Following on from Advantages post yesterday, here is a video of Ukrainian soldiers singing their national anthem on the eve of their successful Kharkiv offensive.
What to make of this? Who would have thought that in 2022 we would see such things. We've been taught patriotism, dying for your country, fighting for freedom is all so much blather. The shadow of Passchendaele has sat over us all as a dark warning for over a century. The ideals encapsulated by this image are almost an anathema to 21st century liberal sensibilities.
I've seen other images like this, grainy black and white photos from the Great War, or world war 2. You know that many of those in the grainy phtographs, like many of these men, will soon be dead. What a waste. You want to weep, at the loss of life and in fury and anger that one man – Putin – could cause so many men to sternly take up arms and willingly die in service of abstract and unfashionable ideals like patriotism and freedom.
Yet every man watching this would have to have a heart of stone if a lump didn't form in their throat watching men on the eve of battle display their belief in and determination and willingness to die for their cause. These are men on their St. Crispen's day.
Anyway, if you need to know why war is so awful and yet why it is so necessary sometimes to fight just look at these men. And remember all they want from us is to be the arsenal of freedom.
He actually means the Business OWNERS. Who want BAU. Cheap Immigrant workers….who they can then resume bullying….and paying the absolute minimum they can get away with.
Southland MP Joseph Mooney is keen to hear hospitality workers' experiences.
"Cruel" ? fucks sake! Cry me a river of crocodile tears you jerk.
Cmon Mooney…talk to the actual low paid WORKERS ! You of course wont want to hear.
And imagine ..trying to actually live in Qtown/wanaka ….on the “pay” !
Mmmmm. Not dissing your interpretation of what Mooney is concerned over.
But many of the front-line workers I know (both personally, and through dining out, shopping, etc.) are under a huge amount of pressure.
When there are not enough staff to cover, when new staff are thrown into the job with no training, when people leave (because of a better offer), when customers are ratty, rude or even violent (Covid, lower grade service, general stress themselves), it's the existing staff – not (in general) the business owner – who have to step up and be stretched thinner to cover.
We've seen this in the nursing workforce (friends who are nurses, as well as media reports).
And, if you think that pay is the only stressor for workers, then we'll just have to disagree.
Working in a business which is short of staff (for whatever reason) is stressful for the staff.
Labour has continuously raised the minimum wage through this term in government. Are you saying that it's not enough? And, actually, most of the businesses locally (Auckland, as it happens) are paying over minimum wage rates right now.
Yanno, if you perceive that every issue I comment on is "concerntrolling" – then you can't really have a debate. I suggest that's got more to do with your bias, than mine.
lol..as usual..you see what you want. WHERE did I say that Hospo staff are NOT Stressed? Pressured? Abused? I'm sure that your "hospo friends" (and 'Nurse friends" : ) will tell you what you want to hear. To suit your Bias….view….
But many of the front-line workers I know (both personally, and through dining out, shopping, etc.) are under a huge amount of pressure.
You..will say its because something something Labour. Pays are up!! BS. They wont pay any ACTUAL Living Wage . Hospo has always been underpaid and overworked..and bullied. As I said, Businesses want BAU….cheap Immigrants…to pay min wage they can GET AWAY with. Noted that you sidled past that. I wont respond to you again.
Their user name says it all really. Anything National does / suggests is bad. Anything Labour does / suggests is great. The facts and results are ignored.
It'll get worse towards election time, Belladonna. That goes for political diehards of all persuasions. I'm guessing the upcoming election will be the dirtiest in New Zealand's political history. Labour will do anything to keep the lifestyle they have become accustomed to. National will do anything to get out of the lifestyle they aren't accustomed to.
Belladonna is a "respectful centrist". Once upon a time their politics may have been more compatible with The Standard's 'flavour' – beware 'the drift'!
lol…"respectful centrist" that is actually pretty good. I'll just add… No spring chicken am I…but can relate to the New. I like Labour…but would really like More Green : ) Still, one thing that aint gonna change : me PsyclingLeft.Always : )
Tony and DMK…Solid as . We gotta keep on . I REALLY dont want those nact jerks back screwing NZ again.
And even the ODT Political reckons Jacinda…
spending a day with the prime minister is a salient reminder that she by far and away remains the Labour Party’s strongest asset and the best — and the way things are going at the moment possibly the only — hope of it winning next year’s election.
The wages are so low that no locals want to work ungodly hours for less than the cost of living . Accommodation is a nightmare cost and availability then heating costs in the likes of Queenstown means working is slavery in the hospitality sector. freedom campers were able to work but that sector has dried up and won't ever provide the numbers required again. This has exposed the National parties economic strategy of fixing labour shortages by importing cheap labour and allowing them to be enslaved.Time after Time we see many of these workers tied into bonded labour ripped off and put into slavery with employers charging exorbitant accommodation fees, not paying wages ,wage theft abuse etc migrant workers not able to change jobs. National defunded labour dept (MOBIE) inspectors and rarely prosecuted offenders. Grant Robertson needs to front foot this Tory propaganda.
And Aye ..Tricledrown. Qtown in particular…a rich rats nest of that kind of Worker exploitation. And indeed. ..Labour does need to Pushback hard on Mp Mooney..and the other nat disingenuous BS.
Support our Workers…Business owners are never going to vote..other than nact. Its in their DNA
Actually, I just remembered: In Shakespeare's day (or at least in the language of his characters) they referred to a Commonweal. That's much more accurate.
Costs a hell of a lot to keep electing/appointing a new head of government. Not to mention the divisiveness of the campaigns (try looking at the US or France for examples).
And, for what benefit? A figurehead which some may perceive as 'ours'….
When NZ becomes a republic I suspect we will not change our whole system so the process need not be costly. Our first president will likely be head of state while the PM will remain head of government.
As the link says – which I've just backed up from an Irish newspaper – the office of the president of Ireland costs an equivalent of just under $8million, including $2.9million for centenarian "bounties".
The president of Ireland (with about the same population as ours) serves for seven years. So we'd have got three terms of presidents or 21 years for one Shonkey flag referendum.
Unless our GG is being wildly extravagant (which doesn't seem to be the case from the attached expenditure) – it's difficult to see how having an elected head of state would cost less. Costs of travel, salary and government building maintenance aren't going to decrease – because someone is elected rather than appointed.
I note, that there is no amount in the blog for the cost of running an election (with election expenses of 200,000 euros per candidate being able to be claimed back). It's not clear whether this presidential election is held at the same time as other elections. If not, the cost of simply holding the election would be substantial.
But, setting aside money. The element that I don't want to see is the divisive nature of the elections. As seen in the US and France (for example) – or even in the 2018 Irish election campaign.
Unless our GG is being wildly extravagant (which doesn't seem to be the case from the attached expenditure) – it's difficult to see how having an elected head of state would cost less.
Ah.. No. As I said based on official figures having a G-G costs NZ more than the Irish presidency costs Ireland.
The element that I don't want to see is the divisive nature of the elections.
So you won't be a fan of general elections either then. They're pretty divisive.
I can't see any parallel to France or the US anyway. They have totally different systems of government than we do and still would, I'd be confident, once we finally cut ties with the British monarchy and become a republic which I believe we inevitably will.
There are 56 countries in the Commonwealth and we’re part of a small minority who cling on the British monarch as their head of state.
Now Elizabeth II is gone, hopefully the pace towards a republic will gain more momentum.
The element which appears to be included with the budget for the NZ GG, but not with the Irish President is the capital and depreciation costs associated with Government House.
A different view today from Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black studies at Birmingham City University and author of "New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World."
"As the world waited for confirmation of the queen's death on Thursday, and as family members sped to hear royal vacation residence in Scotland, social media posts began going viral demanding that no one speak ill of the queen, out of respect for her loyal subjects. But the queen had many subjects, and they do not all mourn equally." …
"Millions of people are mourning Queen Elizabeth II this weekend, as is their right. But millions more are hoping her death marks the end of the monarchy — and you need only to open a history book to understand why."
There is a well informed and well considered debate going on around the world at this time. One of the English Queens’s roles at the time of here accession was to continue the benefits and influence they had as a colonial power. The Commonwealth Org is part of that. It is still a colonial tool. If Kiwis can’t have a debate about the past they will miss opportunities to build a better future.
Apparently NZ is unique, the UK and Australia have no economic problems at all.
Personally I'm not that bothered, but it really does expose the grief-performing for the fraud that it is. Looking forward to the furious "how dare they!" editorials … but of course they are only for the disloyal lefties. Is Hosking sobbing at Business NZ?
Newshub has a Mickey Mouse non-poll, and it's noticeable that they don't offer a "no holiday" option. Of course I voted for the whole week off, you might as well troll this kind of nonsense.
Every now and again the CANZUK idea (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CANZUK_International) re-emerges on social media, usually as a form of white privilege where the people proposing it haven't thought through the explicit racism of the remnant white parts of the Empire pulling up the drawbridge and forming their own cosy club – without the inconvenience of having to include Nigerians and Indians and Pakistanis in their little schemes for free movement.
As an idea it is pretty racist, but it is a reminder that the white Commonwealth retains a great degree of usefulness to it's members. Until that changes, we will all keep the monarchy in some form or another.
'That seems to be what is so very, very different about the worldview shared by the likes of Liz Truss, Christopher Luxon and David Seymour. Wealth tends to be seen by them as personal property, and thus devoid of any sense of social obligation, or of even a basic recognition that this wealth may have been gained – partly at least – through the advantages of privilege and patronage. Today’s wealthy elites have little compunction about engaging in conspicuous consumption, since they believe their own spin that this wealth has been the byproduct of individual effort, innate ability and divine provenance. Generally speaking, it has been no such thing.(my bold)
I view our displays of wealth as more akin to the Danish; subtle and few and far between. Our networked intermarriages, family trusts, and extreme narrowness of wealth leave very little room for ostentation. The truly rich keep it tight and out of sight mostly.
If you want to observe them like birdwatchers, you are most likely to find such elites at Moore Wilson's at 11am on a Saturday morning, deep in wintry alpine retreats around Queenstown, or simply lolling far from shore in substantial pleasure craft in the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Islands, way out of sight or scrutiny.
Don't know about that…NZ's richest man has a huge 'toy' .He has more wealth than the next 3 or 4 combined.
'M/Y Ulysses. Ulysses is a 116-meter expedition yacht, delivered by Kleven to New Zealand-based billionaire Graeme Richard Hart.She is the largest expedition yacht in the world, taking over the position from Luna.'
Luxon trumpets his 'success'.
Bob Jones is not known for modesty.
The NBR List top 10
1. Graeme Hart – $11b
2. Todd family – $4.3b
3. Goodman family – $3.1b
4. Mowbray family – $2.5b
5. Michael Friedlander – $2b
6. Rod Drury – $1.95b
7. Talley family – $1.2b
8. Bob Jones – $1.1b
9. Bruce Plested – $1.02b
10. Jim and Rosemari Delegat – $1.01b
It is very difficult to ever see Graeme Hart in public. The yacht keeps him well out of sight.
The Talley's main houses are very hard to find deep outside of Nelson. You have to work hard to find them.
Jones after the 2018 petition is pretty quiet these days, generally enjoying his 80s.
A good few of our 1-per-centers popped out of the woodwork for the Webbs BNZ collection auction preview last Saturday, and the auction next Sunday in Auckland will be a moment for them to emerge out beyond their drawbridges and rattle their jewellery in unison.
Yes, I agree Ad. Any rich lister flaunting wealth in NZ has a death wish. Most know the prevailing attitude towards wealth many NZers hold, so they arrange their life to be under the radar as much as possible. I think that’s the beauty of wealth – you can configure your life to the way you want it, and not have someone else telling you ‘ how it’s going to be.’
Great discussion on CC in relation to airline CC offsets just heard on RNZ-see link below. University of Otago Professor James Higham rips apart the current offset schemes.
(Only 7% of customers of AirNZ opted into the ineffective “FlyNeutral” scheme anyway)
At one point he says that in order to offset the number of tourists annually COMING to NZ (this excludes Kiwi's leaving) prior to Covid, NZ would have to plant an area the size of Stewart Island EVERY YEAR.
He says we have to fly less often and stay at the destination flown to much longer and he is keen on Simon Upston's CC tax to be paid by people both coming into NZ and leaving NZ. (I don't know what the level of tax he is proposing but I'm guessing it would be $200-300 per person) The money raised would be ringfenced for CC initiatives.
There has been so much self-serving rubbish talked about offsetting airline CC effects in the media that to hear someone who knew what he was talking about telling it as it is was refreshing and informative.
I flew from Queenstown to Wellington to watch Midnight Oil this week. I simply will not do this type of trip any more.
The rich here are different, you can unknowingly be speaking to one of them anywhere and not be aware of the wealth they hold. I once had an unpretentious restaurant’s door held open for the two of us who had been perusing the menu, it was Michael Fay and wife who asked if we were going in as they didn’t want to jump the queue. Impressed by Colin Giltraps reaction while waiting in a lunch bar who replied to the young woman at the counter when he indicated that I was next to be served.. probably because I stunk in my fiberglassiing work gear, but maybe not. When as delivery driver delivering a large chair to Lady Todd, was offered a cup of tea and a tour of the house, all built around the view of the Kelburn cricket club. The first one I saw was when I was about 5 or 6 and I must have said something to dad about an old gentleman in a old suit with the trousers held up with binder twine and Dad told me he was the richest man in the South Island. Pretentious.. yeah, nah. I’m sure there are a few others I didn’t recognise along the way. This is the NZ way and we should be thankful we have it. There are of course exceptions but as Thomasin McKenzie said on Colbert’s Tonight show when he asked about the tall poppies in NZ and she said “ We are just not that keen on arseholes “.
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
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This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
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Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
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My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
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A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Haere Mai ki te whanau o te wiki o te Maori.
Here's a task Lynn: Te Reo macrons in text
Like this?
Māori
Hold your key down, and a choice of macrons and the like for that letter pops up.
Chur nūi, KJT
Does that work on Windows computers as well? Know it does on Apples.
No, only on Macs.
I did it on a windows PC.
Never been an Apple fashion victim!
Here you go
https://kupu.maori.nz/about/macrons-keyboard-setup
Following on from Advantages post yesterday, here is a video of Ukrainian soldiers singing their national anthem on the eve of their successful Kharkiv offensive.
What to make of this? Who would have thought that in 2022 we would see such things. We've been taught patriotism, dying for your country, fighting for freedom is all so much blather. The shadow of Passchendaele has sat over us all as a dark warning for over a century. The ideals encapsulated by this image are almost an anathema to 21st century liberal sensibilities.
I've seen other images like this, grainy black and white photos from the Great War, or world war 2. You know that many of those in the grainy phtographs, like many of these men, will soon be dead. What a waste. You want to weep, at the loss of life and in fury and anger that one man – Putin – could cause so many men to sternly take up arms and willingly die in service of abstract and unfashionable ideals like patriotism and freedom.
Yet every man watching this would have to have a heart of stone if a lump didn't form in their throat watching men on the eve of battle display their belief in and determination and willingness to die for their cause. These are men on their St. Crispen's day.
Anyway, if you need to know why war is so awful and yet why it is so necessary sometimes to fight just look at these men. And remember all they want from us is to be the arsenal of freedom.
https://twitter.com/uasupport999/status/1568343354563231744
nat MP Joseph Mooney. And his "concern" about Hospitality Workers. Yeah right….
He actually means the Business OWNERS. Who want BAU. Cheap Immigrant workers….who they can then resume bullying….and paying the absolute minimum they can get away with.
"Cruel" ? fucks sake! Cry me a river of crocodile tears you jerk.
Cmon Mooney…talk to the actual low paid WORKERS ! You of course wont want to hear.
And imagine ..trying to actually live in Qtown/wanaka ….on the “pay” !
Alliteration for the day.
NZ media – The trotting out of Tory twats tearfully traumatised over trivia.
Awesome. I'd put some Mooney on that…..: )
Mmmmm. Not dissing your interpretation of what Mooney is concerned over.
But many of the front-line workers I know (both personally, and through dining out, shopping, etc.) are under a huge amount of pressure.
When there are not enough staff to cover, when new staff are thrown into the job with no training, when people leave (because of a better offer), when customers are ratty, rude or even violent (Covid, lower grade service, general stress themselves), it's the existing staff – not (in general) the business owner – who have to step up and be stretched thinner to cover.
We've seen this in the nursing workforce (friends who are nurses, as well as media reports).
Yea had you here..before. Concerntrolling. Howsabout respond…to what I actually stated.
And..Wellington..or Auckland !
And see you sidle Nurse workforce into it. Ha. Read you like a book.
Housing is unaffordable everywhere.
And, if you think that pay is the only stressor for workers, then we'll just have to disagree.
Working in a business which is short of staff (for whatever reason) is stressful for the staff.
Labour has continuously raised the minimum wage through this term in government. Are you saying that it's not enough? And, actually, most of the businesses locally (Auckland, as it happens) are paying over minimum wage rates right now.
Yanno, if you perceive that every issue I comment on is "concerntrolling" – then you can't really have a debate. I suggest that's got more to do with your bias, than mine.
lol..as usual..you see what you want. WHERE did I say that Hospo staff are NOT Stressed? Pressured? Abused? I'm sure that your "hospo friends" (and 'Nurse friends" : ) will tell you what you want to hear. To suit your Bias….view….
You..will say its because something something Labour. Pays are up!! BS. They wont pay any ACTUAL Living Wage . Hospo has always been underpaid and overworked..and bullied. As I said, Businesses want BAU….cheap Immigrants…to pay min wage they can GET AWAY with. Noted that you sidled past that. I wont respond to you again.
Pot. Kettle.
It must be fun being in your echo chamber – only people who agree with you unconditionally get through.
Their user name says it all really. Anything National does / suggests is bad. Anything Labour does / suggests is great. The facts and results are ignored.
Yeah…"Jimmy". Not sure what your user name says. : )
It'll get worse towards election time, Belladonna. That goes for political diehards of all persuasions. I'm guessing the upcoming election will be the dirtiest in New Zealand's political history. Labour will do anything to keep the lifestyle they have become accustomed to. National will do anything to get out of the lifestyle they aren't accustomed to.
Belladonna is a "respectful centrist". Once upon a time their politics may have been more compatible with The Standard's 'flavour' – beware 'the drift'!
Just a bit of speculative fun Jiminy, on the other hand… no hope for him.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/03/do-we-become-more-conservative-with-age-young-old-politics
lol…"respectful centrist" that is actually pretty good. I'll just add… No spring chicken am I…but can relate to the New. I like Labour…but would really like More Green : ) Still, one thing that aint gonna change : me PsyclingLeft.Always : )
Proud to be of The Left.
….. …..
Tony and DMK…Solid as . We gotta keep on . I REALLY dont want those nact jerks back screwing NZ again.
And even the ODT Political reckons Jacinda…
Just get some more Green 💚 in there..and I'll be Happy .
The wages are so low that no locals want to work ungodly hours for less than the cost of living . Accommodation is a nightmare cost and availability then heating costs in the likes of Queenstown means working is slavery in the hospitality sector. freedom campers were able to work but that sector has dried up and won't ever provide the numbers required again. This has exposed the National parties economic strategy of fixing labour shortages by importing cheap labour and allowing them to be enslaved.Time after Time we see many of these workers tied into bonded labour ripped off and put into slavery with employers charging exorbitant accommodation fees, not paying wages ,wage theft abuse etc migrant workers not able to change jobs. National defunded labour dept (MOBIE) inspectors and rarely prosecuted offenders. Grant Robertson needs to front foot this Tory propaganda.
And Aye ..Tricledrown. Qtown in particular…a rich rats nest of that kind of Worker exploitation. And indeed. ..Labour does need to Pushback hard on Mp Mooney..and the other nat disingenuous BS.
Support our Workers…Business owners are never going to vote..other than nact. Its in their DNA
As Peter Frazer said: "they walked to the polls in 1935 to vote us in, and drove to the polls in 1949 to vote us out."
He was referring to farmers, but the same applies to business-people.
The Commonwealth. A term used a lot in the coverage of the monarchy change.
Up to now I viewed it as a silly pretendy thing.
I now see it as a pernicious tool to whitewash colonial history and to frame racism as benign behaviour. Aotearoa must now exit the Commonwealth.
The name is deceptive. The wealth is taken from the commoners.
Actually, I just remembered: In Shakespeare's day (or at least in the language of his characters) they referred to a Commonweal. That's much more accurate.
whip scars
So why haven't countries such as South Africa and India left the Commonwealth?
https://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries
Devil-you-know maybe? Ditch the monarch as head of state, stay in the CW?
The Commonwealth org has a budget smaller than that of Invercargill council! What to we do through that org that we can’t do better directly?
Costs a hell of a lot to keep electing/appointing a new head of government. Not to mention the divisiveness of the campaigns (try looking at the US or France for examples).
And, for what benefit? A figurehead which some may perceive as 'ours'….
South Africa and India have been republics for a long time.
Yes, sorry. That was intended to be a response to another poster – about the costs of becoming a republic.
False equivalence. It will likely be less than the Governor-General costs.
http://www.republic.org.nz/latestblog/2022/5/20/budget-2022-cost-of-the-governor-general
When NZ becomes a republic I suspect we will not change our whole system so the process need not be costly. Our first president will likely be head of state while the PM will remain head of government.
As the link says – which I've just backed up from an Irish newspaper – the office of the president of Ireland costs an equivalent of just under $8million, including $2.9million for centenarian "bounties".
The president of Ireland (with about the same population as ours) serves for seven years. So we'd have got three terms of presidents or 21 years for one Shonkey flag referendum.
Would have been good value I reckon.
Unless our GG is being wildly extravagant (which doesn't seem to be the case from the attached expenditure) – it's difficult to see how having an elected head of state would cost less. Costs of travel, salary and government building maintenance aren't going to decrease – because someone is elected rather than appointed.
I note, that there is no amount in the blog for the cost of running an election (with election expenses of 200,000 euros per candidate being able to be claimed back). It's not clear whether this presidential election is held at the same time as other elections. If not, the cost of simply holding the election would be substantial.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_presidential_election
But, setting aside money. The element that I don't want to see is the divisive nature of the elections. As seen in the US and France (for example) – or even in the 2018 Irish election campaign.
Unless our GG is being wildly extravagant (which doesn't seem to be the case from the attached expenditure) – it's difficult to see how having an elected head of state would cost less.
Ah.. No. As I said based on official figures having a G-G costs NZ more than the Irish presidency costs Ireland.
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/cost-running-office-president-increase-25307025
The element that I don't want to see is the divisive nature of the elections.
So you won't be a fan of general elections either then. They're pretty divisive.
I can't see any parallel to France or the US anyway. They have totally different systems of government than we do and still would, I'd be confident, once we finally cut ties with the British monarchy and become a republic which I believe we inevitably will.
There are 56 countries in the Commonwealth and we’re part of a small minority who cling on the British monarch as their head of state.
Now Elizabeth II is gone, hopefully the pace towards a republic will gain more momentum.
Time to
"Ah.. No. As I said based on official figures having a G-G costs NZ more than the Irish presidency costs Ireland."
So looking at the actual expenditure figures from the NZ GG – what do you think would be cut, if this were an elected rather than appointed position?
Because, looking at this list of expenditure, I don't see any obvious areas which would no longer be needed.
http://www.republic.org.nz/latestblog/2022/5/20/budget-2022-cost-of-the-governor-general
The element which appears to be included with the budget for the NZ GG, but not with the Irish President is the capital and depreciation costs associated with Government House.
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/cost-running-office-president-increase-25307025
I’m assuming that the official residence of the Irish president is paid for out of a different budget – by the Office of Works
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81ras_an_Uachtar%C3%A1in
The successful HoS model that is most often suggested for New Zealand is that of Ireland.
Look it up on wiki.
In fact countries have actually joined the Commonwealth, even those with minimal links to the UK (Mozambique, Cameroon).
It has no effect at all on their own governance. They get to do a bit more sport though.
A different view today from Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black studies at Birmingham City University and author of "New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World."
"As the world waited for confirmation of the queen's death on Thursday, and as family members sped to hear royal vacation residence in Scotland, social media posts began going viral demanding that no one speak ill of the queen, out of respect for her loyal subjects. But the queen had many subjects, and they do not all mourn equally." …
"Millions of people are mourning Queen Elizabeth II this weekend, as is their right. But millions more are hoping her death marks the end of the monarchy — and you need only to open a history book to understand why."
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/queen-elizabeth-dead-charles-king-fox-news-wrong-rcna47060
Thank you for that posting, Peter.
There is a well informed and well considered debate going on around the world at this time. One of the English Queens’s roles at the time of here accession was to continue the benefits and influence they had as a colonial power. The Commonwealth Org is part of that. It is still a colonial tool. If Kiwis can’t have a debate about the past they will miss opportunities to build a better future.
I thought I was joking yesterday. But it turns out …
Business opposes public holiday even when Head of State dies after 70 years
Apparently NZ is unique, the UK and Australia have no economic problems at all.
Personally I'm not that bothered, but it really does expose the grief-performing for the fraud that it is. Looking forward to the furious "how dare they!" editorials … but of course they are only for the disloyal lefties. Is Hosking sobbing at Business NZ?
Newshub has a Mickey Mouse non-poll, and it's noticeable that they don't offer a "no holiday" option. Of course I voted for the whole week off, you might as well troll this kind of nonsense.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/09/have-your-say-when-should-new-zealand-have-a-public-holiday-to-mark-queen-s-death.html
Best chance this government has of getting back to power is throwing more free stuff out the back of the truck, and this is another of them.
Again: Australia, UK, probably Canada shortly.
I know people love pretending NZ is so unique that everything on earth is about our petty parish politics, but it isn't.
Every now and again the CANZUK idea (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CANZUK_International) re-emerges on social media, usually as a form of white privilege where the people proposing it haven't thought through the explicit racism of the remnant white parts of the Empire pulling up the drawbridge and forming their own cosy club – without the inconvenience of having to include Nigerians and Indians and Pakistanis in their little schemes for free movement.
As an idea it is pretty racist, but it is a reminder that the white Commonwealth retains a great degree of usefulness to it's members. Until that changes, we will all keep the monarchy in some form or another.
I guess Business NZ must be uniquely incompetent.
'That seems to be what is so very, very different about the worldview shared by the likes of Liz Truss, Christopher Luxon and David Seymour. Wealth tends to be seen by them as personal property, and thus devoid of any sense of social obligation, or of even a basic recognition that this wealth may have been gained – partly at least – through the advantages of privilege and patronage. Today’s wealthy elites have little compunction about engaging in conspicuous consumption, since they believe their own spin that this wealth has been the byproduct of individual effort, innate ability and divine provenance. Generally speaking, it has been no such thing.(my bold)
Gorden Campbell in fine form.
On What The Rise Of Liz Truss Signals For Us | Scoop News
I don't share his interpretation.
I view our displays of wealth as more akin to the Danish; subtle and few and far between. Our networked intermarriages, family trusts, and extreme narrowness of wealth leave very little room for ostentation. The truly rich keep it tight and out of sight mostly.
If you want to observe them like birdwatchers, you are most likely to find such elites at Moore Wilson's at 11am on a Saturday morning, deep in wintry alpine retreats around Queenstown, or simply lolling far from shore in substantial pleasure craft in the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Islands, way out of sight or scrutiny.
It's only sensible.
Don't know about that…NZ's richest man has a huge 'toy' .He has more wealth than the next 3 or 4 combined.
'M/Y Ulysses. Ulysses is a 116-meter expedition yacht, delivered by Kleven to New Zealand-based billionaire Graeme Richard Hart.She is the largest expedition yacht in the world, taking over the position from Luna.'
Luxon trumpets his 'success'.
Bob Jones is not known for modesty.
The NBR List top 10
1. Graeme Hart – $11b
2. Todd family – $4.3b
3. Goodman family – $3.1b
4. Mowbray family – $2.5b
5. Michael Friedlander – $2b
6. Rod Drury – $1.95b
7. Talley family – $1.2b
8. Bob Jones – $1.1b
9. Bruce Plested – $1.02b
10. Jim and Rosemari Delegat – $1.01b
2,3,5,10-keep a low profile.
It is very difficult to ever see Graeme Hart in public. The yacht keeps him well out of sight.
The Talley's main houses are very hard to find deep outside of Nelson. You have to work hard to find them.
Jones after the 2018 petition is pretty quiet these days, generally enjoying his 80s.
A good few of our 1-per-centers popped out of the woodwork for the Webbs BNZ collection auction preview last Saturday, and the auction next Sunday in Auckland will be a moment for them to emerge out beyond their drawbridges and rattle their jewellery in unison.
Graeme Hart keeps a pretty low profile too. He is occasionally seen out in public.
He's done pretty well for someone who left school at 16.
Yes, I agree Ad. Any rich lister flaunting wealth in NZ has a death wish. Most know the prevailing attitude towards wealth many NZers hold, so they arrange their life to be under the radar as much as possible. I think that’s the beauty of wealth – you can configure your life to the way you want it, and not have someone else telling you ‘ how it’s going to be.’
Great discussion on CC in relation to airline CC offsets just heard on RNZ-see link below. University of Otago Professor James Higham rips apart the current offset schemes.
(Only 7% of customers of AirNZ opted into the ineffective “FlyNeutral” scheme anyway)
At one point he says that in order to offset the number of tourists annually COMING to NZ (this excludes Kiwi's leaving) prior to Covid, NZ would have to plant an area the size of Stewart Island EVERY YEAR.
He says we have to fly less often and stay at the destination flown to much longer and he is keen on Simon Upston's CC tax to be paid by people both coming into NZ and leaving NZ. (I don't know what the level of tax he is proposing but I'm guessing it would be $200-300 per person) The money raised would be ringfenced for CC initiatives.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018858378/are-airline-offsetting-schemes-all-they-re-cracked-up-to-be
I found that discussion depressing.
get used to it aj-I found it realistic.
There has been so much self-serving rubbish talked about offsetting airline CC effects in the media that to hear someone who knew what he was talking about telling it as it is was refreshing and informative.
I flew from Queenstown to Wellington to watch Midnight Oil this week. I simply will not do this type of trip any more.
I'm not disagreeing with you. The truth can be depressing.
Swedish right take lead in elections,with a focus on gang crime,immigration and energy constraints,
Similar with Italy's right leading in polls in runup to election.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swedes-head-polls-close-run-election-marked-by-crime-energy-crisis-2022-09-10/
It is touch and go and too close to call at this stage.
With 5.63% still to count the seats are:
To the Right groups: 176 seats
To the Left groups : 173 seats
If, as in NZ, the late/overseas votes favour the Left it is possible that two seats will change hands and the Left will scrape back in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Swedish_general_election
The rich here are different, you can unknowingly be speaking to one of them anywhere and not be aware of the wealth they hold. I once had an unpretentious restaurant’s door held open for the two of us who had been perusing the menu, it was Michael Fay and wife who asked if we were going in as they didn’t want to jump the queue. Impressed by Colin Giltraps reaction while waiting in a lunch bar who replied to the young woman at the counter when he indicated that I was next to be served.. probably because I stunk in my fiberglassiing work gear, but maybe not. When as delivery driver delivering a large chair to Lady Todd, was offered a cup of tea and a tour of the house, all built around the view of the Kelburn cricket club. The first one I saw was when I was about 5 or 6 and I must have said something to dad about an old gentleman in a old suit with the trousers held up with binder twine and Dad told me he was the richest man in the South Island. Pretentious.. yeah, nah. I’m sure there are a few others I didn’t recognise along the way. This is the NZ way and we should be thankful we have it. There are of course exceptions but as Thomasin McKenzie said on Colbert’s Tonight show when he asked about the tall poppies in NZ and she said “ We are just not that keen on arseholes “.