In NZ, half our emissions come from agriculture yet they have been exempted from accountability by our current government. That might be your answer. Doubt it applies in the rest of the world, just here.
Urbanites need to sort out our transport and energy usage, for sure. Again, the current government would rather invest our limited transport funds in duplicate 1950s motorways through the countryside than in urban public transit infrastructure which can hugely reduce emissions. And we have a broken electricity ‘market’ which now has even more pressure on it to pay out dividends to shareholders.
I sure as hell hope you don’t get that vibe from me, or that you’re assuming I come from an urban background.
Looking at your comments (including below) …. we’re in agreement.
At the moment, I live next door to a slum landlord providing student accomodation. It’s interestin today’s media and WCC response to litter. I had to have a chortle and ask what the fuck took them so long.
Whilst I have a slum landlord next door, I also have a procession of transient student occupants – MOST of whom claim green creds.
Except that if you were to measure their carbon footprint …… it’d probably rival a bloody Chinese coal-fired power station.
They ‘recycle’ (which means they chuck anything from fanny rags and condoms to festering food scraps in green recycling bags – which strangely enough don’t get collected an encourage the rodent population)
When they ‘recycle’, they consistently put glass, RTD metal, KFC, Makkers (and whatever is the other 3rd choice of their staple diet) out on the wrong days such that it simply blows around for weeks on end. (The excuse id I imagine being that they were just a bit munted at the time – although I can’t explain why – given their claims to greenness – they make no effort to remedy their error. Christ – they even go to the Sunday Te Papa market and buy cheap veges and chuck the buskers a dime or two. It’s a shame most of the veges also rot in ‘green’ recycling bags unused during the following weak.
If one were to measure the toxins flowing down the gutter on a rainy day from the ‘green dwellers’ in the neighbourhood – I’d have to agree that any shit entering waterways from farming wouldn’t be that much more than the absolute SHITE that ends up near Moa Point AND directly into Wellington Harbour.
But hey …. they were pissed – some having bought their ‘bottles’ from the local supermarket (under investigation with licence being challenged) – so that’s okay then. Besides – they’ve got essays they need to submit at the last moment before the deadline, whereby they need some boxes tikked so they can get their degrees. And also besides – the landlord is a cnut so he deserves to be punished with rubbish (along with everybody else in the community.
But as I was surmising above – it is more about intensity and whilst I’d agree that farmers are an easy target, they sure as shit aren’t doing themselves any favours – in fact if they were a bit smarter, they’d start to realise that the Natzis aren’t ekshully doing much for them in terms of medium to long term sustainability (by that I mean everything from their mates ‘mis-selling’ of financial options, to the dismantling and corruption of their co-operative [Fonterrra], to various irrigation schemes [schemes] the operative word, to fostering G R O W T H – no matter what the cost or sustainability – except by large corporates ……)
mmmm . I’d better not go on because whilst I have the utmost empathy for the likes of the farmers just trying to get an earn to support him/herself and offspring, I’ll jeopardise that empathy witnessing the ever increasing numbers of Natzi-supporting farmers conned by promises, utter stupidity, and greed. I’m sure you know of the Mr Waghorn – theyre in your neighbourhood (and various other places where land use is better utilised, and where it is appropriate to farming – where there is a recognition of limits)
As you say … there are 3 fingers pointing and we can spread them around.
I’m waitng for the 4th finger that does the 360, but I fear I’ll be long gone before that fucking happens
Might it be an emergency because as of 2008 there were 30.000+ People living there?
Might it be an emergency because they are now ‘evactuating thausands of people’ from Porter Ranch?
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-porter-ranch-gas-leak-live-htmlstory.html
Might it be an emergency because at some stage the methane gas will start killing people?
Or is it only an emergency when cows are affected?
Porter Ranch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_Ranch,_Los_Angeles
More on the “can of worms” TPP legal scrub weakens users rights.
Michael Geist from Canada has written a series of articles about the TPP. His recent article is titled The Trouble with TPP, Day 5: Rights Holders “Shall” vs. Users “May”.
John Roughan praises Rogernomics and the fact that his children all work overseas?!?!
#HeraldActPartyNewsletter
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11571097
Maybe they are overseas to escape the endless stream of party political broadcasts from dear old dad
You could write a counterfactual of what New Zealand would look like now if the 1984-1989 reforms hadn’t happened. Just project out a variant between Muldoon and Kirk.
Regarding the children working overseas, if you had a science degree, or arts degree, would you really choose to stay in New Zealand? Even LPrent has got to the perfect balance between overseas and local work, and he works in code.
The fields New Zealand’s economy supports are:
real estate and construction, agriculture and food and beverage broadly, and tourism. It would be worth staying around for those. Otherwise there’s not much point. We are one of the most mobile countries in the world for good reason.
http://www.nztech.org.nz/what-we-do/business-growth-exports/
It’s growing because we are the Mumbai of the Pacific — low wages, good skills, + English. Even Auckland’s higher salaries are insufficient to living costs, if you want to ever own a house. Best option for skilled younger Kiwis is to leave.
Whats the average salary for a programmer in Auckland?
Hard to say really. Beginner is somewhere between 45k and 60k. Senior coders seem to be between 90 and 120k. Most available jobs seem to be between those two.
For a beginner, 50k+ first up is pretty good coin for a 21 year old.
100k + isn’t too bad for some one with experience either.
That puts you in the top 10% of income earners in NZ and you might be able to get on the bottom rung of the property ladder. Everyone below that 100K level is screwed though.
100K is still less than the median house price inflation – 120K last year
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11510908
This is unreal territory – similar to the USA before the GFC
I agree, prices at the moment in Auckland are completely out of whack.
Problem is the Auckland council and their complete mismanagement of the cities finances and the myopic focus on “green living”.
They’ve created the situation that Auckland is currently in.
The best thing that could happen is if the government did a Ecan and took over and got the whole mess sorted.
WTF, you’re blaming the council for high house prices, and your solution is to toss out democracy?? Nice one BM.
Ever heard of the leaky homes crisis or the Canterbury quakes or the SuperCity rush job? Many factors have converged to screw up housing development and it’s just transparently shitty spin to blame the Council
The housing problem started in 2009 about the same time that super city was a twinkle in Rodney Hide’s eye. I wish the Council was focussed on green living. And the finances are fine if they stop giving businesses further reductions.
It’s the f*cking “free market” mate. Hugely distorted due to LACK of regulation by the NatCorp™ slackers
Do an ecan??? …… So you want the Nats to suspend democracy and fill the Auckland harbor with fecal matter.
Sounds like a cow of idea ………
Anyway I thought nationals plan for improving Auckland primarily involved giving land and money to sky city casino ……
Until of course they get a right wing mayor in and then they can asset strip/privatize the councils assets.
They’d have to call out the army, allocate a whole lot more to the courts, and hope like hell that not too many of soldiers and judges are Aucklanders. We aren’t quite as quiescent about arsehole politicians feathering their and their mates nesteggs up here.
Besides, the National members of the government clearly have absolutely no frigging idea about how to do fuckall. Look at the idiot Brownlee, or their appointments to the ChChRecovery, or the actual pathetic performance of the sock-puppets that they shoved into ECan.
Just because the morons from NACT were stupid enough to create the whole city council doesn’t mean that we disliked it – it means that we finally managed to get the power to bulldoze the fuckwits in Wellington aside. It also meant that we wind up spending this decade to improve it by removing the stupidities that those ideological idiots in NACT shoved into the mix. Like the idiotic corporate entities running our assets.
My company’s starting rate for a graduate in CHCH is $50k.
That’s nice, but there are plenty of other Chch companies keeping IT salaries nice and low, just because they can. $35 K would probably be a more common starting rate. ($50 K would be for top end grads, I’m guessing)
Actually I think we’re towards the bottom of the market.
I started on $38k a decade ago.
Same in Hamilton.
Typical moaning from the Left. Someone points out growth and there’s an immediate Yeah, But. Actually not even a Yeah. Skilled young Kiwis have always left. They are now returning in droves. It’s a beautiful day, employment is at an all time high. The economy is growing at 2.2%. Wages are easily outstripping inflation. Enjoy the good times.
fisiani, I know it’s off the immediate topic here, but since you’ve expressed enthusiasm for TPP, what are your thoughts on TransCanada suing the US for $15 billion under the ISDS provisions in NAFTA?
NAFTA is not the TPP. Duh!
But the provisions in NAFTA that TransCanada is using are included pretty much word-for-word in TPP.
All the modern trade agreements have the same (un)principled terms, but apparently our coming TPPA introduced some even curlier than before. We get the best deals!
I can assure you that there will not be a oilpipe from NZ to Canada proposal made. Strawman argument.
Outstanding evasive tactics you’re using there.
But here is a clearcut example of a sovereign state exercising legitimate rights, being sued by a foreign corporate, using trade agreement clauses almost identical to what our government is about to sign us up to. I am honestly curious about your views on that. So I’ll ask again, what are your thoughts on TransCanada suing the US for $15 billion under the ISDS provisions in NAFTA?
Well, we can assure you that corporations will be suing the NZ government for billions of dollars under TPPA fully negating any possible benefit that it brings and it really doesn’t look like it’ll be bringing any.
Jesus Fizzz …. you really really don’t understand Indian perceptions or culture do you! (Statement not question)
Similarly, and perhaps more relevant – since you – is it you? that’s recently had that preoccuption with Venuzuela??? – you really do have no fucking idea.
I look forward to you and yours – claims of success in terms of your agenda.
It’ll all come with angst and battles that you (in your arrogance) no doubt are confident you’ll have an upper hand in.
PLEASE .
FTA South Amurrika (I’ve been waiting for progress in this space going forward since Chavez’s demise)
FTA Inja (We’ll see how Modi plays out and NZ’s treatment of Indian students – especially those sons and daughters of Indian politicians – not unlike those of the Brazilian).
Sorry folks – I find it hard sometimes to reconcile the fukkin IGNORANCE of the likes of Fizz’s spin. I D E O L O C I C A L and learned rote – or what!!
Employment is not at an all time high – I remember in 1980 we had unemployment of 0.5% – and it wasn’t this 1 hour a week bullshit or cancer victims being harrassed to abandon their only means of support.
I’ve recently returned from 10 years overseas and I can’t wait to get out of this horrible shithole.
The economy is only growing at 0.3% ex migration and Christchurch, wages haven’t kept pace with inflation for thirty years (excluding real estate inflation is bookkeeping of the kind that lands people in jail).
The country is lost and damned, and Auckland is mostly populated by orcs.
Best thing that could happen here is a seisachtheia.
Gnats should all be in jail.
Yes Ad, our young people go overseas for better job prospects and also to see the world as they have always done here. Two things which result in this mass migration is firstly these days they have the opportunity to come and go with air flights bringing them home within their salary range that they are earning overseas. In the 60’s it was a one off to go overseas as the sea travel was hideously expensive and you went over and stayed overseas for as long as immigration allowed you to. If that young person today has the luck of a UK father they can gain the Euro passport and the world is their oyster. Its great for them and I say good luck to them as the NZ we live in is not the lovely place it used to be – that pristine haven at the bottom of the world.
Secondly there is a knock on effect of these long stayers overseas, the negative side of it is it dislocates families and takes away that cohesive society we used to have of two or three generations all living close by and supporting one another. I know many many people who have kids away some as long as 17 years and longer, its lovely when they come home, say every 2-4 years but it still breaks up families. We always want the best for our kids but nevertheless its a different kettle of fish to the 60’s when one went for 2-3 years and then came home and settled down. NZ then wasn’t so bad to come home to.
I never gild the lily with my kid and her partner when they come home, they get the truth of what this country is all about and they are shocked at the cost of housing, food and other utilities we have to pay for. She owns a beautiful home which would cost 2 mil here and paid $424 US for it. Of course she earns huge money and why would she want to come home to a low waged economy so I don’t blame her staying away. She gets to see us quite often and has a far nicer lifestyle where she is.
Even in my twenties I was politically aware and wouldn’t have wanted to come back to this nasty place where dog eats dog and the vulnerable are not looked after. Where she lives now is probably pretty much the same but at least she is appreciated for her labour and is saving a great egg nest for their retirement which is what we, as all parents want our kids to do.
The Americans I’ve met (99% really nice people) are universally horrified at the costs of living here. Clothing, food, cars, petrol, and crummy housing, is all disgustingly overpriced. This is because the NZ market is TINY and big players can manipulate it and collude with ease.
example: 13 real estate agencies accused of price fixing
Please @ Ad. Shoot me NOW!
I’ve just witnessed the discussion that follows (and in particular – the IGnorance of the Fizz.
I’m not sure whether he/she (actually he) hasn’t the capability for critical thought, or whether I should just bow down to @Paul/Paulm’s dnftt comments.
The latter would be so much easier.
He’s got me wondering whether it was his essays I once had to mark and to have had to seek a second opinion.
How the fuck did it come to this! There are words we once used as descriptors no longer seem to have any meaning – but I guess that’s what they intended.
I hope Fizz has a really exquisite looking tick on the certificate of achievement he’s in possession of cos fuck all else is going to safe him when we eventually delve into it all.
Sure Ad, rogernomics saved us from some of the awful consequences of Muldoon but it also introduced the iniquitous GST, sold off basic infrastructure assets for a pittance, and made the crash of 87 a hell of a lot worse. The shocking inequality and poverty produced from its hellspawn offspring, ruthanasia, changed NZ from a once decent country to one where the poor are actively demonised.
The 1984 reforms were necessary but not taken to the extreme that ACT party founder Roger Douglas went to. He destroyed David Lange and fucked up the Labour Party in the process. It was a shameful and despicable way to conduct government.
John Roughan is a blind idiot, I hope you were just paying devil’s advocate with that comment (3.1).
The 1984 reforms were like giving thalidomide to a pregnant woman to help her with her horrible morning sickness.
You tell us what it would be like to have import quotas and for NZers to manufacture most of the goods they needed instead,
Nope the goods may not be quite as fancy as that overseas – but 3% unemployment is better than 6.8% and rising.
And there would be a decent median wage.
House prices would be lower because we wouldn’t have sold all our major banks offshore.
We would be manufacturing our own rolling stock for our expanding rail system and we would be Carbon Neutral and virtually 100% renewable.
I could go on – but it would be just too depressing to think of all the opportunities we have lost because we cast it all aside and sold the silver for next to nothing.
+1 good points sir/ma’am
Charming.
http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/real-time/austeast/movies/gmsirn/gmsirnjava.html
http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/real-time/temp/tccapture.gif
Id be counting my beads or charms for sure. Nasty looking boil mid-Pacific. And we send a poor guy back because we don’t register when they put in application, only when it is complete in every detail. So the two days it took to get info complete meant he was over the bar because of those two days.
What are we planning to do for the Pacific Islanders? We can accept wealthy people who prop up this shaky economy in the Shake Isles. But PI people who were helpful workers once to the economy, are not the preferred people any more. Now it is those from the Indian continent, Indians from Fiji, and Filipinos. All needing places and jobs, but they are not from islands just above water level, lashed with increasing cyclones from sea level and winds from above like a punishment from hell.
Hmm
http://pamola.um.maine.edu/fcst_frames/GFS-025deg/DailySummary/GFS-025deg_NH-SAT5_PMSL.png
There is a documentary being shown on TVOne at 10:10pm tonight that will be of interest to anyone interested in NZ history and/or Māori issues. It would be easy to miss considering the time slot it has been given.
“Hikoi – the Land March” commemorates the 1975 Land March led by Whina Cooper and features several of the people who participated.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/tv-guide/75716733/hikoi-the-land-march–new-footage-unveiled
Thanks, I saw the second half. The tv footage from 1975 was so clear it almost looked like it happened 5 years ago! I think I had forgotten a lot of what happened there, the bit at the end about Bastion Point and the 1000 police officers/army surrounding the occupiers was scary, almost fascist, rekindling an act from the New Zealand Wars almost. We do have some very poignant moments in our short history. The other takeaway for me was the stat that Māori only own was it 6% of NZ land currently, even after the large treaty settlements we’ve had in recent decades. In a lot of cases they’re just been offered the shit land back that pakeha never found a way to make a profit out of or exploit properly. Hope the doco makes it onto the OnDemand website.
It is available On Demand so you will be able to see the first half!
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/ondemand/hikoi-the-land-march/10-01-2016/series-2016-episode-special
Seen on a Facebook page. Does this define the zeitgeist of the young adult generation? If so, they will spend so long looking walking away from those with a wise message that they consider negative, that they cannot prepare themselves for the nasty future that awaits.
It’s not just young people. It’s in the hippy and new ager circles as well as the wider American culture of personal growth. Some of it is constructive, but there are very clear libertarian and neoconservative ethics at play as well. I agree, it creates problems on a number of levels and can be quite nasty. Poor people for instance are just full of negativity otherwise they wouldn’t be poor.
weka
The attitude is that poor people are too negative and cause their own poverty. I have come across that from a USAn, his refusal to consider tweaking policies in the community group we were operating was one factor in its demise.
But the meme is so pervasive that poor people can believe it is their own fault, feel guilty at asking for things, or nsisting on things that are their right actually, still there in the law.
The distressing thing is that this poisonous attitude that doesn’t want to front anything unpleasant or admit need for correction or improvement in society, means that everything that has a shitty smell stays that way. And if someone comes along all keen to make change and uses known community rousers and methods of self-firing in people which works, they are viewed as one-off outliers, and if they leave then the system and methods may just be allowed to fade away.
Of course this is ‘aided’ by the practice of neo liberals to want to cut ties between government central or local with the community and force groups to go to private enterprise for fund raising after a few successful years. Government will then fund some new group in the same temporary fashion, with the same result. It doesn’t matter how good, how useful, how carefully controlled the budget is, the neo liberal dead hand of government shows up soon and starves the organisation, or insists on user-pay which may dry up its good purpose.
Here is some good reading on this issue. An explanation of how positive thinking took hold in America. Causes all sorts of problems. People with cancer think they got it because they weren’t positive enough etc. http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/jan/10/smile-or-die-barbara-ehrenreich
Main reason why the left ain’t getting traction.
No one likes a downer, no one wants to listen to some person bleat on about how bad every thing supposedly is.
I suppose the irony of your comment is unintentional.
Too much positive thinking = reality denial. It causes ponzi schemes and the GFC
Must be time the terrorists that aren’t rang their mums and arranged a ride home.
JJ MacNab
@jjmacnab
The OR militants have updated their wish list.
https://twitter.com/jjmacnab/status/685960657225793536
Twenty years too late.
For more than a decade, the Environmental Protection Agency has been under pressure from environmentalists and beekeepers to reconsider its approval of a class of insecticides called neonicotinoids, based on a mounting body of research suggesting they harm bees and other pollinators at tiny doses. In a report released Wednesday, the EPA basically conceded the case.
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2016/01/epa-finds-major-pesticide-toxic-bees
I watched “The Vanishing of the Bees” a few years back, and saw how the beekeepers themselves were looking into the reasons for the CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) that was destroying their hives and livelihoods.
The EPA’s role in approving the neonicotinoids is worthwhile to watch for itself. A 3 day trial, which does not follow the bees long term. While the film does not unequivocally state a reason, – it seems more than likely that when the bees feed on the honey during winter, the toxicity is concentrated in this winter fuel, and the effect is marked and leads to colony collapse.
Worth the time if you are interested in this subject:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-JjQH_HUHQ
NZ and South Africa are exporting bees like there’s no tomorrow
I smelt a rat the moment Paula Bennett appeared on tv with optrex running down her face. Then all became clear with the rich-list connection.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/75751778/rich-lister-culum-manson-is-father-of-killed-jogger-jo-perts-children
Perhaps the focus should be on the dead lady, and those who have lost a mum, daughter etc
Public high profile death is a repeat in the Manson Company
Bound to be a coincidence.
Yes, me too.
Imagine if the victim had been say… Samoan and came from South Auckland… was the same age and a solo mum with two children. Do you think she would have got the same wall to wall coverage in the media? We all know the answer is NO. And of course P.B. wouldn’t have been seen spilling optrex down her face.
It would be ironic if funding cuts/shortcuts by Government end up being somewhat responsible for this tragic event.
The rich-lister ditched her when she was pregnant with the second child…
…nice bloke.
How Corrupt is Britain – book recently published.
Tesco has three investigations for naughtiness! And on and on with cases….
(https://plutopress.wordpress.com/2015/02/17/how-corrupt-is-britain-david-whyte-talks-about-his-new-book/
One hour talk David Whyte and Luke Hildyard
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSJey0VylMI
Google notes –
Feb 17, 2015 – David Whyte is Reader in Sociology at the University of Liverpool. He is an internationally established author on the subjects of state power and …
Luke Hildyard, deputy director of the High Pay Centre, a think-tank established to monitor pay, says the group has long since argued that “executive pay incentive payments have become totally dysfunctional and bear little relationship to company performance”.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/39959ed2-05e7-11e5-b676-00144feabdc0.html
I would like to pass on my great appreciation to MickySavage, Lprent, te reo putake, and any other TS people I have probably forgotten, who maintained the daily service over the Christmas New Year period. It must have kept you very busy when everyone else was taking it easy. For my part It meant that there was something meaty in politics or current affairs to read every day. Thank you all greatly.
Cheers WD. Christmas is always a stretch but there was a lot of interesting things happening …
hi wisdumb,
well said.
i, too, greatly appreciate the efforts made for me to participate in this community.
keep up the good work.
please.
How low can the Left go. Bring back Shearer.
Another fish bait comment..
dnftt
I thought the t.roll count was getting a bit low. Fishy must be on a zero hour contract?
Gollum …
at 12
Way to go Standardistas stupid comment for fizzy and just 4 comments and we are onto 13 Big Claps.
@ fisi “How low can the Left go”
………………………………Left………….Oppo
2014 Election………….35.8…………..44.5
(Party-Vote)
Poll Average……………42.4…………..49.2
(since Sep 2015)
Diff…………………………+ 6.6………….+ 4.7
You were saying, fisi ???
@12 Fisiani farts again.
interesting programme on Radio NZ, filed here for future reference:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/summernoelle/audio/201784993/professor-jeremy-waldron