Open mike 12/02/2024
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6:00 am, February 12th, 2024 - 49 comments
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- Weekly Roundup 28-March-2025
Today’s another Friday, and we are almost at the end of March. Here’s another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday, Connor pointed out that people tend to like people-friendly cities. On Wednesday, Matt looked at the stadium proposals, ...32 minutes ago - To counter China’s coercion of Taiwan, we must track it better
The threat of a Chinese military invasion of Taiwan dominates global discussion about the Taiwan Strait. Far less attention is paid to what is already happening—Beijing is slowly squeezing Taiwan into submission without firing a ...32 minutes ago - Good Morning Good Morning
After a while you start to smile, now you feel coolThen you decide to take a walk by the old schoolNothing has changed, it's still the sameI've got nothing to say but it's okaySongwriters: Lennon and McCartney.Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, today, a spectacle you’re probably familiar with: ten ...37 minutes ago - Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes on Friday, March 28
In short this morning in our political economy: Chris Bishop attempted to rezone land in Auckland for up to 540,000 new homes last year, but was rejected by Cabinet, NZ Herald’s Thomas Coughlan reports this morning in a front page article.Overnight, Donald Trump put 25% tariffs on all car and ...2 hours ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #13 2025
Open access notables New coasts emerging from the retreat of Northern Hemisphere marine-terminating glaciers in the twenty-first century, Kavan et al., Nature Climate Change: Accelerated climate warming has caused the majority of marine-terminating glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere to retreat substantially during the twenty-first century. While glacier retreat and changes ...13 hours ago - Trump’s critical minerals order may harm Australian interests
US President Donald Trump is certainly not afraid of an executive order, signing 97 since his inauguration on 20 January. In minerals and energy, Trump has declared a national emergency; committed to unleashing US (particularly ...15 hours ago
- Is this what government is for?
Aotearoa has an infrastructure shortage. We need schools, hospitals, public housing. But National is dead set against borrowing to fund any of it, even though doing so is much cheaper than the "public-private partnership" model they prefer. So what will National borrow for? Subsidising property developers: The new scheme, ...16 hours ago - Late Capitalism / Early Dystopia FAQ
QUESTION:What's the difference between the National government loosening up the RMA so that developers can decide for themselves what's a good idea or not, and loosening up the building regulations in the early 1990s so that a builder could decide for themselves what was a good idea or not?ANSWER:Well in ...16 hours ago - China’s warships reveal more than a need to strengthen the ADF
Last month’s circumnavigation by a potent Chinese naval flotilla sent a powerful signal to Canberra about Beijing’s intent. It also demonstrated China’s increasing ability to threaten Australia’s maritime communications, as well as the entirety of ...17 hours ago
- Will Labour take on the oligarchs?
David Parker gave a big foreign policy speech this morning, reiterating the party's support for an independent (rather than boot-licking) foreign policy. Most of which was pretty orthodox - international law good, war bad, trade good, not interested in AUKUS, and wanting a demilitarised South Pacific (an area which presumably ...18 hours ago
- Louise Upston ensures beneficiaries can’t pay rent or utilities while Matt Doocey undermines p...
Hi Readers,I’ve been critical of Substack in some respects, and since then, my subscriber growth outside of my network has halted to zero.If you like my work, please consider sharing my work.I don’t control the Substack algorithms but have been disappointed to see ACT affiliated posts on the app under ...19 hours ago - Australia’s security architecture must evolve, not regress
The Independent Intelligence Review, publicly released last Friday, was inoffensive and largely supported the intelligence community status quo. But it was also largely quiet on the challenges facing the broader national security community in an ...20 hours ago
- More F-35s, more tankers: a reliable way to strengthen Australian deterrence
If the Chinese navy’s task group sailing around Australia a few weeks ago showed us anything, it’s that Australia has a deterrence gap so large you can drive a ship through it. Waiting for AUKUS ...22 hours ago
- Big Business
Think you've had enoughStop talking, help us get readyThink you’ve had enoughBig business, after the shakeupLyrics: David Bryne.Yesterday, I saw the sort of headline that made me think, “Oh, come on, this can’t be real.” At this point, the government resembles an evil sheriff in a pantomime, tying the good ...22 hours ago - Thursday 27 March
Kiwis working while physically and mentally unwell is costing businesses $46 billion per year, according to new research. The Tertiary Education Commission is set to lose 22 more jobs, following 28 job cuts in April last year. Beneficiaries sanctioned with money management cards will often be unable to pay rent, ...22 hours ago - No, You Don’t Deserve a Second Term
Last week, Matthew Hooton wrote an op-ed, published in NZME, that essentially says that if Luxon secures a trade deal with India, that alone, would mean Luxon deserved a second term in government.Hooton said Luxon displayed "seriousness and depth" in New Dehli. He praised Luxon for ‘doubling down’ on the ...22 hours ago - Climate skeptics have new favorite graph; it shows the opposite of what they claim
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink Last September the Washington Post published an article about a new paper in Science by Emily Judd and colleagues. The WaPo article was detailed and nuanced, but led with the figure below, adapted from the paper: The internet, being less prone to detail and nuance, ran ...23 hours ago
- NZ missing a primary health care opportunity
23 hours ago - Pressure Points: The importance of Australia’s military presence in East and Southeast Asia
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- Pressure Points: The importance of Australia’s military presence in East and Southeast Asia
This week ASPI launched Pressure Points, an interactive website that analyses the Chinese military’s use of air and maritime coercion to enforce Beijing’s excessive territorial claims and advance its security interests in the Indo-Pacific. The ...1 day ago
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This is a guest post by placemaker Paris Kirby. Featured Image: Neon Lucky Cat on Darby Street, city centre. Created and built by Aan Chu and Angus Muir Design (Photo credit: Bryan Lowe) Disclaimer: I am a Senior Placemaking and Activation Specialist at Auckland Council; however, the views expressed ...1 day ago
- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes on Thursday, March 27
In short: New Zealand is spending just a third of the OECD average on primary health care and hasn’t increased that recently. A slumlord with 40 Christchurch properties is punished after relying on temporary migrant tenants not complaining about holes in the ceiling. Westpac’s CEO is pushing for easier capital ...1 day ago - Australia surveys volatile and unpredictable geoeconomics
The international economics of Australia’s budget are pervaded by a Voldemort-like figure. The He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is Donald Trump, firing up trade wars, churning global finance and smashing the rules-based order. The closest the budget papers come ...2 days ago
- The five-domains update
Sea state Australian assembly of the first Multi Ammunition Softkill System (MASS) shipsets for the Royal Australian Navy began this month at Rheinmetall’s Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Redbank, Queensland. The ship protection system, ...2 days ago
- The five-domains update
Sea state Australian assembly of the first Multi Ammunition Softkill System (MASS) shipsets for the Royal Australian Navy began this month at Rheinmetall’s Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Redbank, Queensland. The ship protection system, ...2 days ago
- Signalling Deliberate Reckless Disregard.
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Australia and other democracies have once again turned to China to solve their economic problems, while the reliability of the United States as an alliance partner is, erroneously, being called into question. We risk forgetting ...2 days ago
- Wednesday 26 March
Machines will take over more jobs at Immigration New Zealand under a multi-million-dollar upgrade that will mean decisions to approve visas will be automated – decisions to reject applications will continue to be taken by staff. Health New Zealand’s commitment to boosting specialist palliative care for dying children is under ...2 days ago
- She Works Hard For The Money
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Tomorrow Auckland’s Councillors will decide on the next steps in the city’s ongoing stadium debate, and it appears one option is technically feasible but isn’t financially feasible while the other one might be financially feasible but not be technically feasible. As a quick reminder, the mMayor started this process as ...2 days ago
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In short in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on March 26:Three Kāinga Ora plots zoned for 17 homes and 900m from Ellerslie rail station are being offered to land-bankers and luxury home builders by agent Rawdon Christie.Chris Bishop’s new RMA bills don’t include treaty principles, even though ...2 days ago - James (Jim) Grenon & Sinead Boucher’s Worlds Affect Us All
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- Here is the news at 4.30
Bishop ignores pawnPoor old Tama Potaka says he didn't know the new RMA legislation would be tossing out the Treaty clause.However, RMA Minister Bishop says it's all good and no worries because the new RMA will still recognise Māori rights; it's just that the government prefers specific role descriptions over ...3 days ago - China’s shadow fleet threatens Indo-Pacific communications
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- Improving OIA enforcement
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- A Fist, an American Flag, and Fire
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- Big Gun
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This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Wang Zhongying, chief national expert, China Energy Transformation Programme of the Energy Research Institute, and Kaare Sandholt, chief international expert, China Energy Transformation Programme of the Energy Research Institute China will need to install around 10,000 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar capacity ...3 days ago
- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Tuesday, March 26
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With many of Auckland’s political and bureaucratic leaders bowing down to vocal minorities and consistently failing to reallocate space to people in our city, recent news overseas has prompted me to point out something important. It is extremely popular to make car-dominated cities nicer, by freeing up space for people. ...3 days ago
- Indonesia wants an aircraft carrier. No one knows why
When it comes to fleet modernisation programme, the Indonesian navy seems to be biting off more than it can chew. It is not even clear why the navy is taking the bite. The news that ...3 days ago
- tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-2287094456929079731
Chris Trotter is now on Substack visit him at christrotter418256.substack.com ...4 days ago - Australia should work with South Korea to secure undersea cables
South Korea and Australia should enhance their cooperation to secure submarine cables, which carry more than 95 percent of global data traffic. As tensions in the Indo-Pacific intensify, these vital connections face risks from cyber ...4 days ago
- Parliament says “no” to transparency
The Parliament Bill Committee has reported back on the Parliament Bill. As usual, they recommend no substantive changes, all decisions having been made in advance and in secret before the bill was introduced - but there are some minor tweaks around oversight of the new parliamentary security powers, which will ...4 days ago
- Bolt from the blue: what we know (and don’t know) about the US’s powerful F-47 fighter
When the F-47 enters service, at a date to be disclosed, it will be a new factor in US air warfare. A decision to proceed with development, deferred since July, was unexpectedly announced on 21 ...4 days ago
- Yesterday Once More
All my best memoriesCome back clearly to meSome can even make me cry.Just like beforeIt's yesterday once more.Songwriters: Richard Lynn Carpenter / John BettisYesterday, Winston Peters gave a State of the Nation speech in which he declared War on the Woke, described peaceful protesters as fascists, said he’d take our ...4 days ago - Can we now find out who the real Vladimir Putin is?
Regardless of our opinions about the politicians involved, I believe that every rational person should welcome the reestablishment of contacts between the USA and the Russian Federation. While this is only the beginning and there are no guarantees of success, it does create the opportunity to address issues ...4 days ago - The transatlantic world will never be the same
Once upon a time, the United States saw the contest between democracy and authoritarianism as a singularly defining issue. It was this outlook, forged in the crucible of World War II, that created such strong ...4 days ago
- 30% of doctors leave NZ after graduation
A pre-Covid protest about medical staffing shortages outside the Beehive. Since then the situation has only worsened, with 30% of doctors trained here now migrating within a decade. File Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories shortest: The news this morning is dominated by the crises cascading through our health system after ...4 days ago - Monday 24 March
Bargaining between the PSA and Oranga Tamariki over the collective agreement is intensifying – with more strike action likely, while the Employment Relations Authority has ordered facilitation. More than 850 laboratory staff are walking off their jobs in a week of rolling strike action. Union coverage CTU: Confidence in ...4 days ago
- The permanent Australia-China contest in the South Pacific
Foreign Minister Penny Wong in 2024 said that ‘we’re in a state of permanent contest in the Pacific—that’s the reality.’ China’s arrogance hurts it in the South Pacific. Mark that as a strong Australian card ...4 days ago
- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes on Monday, March 24
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, Washington Post/$, Wired/$, ...4 days ago - Gordon Campbell on Israel’s murderous relapse, and Peters’ sad decline
In the past week, Israel has reverted to slaughtering civilians, starving children and welshing on the terms of the peace deal negotiated earlier this year. The IDF’s current offensive seems to be intended to render Gaza unlivable, preparatory (perhaps) to re-occupation by Israeli settlers. The short term demands for the ...4 days ago
- 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #12
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- Bullying a Chess Bot: More Martinian Shenanigans
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Every time that I see ya,A lightning bolt fills the room,The underbelly of Paris,She sings her favourite tune,She'll drink you under the table,She'll show you a trick or two,But every time that I left her,I missed the things she would doSongwriters: Kelly JonesThis morning, I posted - Are you excited ...5 days ago - Bernard’s Soliloquy for the week to March 23
Long stories shortest this week in our political economy: Standard & Poor’s judged the Government’s council finance reforms a failure. Professional investors showed the Government they want it to borrow more, not less. GDP bounced out of recession by more than forecast in the December quarter, but data for the ...5 days ago - Making sense of it all
Each day at 4:30 my brother calls in at the rest home to see Dad. My visits can be months apart. Five minutes after you've left, he’ll have forgotten you were there, but every time, his face lights up and it’s a warm happy visit.Tim takes care of almost everything ...5 days ago - A Response to ACT’s MRA-Style Rant
On the 19th of March, ACT announced they would be running candidates in this year’s local government elections. Accompanying that call for “common-sense kiwis” was an anti-woke essay typifying the views they expect their candidates to hold. I have included that part of their mailer, Free Press, in its entirety. ...6 days ago - Spread a Little Happiness
Even when the darkest clouds are in the skyYou mustn't sigh and you mustn't crySpread a little happiness as you go byPlease tryWhat's the use of worrying and feeling blue?When days are long keep on smiling throughSpread a little happiness 'til dreams come trueSongwriters: Vivian Ellis / Clifford Grey / ...6 days ago - Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Saturday, March 22
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, Washington Post/$, Wired/$, ...6 days ago - Siding with the Right Of the Right
ACT up the game on division politicsEmmerson’s take on David Seymour’s claim Jesus would have supported ACTACT’s announcement it is moving into local politics is a logical next step for a party that is waging its battle on picking up the aggrieved.It’s a numbers game, and as long as the ...7 days ago - Jam tomorrow, butter next week
1. What will be the slogan of the next butter ad campaign?a. You’re worth itb. Once it hits $20, we can do something about the riversc. I can’t believe it’s the price of butter d. None of the above Read more ...7 days ago - Why Do Cryptocurrencies Appear to Be So Valuable?
It is said that economists know the price of everything and the value of nothing. That may be an exaggeration but an even better response is to point out economists do know the difference. They did not at first. Classical economics thought that the price of something reflected the objective ...7 days ago - Awful optics: political fighting in Taiwan stalls part of defence budget rise
Political fighting in Taiwan is delaying some of an increase in defence spending and creating an appearance of lack of national resolve that can only damage the island’s relationship with the Trump administration. The main ...7 days ago
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- Law, culture, and the OIA
Yesterday outgoing Ombudsman Peter Boshier published a report, Reflections on the Official Information Act, on his way out the door. The report repeated his favoured mantra that the Act was "fundamentally sound", all problems were issues of culture, and that no legislative change was needed (and especially no changes to ...7 days ago
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Labour shares farmers’ concerns that the Gene Technology Bill is moving too fast. ...18 hours ago - Release: Bar still too high for small mental health providers
Small mental health providers will still be locked out of co-funding from the Mental Health Innovation Fund despite a lower threshold. ...19 hours ago
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Welcome to members of the diplomatic corp, fellow members of parliament, the fourth estate, foreign affairs experts, trade tragics, ladies and gentlemen. ...22 hours ago
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Confidence in the job market has continued to drop to its lowest level in five years as more New Zealanders feel uncertain about finding work, keeping their jobs, and getting decent pay, according to the latest Westpac-McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index. ...2 days ago
- Greens question Govt commitment to environmental protection with RMA reform
The Greens are calling on the Government to follow through on their vague promises of environmental protection in their Resource Management Act (RMA) reform. ...4 days ago
- Release: Govt must tackle meth use crisis
New data shows methamphetamine use is spiralling out of control while the Government sits on its hands. ...4 days ago
- “Make New Zealand First Again”
“Make New Zealand First Again” Ladies and gentlemen, First of all, thank you for being here today. We know your lives are busy and you are working harder and longer than you ever have, and there are many calls on your time, so thank you for the chance to speak ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt’s continued lack of action on Gaza condemned
Hundreds more Palestinians have died in recent days as Israel’s assault on Gaza continues and humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, is blocked. ...7 days ago
- Release: National at sea over Defence jobs
National is looking to cut hundreds of jobs at New Zealand’s Defence Force, while at the same time it talks up plans to increase focus and spending in Defence. ...1 week ago
- Release: National standards returning by stealth
It’s been revealed that the Government is secretly trying to bring back a ‘one-size fits all’ standardised test – a decision that has shocked school principals. ...1 week ago
- Release: Kiwis still struggling as economy stumbles along
Kiwis aren’t feeling any better off despite figures showing a very slight growth in GDP in the December quarter. ...1 week ago
- Greens call for compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe
The Green Party is calling for the compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe, a 77-year-old kaumātua on hunger strike at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility, after visiting him at the prison. ...1 week ago
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The ETS auction’s failure today is yet another clear sign that the Government is failing us all on climate action. ...1 week ago
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Christopher Luxon seems to have thrown New Zealand’s principled anti-nuclear advocacy under a bus. ...1 week ago
- NZ must act on Israel’s slaughter of children
The Green Party is calling on Government MPs to support Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence and illegal actions in Palestine, following another day of appalling violence against civilians in Gaza. ...1 week ago
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One year on from the Government’s abrupt and callous changes to disability funding, the community still has no idea what the future holds. ...1 week ago
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The Green Party stands in support of volunteer firefighters petitioning the Government to step up and change legislation to provide volunteers the same ACC coverage and benefits as their paid counterparts. ...1 week ago
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Living Strong, Aging Well There is much discussion around the health of our older New Zealanders and how we can age well. In reality, the delivery of health services accounts for only a relatively small percentage of health outcomes as we age. Significantly, dry warm housing, nutrition, exercise, social connection, ...2 weeks ago
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Shane Jones’ display on Q&A showed how out of touch he and this Government are with our communities and how in sync they are with companies with little concern for people and planet. ...2 weeks ago
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Health Minister Simeon Brown’s claim that the Government has put $16.68 billion into the health system over three years is wrong. ...2 weeks ago
- Government tramples on the rights of disabled migrant children
The Green Party is condemning the Government’s move to tighten access to visas for disabled children. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Auckland needs second harbour crossing
Labour supports Minister Chris Bishop’s call for input on the second Waitematā Harbour crossing. ...2 weeks ago
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I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak to you today about how we make overseas investment work for all New Zealanders. ...2 weeks ago
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Labour does not support the private ownership of core infrastructure like schools, hospitals and prisons, which will only see worse outcomes for Kiwis. ...2 weeks ago
- Dunedin Futures report should be a wake-up call
The newly released report on the South Dunedin Future Programme must be a wake-up call for our Government. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Members’ Bill makes wage theft a crime
Workers will now be able to go to the Police and report their employer if they are not being paid wages they’re owed. ...2 weeks ago
- Missed opportunity to stop the stealing of Māori land
The Green Party is disappointed the Government voted down Hūhana Lyndon’s member’s Bill, which would have prevented further alienation of Māori land through the Public Works Act. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour supports sanctions against Israel’s illegal occupation
The Labour Party will support Chloe Swarbrick’s member’s bill which would allow sanctions against Israel for its illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territories. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt procurement plan cuts wages and trashes the environment
The Government’s new procurement rules are a blatant attack on workers and the environment, showing once again that National’s priorities are completely out of touch with everyday Kiwis. ...2 weeks ago
- Procurement proposals pose risk to people and planet
The Green Party is concerned by the impact the Government’s proposed changes to procurement processes could have on people and planet. ...2 weeks ago
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With Labour and Te Pāti Māori’s official support, Opposition parties are officially aligned to progress Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in Palestine. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour’s approach to Māori economy benefits all
Under Labour, the Māori economy went from strength to strength according to the latest report released by MBIE. ...2 weeks ago
- 20 Years of Success Down the Drain: Govt Gut Whānau Ora
Te Pāti Māori extends our deepest aroha to the 500 plus Whānau Ora workers who have been advised today that the govt will be dismantling their contracts. For twenty years , Whānau Ora has been helping families, delivering life-changing support through a kaupapa Māori approach. It has built trust where ...3 weeks ago
- Green Party launches petition to allow Pacific whānau visa-free access
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Sigh SSDD. This is the speaker of the house
At least he's not "facilitating commercial activities" for lobbying firms.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/508914/lobbyists-are-back-at-parliament-with-a-new-privacy-measure-hiding-their-identities
Mr Brownlee allowing various spivs and spruikers to have swipe access was not unexpected, but the non disclosure of who is slithering in and out should be of concern.
Some of the lobbyists are undermining democracy in my view with their special pleading and interaction with political parties and politicians that an ‘ordinary’ voter does not get.
That is anti-democratic and utterly corrupt. If you have the money, you can pay people for special government access (and influence) – and keep it all a secret.
Other parties in government should make the identities of these people known (unless there is actually a good reason for secrecy – e.g. they represent women's refuge or something – which I doubt!).
"At the time, National's deputy leader Nicola Willis backed the swipe card ban and said there should be a "transparent, publicly accountable register of who's doing the lobbying and who they're lobbying for". "
No doubt she'll provide comment.
Brownlee say, only 4, so with Key and English a given, who are the other 2?
🙂
Tobacco and gun lobbyists is my guess,
Goddamn disgusted with this shifty move.
I hope these corrupt pillocks are run out of our country when the time comes.
It's moments like this when you wish there was a revolution sometimes. If it can even defy the actual history of revolutions…
God, I am so not proud of being Kiwi when we allow this crap.
Just pause and consider the last regime.
Kris Fafoi, a cabinet minister, reigned to
spend more time with his familyset up a consultancy business.Hipkins employed his Chief of Staff 1 day after he reigned from lobbying for the alcohol industry.
The behaviour (secret lobbying) is wrong. As US points out above, it is anti-democratic and undermines trust in the system. Eg why does the trucking industry get away with not paying it's way?
Labour, with unprecedented political capital, tinkered with addressing this – swipe cards gone from 80 folk rather than meaningful reform.
Would 'meaningful reform' have lasted any longer than Labour's tinkering?
One (tinkering) step forward, two steps (swipe card access & privacy) backward.
Seymour doesn't like the wero, thinks it intimidating:
*No wonder he feels intimidated.
But what next of tikanga Maori would he like to extinguish, waiata, haka…everything?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2024/02/act-leader-david-seymour-says-a-lot-of-customs-traditions-at-waitangi-designed-to-intimidate.html
The wero, intimidating?
It'd be terrifying, imo, especially if you'd antagonised everyone there.
The celebrations at Waitangi are not designed to be intimidating.
Some of the actions are though.
Well!
He comes across…well.
Pity someone didn't advise him about creating optimal conditions for a Zoom interview 🙂
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2024/02/green-party-activist-alex-foulkes-pitches-radical-manifesto-in-leadership-bid.html?ref=ves-vid1
As you were Mr Foulkes…jeez just leave Chlöe to it this time, I recall the mini circus NZ Labour ran a few years back with several leadership contenders including Grant Robertson, in the end a tiny shift in a union affiliate vote delivered Andrew Little–not going to happen for Alex.
I dunno so much.
One demographic where the Greens can pick up more votes.is in the stale, pale, male crowd.
Foulkes looks a bit like some of them. (Not for a moment do I think 41 is stale).
Plus, isn't a bit of this sort of competition good for an outfit such as The Greens?
No probs with Mr Foulkes, he says things I support and have done for a long time, but…I like Chlöe better at this time because she has runs on the board in various areas and the proven ability to swat down media channel pundits and Natzos.
A clear run for Chlöe would be ideal. Testing democracy with putting up a counter, sounds fine, but wastes energy that could be going into fine-tuning Chlöe for the role.
Alex said he campaigned for Chlöe previously. Perhaps he'd be better to be doing that this time as well.
Perhaps he is.
I don't know why you would compare the Greens to Labour, they have completely different kaupapa and processes around leadership.
The better comparison is with the leadership contest after Metiria Turei left, where we had Julie Ann Genter and Marama Davidson standing. They campaigned within the party and publicly, the profiles of both MPs were raised as well as understanding their similarities and differences, and extra exposure of the Greens and the party policies/positions. This is healthy for the Greens and democracy in NZ.
To give you an idea of how that works,
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Green_Party_of_Aotearoa_New_Zealand_female_co-leadership_election
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/03/green-party-co-leader-debate-marama-davidson-and-julie-anne-genter.html
Faulkes comes across really well in that Newshub interview. One of the great things there is showing how people can work alongside each other rather than the dagger in the back of some other parties.
He's not going to win, that's not the purpose. The purpose is as he says, to put out some additional ideas on party direction and get those talked about and considered.
I don’t write novellas at The Standard. No need to sea lion me.
My sole point is that sometimes a contested leadership is unnecessary if there is an outstanding candidate. Going through the process to demonstrate “hey we have a process” and are democrats, is good to have but in this case not needed imho.
sealioning is harassing someone faux politely with endless requests for evidence and backup. I didn't do that, I pointed out the problem with your position. This is what we do here, we arguing our positions.
You want the Greens to just put CS in without contest, I explained why the contest is a good thing. It's not simply about demonstrating process. I already explained the value.
There may be value in contest, but there is also value in Tiger Mountain's point.
Given it's widely felt that the outcome is a win for Chlöe, there's less value in hearing what Alex would do, imo. If the race was tight, the prospectives equally strong, as with Metiria Turei and Sue Bradford, a contest would be necessary.
That's not the case here.
why?
Is anyone at all excluded from making a challenge for leadership?
afaik the only criteria is that they have to be a member, and they have to get 5 other members to nominate them.
can you please answer my question.
I wrote less value. Presumably, if Alex was to win, his ideas would have a greater chance of being implemented than they would have if he was to lose; an individual Green Party member in Dunedin does not have the same influence as the Leader of the Party.
Therefore, if Chlöe wins, time invested in listening to, and discussing, Alex's ideas, is lessened in value.
Foulkes isn’t going to win. The contest gives a range of ideas a chance to be aired, that wouldn’t be aired if there was no contest. Diversity of ideas is a good thing, I have to admit to being puzzled at the resistance to this.
The contest gives CS more MSM and SM coverage as well.
I also think it’s good for CS to have to present and defend her leadership ideas in this relatively benign context before she becomes co-leader.
Maybe I’m not understanding your point.
Is the issue about time invested?
"the only criteria is that they have to be a member, and they have to get 5 other members to nominate them."
Pretty easy to rig that up.
Not saying this is the case here. NOT saying 🙂
The method has been employed since time immemorial, even in the animal kingdom (vague white ant allusion).
pretty easy to rig up how? Let’s say Joe Blogs decides to rig the contest. He becomes a member and waits for the next opportunity. He gets five others to do the same. When a co-leader steps aside he throws his hat in the ring with the support of five member nominations.
If it’s not known to any one in the party, how many votes do you think he will get? It’s the delegates that vote, and they have to talk to their local members after those members have been given information about the candidates. What do you think the members and the delegates will do with a candidate with no background in the Greens?
"how many votes do you think he will get?"
Doesn't matter. They get the opportunity to draw attention to themselves in the media, get to broadcast their message, get to comment on their competition and the Party, should they choose to, etc. etc.
Sometimes, I despair!
Like going through US Primaries, which were invented in 1972 to get stronger internal mandate for candidates, rather than stitch up Party leaders in the dealbroking of 'smoky back rooms' or statewide contests.
However, on average the play for membership-based democracy doesn't actually yield a better candidate than just the caucus putting the new leader up there fait accompli.
Was Cunliffe really better than Goff, with the huge internal fight for democratic process? Probably not.
Was Ardern really better than Little, with no Membership input at all? Not really.
And Shaw rose to the top to lead the Greens to their best result, despite the best internal efforts of its own mid-term selection process.
With a decade of hindsight, I prefer not see how sausage is made.
Members chose Shaw. I'm not sure that the Caucus necessarily would have. From memory there was a lot of support for Hague.
Also, Vernon Tava put his hand up, which was very useful in exposing him for the bluegreen that he was.
As with Faulkes, the purpose of that challenge to Shaw wasn't to win (they didn't even have a candidate). It was to shake the party awake from its sleep. Shaw himself said afterwards that it was a useful thing in terms of understanding where the membership was at. There's a direct line between that and CS's plan for leadership and taking the Greens down the more radical path.
sure, but that's not how the GP rolls. Those that don't want to know can look away.
" It was to shake the party awake from its sleep."
Which is fine, if the shaker has the Party's best interests at heart.
If a Seymour clone put their hand up to challenge Chlöe and seized the media opportunities that come with that, would you be so relaxed?
Do you mean like Vernon Tava?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_Tava
I don't know about relaxed (you would have to be more specific in the scenario you have in mind eg what negative things would happen), but I still support the GP process on this.
I'd probably be less relaxed in an election year, but I still trust the party.
Support and trust the GP process, sure, but here we are sharing our opinions on whether we would enjoy the process more if Chlöe were to be given a cleared path. I don't think anyone's saying that it's wrong to have Alex challenge, just that they favour the simpler option (at least, that's what I think the several here are meaning).
yes, I understand there are people here saying give CS a clear run, but I'm not seeing the rationale explained.
If the rationale is that you would enjoy the process more, that I can understand. I'm not sure that it carries much political weight for me personally when held up against the benefits of having a contest. But each to their own.
You may think Green Party people are somehow special. But they ain't. They're just folks. And the point of democracy in leadership contests is that it's a spectacle in which no one looks away.
The Greens have had a fulsome share of internal stoushes involving both members and MPs. The real outliner to internal cohesion is found in the more secretive parties in ACT and NZFirst. They are rewarded for their stability no matter what is happening behind the curtain.
And you may well believe this is no place for a Labour member to have an opinion. Except more than ever our political interests align.
I go with your comment further up the thread:
"However, on average the play for membership-based democracy doesn't actually yield a better candidate than just the caucus putting the new leader up there fait accompli."
do you think the party would be better off with the caucus choosing the leaders? Why?
I'm not sure about that. May have avoided the ACT party hostile takeover of Labour in 1984, for one.
Removed Vernon Tava when he showed his true colours, and I suspect a couple more after this term.
I still haven't had time to sit down and do a piece on what this government is doing to local government.
But in the meantime this is GreaterAuckland doing a good summary of what the new Minister of Transport is doing to Auckland Council.
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2024/02/12/the-governments-war-on-auckland/
Great work Matt and the team there for having a functioning historical memory with actual facts.
I really don't mind the course correction to concentrate on road maintenance, and to complete the existing projects, and fix the deadly SH1 link from Karapiro through to the Kaimai's.
But in reality what this government is doing is simply eradicating the entire RLTP and LTP consultation process that was set up way back in 2003 in the Land Transport Management Act. This is a huge erasure of democratic process and consultative power.
Louise Upston, Christopher Luxon, Winston Peters and David Seymour of the National, NZ First and ACT will ALL be responsible for atrocities that will result from the new welfare legislation.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/02/11/more-beneficiaries-to-face-sanctions-under-new-govt-minister
Do not forget that the most vulnerable Kiwis are on the welfare system. The overwhelming majority of the people on income payments are there through no fault of their own.
As humans, you owe it to your humanity to protest against this oncoming attack.
Make this government ONE TERM!
Also, how to throw a massive distraction from smoking, Maori bashing etc. Look over there, bad beneficiaries need to be punished. And plenty of people (and media) more than happy to lap it up without question. Works every time.
Dealing with WINZ – or whatever it is called these days is not easy. I had to do a lot of it on behalf of some of my refugee friends who were on various benefits. It seemed to me that if they could make it awkward for my friends – they would do just that.
I did get my revenge at a later date when a chap from WINZ rang me to try and track down one of my friends who had gone to Australia with some of her family. He said that she owed them some money and did I have an address for her? I took great pleasure in reminding him that the Privacy Act can be used by more than one party and as WINZ had refused to even let me make an appointment for my friend when she had just come out of hospital and needed me to take her to see them, I was not in any mood to give them any information.
I did tell him not to bother wasting the taxpayers $$$$ by ringing people with the same surname in Melbourne, as her culture does not have family names which are passed down the generations.
Rolling-on-gravel Get your extra copies of everything. Find a really good Advocate. I know how manipulative their systems become.
Reporters are beginning to pick holes in the fabric of their "Policies" or rather .. the lack of them. Thinking of you and Kay and others under threat of their austerity push. You are correct, we need to question, complain and demonstrate to keep the Public up with the nasty changes.
Very interesting to see Department of Internal Affairs take a civil case against Sky City on money laundering etc.
Can anyone remember the trade that PM John Key made over a decade ago for huge weakening of gambling regulations and specific gaming concessions to Sky City in exchange for the huge future benefit of a national convention centre?
Over a decade later, not so much as a single Punch and Judy show at the national convention centre let alone anything resembling the massive negative hit New Zealand has taken on the basis of that big fat barely legal deal.
But oh sure we should trust the next National government to make similarly massive swinging deals and expect a different result.
I do remember.
Johnny’s infrastructure conduit for money going overseas? A monument to greed? imo.
Tough day at Allegiant Stadium for the GOP, the 49ers (blue state, liberal as, Chad property values) or team Swiftie.
Those who are not aware of how unhinged the right are in Auckland, read this X concrete – the hate for left wing women politicians is palpable.
The not so hidden message, that the white race heritage and culture rule of man by right wing men is the natural order under God.
https://twitter.com/LeoMolloyNZ/status/1756456859467383050?cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email
Re the latest candidate for the GP co-leadership: is it Faulkes or Foulkes, folks? Both spellings seem to be getting used interchangeably, sometimes within the same post.