Open mike 11/10/2020

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 11th, 2020 - 82 comments
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82 comments on “Open mike 11/10/2020 ”

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  1. millsy 1
    11 October 2020 at 7:47 am

    This time next week, we will see if the polls are right, and if we have the first majority by left wing parties since Labour/Alliance/Green back in 1999.

  2. Robert Guyton 2
    11 October 2020 at 8:14 am

    I sincerely hope this is the case.

    • Peter 3.1
      11 October 2020 at 9:46 am

      What stands out in Mau's piece is the stuff about Seymour.

      The getting rid of interest free student loans is just part of their philosophical vi=ew of education

      Education, learning, schooling is a commodity, a personal thing not a community goal.

      Everyone runs around do their own thing and I guess being rid of rules and restriction will allow 'freedom' of operation.

      When he is PM or Deputy after the 2023 election will part of the coalition deal be dependent on Act getting its way with education?

      • AB 3.1.1
        11 October 2020 at 10:17 am

        ACT's 8% polling tells us that as many as one fifth of the people normally hidden away inside National's 40%-plus nationwide support are nutters, keen to return us to circa 1987 and an orgy of lawless opportunism for the benefit of the wealthy.

        • Muttonbird 3.1.1.1
          11 October 2020 at 10:39 am

          Yep. ACT under Seymour are a 0.64% party in normal times. These aren't normal times.

          The most horrifying policy (and there are a few) is the roll back of gun laws. Does he not get that the reason the Australian white supremacist chose NZ was because our gun laws were slack?

          • greywarshark 3.1.1.1.1
            11 October 2020 at 11:04 am

            Circa 1987 going on 1887 – we are instituting systems and attitudes that our grandies, our ancestors, sailed away from Britain hoping to get away from. We are stuck in that mud in our gumboots, fast losing the higher learning, the intellectual thought once aimed for, and getting into limited farming mindset with accompanying absentee landowner/lords and housing speculator/lords and rentiers.

            We need to step out of our gumboots, abandon them, and squish our way painfully to a grassy knoll somewhere where we can get some prominence, view our sorry state, and have a pow-wow about fixing on a new path and the new ways we have to adopt.

            • Descendant Of Smith 3.1.1.1.1.1
              11 October 2020 at 1:56 pm

              Capitalism was highly rampant in New Zealand in the 1800's. Hardly getting away from it by coming here. Fundamentally New Zealand was being exploited not being built into some sort of benevolent utopia.

        • Anne 3.1.1.2
          11 October 2020 at 11:48 am

          I predict ACT's share of the overall vote will fall short of 8%. In fact it could drop down to 5% or slightly less. I base that on some 2 to 3% are perennial National voters who will switch back to National at the last minute. They will feel obliged to, especially if it continues to look like National is going to bomb-out big time and it likely will.

          I sincerely hope they do because that disparate bunch of ultra-right wing candidates Seymour brings with him are dangerous.

          • Tony Veitch (not etc.) 3.1.1.2.1
            11 October 2020 at 4:54 pm

            Oh, don't predict that, Anne. One of the things I'm really looking forward to (apart from a Labour/Greens coalition) is Seymour desperately trying to control his disparate bunch!

            I predict some spectacular implosions in the coming term!
            Entertainment better than the movies!

            • Anne 3.1.1.2.1.1
              11 October 2020 at 5:18 pm

              So very true. Never thought of that. There's a good chance they might start brandishing ak24s around the place.

              Nah… its alright officer, I was only kidding. 😮

        • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1.3
          11 October 2020 at 12:32 pm

          National and ACT are keen to return us to the abuses of the East India Company.

      • Morrissey 3.1.2
        11 October 2020 at 10:26 am

        When he is PM or Deputy after the 2023 election…

        Are you joking? sad

        • Uncle Scrim 3.1.2.1
          11 October 2020 at 1:22 pm

          Kind of hard to see how this would happen. If National get their shit together, find a popular leader and get back into the mid-40% range by 2023, I don't see Act staying at 7-8%, and certainly not getting even higher. National will want those voters back for themselves.

    • Patricia Bremner 3.2
      11 October 2020 at 2:26 pm

      Seems Seymour is more about undoing than doing…. right negative stuff.

  5. Cinny 5
    11 October 2020 at 10:39 am

    Am on the unpublished roll and this election was the first time I was mailed an 'easy vote card', yay 🙂 Thanks electoral commission, that was less of a mission than last time.

    • Incognito 5.1
      11 October 2020 at 11:47 am

      Well done! You’re now almost one of us 😉

      You can vote without an ‘easy vote card’.

  6. greywarshark 6
    11 October 2020 at 11:29 am

    edit
    Some questions for our minds if they are hazy about joining the ones who are trying, (to do better), that Nick Drake thought up.

    (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfYnXGV8PfM&list=PLGBNU27l6atWt7gZYiln3taPdwcdky_FR&index=1

    Hazey Jane I

    Do you curse where you come from?
    Do you swear in the night?
    Will it mean much to you
    If I treat you right?
    Do you like what you’re doing?
    Would you do it some more?
    Or will you stop once and wonder
    What you’re doing it for?
    Hey slow, Jane, make sense
    Slow, slow, Jane, cross the fence

    Do you feel like a remnant
    Of something that’s past?
    Do you find things are moving
    Just a little too fast?
    Do you hope to find new ways
    Of quenching your thirst?
    Do you hope to find new ways of doing
    Better than your worst?
    Hey slow, Jane, let me prove
    Slow, slow, Jane, we’re on the move

    Do it for you
    Sure that you would do the same for me one day
    So try to be true
    Even if it’s only in your hazey way

    Can you tell if you’re moving
    With no mirror to see?
    If you’re just riding a new man
    Looks a little like me?
    Is it all so confusing?
    Is it hard to believe?
    When the winter is coming can you
    Sign up and leave
    Hey slow, Jane, clear your eye
    Slow, slow, Jane, fly on by

    On the Sunday after the election we might be listening and thinking as in Hazey Jane II of Nick Drake's.

    (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCaDp1gb6D4&list=RDC7QLtMHOiqw&index=7

    Hazey Jane II

    And what will happen in the morning when the world it gets so crowded that you can’t look out the
    window in the morning?

    And what will happen in the evening in the forest with the weasel with the teeth that bite so sharp when you’re not looking in the evening?

    And all the friends that you once knew are left behind they kept you safe and so secure amongst the books and all the records of your lifetime?

    What will happen
    In the morning
    When the world it gets so crowded that you can’t look out the window in the morning

    Hey, take a little while to grow your brothers hair
    And now, take a little while to make your sister fair
    And now that the family is part of a chain
    Take off your eyeshade start over again

    Now take a little while to find your way in here
    Now take a little while to make your story clear
    Now that you’re lifting
    Your feet from the ground
    Weigh up your anchor
    And never look ‘round

    Let’s sing a song
    For Hazey Jane
    She’s back again in my mind

    If songs were lines
    In a conversation

    The situation would be fine

    http://www.nickdrake.com/hazey_jane_II_lyrics.html

  7. Gabby 7
    11 October 2020 at 11:42 am

    Codger may be giving Drake's 'Parasite' a listen.

  8. Patricia Bremner 8
    11 October 2020 at 1:52 pm

    On Winston, Thanks for showing the convoluted use of Tax Havens by some.

    Thanks for the Gold Card.

    Thanks for choosing Jacinda over Bill.

    If this is the end of your political career, I am sure you will be like Michael Cullen, serving to the end.

    • millsy 8.1
      11 October 2020 at 2:43 pm

      If he goes, then the last link that Parliament has with the pre-Rogernomics era goes.

      This is being overlooked amid the schadenfrude.

    • Anne 8.2
      11 October 2020 at 5:41 pm

      Winston, Thanks for showing the convoluted use of Tax Havens by some.

      That was Peters’ biggest contribution to NZ society imo. He fronted the Winebox saga at a time when no-one else had the guts to stick their heads above the parapet. Sure, they did their best to cut his head off for the next 10 years (Michelle Boag was prominent in that effort) but they never succeeded. All the principle culprits were forced to flee NZ and go hide in Switzerland.

      None of them were prosecuted even though the evidence proved beyond reasonable doubt they were guilty as sin. An excellent example of how there are strict rules for us ordinary folk and none for the rich and powerful – and their lackeys.

  9. Muttonbird 9
    11 October 2020 at 2:06 pm

    What happens if huge numbers of Nats vote strategically: party vote ACT, electorate vote National?

    Could an overhang result in, say, 41 National electorate seats (same as now) and 20 ACT seats?

    • Barfly 9.1
      11 October 2020 at 2:14 pm

      yeah …nah…. not happening.

      It would be much easier to herd thousands of cats

      • Muttonbird 9.1.1
        11 October 2020 at 2:22 pm

        Probably not but let's say NAT+ACT gets 44% total. In the scenario described above ACT gets 17% (20 seats) and NAT 27% but 41 electorate seats, a 9 seat overhang.

        It all gets a bit complicated with the redistributed vote but the right seems so crazy and angry at the moment (more than usual) they might just vote ACT in those numbers.

        • Barfly 9.1.1.1
          11 October 2020 at 2:28 pm

          Guess I better start sharpening the pitchfork then devil

        • Uncle Scrim 9.1.1.2
          11 October 2020 at 3:26 pm

          But if there's a 9-seat overhang – ie a 129-member Parliament? – then 61 MPs isn't a majority: Labour and Greens would presumably have 68 MPs? (or in fact in that case ACT’s 17% would earn 22 seats (with Nats’ 41, totalling 63), but Lab-Greens would still have 66?).

          But yes this isn’t going to happen.

  10. Dennis Frank 10
    11 October 2020 at 3:00 pm

    New Zealand actor Sam Neill has come out on social media saying New Zealand should 'finally legalise marijuana'.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/election-2020-cannabis-referendum-sam-neill-urges-kiwis-to-vote-yes/JOAUF5223CKPFCTBUBCOP7VG5Q/

    • millsy 10.1
      11 October 2020 at 3:46 pm

      "No" voters never seem to directly address the question WHY they think someone should be arrested for using cannabis, which seems to be the key issue here.

      • Chris T 10.1.1
        11 October 2020 at 4:40 pm

        Not that I care if it goes through, I am pushing it to think people still get arrested for smoking a joint these days, unless it is an excuse to get them in for other shit they have listed against their name.

    • mac1 11.1
      11 October 2020 at 6:03 pm

      How many times now has National got the numbers wrong?

      A bit like rugby- they keep dropping the ball, in their own half…….

      • Incognito 11.1.1
        11 October 2020 at 6:26 pm

        I’ve lost count but the 2020-list must be getting as long as BLiP’s world-famous list of John Key and National’s lies. And John was the Leader for nine long years; I can’t see Judith lasting even nine months.

  12. greywarshark 12
    11 October 2020 at 5:48 pm

    Something else for we intelligent adults to consider! Isn't it time we paused, and had a cup of tea and thought about how to be kind to the planet and each other? I think we have toset our wants a notch lower and our willingness to live simpler higher and give more to each other enabling resilience of us and our world?

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/2018767832/natural-fibres-more-prevalent-in-ocean-than-plastic-study

  13. greywarshark 13
    11 October 2020 at 5:56 pm

    Interesting – great historic rugby pictures have ended up in USA? hands. That's capitalism for you, get their hands on anything that is regarded as important, which raises the price, and sell it on the international collectors market. We can have our own taonga back if we can pay the price.

    But we don't know what is important to us and make sure we treasure it till we see it in foreigners' hands. Babies we are.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/428057/online-auction-sells-rare-new-zealand-rugby-pictures

  14. mac1 14
    11 October 2020 at 6:16 pm

    The rugby test has a moral for politicians in the final week before an election. The try is not scored until the ball has been placed with downwards pressure on the ground on or over the try line. It needs more then fancy haircuts, aka slogans, personalities aka political reputations, and distractions like arguing with the ref aka media-watching.

    It's not just a game. It's us and our lives.

  15. Chris T 15
    11 October 2020 at 6:26 pm

    Far out.

    Winston is looking a bit screwed on the news on his electioneering.

    Makes Collins look good.

  16. Grafton Gully 16
    11 October 2020 at 6:39 pm

    I want to stop the wealth tax so will vote labour to help keep the greens out of the next government. Reminds me of Clark's aversion to them. Good foresight.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 16.1
      11 October 2020 at 7:10 pm

      Wealth tax wouldn't affect me directly. Party-voted Green yesterday; hope they make it!

  17. bwaghorn 17
    11 October 2020 at 7:45 pm

    Voted today.

    Greens party vote ,

    Labour electorate ( not that that matters out here in blue country)

    Yes and yes in the referendum s.

    I really wanted to vote top but james the commenter scared me to the greens , we need more labour , they ain't perfect but the nacts are fucking scary .

  18. Muttonbird 18
    11 October 2020 at 8:02 pm

    The Prime Minister today said she wants there to be no social housing waiting list by 2030.

    A laudable goal.

    But I'd like to counter that by saying I'd like for there to be no need for social housing at all by 2050.

    That is, a socio-economic system working as it should where everyone is able to live and house themselves comfortably without struggle.

    • Andre 18.1
      11 October 2020 at 8:30 pm

      How would it work with no social housing at all? Everyone has to be either a rent-slave to a private landlord or a mortgage-slave to a bank until they finally become one of the exalted few that are mortgage-free?

      What happens with those few that really don't seem to be able to fit themselves into the regular societal housing paradigm, such as swordfish's parents' neighbour? Contract out housing them to Serco?

    • greywarshark 18.2
      11 October 2020 at 8:31 pm

      Yes. A simple solution when looked at objectively. We don't mind going Back to the Future with sensible goals which include the citizenry having a say and helping the build.

    • Chris T 18.3
      11 October 2020 at 9:45 pm

      Given Kiwibuild, one person's laudable is another's laughable.

  19. Andre 19
    11 October 2020 at 8:08 pm

    Soz, everybody.

    We almost made it through a whole day without any fresh nutso from fake-Bronzo von Flaghumper, and now I'm going to spoil it. But it's worth it, trust me.

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-superman-walter-reed-discharge-plot_n_5f8248c4c5b6e5c31fff5770

    • greywarshark 19.1
      11 October 2020 at 8:33 pm

      We could have a day without Trump or the USA even being mentioned now and then. When in NZ do as the Kiwis do, is a slogan for the odd day.

    • hanswurst 19.2
      12 October 2020 at 12:21 am

      Seeing as the gag in itself isn't actually so bad, as far as such gags go, and Trump could certainly count on camera crews and editing to make up for the fact that he would probably look more than a bit hapless doing it in real life, I can only imagine that he decided against it because he is currently either too weak or too uncoordinated to rip a shirt off reliably.

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  • More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
    Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Letter To Luxon.
    Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.   Brian Easton writes –  Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • CRL Progress – Sep-23
    It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enough
    We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Game on; Hipkins comes out punching
    Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
    The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW:  It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 17, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 23, 2023. Story of the Week  Opinion: Let’s free ourselves from the story of economic growth A relentless focus on economic growth has ushered in ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • The End Of The World.
    Have you been looking out of your window for signs of the apocalypse? Don’t worry, you haven’t been door knocked by a representative of the Brian Tamaki party. They’re probably a bit busy this morning spruiking salvation, or getting ready to march on our parliament, which is closed. No, I’ve ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Climate Town: The Brainwashing Of America's Children
    Climate Town is the YouTube channel of Rollie Williams and a ragtag team of climate communicators, creatives and comedians. They examine climate change in a way that doesn’t make you want to eat a cyanide pill. Get informed about the climate crisis before the weather does it for you. The latest ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Has There Been External Structural Change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was similar to the May Budget BEFU, ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Another Labour bully
    Back in June, we learned that Kiri Allan was a Parliamentary bully. And now there's another one: Labour MP Shanan Halbert: The Labour Party was alerted to concerns about [Halbert's] alleged behaviour a year ago but because staffers wanted to remain anonymous, no formal process was undertaken [...] The ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Climate Change: Ignoring our biggest problem
    Its that time in the election season where the status quo parties are busy accusing each other of having fiscal holes in a desperate effort to appear more "responsible" (but not, you understand, by promising to tax wealth or land to give the government the revenue it needs to do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • JERRY COYNE: A good summary of the mess that is science education in New Zealand
    JERRY COYNE writes –  If you want to see what the government of New Zealand is up to with respect to science education, you can’t do better than listening to this video/slideshow by two exponents of the “we-need-two-knowledge-systems” view. I’ve gotten a lot of scary stuff from Kiwi ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Good news on the GDP front is accompanied by news of a $5m govt boost for Supercars (but what about ...
    Buzz from the Beehive First, we were treated to the news (from Finance Minister Grant Robertson) that the economy has turned a corner and New Zealand never was in recession.  This was triggered by statistics which showed the economy expanded 0.9 per cent in the June quarter, twice as much as ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • The Scafetta Saga
    It has taken 17 months to get a comment published pointing out the obvious errors in the Scafetta (2022) paper in GRL. Back in March 2022, Nicola Scafetta published a short paper in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) purporting to show through ‘advanced’ means that ‘all models with ECS > ...
    Real ClimateBy Gavin
    6 days ago

  • Friday's Chorus: Penny wise and pound foolish
    TL;DR: In the middle of a climate emergency and in a city prone to earthquakes, Victoria University of Wellington announced yesterday it would stop teaching geophysics, geographic information science and physical geography to save $22 million a year and repay debt. Climate change damage in Aotearoa this year is already ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Calling the big dog’s bluff
      For nearly thirty years the pundits have been telling the minor parties that they must be good little puppies and let the big dogs decide. The parties with a plurality of the votes cast must be allowed to govern – even if that means ignoring the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • The electorate swing, Labour limbo and Luxon-Hipkins two-step
     Another poll, another 27 for Labour. It was July the last time one of the reputable TV company polls had Labour's poll percentage starting with a three, so the limbo question is now being asked: how low can you go?It seems such an unlikely question because this doesn't feel like the kind ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    6 days ago

  • A Womance, and a Nomance.
    After the trench warfare of Tuesday night, when the two major parties went head to head, last night was the turn of the minor parties. Hosts Newshub termed it “the Powerbrokers' Debate”.Based on the latest polls the four parties taking part - ACT, the Greens, New Zealand First, and Te ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • When The Internet Rushes To Your Defense
    Hi,You can’t make this stuff up.People involved with Sound of Freedom, the QAnon-infused movie about anti-child trafficker Tim Ballard, are dropping like flies. I won’t ruin your day by describing it here, but Vice reports that footage has emerged of executive producer Paul Hutchinson being inappropriate with a 16-year-old trafficking ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • Doubts about Robertson’s good news day
    The trading banks yesterday concluded that though GDP figures released yesterday show the economy is not in recession, it may well soon be. Nevertheless, the fact that GDP has gone up 0.8 per cent in the latest quarter and that StatsNZ revised the previous quarter’s figure to show a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • The Votes That Media Dare Not Speak Its Name
    .Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..A recent political opinion poll (20 September) on TV1 presented what could only be called bleak news for the Left Bloc:National: 37%, down two points equating to 46 seatsLabour: 27%, down one point (34 ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #38 2023
    Open access notables At our roots Skeptical Science is about cognition of the results of climate science research in the minds of the entire human population. Ideally we'd be perfectly communicating understanding of Earth's climate, and perfectly understood. We can only approximate that, but hopefully converging closer to perfection. With ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • Failing To Hold Back The Flood: The Edgy Politics of the Twenty-First Century.
    Coming Over The Top: Rory Stewart's memoir, Politics On The Edge, lays bare the dangerous inadequacies of the Western World's current political model.VERY FEW NEW ZEALANDERS will have heard of Rory Stewart. Those with a keen eye for the absurdities of politics may recognise the name as that of the ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • Pick this Chris, you get the Greens. Pick the other one you get Seymour.
    A bit of a narrative has been building that these two guys, your Chris and your Chris,  are not so very different.It's true to a point. The bread and butter timidity has been dispiriting to watch, if you have a progressive disposition. It does leave the two of them relatively ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • RICHARD PREBBLE: Who won the Leaders’ debate?
    Richard Prebble writes –  There was a knockout winner of the Leaders’ debate. Check for yourself. Recall how they looked. If you cannot remember or missed it, the debate is on TVNZ’s website. Turn off the sound and ask: “Which one looks like a Prime Minister?” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Thursday's Chorus: GDP up an extra 33c per person per week
    Just like National when it was in government, Labour bought nominal GDP growth and momentum by pulling as hard as it could on the population lever. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Stats NZ has reported better-than-expected GDP growth in the June quarter, thanks largely to record-high net migration of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Climate Change: National’s policy for failure
    We already know that the National Party are de facto climate change deniers who want to reverse virtually all climate change policy. So how do they think they'll cut emissions? According to their climate change spokesperson, polluting corporations will do it out of the goodness of their hearts: The ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • NZ’s  big dairy company reports a massive profit jump – but the lobby group Greenpeace doesn’...
    Dairy farmers, or at least  those who are also shareholders in the Fonterra dairy co-operative would have received  a second dose of good news this week, when the dairy giant reported a massive profit  jump. This followed news of  a better sale  at the Fonterra  GDT auction this week. Net ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    7 days ago

  • Big issues out of the mouths of giant babes
    A longtime New Zealand broadcaster and commentator is taking a theatrical turn in advance of the General Election to draw different kinds of attention to the issues New Zealanders will be voting on in October.In a pre-election event that invites audiences to consider New Zealand politics through a theatrical lens ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • That new hospital which Labour is promising – is it the same one which Sepuloni mentioned in May ...
    Our busy ministers – desperately busy trying to whip up voters’ support as their poll support sags, among other things – have added just one item of news to the government’s official website over the past 24 hours or so. It’s the news that the Government has accepted the Environment ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Queenstown was keeping rates low
    On Monday, we learned that Queenstown, one of the country's largest tourist destinations, suddenly had to boil its water to avoid cryptosporidium. Now, it looks like it will last for months. Why? The usual reason: they'd been keeping rates low: Queenstown could face months of having to boil water ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on chaotic coalitions, drinking water and useless debates
    This week’s ONE News-Verian poll had the National/ACT coalition teetering on the edge of being able to govern alone while – just as precariously – having its legislative agenda vulnerable to a potential veto by Winston Peters in the House. So close, but so perilous. During the run-up to election ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    7 days ago

  • An ill wind
    National Leader Christopher Luxon likes to bag the way the Resource Management Act worked. Though it has been repealed and replaced by the Labour government, Luxon plans, before Christmas, to repeal the new legislation and, for the foreseeable future, revert to the old Act that he has consistently criticised. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • Further Adventures with Martin the Chess Bot
    Earlier this month, I had a bit of fun with Chess.com’s worst AI, the one and only Martin Bot: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/09/02/nine-queens-against-martin-chess-hilarity/ Well, in the past few days, I’ve achieved a trio of notable personal firsts against Martin. I thought I would record them in the morbid interests of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • The Inflation Reduction Act is reducing U.S. reliance on China
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. Over a year later, its climate provisions remain a hot topic. The law’s proponents argue that it’s created a boom in domestic manufacturing jobs within the United States while paving ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Relief  for dairy farmers – and the NZ economy – as prices rise again at latest GDT auction
    New Zealand’s dairy  farmers  will  be relieved that prices rose  for the second  time this month at the latest Fonterra GDT auction. The encouraging  feature of the sale was the activity of  Chinese buyers who drove  up prices. As a result, the GDT price index rose 4.6%, helped by a 4.6% lift ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    1 week ago

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests in Greymouth’s future
    The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflation
    Economy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New cancer centre opens in Christchurch
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests in top of the south’s roading resilience
    $12 million to improve the resilience of roads in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions Hope Bypass earmarked in draft Government Policy Statement on land transport $127 million invested in the top of the south’s roads since flooding in 2021 and 2022 The Government is investing over $12 million to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealanders continue to support the revitalisation of te reo as we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Mā...
    Ko tēnei te wiki e whakanui ana i tō tātou reo rangatira. Ko te wā tuku reo Māori, e whakanuia tahitia ai te reo ahakoa kei hea ake tēnā me tēnā o tātou, ka tū ā te Rātū te 14 o Mahuru, ā te 12 o ngā hāora i te ahiahi. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New Wildlife Act to better protect native species
    The 70-year-old Wildlife Act will be replaced with modern, fit-for-purpose legislation to better protect native species and improve biodiversity, Minister of Conservation Willow-Jean Prime has announced.   “New species legislation is urgently needed to address New Zealand’s biodiversity crisis,” Willow-Jean Prime said.   “More than 4,000 of our native species are currently ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • Further safety initiatives for Auckland City Centre
    Central and Local Government are today announcing a range of new measures to tackle low-level crime and anti-social behaviour in the Auckland CBD to complement Police scaling up their presence in the area. “Police have an important role to play in preventing and responding to crime, but there is more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • Govt confirms additional support for Enabling Good Lives
    The Government has confirmed $73.7 million over the next four years and a further $40.5m in outyears to continue to transform the disability support system, Minister for Disability Issues Priyanca Radhakrishnan has announced. “The Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach is a framework which guides positive change for disabled people, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • New Zealand gets AAA credit rating from S&P
    Standard and Poor’s is the latest independent credit rating agency to endorse the Government’s economic management in the face of a deteriorating global economy. S&P affirmed New Zealand’s long term local currency rating at AAA and foreign currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook. It follows Fitch affirming New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • Appointment of Environment Court Judge
    Christchurch barrister Kelvin Reid has been appointed as a Judge of the Environment Court and the District Court, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Mr Reid has extensive experience in Resource Management Act issues, including water quality throughout the South Island. He was appointed to the Technical Advisory Group advising the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • NZ’s biggest ever emissions reduction project hits milestone
    New Zealand is on track to have greener steel as soon as 2026 with New Zealand Steel’s electric arc furnace project reaching a major milestone today.   The Government announced a conditional partnership with New Zealand Steel in May to deliver the country’s largest emissions reduction project to date. Half of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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