Open mike 10/12/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 10th, 2010 - 38 comments
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38 comments on “Open mike 10/12/2010 ”

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  1. BLiP 1
    10 December 2010 at 7:25 am

    MORE BLETHERING FROM BLiP

    Many of you were far too kind to me last week, so kind in fact that I have become so emboldened as to attempt another musing on the week that’s been. So, with the indulgence of The Standard, where to start . . . hmmm . . . I know:

    The Labour Party: last week I climbed into the leadership and closed one comment saying something like “BIG improvement needed”. Well, what a week its been. Pansy Wong has presented a gift from heaven which, despite his clumsy questions, Hodgson seems to be taking great delight in unwrapping. Brendon Burns appears to be keeping a vigilant eye on the goings on in Christchurch. Mallard continues his patient and deliberate excoriation of the twitching Tolley. The decision to come on board with the Greens and scuttle cross-party consensus on the foreshore legislation has, finally, got some serious MSM traction. But, for me, the week’s parliamentary highlight was Clayton Cosgrove’s thundering speech in the general debate on Wednesday. Watch here as he skewers National Ltd™ on John Key’s promised “higher standards” and sends Bill English “dodging, weaving and squirming” from the House like a whimpering school boy. Top marks Labour.

    Helen: WTF was Stuff doing running the headline: Clark’s legacy – brothels on the golden mile . It ran across the top of an opinion piece by born-again-Tory lady-who-lunches Rosemary Mcleod. Not once in her article did she mention Clark. And, since when was Helen Clark responsible for Wellington City Council’s zoning regulations? It seems there are still deep pools of National Ltd™ slime left over from the 2008 Crosby/Textor-run Hollow Men coup. Fuckers.

    How lucky We Are: Hasn’t the Wikileaks drama been fascinating? The freedom of speech battle is just warming up and peeling back the suppurating scab that is US foreign policy shows its about time a dose of sunlight was administered. Heartening, for me anyway, is confirmation of just how benign our wee tin-pot pacific island democracy really is. We don’t have real terrorists in the hills arming themselves with rocket launchers, we’re not the gateway for an international narcotic ring and suffering the real crime that sort of thing brings about, our feeble economy is not in a “death spiral” and nor is it really being run by a blood thirsty dictator, and nor is our military rife with criminals – to mention just a few global realities . Its good to be a Kiwi.

    Finally, and on the day when he should be in Stockholm receiving his Nobel Prize, last word to Liu Xiaobo:

    A Small Rat in Prison

    for Little Xia

    a small rat passes through the iron bars
    paces back and forth on the window ledge
    the peeling walls are watching him
    the blood-filled mosquitoes are watching him
    he even draws the moon from the sky, silver
    shadow casts down
    beauty, as if in flight

    a very gentryman the rat tonight
    doesn’t eat nor drink nor grind his teeth
    as he stares with his sly bright eyes
    strolling in the moonlight

    • felix 1.1
      10 December 2010 at 8:18 am

      A weekly spot on the front page perhaps?

    • Anne 1.2
      10 December 2010 at 8:29 am

      I vote that BLiP be signed up for a weekly “Blethering Post” every Friday from now until the General Election.

    • ianmac 1.3
      10 December 2010 at 8:46 am

      A worthy read thank you BLiP. A touch of optimism?

    • Jim Nald 1.4
      10 December 2010 at 12:34 pm

      It was pointed out to me that someone quoted me last week when commenting on your, shall I say, blistering blethering.

      Instead of leaving it to being quoted (or misquoted) this week, I shall take the opportunity now to commend you for your scream of confectioneriness !

      Well done. Looking forward to next week’s.

  2. Cnr Joe 2
    10 December 2010 at 7:26 am

    loving it, sources in Medvedev’s office urge a Nobel nomination for Julian

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/09/julian-assange-nobel-peace-prize

  3. Pascal's bookie 3
    10 December 2010 at 7:28 am

    From the scuttlebutty column “the insider” in today’s Herald (pge 23 of ‘the business’ liftout)

    Long-serving public servants in ministers’ offices are becoming increasingly worried at the administration’s paranoid tendencies despite a dream run in the polls and generally warm relations with the media. Even those who are generally supportive of the Government’s direction are attacked in front of business audiences for having “subversive” tendencies for even mild criticism or questioning. Public servants who have seen governments come and go say it is most unusual for one to adopt the bunker mentality so early in the cycle of political popularity. There are predictions that a few veins may pop when ministers feel the blowtorch of media scrutiny in election year.

    • BLiP 3.1
      10 December 2010 at 7:58 am

      Can’t say I’m all that surprised given John Key’s attitude towards his own, personal public servants. Listen here are 1:28 when he calls them a bunch of muppets. Interesting to hear John Key say New Zealand had come out of the recession a year ago. Watch towards the end when he talks about his vinyard, I thought the trust was “blind” ??? Funniest thing in the video, though, is watching his blonde minder put her head in her hands and cringe when the bozo tries to sing.

      • The Voice of Reason 3.1.1
        10 December 2010 at 8:13 am

        Jaysus, what an arse. Just before the ‘muppet’ comment he’s suggesting that the female DJ would need to be restrained from throwing herself at him. Arrogant, much?

        The comments are pretty sickmaking, too. Well, except this one:

        MsBLiP:

        “What a dick.”

        Couldn’t have said it better.

        • M 3.1.1.1
          10 December 2010 at 10:54 am

          ‘he’s suggesting that the female DJ would need to be restrained from throwing herself at him.’

          WTF?? Hell, the only things most sentient females would be doing is throwing themselves in front of a car.

      • felix 3.1.2
        10 December 2010 at 9:58 am

        “Can’t say I’m all that surprised given John Key’s attitude towards his own, personal public servants. ”

        For all his matey-matey schtick he doesn’t seem very respectful of the people in his life. Remember when he said his wife looked like a hobbit?

      • Jim Nald 3.1.3
        10 December 2010 at 12:16 pm

        The recession was over a year ago? Huh?

        Is that like the war in Iraq is over?
        http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2007/oct/03/iraqwarwhatiraqwar

        Or that NZ is “not a country that has come about through civil war or a lot of fighting internally. We’re a country that peacefully came together” ?

  4. pollywog 4
    10 December 2010 at 11:49 am

    Nice one BLiP…

    maybe Key thinks he’s da Maori King or sumfing ?

    Maori King Tuheitia has been accused of swearing at his own people at a public meeting.

    Tiwai Iti, the sister of Maori activist Tame Iti, was at a meeting at Waikare Marae in Te Kauwhata last Saturday when the king was questioned about the spending of the tribe’s executive board.

    When Iti criticised the king for swearing at a kaumatua, he allegedly said to her “if you don’t f…ing like it then you can f… off”. </

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4444144/Maori-King-Tuheitia-accused-of-swearing

    …sounds like the people are revolting !!!

    slowly but surely…

    • pollywog 4.1
      10 December 2010 at 12:28 pm

      If our political leaders do not step in and prevent Tuheitia from succeeding where Charles I failed, then more than the whanau and hapu of Tainui have reason to feel afraid. Because, at that moment, all of us – Maori and Pakeha alike – will know that John Key’s deal with the Maori Party, has solidified into a dangerously intimate and profoundly undemocratic alliance between the executive arm of the Pakeha state, and a small, legally protected clique of aristocratic Maori politicians and businessmen.

      http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2010/12/injured-majesty.html

      all eyez on Tainui

      FIGHT THE POWER !!!

  5. prism 5
    10 December 2010 at 12:00 pm

    The red poppies commemorating the Flanders fields are to be made in Christchurch no more because the RSA will save $150,000 outsourcing them, on top of the $2m donations in NZ money they now get from NZs.

    It is NZ men and women that the poppies commemorate and the money is spent in NZ so we are (were) helping our own with our own donations. But that isn’t good enough for the neo lib business managers who have been brought up to think the world is their oyster, individual countries with pride and self-sufficiency don’t cut it in the international free market.

    Taking the making of our memorial flowers to China and Australia from Christchurch makes business sense if viewed as simple cost efficiency. Perhaps it would have been more efficient for us to have surrendered NZ to the opposing forces at the start of the war as decision makers don’t seem to value this country and we the people belonging here at all. They are prepared to give up everything we have achieved and fought for as NZs as if it was just dross.

    There’ll be no more red poppies for me Dad, if you’re looking over from your grave in France. I’ll be buying a white poppy for peace next Anzac Day.

    • The Voice of Reason 5.1
      10 December 2010 at 12:24 pm

      The RSA advise that the email adress for complaints is:

      [deleted]

      Karen is the secretary to the CEO, who is apparently too chickenshit to face the music himself, so under no circumstances email Dr Stephen Clarke directly at [deleted] or ring him on [deleted].

      Pip Pip!

      [lprent: We don’t allow either individuals e-mail addresses or phone numbers to be put up on the site (and I’m not even particularly keen about organisational ones). The correct way to do this is to put in a link to where ever these have been already listed in public by the people concerned.

      The reason for this is because many of the bots out there specifically harvest e-mail addresses and phone numbers. We don’t want to provide a source for them, and just as importantly we don’t want our bandwidth taken up by bots thinking that we are a source. ]

      • Rosy 5.1.1
        10 December 2010 at 12:44 pm

        I wouldn’t put that email address on my social networking page either *cough, cough*

        • gobsmacked 5.1.2.1
          10 December 2010 at 4:48 pm

          Don’t worry, the Prime Minister has stepped in.

          He has announced that he will personally lead the negotiations to make sure the ANZAC Day Poppies are made in New Zealand. Mr Key will offer the RSA a large slice of taxpayers’ money and rush a law change through Parliament today. “This is Middle Earth – sorry, I mean, New Zealand – so of course the poppies must be made here”, the Prime Minister declared. “Thousands of brave Kiwis fought against that big dragon or Sauron or whoever it was at Gallipolli, you know, the bad guys. Lest we forget, we can always rent the DVD.”

          • Colonial Viper 5.1.2.1.1
            10 December 2010 at 5:12 pm

            Yeah if Key wants another kicking from his Party’s free market right wing he’ll intervene.

    • Lats 5.2
      10 December 2010 at 1:24 pm

      If the $150,000 saved goes towards supporting the old diggers and other ex-servicemen who have risked their lives in service to our country then I don’t really have much of a problem with this decision. I note that Stephen Clark said the poppies are being sourced from the same company that supplies the Australian RSA, so you could argue that the decision embraces the ANZAC spirit in a way. I do feel for the good folk at Kilmarnock Enterprises here in Chch though, it isn’t the first contract they have lost for no really good reason.

    • Colonial Viper 5.3
      10 December 2010 at 1:41 pm

      Can someone tell me how higher wage unionised Australia can make these more cheaply than lower wage ununionised NZ’ers? 🙄

      (this is another reason why the low wage strategy of the NATs is stupid).

      • Draco T Bastard 5.3.1
        10 December 2010 at 2:55 pm

        And also transport them across the ditch.

        this is another reason why the low wage strategy of the NATs is stupid

        Yep, low wages, as Jonkey promised to deliver, leads to lack of R&D investment which means that all the better, more efficient ways of producing something aren’t investigated. This results in the costs actually going up in relation to all the other countries which actually do do the needed R&D such as China.

        Have I mentioned before that National have NFI as to how the economy works?

    • Vicky32 5.4
      10 December 2010 at 3:33 pm

      I tried to buy a white poppy (on principle) this year, but was told by an angry seller, that they don’t sell them in Auckland, only Wellington.
      No New Zealand family members ever fought anywhere (too old or too young), but my English family did. That’s why I am a total pacifist. I will donate but I will not wear poppies. It’s amazing how angry people get about that!
      Deb

      • prism 5.4.1
        10 December 2010 at 5:24 pm

        Watch it Deb wars or battles anyway, could result. The red poppies have always been in remembrance of the fallen, hapless or not, getting caught up in the turmoil and conflict of trying to protect your country from an invading force taking control. So I don’t see that red poppies are glorifying war and the sales go to help returned veterans.

        But after the world wars there were efforts to help the vets get employment here. For NZ jobs to be wiped so that product can be made cheaper overseas then sold here to be paid for with NZ currency, is not in the spirit of past help to assist returned forces to find jobs, start businesses in NZ. It appears that no NZ enterprise, even one with so much embedded national interest, is safe from being outsourced to other countries if it can be done more cheaply. We will sell our soul, if we still have one, if we get a good offer.

        People who try to sound caution, refuse to commit violence on principle and encourage peace can receive severe criticism even punishment. And the RSA can be strange, as when the World War vets became a tight club who would not open the ranks to include Vietnam vets for some years.

        • Vicky32 5.4.1.1
          10 December 2010 at 6:32 pm

          I have agonised about buying red poppies for years, prism… having been brought up in New Zealand. It was when a lot of the publicity turned from supporting elderly WW1 veterans to glorifying their (necessary) deeds and those of more recent veterans and also wars, that I made up my mind!
          It’s true, I saw the woman interviewed on Clive last night, about losing the contract – she was very upset, and I fully understand why…
          I have had nothing to do with the RSA – except that when my father died, the RSA wanted to get involved in his funeral… because he was a WW2 veteran from England. I don’t think my mother was all that keen, from what I remember. (I was 20, but my sibs were much younger, so it was left to my Mum, who already had disabilities and died herself within a few years.)
          My problem with Vietnam vets is that they were all (the NZ ones) volunteers, who chose to take part in a war of imperialism (maybe because it was American imperialism, they didn’t recognise it for what it was?) There has always been a strong anti-English sentiment in NZ and an equally strong pro-American stance. My Dutch friend was beaten up in the street when she was five, for speaking Dutch to her 3 year old sister. My sister and I at 7 and 5 years old, were attacked at school for having “Pommy” accents. True!)
          So I am quite “relaxed” about not buying poppies!
          Deb

          • Draco T Bastard 5.4.1.1.1
            10 December 2010 at 10:26 pm

            except that when my father died, the RSA wanted to get involved in his funeral… because he was a WW2 veteran from England.

            Really? Amazing – didn’t have any interest in my fathers funeral (he was also a WWII vet).

            There has always been a strong anti-English sentiment in NZ and an equally strong pro-American stance.

            True

            Personally, I just ignore Anzac day anyway as it has become overly sentimental/patriotic (to the point of actually being negative rather than positive) in recent years.

            • Vicky32 5.4.1.1.1.1
              10 December 2010 at 11:03 pm

              “Really? Amazing – didn’t have any interest in my fathers funeral (he was also a WWII vet).”
              I do remember my Mum talking about it, but this was 36 years back! (My sister and I had moved to Auckland and we literally flew in and back to Ak again, we were teenagers, and there may well be things I don’t know about.. ) Mum did this very Scottish stiff upper lip I don’t want to talk about it thing – so we didn’t. But I know had the positions been reversed, Dad would have talked a lot, which told the English stiff upper lip thing is not at all true (or maybe it’s a class thing?)

    • g says 5.5
      10 December 2010 at 8:54 pm

      The red poppies commemorating the Flanders fields are to be made in Christchurch no more because the RSA will save $150,000 outsourcing them….
      o.k. if it’s just about money… our family budget saves $5 if we don’t buy a poppy….

  6. Draco T Bastard 6
    10 December 2010 at 1:01 pm

    Growth And Elections

    Anyone who’s read the classic Larry Bartels paper on politics and the income distribution (pdf) should know this; one of the key points in that paper is that Republicans have fared better than Democrats, even though they have generally presided over worse economic performance, because they tend to have faster growth in year that precedes an election.

    hmmm, should be good news for the left then as NACT have outright screwed the economy – we’re not going to see the sudden boost just before the election but we will see that the economy will decrease again.

  7. felix 7
    10 December 2010 at 1:14 pm

    Hey look! Dirty filthy cowardly sociopathic pigs!

    So glad our own law enforcement officers are the cream of NZ society and would never, ever do anything like this:

    http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/shocking-new-footage-of-spratt-tasering-released-to-ccc-20101209-18qkx.html

    (in fairness to these disgusting maggots, there were only nine of them so they pretty much had to tase him 14 times to get him out of the cell).

  8. Colonial Viper 8
    10 December 2010 at 5:20 pm

    Well waddya you know.

    US complicity in Big Oil/Corporate Interference in Nigerian Affairs

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/08/wikileaks-cables-shell-nigeria-spying

    wikileaks have moved on from wars and international relations to how US diplomats are intertwined with big business. And here is the US aware that Pfizer was blackmailing Nigerian officials.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/09/wikileaks-cables-pfizer-nigeria

    • Draco T Bastard 8.1
      10 December 2010 at 10:34 pm

      And is anybody really surprised by that? The US government has been owned by big business for quite some time (At least 100 years).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

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