Open mike 12/09/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 12th, 2015 - 78 comments
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78 comments on “Open mike 12/09/2015 ”

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  1. Manuka AOR 1
    12 September 2015 at 8:06 am

    “Australian IS Jihardist” is US Troll!
    http://www.smh.com.au/national/australian-is-jihadist-is-actually-an-jewish-american-troll-20150911-gjk852.html

    “Joshua Ryne Goldberg, a 20-year old living at his parents’ house in US state of Florida, is accused of posing online as “Australi Witness,” an IS supporter who publicly called for a series of attacks against individuals and events in western countries.

    “In recent days Australi Witness has claimed online that he is working with other jihadists to plan attacks in Australia and the United States. He distributed pictures of a bomb that he was working on with “2 lbs of explosives inside”.”

  2. dv 2
    12 September 2015 at 8:12 am

    Oops

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11511711

    Crack crime-fighting unit sent top-secret files to the very criminals they were investigating.

    Top-secret police intelligence documents with details about confidential informants were accidentally sent by our elite organised crime-fighting agency to the criminals they were investigating.

    The stunning bungle saw the information copied and widely circulated among gang and methamphetamine-producing circles and led to police taking emergency steps to protect those exposed by the blunder.

    • Draco T Bastard 2.1
      12 September 2015 at 10:20 am

      Chances are the police are using MS Outlook for email and not dedicated software which would keep confidential information safe. They would be doing this because it’s cheaper than actually having proper software.

  3. dv 3
    12 September 2015 at 8:54 am

    This is a interesting read
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11511690

    Key points-

    Minimum wage
    No training (oops one day)
    New contract – undercut price
    Changeover scramble

    My job fitting ankle bracelets to crims

    The company’s monitoring centre had sent me to install a GPS ankle bracelet in a remote and run-down Hauraki Plains town called Kerepehi.

    Only after getting out of the car did I see he was holding a machete.

    This is New Zealand’s home detention frontline in 2015, where security guards on minimum wages are sent out alone, including at night, after one day’s training and no idea what awaits them.

    For 20 years, New Zealand has detained convicted criminals and those awaiting sentencing at their homes. Until this year, Chubb had the Corrections Department contract, but the United States corporate 3M, formerly Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, and its First Security NZ partner, a subsidiary of Australia’s Wilson Security, offered new GPS equipment and an undercut price.

    The changeover was a scramble. People with no experience, like me, were hired. We had doubts that all offenders, wearing the old units, were being monitored. After the first few weeks, we were told we no longer needed to contact Chubb before cutting off old bracelets.

    How many have cut off their trackers.

    • save NZ 3.1
      12 September 2015 at 10:11 am

      Shocking. The problem with all the neoliberal dogma is that cheaper ineffectual solutions are not solving the problem and a waste of money and in many cases increasing the costs and risks to the public as well as taking away ‘real’ jobs, but they can’t comprehend that.

      • Pat 3.1.1
        12 September 2015 at 11:33 am

        they “comprehend” that very well….and are unconcerned as they problems it engenders have not impacted ( indeed in many ways supports) their cosseted lifestyles…..yet.

          • Paul 3.1.1.1.1
            12 September 2015 at 12:06 pm

            Neoliberalism has destroyed society and is destroying the planet.

            Special thanks to……
            Ayn Rand
            Milton Friedman
            Ronald Reagan
            Margaret Thatcher
            Roger Douglas
            Ruth Richardson
            John Key

        • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1.2
          12 September 2015 at 1:25 pm

          and are unconcerned as they problems it engenders have not impacted ( indeed in many ways supports) their cosseted lifestyles…..yet.

          Yep, the poverty that neo-liberalism produces is needed so that a few can be rich.

    • Plan B 3.2
      12 September 2015 at 11:40 pm

      Wilson parking !

  4. The Chairman 4
    12 September 2015 at 9:00 am

    Teen marijuana use held steady in 2014, the first year that marijuana was legally available for purchase in the US states of Washington and Colorado, according to just-released numbers from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

    Many opponents of legalisation have warned that legal weed would lead to a spike in the number of teenagers using and abusing the substance.

    So far, there’s been little apparent downside to legal weed in Colorado and Washington. Colorado marijuana taxes are bringing in millions of dollars for schools (ditto in Washington).

    Cops are spending less time arresting and jailing marijuana users. Crime and impaired driving in Colorado is generally flat or trending downward.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/71983455/us-teen-pot-use-hasnt-increased-despite-legalisation-in-two-states-study-shows

  5. Tony P 5
    12 September 2015 at 9:13 am

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/71879431/what-is-a-new-zealander

    Insightful and to the point.
    “Is that New Zealand now? Three parts sport to one part depression?”

  6. Morrissey 6
    12 September 2015 at 9:38 am

    Iran is a “belligerent” state?
    Kim Hill needs to do a lot more reading, watch less Fox News and BBC.
    Radio New Zealand National, Saturday 12 September 2015

    This morning Kim Hill interviewed Nelson orchardist Harry McQuillan, who worked for many years in the Iranian oil industry until the 1979 revolution. This was an interesting half hour, but was marred slightly by a couple of naïve and provocative contributions by the host. First, she made the bizarre claim that the recent deal with the United States might bring about a lessening of Iran’s “belligerence”. A little later she expressed wonderment that the Iranian people have somehow managed to think differently from their government—something that could be said about any country, of course.

    Harry McQuillan refused to engage with this behaviour, but this writer, i.e., moi, was moved to send an email to Ms. Hill….

    Iran is a “belligerent” state?

    Dear Kim,

    In your interview with Harry McQuillan, you referred to Iran as a “belligerent” state. In fact, Iran has attacked no state, overthrown no government for more than 2,400 years.

    Harry McQuillan was too polite to say so, but perhaps you had confused Iran with Saudi Arabia or Israel or the United States or the United Kingdom.

    Yours sincerely,

    Morrissey Breen
    Northcote Point

    • Chooky 6.2
      12 September 2015 at 1:21 pm

      I thought it was a very positive interview about Iran…sometimes Kim Hill says things ironically …or to get a reaction/contradiction

      …sometimes interviewers have to play devils advocate..otherwise boring listening if it is all agreement

      This interview about the early scientist Hector was superb

      http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/201770399/simon-nathan-james-hector-explorer,-scientist,-leader

      Please please more on New Zealand history from the media !

      …with jonkey and his servile msm and rugby black shirts around anyone would think New Zealand didnt have HISTORY until he appeared on scene with his bankster mates and started to reframe/ rewrite New Zealand by selling off State Owned Assets and reflagging /redesigning the flag

      • Chooky 6.2.1
        12 September 2015 at 1:37 pm

        this also was very good listening from Kim Hill this morning

        ‘Matthieu Aikins: Yemen and the Middle East’

        http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/201770391/matthieu-aikins-yemen-and-the-middle-east

        “Schell Fellow at the Nation Institute who reports from the Middle East and South Asia for a number of magazines and whose investigative work exposing war crimes in Afghanistan won him the George Polk Award and the Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism.”

      • Morrissey 6.2.2
        13 September 2015 at 9:38 am

        I thought it was a very positive interview about Iran…

        I agree with you.

        sometimes Kim Hill says things ironically …or to get a reaction/contradiction

        My problem in this instance was her statement, in apparent high seriousness, that Iran was a “belligerent state.” That’s not being ironic, it’s an inversion of the truth.

        …sometimes interviewers have to play devils advocate..

        An interviewer has an obligation to stick within the bounds of reality. When Kim Hill stated that Iran was a “belligerent state”, she was reiterating the black propaganda, i.e., lies, of the U.S. government. Similar behaviour by her in 2003 moved John Pilger to give her a memorable dressing down on television. “You waste my time because you have not prepared for this interview,” he told her. “This interview frankly is a disgrace.”[1] As one of the commenters under the clip notes, “A bad haircut & facetious sarcasm do not compensate for an unprepared interview of one of the world’s best journalists.” Luckily for her, Harry McQuillan was determined to ignore her provocations yesterday.

        otherwise boring listening if it is all agreement

        Disagreement is fine. Telling lies is not.

        [1] http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/face-to-face-with-kim-hill-john-pilger-2003

  7. The Chairman 7
    12 September 2015 at 9:41 am

    It’s bad enough when sport stories lead the nightly news.

    Today we have an interview with All Blacks coach Steve Hansen leading the Nation.

  8. Chooky 8
    12 September 2015 at 9:43 am

    Who is fooling who with lies about the war against Syria, which just so incidentally owns the Golan Heights?

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14724842

    ‘Unsourced Syria’

    http://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/314795-syria-military-assistance-isis/

    “An unsourced story originating on an Israeli website claimed Russia was about to deploy significant military assistance to Syria to fight Islamic State. This set the media aflame and had Washington issuing warnings. The story was not only unsourced, but also untrue. But it did reveal how the West frames its illegal war against Syria.

    CrossTalking with Eric Draitser, Danny Makki and Fawaz Gerges.”

    http://www.rt.com/shows/going-underground/314808-assange-corbyn-us-wikileaks/

    Assange on ‘US Empire’, Assad govt overthrow plans & new book ‘The WikiLeaks Files’ (EXCLUSIVE)

  9. The Chairman 9
    12 September 2015 at 11:32 am

    TPP requires major sales effort to gain acceptance?

    A full political campaign has not yet been mounted at retail level. Associate Trade Minister Todd McClay has been deputised by Groser to fill that vacuum but there is much more to be done.

    Key said he would be concerned if the deal (TPP) was not done by Christmas.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/best-of-political-analysis/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502734&objectid=11500955

    • Paul 9.1
      12 September 2015 at 12:03 pm

      Did you notice that comments below were universally anti the TPP and so the Herald closed down the opportunity for people to comment?
      ‘ This discussion is now closed.’

      • The Chairman 9.1.1
        12 September 2015 at 2:10 pm

        There is widespread concern when it comes to the TPP.

        The first comment got my attention.

        “NZ does not have to benefit directly. If this agreement is good for the economies of our trading partners then our economy benefits too.”

        Guest we can expect National’s spin machine to start gearing up.

  10. Draco T Bastard 10
    12 September 2015 at 11:41 am

    14 Years After 9/11, the War on Terror Is Accomplishing Everything bin Laden Hoped It Would

    Fourteen years later, don’t you still find it improbable that George W. Bush and company used those murderous acts and the nearly 3,000 resulting deaths as an excuse to try to make the world theirs? It took them no time at all to decide to launch a “Global War on Terror” in up to 60 countries. It took them next to no time to begin dreaming of the establishment of a future Pax Americana in the Middle East, followed by the sort of global imperium that had previously been conjured up only by cackling bad guys in James Bond films. Don’t you find it strange, looking back, just how quickly 9/11 set their brains aflame?

    Fourteen years later, how probable was it that the country then universally considered the planet’s “sole superpower,” openly challenged only by tiny numbers of jihadist extremists, with a military better funded than the next 10 to 13 forces combined (most of whom were allies anyway), and whose technological skills were, as they say, to die for would win no wars, defeat no enemies, and successfully complete no occupations? What were the odds? If, on September 12, 2001, someone had given you half-reasonable odds on a US military winning streak in the Greater Middle East, don’t tell me you wouldn’t have slapped some money on the table.

    And the world is still dealing with the fallout of that fateful day and US over-confidence and aggression.

  11. marty mars 11
    12 September 2015 at 12:09 pm

    “”I am not a heartless, racist camerawoman who would kick children … ”

    You tripped and kicked them and it is all on video – that isn’t in dispute – Why you behaved in the way you did is open to interpretation.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/71992426/hungarian-camerawoman-regrets-kicking-tripping-migrants

    For some reason I can hear a few standard regulars plaintively spin this line too – after they have kicked and shoved back into the water some refugees that are half dead from making it to these pretty little islands.

    • Muttonbird 11.1
      12 September 2015 at 12:21 pm

      She says she snapped but that was just the right winger trying to get out, the something inside which drives their entire approach to life and attitude towards fellow human beings.

      This is something they do their best to hide in every day life but sometimes under stress the ugly and inhumane truth cannot be covered up.

      • marty mars 11.1.1
        12 September 2015 at 12:27 pm

        + 1 Yep those right wingers are the biggest cowards out – they hide their toxicity but it can’t help oozing out, like the pus it is, when they think they can get away with it.

        • joe90 11.1.1.1
          12 September 2015 at 1:19 pm

          The shoe fits.

          According to Adorno’s theory, the elements of the Authoritarian
          personality type are:

          • Blind allegiance to conventional beliefs about right and
            wrong
          • Respect for submission to acknowledged authority
          • Belief in aggression toward those who do not subscribe
            to conventional thinking, or who are different
          • A negative view of people in general – i.e. the belief
            that people would all lie, cheat or steal if given the opportunity
          • A need for strong leadership which displays uncompromising
            power
          • A belief in simple answers and polemics – i.e. The media
            controls us all or The source of all our problems is the loss of morals these
            days.
          • Resistance to creative, dangerous ideas. A black
            and white worldview.
          • A tendency to project one’s own feelings of inadequacy,
            rage and fear onto a scapegoated group
          • A preoccupation with violence and sex

          http://www.psychologistworld.com/influence_personality/authoritarian_personality.php

    • Naki man 11.2
      12 September 2015 at 1:38 pm

      I hope they sack the heartless bitch

  12. Karen 12
    12 September 2015 at 1:03 pm

    The bookies in Britain have evidently declared Jeremy Corbyn the winner and paid out on bets made that he would be elected the new leader of the Labour Party.

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/11/how-jeremy-corbyn-went-from-no-hope-candidate-to-brink-of-victory

    The actual result is expected at midday their time, 11pm here.

    • millsy 12.1
      12 September 2015 at 2:04 pm

      I wouldn’t start popping the champagne yet.

      It ain’t over till it over…

    • Anne 12.2
      12 September 2015 at 4:11 pm

      I know its going to unleash a storm of malice and dirty tricks for Corbyn but tonight if he wins I will cheer…

      A small beacon of hope.

    • swordfish 12.3
      12 September 2015 at 10:45 pm

      The Guardian’s sources suggest Corbyn has won – and in the first round.

      A decisive mandate that his Blairite / Brownite antagonists throughout the PLP can’t ignore. Looks like that cosy little group of careerist elites have just been given a bloody nose by the plebs they secretly (and, at times, not-so-secretly) disdain.

      The reaction of ‘soft Left’ caucus members will be fascinating. I suspect they’ll split, some joining (or supporting) the Shadow Cabinet, others (maybe their nominal leader, Jon Cruddas) possibly joining the New Labour ‘Resistance’.

  13. Draco T Bastard 13
    12 September 2015 at 1:23 pm

    Now this is rather interesting. It’s about a couple living as they’re in the 1890s. The short article does point out the two peoples privilege at the beginning but also says that the woman, who runs a blog, has an interesting point in this paragraph:

    Much of modern technology has become a collection of magic black boxes: Push a button and light happens, push another button and heat happens, and so on. The systems that dominate people’s lives have become so opaque that few Americans have even the foggiest notion what makes most of the items they touch every day work — and trying to repair them would nullify the warranty. The resources that went into making those items are treated as nothing more than a price tag to grumble about when the bills come due. Very few people actually watch those resources decreasing as they use them. It’s impossible to watch fuel disappearing when it’s burned in a power plant hundreds of miles away, and convenient to forget there’s a connection.

    And I think that’s true – we have lost the connection between what we use and the resources needed to produce them.

    • maui 13.1
      12 September 2015 at 9:35 pm

      I think we’ve lost touch with a lot of things, food is another one. A lot of people have no idea how to prepare raw food/produce and know what’s in season when, because they don’t need to. Gary Williams (permaculturist) said in a talk if general society is quite happy to have animals such as pigs and chickens living in slave type inhumane conditions, then those same people will be quite likely to transfer that across to the treatment of human beings.

  14. The Chairman 14
    12 September 2015 at 2:17 pm

    Will a Kiwi “white knight” emerge?

    The NZ Super Fund certainly has the funds to invest in a key growth area for New Zealand’s agribusiness sector.

    There are a number of NZ players who could usefully join a “consortium” including Ngai Tahu Holdings – the South Island iwi company which has significant growing investments in the agribusiness sector and has a strong working relationship with the fund.

    There are also linkages at board level with Ngai Tahu Holdings chairman Trevor Burt serving on Silver Fern Farms’ board.

    The Chinese firm is understood to have capital of more than $300 million to invest. This makes such a deal attractive to the banking syndicate which has pressured the board to get the capital restructure done.

    Shareholder opposition is strong in some quarters and is readily being whipped up at the political level.

    But unless board members can be persuaded to remove their support for a proposal that has got momentum and banker backing it will be hard to derail.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/fran-osullivan/news/article.cfm?a_id=13&objectid=11509834

    Thoughts?

    • Foreign waka 14.1
      12 September 2015 at 4:43 pm

      Yes, don’t touch my money without my permission. Since when is the Kiwi Superfund a slush fund and there is no recognition that is is NOT free money and to take it would be theft? Perhaps too much time has past for some but not all to have forgotten similar arguments before the pension fund under Maldoon was lost.

      • The Chairman 14.1.1
        12 September 2015 at 6:35 pm

        The NZ super fund is an investment fund. Therefore, this would be an investment. There is nothing sinister with that. In fact, it will help secure NZ control.

        • Foreign Waka 14.1.1.1
          12 September 2015 at 7:32 pm

          No, the Superfund is money that has been taken out of the pay packet of those people who agreed and signed up to an approved number of investments into a company portfolio of low risk. This is to make sure that the investor has some sort (of cause this is never 100%) of security that he/she will have a return when they turn 65. At no point has the owner of these shares agreed that the money can be used to non agreed investments. If the super fund is used without consent than this is theft, full stop. The only person who can sign up to an investment decision is the owner of the money.
          If Silver Fern is viable and has a business plan assuring the investor that he/she has a return when they retire then it can and perhaps ought to be put forward as a proposal. Of cause the current participants need to a choice to have a new entity added to their portfolio.
          Do you disagree?

          • The Chairman 14.1.1.1.1
            12 September 2015 at 7:41 pm

            That is incorrect, thus I don’t concur.

            The Fund is a long-term, growth-oriented, global investment fund.

            It is managed on our behalf, thus we have no direct control over its investments.

            It is funded through Government, not subscription.

  15. Tony Veitch 15
    12 September 2015 at 5:46 pm

    TPP again!

    An Australian ad which opponents of TPP tried to get on Channel 9 in Aussie – we need to give it some traction here!

    • North 15.1
      12 September 2015 at 7:48 pm

      Doesn’t matter mate……the Ponce Key’s got $50 mill’……nothing that happens touchs him or his family. Get real……less human than rich person……poor person. Hey, that goes for your kids too !

  16. Michael 16
    12 September 2015 at 6:09 pm

    This video about Bernie Sanders is very good:

    He is also now within 10 points of Hillary Clinton in the national polls, and is ahead of Clinton in the two early-state primary polls.

    Also, on Labour Day, Bernie Sanders joined a picket line and stood with workers: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/07/bernie-sanders-picket-line-unions-hillary-clinton

  17. Mike the Savage One 17
    12 September 2015 at 6:56 pm

    The picture that shocked the world and changed people’s view of the refugee crisis hitting the Middle East and Europe has turned out to be the result of a desperate and perhaps irresponsible father, who acted as people trafficker and got money for it:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/middle-east/71991402/aylan-kurdis-father-is-a-people-smuggler-woman-claims
    http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/11/us-europe-migrants-turkey-iraq-idUSKCN0RB2BE20150911

    It appears there is some truth to earlier suspicions, that had been shared on other media and blogs, and this is worrying. It will not help the refugees that deserve help and access to peaceful countries.

    I fear there will always be some desperate to make some gains from a crisis situation, where possible, and this must be considered when screening refugees. I am getting increasingly worried about the demands by some refugees in Europe, to be given free access to countries like Austria, Germany and Sweden, taking their pick as to where they feel they should be allowed to go.

    This is neither here nor there, but it shows that the world and humanity are reaching new crisis levels, and we get fed the messages every day, here in NZ, that everything, increasing humans and our needs, are mere commodities, that can be catered for by “the market”.

    Thanks John Key, Nats and gangsters for turning this place into just another place like the rest I see on this planet, all is for sale, nothing is sacred and respected anymore. That includes a token gesture about 600 additional (selected) Syrian refugees over two and a half years.

  18. North 18
    12 September 2015 at 7:32 pm

    Just had the most amazing (abridged) telephone conversation with a mate 260 kilometres away. Remarking that I’ve tired already of the “ABs, ABs, ABs……” on TV news……chided for the heresy of being “political”…….mate hangs up in a huff, what ???

    So Richie’s a god, fully entitled to play politics for the Ponce Key, but immune from response ???

    Pretty screwed when the ONLY thing that rationalises the controlling ‘imperative’ of “no politics !” re the ABs is a risible double standard. Together Richie McKey and John McCaw have played fast and loose with the AB brand. They have responsibility for the uncomfortable downside of people saying so !

    • Anne 18.1
      12 September 2015 at 8:07 pm

      I heard they were at the Tower of London about 12 hours ago. Why didn’t someone lock em up and throw away the key.

      • North 18.1.1
        12 September 2015 at 8:45 pm

        Anne Anne Anne !……you trouble me……I will wait for Steve Hansen to tell how some crows flew down and whispered that the ABs are in with the finest chance then I’ll go have several tumblers of “Beefeaters” then I’ll get back to you about your egregious lack of patriotism and don’t expect my remonstrations to be pretty !

        BTW…..I think you mean the “Key”. Mmmm…..don’t wanna put Richie off his game now……

        • Anne 18.1.1.1
          12 September 2015 at 9:49 pm

          My lack of ‘patriotism’ and non-complimentary remarks (nice way to put it) about people who have dirty great flag poles on their property with the Nu Zillind flag flying is legendary among those who know me well.

          Remonstrations will get you nowhere. 😈

  21. The Chairman 21
    12 September 2015 at 10:25 pm

    I’m viewing the live feed as we speak.

  22. Ovid 22
    12 September 2015 at 10:33 pm

    Guardian has called it for Corbyn, according to sources.

  23. maui 23
    12 September 2015 at 10:42 pm

    Ed Milliband re-elected as Labour leader!

  24. Ovid 24
    12 September 2015 at 10:43 pm

    And he wins on the first round.

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    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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