Though this brave stand will further distance yourself from us ‘commoners’ who put environment above profits. No doubt you will be able to bear your isolation with the quite dignity of your station and with the forbearance of the feudal nobles and knights of old.
Pardon me Sir Knight if I don’t kiss your ring (metaphorically that is).
These guys are hilarious.
Reminds m of a couple of years ago when Mrt Talley told a Nelson College graduation that the decline in fish stocks was because of the ban on whaling.
Auckland International Airport was left to soldier on alone without a controlling shareholder and with the biggest stakes held by the Auckland and Manukau City Councils.
Well, it seems that Granny finally got round to admitting that the bids for AIA were bids for control.
Dubai Aerospace, in particular, had shaped as an excellent stakeholder. Its industry expertise could have delivered significant benefits to the airport and to tourism.
And we would have been helping pay off Dubai’s debt blowout.
Indeed, the fact that the two airports were privatised by the Queensland State Government about a year ago suggests a more realistic assessment of the limits of foreign control of such assets.
Actually, it suggests that the Queensland state government hasn’t learned from all the pain caused by privatisation of state assets around the world over the last few decades. It probably also proves that the Queensland state government is owned lock, stock and barrel by private business people.
Auckland’s presence is not about to raise airport security concerns, undermine development, or impose an inappropriate, perhaps asset-stripping, management style.
That’s probably because it’s not a controlling stake. The next question: How many people actually knew that the sell-off was happening?
But maintaining a holding pattern would have offered no answer to a recent pattern of flat profitability, passenger growth below international trends, and sluggish retail and property development activity.
There was a recession on and they expected growth? Who are these clowns?
After extensive research into the use of such partnerships a research unit attached to Greenwich University has found no evidence that the private sector is more efficient than the public sector in delivering water. Meanwhile, a 2007 analysis of 1000 US water utilities by independent watchdog Food and Water Watch, found private companies delivered poorer service and charged water users between 13 and 50 per cent more than their public equivalents.
Basic fact and, even more telling, basic logic that most economists fail to comprehend. Privitisation in natural monopolies pushes prices and costs up. It must do due to the extra bureaucracy needed and the dead weight loss of profit.
Good research find DTB Will be more and more relevant as the century stretches.
But prices are almost certain to go up once privatised as assets are revalued to allow for inflation and changing mcurrent market prices. Also the percentage return on investment is set at acceptable market levels, and with each sale of the commodity provider, the profit paid out to the previous owner has to provide a return which will come from higher prices or more volume or both. Then there is a problem where an incoming firm has bought on leverage and the high debt levels require interest payments which in turn go high .
What is this on Wednesday’s Radio NZ news? The USA federal bank is supposed to be overseeing banks operations there and charges for this, and has made $US52 billion last year. Some oversight, some profit!
The other is BBC report that so many scientists in nuclear use have died totally unexpectedly that a program of deliberate assassinations is posited. Israel along with other countries, is considered to be involved.
On Tuesday Commodore Frank Bainimarama gleefully announcing on Fiji Broadcasting Corporation that any pensioners that oppose the regime will now have their pensions cancelled.
The Fiji National Provident Fund holds individual accounts for its members that it accrues interest on and every employee in Fiji is required to be a member of FNPF.
ââŹËWe may be many voices but ultimately we are one people. One of the unique things about New Zealand is that we are not a country that’s come about through civil war or a lot of fighting internally. We’re a country that peacefully came together Maori and the Crown decided from both partners’ side that it was in their interests to have a peaceful negotiation. That’s what the Treaty was, a founding document a development document for New Zealand, and I think that we could work things out in a peaceful, sensible and mature way has actually been a defining part of New Zealand’s history. It’s very important, and it’s important we honour that now’.
I’m sure ya’s do. It got a bit semantic, with him and his reckoning that he was just talking about how the Treaty was signed, and that he wasn’t talking about anything after that. If you want to be picky, that’s not what he said though, if you check the tenses the meaning of what he said is roughly:
‘We are not (now) a country that came about through internal fighting, we (Pakeha and Maori) peacefully came together to be this current nation’
Anyway, storm in a teacup.
Here’s what he says now:
“I would utterly reject the perspective that Hone Harawira has on New Zealand’s history and the role of the settlers and others in New Zealand.”
But the winners were the good guys PB because it’s always the good guys who win and being good guys they couldn’t have done anything bad, right? ‘Cause if they had, they wouldn’t be the good guys and so wouldn’t have won.
And racism is bad guy stuff. And fucking over the inhabitants of lands you want to colonise is bad guy stuff. Stealing is bad guy stuff.
And Johns a good guy. So good he’s a figurehead of a historical good guy phenomena that brought fridges and lots of good civilised stuff to lots of people who were not necessarily altogether grateful nor necessarily good themselves.
And whereas the good books that good guy John might read would perhaps, breathlessly admit that mistakes were made and even suggest that given the benefit of hindsight this or that detail might have been better done differently, that was then and the good guys did the best that the good guys could under very trying circumstances and the contemporary bad guy ingrates who wont understand this are in fact the cause of unnecessary frictions in our society.
Has anyone got a copy of yesterday’s New Zealand Fox News Herald lying around? There was a story on their website about how journalist Janet Wilson has been employed by the John Banks team – I was going to make some great and witty comment about it but the story seems – oddly – to have disappeared.
If its true, the employment of Janet Wilson and some mysterious “board of advisers” is beginning to let loose the odour of desparation and an indication of the sort of money John “potentiated” Banks is prepared to throw around.
Throughout 2008 “Perkbuster” popped his head out of the gutter during question time in parliament trying to make hay attacking Peters over his involvement in the Scampi fisheries issue and particularly a libel action against TVNZ.
It now appears that the issue has been settled. Where does that leave Peters and the opinions of “Perkbuster”? Who should be coming out of this with credit and where are the apologies to Peters from TVNZ (who systematically tried to dismantle his career as a politician.) http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/3230590/Settlement-in-30m-defamation-claim
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: Â âHow to Fly a Horseâ by Kevin Ashton (2015) â and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops â simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Armyâs State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai RÄwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasnât gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
Stuff’s Political Editor Luke Malpass - A Fellow at New Zealand IniativeLast week I half-joked that Stuff / The Post’s Luke Malpass1 always sounded like he was auditioning for a job at the New Zealand Initiative.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. For a limited time, subscriptions are 20% off. Thanks ...
At a funeral on Friday, there were A4-sized photos covering every wall of the Dil’s reception lounge. There must have been 200 of them, telling the story in the usual way of the video reel but also, by enlargement, making it more possible to linger and step in.Our friend Nicky ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is methane the ...
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.Weâve announced we are the âYes Governmentâ. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. Itâs about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. âThe latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while â simultaneously â cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with MÄori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willisâ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Armyâs annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Armyâs State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Memberâs Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The âFluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Billâ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Memberâs Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current âEnvironmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Frameworkâ. âThis Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if todayâs announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between MÄori and the British Crown. Initially inked by NgÄ Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this governmentâs failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealandâs opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting MÄori and Pacific people especially hard, with MÄori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between MÄori and the British Crown. Initially inked by NgÄ Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing â National still wonât commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the countryâs public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader ChlÜe Swarbrick. ...
Te PÄti MÄori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymourâs âcost-savingâ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. âWhatâs the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?â Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the townâs Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mĹ Te KÄhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tĹŤpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tĹŤpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Childrenâs Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her governmentâs terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers â temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymourâs school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Governmentâs move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Governmentâs commitment to get New Zealandâs roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. âIncreasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. âToday I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in WhÄngarei will be offering childhood immunisations â the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Governmentâs record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealandâs strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealandâs national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Governmentâs transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. Itâs a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. âThe racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. âThe latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are âstill both very highâ.â The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawkeâs Bay Fallen Soldiersâ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawkeâs Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealandâs second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. âWe have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mĹ Te KÄhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. âThis Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. âA world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed KÄinga Oraâs decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. âIn 2024 KÄinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,â Mr Bishop says. âAs part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. âAs schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamarikiâs review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 Whatâs Up hotline. âWhen I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. âThe Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. âDecember 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labourâs blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. âThe previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. âNational campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 â the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. âThis yearâs Budget will drive forward the Governmentâs plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. âBudget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Governmentâs growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. âJust over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. âThe Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,â says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. âThe change is part of the Governmentâs plan to unlock New Zealandâs potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of KÄinga Oraâs development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. âIâve been a strong advocate for social housing on KÄinga Oraâs Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministersâ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.âHealth New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The government has set its sights on luring a duopoly disruptor, explains Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Welcome to my final edition ...
Cuts to disability funding are creating worrying impacts, clinicians say - and one author of a government-commissioned report is pleading for the government to rethink their approach. ...
NONFICTION1 Understanding Te Tiriti by Roimata Smail (Wai Ako Books, $25)Number one with a bullet of common sense and concise thinking on the Treaty, boiled down to 32 pages. A free copy of the most important book in New Zealand right now was up for grabs in last week’s giveaway ...
Opinion: Recent media reports revealed Te Whatu Ora did not follow a formal tender process when purchasing $575,000 worth of vaping products from RELX, a company accused of allegedly bribing the New Zealand Government.These latest revelations come after several controversial policy decisions that appear to favour tobacco and vape industry ...
The capital city may be small but there are plenty of places to find love (or spend a painful two hours). Wellington has had a hard time lately. By all accounts, weâre firmly in a recession, and that applies to romance too. Our dating pool has been ravaged by brain ...
If financial exploitation isnât the motive, why create a fake online persona to mislead someone into thinking romance is on the cards? After a catfishing experience that bruised her ego, Charlotte Bell was determined to find out.The conversation with Darren* began as most do on dating apps. âWhat do ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 14 February appeared first on Newsroom. ...
New Zealand is now in a sweet spot for potential infrastructure funding and projects, a new report from law firm Bell Gully concludes.The report, The Big Picture: Infrastructure â changing tides and new opportunities, says a surge of announcements before Christmas and the advent of new agencies, tools and mechanisms, ...
When it comes to having a baby in New Zealand, you’re not spoilt for choice.Strains on maternity services mean many families cannot get a community midwife, just as the World Health Organization calls for the expansion of the model, saying it would save millions of lives each year.It’s all about ...
By Lagi Keresoma in Apia The Miss Pacific Islands Pageant (MPIP) Committee has finally issued a statement â 5 days after damaging social media attacks following the 2025 Pageant finals hosted by the Solomon Islands last Saturday. The statement yesterday simply said the committee recognised and deeply regretted the distress ...
Report by Dr David Robie – CafĂŠ Pacific. – The New Zealand government and the mainstream media have gone ballistic (thankfully not literally just yet) over the move by the small Pacific nation to sign a strategic partnership with China in Beijing this week. It is the latest in ...
The Chinese have politely told the Kiwis to back off. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters that China and the Cook Islands have had diplomatic relations since 1997 which âshould not be disrupted or restrained by any third partyâ. âNew Zealand is rightly furious about it,â a TVNZ Pacific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When parliamentarians left Canberra on Thursday after the fortnight sitting, federal politics had the air of an uneasy waiting game. Waiting for the election date, although the campaign has been running for months. ...
The Health Committee has heard from both the Minister for Mental Health, and from members of the public offering their own lived experience of mental health treatment. ...
The regional imperialist powers, including Australia, New Zealand and France have maintained neo-colonial control over the Southwest Pacific for more than a century, keeping the fragile island nations in a state of dependency with conditions of poverty ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne Public transport in Queensland now costs just 50 cents. Yet in the first six months of the trial, itâs been revealed that thousands of commuters were ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Harris Rimmer, Professor, Griffith Law School, Griffith University Two federal politicians from opposing camps reached across the aisle this week to promote a valuable cause – the wellbeing of future Australian generations. Independent MP Sophie Scamps tabled the Wellbeing of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Younger, Lecturer in Southern Ocean Vertebrate Ecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Australiaâs Antarctic territory represents the largest sliver of the ice continent. For decades, Australian scientists have headed to one of our three bases â Mawson, ...
A MÄori Purposes Bill is an omnibus bill that enables minor, technical, and non-controversial amendments to legislation relating to MÄori affairs. This MÄori Purposes Bill aims to modernise some legislation relating to MÄori Affairs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Campbell, Lecturer, Performing Arts, UniSA Creative, University of South Australia Matt Byrne/STCSA Housework, a new play by Emily Steel, lifts the rock off politics to expose its crawling, ruthless, yet undeniably comic underside. The result is masterful, hilarious and deeply ...
After two years of major damage from storms, a key government unit has made an abrupt change to focus on cyber security over and above natural disasters. ...
Pacific Media Watch Papua New Guineaâs civic space has been rated as âobstructedâ by the Civicus Monitor and the country has been criticised for pushing forward with a controversial media law in spite of strong opposition. Among concerns previously documented by the civil rights watchdog are harassment and threats against ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Younger, Lecturer in Southern Ocean Vertebrate Ecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Australiaâs Antarctic territory represents the largest sliver of the ice continent. For decades, Australian scientists have headed to one of our three bases â Mawson, ...
Knight vs. The Commons
In days of old when knights were bold
And the commoners did what they were told.
Honoured for services to himself.
New Zealand’s richest man and newly minted knight, arise Sir Douglas Myers.
Encouraged by your enoblement, you are taking self aggrandisement to new truly heroic levels.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/3216795/Myers-praises-mineral-stocktake
Though this brave stand will further distance yourself from us ‘commoners’ who put environment above profits. No doubt you will be able to bear your isolation with the quite dignity of your station and with the forbearance of the feudal nobles and knights of old.
Pardon me Sir Knight if I don’t kiss your ring (metaphorically that is).
A nicely thought out comment but it ignores the common sense of knowing what sort of piggybank you are sitting on.
These guys are hilarious.
Reminds m of a couple of years ago when Mrt Talley told a Nelson College graduation that the decline in fish stocks was because of the ban on whaling.
Obviously the whales were eating too much crill and other fish were starving to death perhaps đ
Looks like the Auckland “SuperCity” transition agency has just about completed it’s bloodless coup over Auckland citizens’ local democracy: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10619673
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10619608&pnum=0
Well, it seems that Granny finally got round to admitting that the bids for AIA were bids for control.
And we would have been helping pay off Dubai’s debt blowout.
Actually, it suggests that the Queensland state government hasn’t learned from all the pain caused by privatisation of state assets around the world over the last few decades. It probably also proves that the Queensland state government is owned lock, stock and barrel by private business people.
That’s probably because it’s not a controlling stake. The next question: How many people actually knew that the sell-off was happening?
There was a recession on and they expected growth? Who are these clowns?
Heh,
http://www.xepisodes.com/southpark/episodes/1311/Whale-Whores.html
Well I’m glad someone else doesn’t like the idea of privitisation of water…and in the Granny as well…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10619819
Basic fact and, even more telling, basic logic that most economists fail to comprehend. Privitisation in natural monopolies pushes prices and costs up. It must do due to the extra bureaucracy needed and the dead weight loss of profit.
Good research find DTB Will be more and more relevant as the century stretches.
But prices are almost certain to go up once privatised as assets are revalued to allow for inflation and changing mcurrent market prices. Also the percentage return on investment is set at acceptable market levels, and with each sale of the commodity provider, the profit paid out to the previous owner has to provide a return which will come from higher prices or more volume or both. Then there is a problem where an incoming firm has bought on leverage and the high debt levels require interest payments which in turn go high .
What is this on Wednesday’s Radio NZ news? The USA federal bank is supposed to be overseeing banks operations there and charges for this, and has made $US52 billion last year. Some oversight, some profit!
The other is BBC report that so many scientists in nuclear use have died totally unexpectedly that a program of deliberate assassinations is posited. Israel along with other countries, is considered to be involved.
Great line in this article – http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3224612/NZ-US-to-sign-diplomatic-secondment-agreement “Mr Key has met President Obama three times”
Someone should tell our PM that standing behind Barack in the line for the urinals does not constitute ‘a meeting’.
Item: NZ, Fiji agree to improve diplomatic relations
Tuesday, 12 January 2010, 11:18 am
Press Release: New Zealand Government
Item: For the first time in Fiji’s history food has been used as a weapon
January 13, 2010 at 8:43 am | In Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Starving out the opposition is now an option
On Tuesday Commodore Frank Bainimarama gleefully announcing on Fiji Broadcasting Corporation that any pensioners that oppose the regime will now have their pensions cancelled.
The Fiji National Provident Fund holds individual accounts for its members that it accrues interest on and every employee in Fiji is required to be a member of FNPF.
————————
Good timing there muzza.
Everyone remember when Key said:
http://www.thestandard.org.nz/key-denies-land-wars/
?
I’m sure ya’s do. It got a bit semantic, with him and his reckoning that he was just talking about how the Treaty was signed, and that he wasn’t talking about anything after that. If you want to be picky, that’s not what he said though, if you check the tenses the meaning of what he said is roughly:
‘We are not (now) a country that came about through internal fighting, we (Pakeha and Maori) peacefully came together to be this current nation’
Anyway, storm in a teacup.
Here’s what he says now:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3227799/Harawira-hindering-race-relations-Key
Can we have a PM that’s read some books please.
But the winners were the good guys PB because it’s always the good guys who win and being good guys they couldn’t have done anything bad, right? ‘Cause if they had, they wouldn’t be the good guys and so wouldn’t have won.
And racism is bad guy stuff. And fucking over the inhabitants of lands you want to colonise is bad guy stuff. Stealing is bad guy stuff.
And Johns a good guy. So good he’s a figurehead of a historical good guy phenomena that brought fridges and lots of good civilised stuff to lots of people who were not necessarily altogether grateful nor necessarily good themselves.
And whereas the good books that good guy John might read would perhaps, breathlessly admit that mistakes were made and even suggest that given the benefit of hindsight this or that detail might have been better done differently, that was then and the good guys did the best that the good guys could under very trying circumstances and the contemporary bad guy ingrates who wont understand this are in fact the cause of unnecessary frictions in our society.
good one bill
Has anyone got a copy of yesterday’s New Zealand Fox News Herald lying around? There was a story on their website about how journalist Janet Wilson has been employed by the John Banks team – I was going to make some great and witty comment about it but the story seems – oddly – to have disappeared.
If its true, the employment of Janet Wilson and some mysterious “board of advisers” is beginning to let loose the odour of desparation and an indication of the sort of money John “potentiated” Banks is prepared to throw around.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10620042
Good work gitmofo. Thanks.
So Clinton isn’t coming now – http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1001/S00032.htm
McCully’s need to appear relevant in this presser is hilarious. He’s desperate to be seen as Clinton’s bff here – coming off as needy instead.
Can someone enlighten me please?
Throughout 2008 “Perkbuster” popped his head out of the gutter during question time in parliament trying to make hay attacking Peters over his involvement in the Scampi fisheries issue and particularly a libel action against TVNZ.
It now appears that the issue has been settled. Where does that leave Peters and the opinions of “Perkbuster”? Who should be coming out of this with credit and where are the apologies to Peters from TVNZ (who systematically tried to dismantle his career as a politician.)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/3230590/Settlement-in-30m-defamation-claim