Open mike 12/12/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 12th, 2015 - 64 comments
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64 comments on “Open mike 12/12/2015 ”

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  1. Chooky 1
    12 December 2015 at 9:33 am

    An Opinion Piece which could be turned into a Post. (This article caught my eye before I even realised that Chris Perley stands for the Green Party. He has a background in strategy, policy , research and operational management in provincial economies and land use. In my opinion, he would make a great Minister of Agriculture)

    To summarise, in ‘The NZ Farmers Weekly’ ‘Money root of industrial cruelty’ Perley argues:

    “Most family-run farms do not make a practice of cruelty and undignified death.( This is my experience also)

    But there are operations where such things happen. And the first question to ask is why, identify that deeper cause and deal with that.

    It is the changing values underpinning how we look at land, community, people, animals and land use that are the deeper roots to this debacle.

    And it is the systems that proclaim and reinforce the soulless and mechanical view: produce more , cheaper, never mind downstream, people are cogs, animals aren’t even that

    …Our target ought to be to remove the beast. And that monster is the pervasive industrial corporate thinking and its narrow and short-term money lens, which makes us leass , not more, wealthy in the long-term…

    New Zealand’s love affair with industrial commoditisation is a race to a Third World bottom, digging ever deeper…family farmers have to stand up against this rising tide of the commoditisation of life and land and to all the associated advocacy of genetically modified organisms, intensification, pollution and ever more commodities.

    There is another path: go value, not volume.”

    https://home.greens.org.nz/candidates/chris-perley

    (This article by Chris Perley is very relevant to what another commenter on the Standard and the Daily Blog posted recently on Farming and the TPP)

    SAVENZ says:
    DECEMBER 10, 2015 AT 11:42 AM

    “Very interesting video about how TTIP (and likewise TPP) can destroy small and medium farmers (i.e. like NZ farmers), introduce Genetically modified foods, introduce chlorinated meat washing techniques and USA agricultural intensive farming practises around the world with these ‘free trade’ agreements.

    It is not only NZ farms being bought up by agribusiness and foreign investors it is also happening in Europe. Soon as well as being tenants in our own country we will also be able to afford the ‘raw food’ materials of our country as they will be exported using mega supply chains to other countries to be processed.

    The video also has a lot of useful statistics like how 70% of the worlds fresh water is used in agribusiness and 52% of emissions are from agribusiness as to get that massive scale petrol is used to ship around the world.

    While we like to think NZ is an exporter so TPP will ‘help’ farmers it appears that most mega agribusiness like Montanso and investment companies buying up land for food are most likely to use NZ as a banana republic, and use their own migrant labour, offshore productions and supply chains to export the food cutting out the middle men (Kiwis) and using sophisticated tax laws to pay the minimum of taxes while getting the maximum of corporate welfare.

    It is already happening, TPP just means governments will not be able to stop it as they can be sued.

    http://amara.org/en/videos/RB5o7MJ0YZgr/info/ttip-the-countryside-gone-into-liquidation/

    We all know John Key is for the future re-colonisation of NZ but perhaps his biggest coup is getting the Maori party and Farmers to support him to sell off their land and NZ resources on mass!

    Hope everyone has deep pockets as under the ISDS they will need it!”

    – See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/12/10/the-daily-blog-open-mic-thursday-10th-december-2015/#sthash.18Z5ZtXf.dpuf

    ( Where is the New Zealand Labour Party on the TPP and farming ?..Fence sitting as usual ?…Certainly has not joined the Greens and NZF in opposing the TPP !)

    • Tautuhi 1.1
      12 December 2015 at 11:21 am

      Very little critical analysis being done on MSM about the TPP, I guess the MSM journalists are not educated enough to understand the ramifications of this agreement or are to scared to write anything controversial for fear of losing their jobs.

      • Chooky 1.1.1
        12 December 2015 at 11:38 am

        +100 agreed….and here is another reason NOT to sign and to OPPOSE the TPP

        …another merger multinational corporation which New Zealand land and farmers and legislators will have no protection from( Labour Party where are you?)

        ‘$130b mega-merger: Dow, Dupont to form world’s largest agrochemical entity’

        https://www.rt.com/usa/325668-dow-dupont-merger-chemical/

        ….”The Pesticide Action Network calls Dow, Dupont, BASF, Monsanto, Syngenta, and Bayer the ‘Big 6’ of the seed, pesticide, and biotechnology industries. The companies “have historically unprecedented power over world agriculture, enabling them to control the agricultural research agenda, heavily influence trade and agricultural agreements and subvert market competition,” the organization says…

        “Dow and Dupont have a combined annual revenue of around $83 billion, with operating profit of about $15 billion.

        Dupont and Dow Chemical have long been criticized for their track records regarding environmental stewardship. For decades, Dupont refused to take responsibility for toxic pollutants spilled into the Ohio River, it has been alleged in federal court. In October, a West Virginia woman was awarded $1.6 million after it was determined that Dupont chemicals contaminated water supply, contributing to her kidney cancer. The company has also received scrutiny of its release of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), used to make non-stick products like Teflon cookware. The American Cancer Society said the chemical causes higher risks of bladder and kidney cancers in those with workplace exposure to it.

        READ MORE: 25,000 killed, 500,000 poisoned: Bhopal demands justice 30 yrs after world’s worst chem disaster

        Dow was responsible for producing napalm, the chemical used by the US military to devastate populations in Vietnam. Its subsidiary, Union Carbide, was responsible for the deaths of thousands in Bhopal, India, in 1984 following a massive leak of a chemical used to make pesticide. Dow continues to refuse to clean the site or to fund medical initiatives to address the spill’s ongoing aftermath, the company’s critics say.”

    • RedBaronCV 1.2
      12 December 2015 at 12:02 pm

      I can see very good money in the production of organic and/or high quality food.
      The sort of production that used to be everyday farming. The sort of production that family farms do best and they are smart enough to know it and to realise it.

      The last thing we want is our food production compromised by multinational factory farming complete with GE etc. Remember the Hawkes Bay declared itself GE free with out too much farmer muttering. The Greens pick up surprising numbers of votes in the rural areas – and given the way Nact has sidelined farmers there may be an opportunity there.

    • Cowboy 1.3
      12 December 2015 at 9:26 pm

      One of the concerns I have is the gradual loss of the food production supply chain to foreign multinational ownership. The recent example of Silver Fern Farms losing control of their company to Shanghai Maling is a case in point. If we don’t own and control the supply chain and have a mechanism to bring value added premiums back to the family farmer then farmers get trapped as price takers at the end of the chain. This all leads to a production mind set akin to a mouse on a wheel. As a country we need to be much more strategic about how we leverage our opportunities or this trend will continue.

      • RedBaronCV 1.3.1
        12 December 2015 at 10:37 pm

        i agree we want to trap as much production in country as possible under local ownership and export the food as close to end product as possible. What fonterra where supposed to be doing but didn’t.

        • Chooky 1.3.1.1
          12 December 2015 at 11:14 pm

          +100… re What fonterra were supposed to be doing but didn’t.

          Apparently when Diane Foreman was approached by a Chinese businessman to sell her multi- million dollar international export business ‘New Zealand Natural’ ..(a New Zealand ice-cream brand business) she felt honour-bound to offer her brand/business first to Fonterra.

          Fonterra didn’t respond to her first approach.

          On her more formal approach by a professional advisor on her behalf ; “He was told Fonterra had ‘absolutely no interest in the brand’ “.

          Her comment: “Fonterra is often criticised for not having a single brand with international significance and recognition. Anchor? That’s not it. New Zealand Natural? My business was a bit of a minnow compared with Fonterra’s scale but surely there was a brand fit that could have been applied across a range of products.”

          ( p260 ‘In the Arena’…incidentally a damned good book for budding entrepreneurs …)

      • Chooky 1.3.2
        12 December 2015 at 10:39 pm

        +100…and Russia certainly sees the importance of this and the marketing advantage of organic foods

        ‘Putin wants Russia to become world’s organic food superpower but first hopes to clip Turkey’s wings’ by Bryan MacDonald

        “Vladimir Putin’s annual parliamentary address, roughly equivalent to America’s ‘State of the Union,’ was heavy on talk of fighting terror. However, his proposals for organic agriculture reform may prove a lasting legacy…

        An organic dawn
        As the Kremlin has rejected the idea of GMO food production, now a mainstay of American agriculture, Russia could become the world’s principal supplier of high-quality organic food. Meaning there is potential to dominate the “high-end” market in both the West and in other wealthy countries – like China and the Middle Eastern states.

        “We are not only able to feed ourselves taking into account our lands, water resources – Russia is able to become the largest world supplier of healthy, ecologically clean and high-quality food which the Western producers have long lost, especially given the fact that demand for such products in the world market is steadily growing,” said Putin….

  2. Manuka AOR 2
    12 December 2015 at 10:13 am

    “Turn the World Around”

    Ta’Kaiya Blaney is a 14-year-old activist, singer and actress from the Tla’amin First Nation, north of Vancouver, Canada. On Saturday, she sang her song “Turn the World Around” at the International Tribunal on the Rights of Nature in Paris, France. “I was told by a Haida elder that to turn the world around, you have to turn it upside down,” Blaney told Democracy Now! after her performance.
    http://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/360/wx2015-1210_TakayaBreak-360P.mp4

  3. Bearded Git 3
    12 December 2015 at 10:18 am

    2.4 million voted in the 2014 election. 1.5 million voted on the flag. My guess is that’s 0.9 million, for a start, voting to keep the current flag in the next vote.

  4. Manuka AOR 4
    12 December 2015 at 10:37 am

    Naomi Klein calls the Climate Deal “extraordinarily dangerous”. She notes that when we speak of climate change as being something far away (or, I guess, something sufficiently unimportant that the nz gov can appoint a minister with no particular knowledge of it, let alone qualifications in this area) – this is nothing less than “subliminal racism”.

    Her interview with Naomi Klein on Democracy Now!
    “We are already living the era of dangerous warming. It is already costing thousands of lives and livelihoods, from the Philippines to Bangladesh to Nigeria to New Orleans and the Marshall Islands—I could go on and on. But it’s important to understand that language matters and that when we speak about dangerous warming as something that is far off in the distance, it is nothing less than, as my friend Kumi Naidoo put it yesterday, “subliminal racism.” And that racism is getting less subliminal every day. We are discounting lives when we speak that way, and we have to stop doing it.” http://www.democracynow.org/2015/12/9/naomi_klein_decries_climate_deal_as

  5. weka 5
    12 December 2015 at 11:09 am

    anyone else getting very slow load times on ts this morning?

  6. Morrissey 6
    12 December 2015 at 11:24 am

    Why are extreme right wingers so reluctant to engage in debate?

    I’ve recently been banned from Cameron “Blubberguts” Slater’s hate blog for the third and undoubtedly last time.

    Click on the following link and you will see how Slater has systematically gone about removing every one of my posts from his foul joke of a site…..

    https://disqus.com/by/disqus_On9DYCpWl2/

    • Chooky 6.1
      12 December 2015 at 11:46 am

      lol…i dont go there…i might get contaminated…but I applaud you going there sword in hand and toxic protective gear on.

      • Morrissey 6.1.1
        12 December 2015 at 8:20 pm

        I won’t be going there any more, Chooky, as I’ve been banned—permanently this time, I’m sure. Not that I did anything wrong; I carefully avoided flippancy or any put-downs of my interlocutors.

        I note that he cut me off almost straight after I raised the embarrassing fact that the New Zealand government backed Pol Pot’s regime in 1979, obediently following the lead of the United States and Great Britain. To provide evidence of that, I had just cited the following article from the New Zealand Journal of History…..

        http://www.nzjh.auckland.ac.nz/docs/1999/NZJH_33_2_05.pdf

        I’d like to do a little more research on this, but I suspect Cameron Slater’s father, John Slater, was one of the “brains” behind the National Government’s decision to support the Khmer Rouge. By even mentioning that shameful episode, I may have provoked Cameron Slater into an apoplectic fit.

    • b waghorn 6.2
      12 December 2015 at 6:33 pm

      I would imagine that slater proves the saying “that you can’t argue with stupid”

      • Morrissey 6.2.1
        12 December 2015 at 8:06 pm

        Slater doesn’t engage in argument; clearly, he lacks the wherewithal to defend his own statements.

        It’s a pity, really, because in those threads in which I participated, a large number of people who argued with me—and they all argued with more coherence and intelligence than Slater—seemed genuinely eager to debate in good faith.

  7. greywarshark 7
    12 December 2015 at 11:46 am

    On Kim Hill RADIONZ this morning so interesting.
    11:05 James Crow: vegan treats and the homeless
    Auckland mates James Crow and Tom Holden founded their company Tommy and James five years ago, to produce the dairy-free Nice Blocks range. Their Little Island Coconut Creamery now produces Little Island Nice Cream and Little Island Coconut Milk. James Crow is also the founder of Gimme Shelter, a think-tank project working on ideas to secure permanent housing for homeless in New Zealand.

    11:45 Kate’s Klassic: Essays by George Orwell
    Kate Camp has published five collections of poems, most recently Snow White’s Coffin (VUP). She will discuss Essays by George Orwell.

    • Chooky 7.2
      12 December 2015 at 4:37 pm

      +100 greywarshark …their Little Island coconut products are delicious!

      …and I bet Philip Ure eats them…now where is his VEGAN sausage?

      • greywarshark 7.2.1
        12 December 2015 at 8:05 pm

        Chooky
        The great? grate? P Ure. Still remembered – could TS swop (ban) 2 of our present RW rabble rousers for one P Ure just for a while say a month till he becomes too repetitive and contradictory. If we asked him about his vegan sausage he might come back.

        • Chooky 7.2.1.1
          12 December 2015 at 10:42 pm

          lol…you can find him over on the Daily Blog…and yes I miss him here…he was quite witty, very smart, and he did have interesting things to say

          ( I think his ban is long over…he is now in self-appointed exile)

          • greywarshark 7.2.1.1.1
            12 December 2015 at 11:08 pm

            I miss the one in Australia. He didn’t like being knuckled because of perceived bias against females. And was tossed out when he wrote on a feminist post. Silly bloke it is not a debatable subject, everyone knows that.

            But he was one that could produce pithy useful comments. Phillip U is long-winded but like a dog with a bone about his points, apart from that he came up with some good observations.

  8. maui 8
    12 December 2015 at 12:24 pm

    Outstanding commentary from Pala Molisa on capitalism and climate change, when will we start listening.
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio/201781962/capitalism-accelerating-eco-collapse-says-pacific-academic

    • Manuka AOR 8.1
      12 December 2015 at 12:43 pm

      From that link: “once a community loses a sense of the sacred, one it commodifies everything so that nothing has an intrinsic value, it then opens up the ability to exploit everything, both human beings and the natural world, until it actually collapses. And that’s the situation we are in.”

      • Chooky 8.1.1
        12 December 2015 at 4:38 pm

        +100 maui and Manuka AOR

      • greywarshark 8.1.2
        12 December 2015 at 11:16 pm

        Manuka AOR
        Chris Trotter on Bowalley Road has written a recent post called Secret Agreement I think. He looks at the attitudes of politicians to the people and vice versa. And comes up with an interesting idea that we not only get the politicians we deserve but the politicians we expect. Few decent people who value their job and regard it in an ethical manner get into Parliament, and when they do stand up to make an ethical comment or express shock at wrongdoing they are not taken seriously, may be derided.

        The people expect to be exploited and so have dropped their standards, have become cynical bystanders at the rorts and antics of pollies. And so they diminish national standards, and don’t demand better so we all end up being complicit in what is in 2015, this shabby play or farce called democracy and elections.
        edited

        • Manuka AOR 8.1.2.1
          13 December 2015 at 5:52 am

          Thanks Grey – found it:
          “In practical terms, this means that it is the honest and principled politicians who attract the most scathing condemnation. Such people have clearly failed to understand their job description, which demands only a show of decency – and not even that if the politician’s indecent objectives can be achieved swiftly, decisively – and with ostentatious brutality.” http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/

  9. Manuka AOR 9
    12 December 2015 at 12:37 pm

    Republican candidate wants to nuke Syrian targets?:

    “As Republican presidential candidates lined up to one-up each other about how they would fight Islamic terrorism, many mainstream pundits questioned the hysteria and took particular aim at billionaire Donald Trump for seeking a moratorium on admitting Muslims to the United States, but Trump’s proposal was far from the most outrageous.

    “Getting much less attention was a statement by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who is considered by many a more likely GOP nominee than Trump. Cruz suggested that the United States should nuke the territory in Iraq and Syria controlled by Islamic State militants.” ~ Robert Parry. http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/33999-ted-cruz-threatens-to-nuke-isis-targets

  10. Pascals bookie 10
    12 December 2015 at 1:14 pm

    The sourcing on this piece about ISIS funding could be better, but it’s interesting none the less (and it’s better sourced, or at least no worse, than the zerohedge type stuff)

    http://talisman-gate.com/2015/12/11/the-islamic-states-sovereign-wealth-fund/?platform=hootsuite

  11. joe90 11
    12 December 2015 at 4:04 pm

    Slavoj Žižek:

    We need to talk about Turkey

    The so-called “war on terror” has become a clash within each civilisation, in which every side pretends to fight Isis in order to hit its true enemy.

    http://www.newstatesman.com/world/middle-east/2015/12/slavoj-zizek-why-we-need-talk-about-turkey

  12. Robert Atack 12
    12 December 2015 at 4:17 pm

    Could you ever see FJK giving a speech like this ?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6uYxborC9c
    Putin attends RT10 anniversary evening: Full speech with English translation

  13. The Chairman 13
    12 December 2015 at 4:49 pm

    “It only needs two or three dozen [Auckland buyers] to influence the market here”

    Wellington property sector heating up.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/residential-property/74949866/home-buyers-hell-emerging-in-wellington-with-hot-competition-for-fewer-houses

  14. The Chairman 14
    12 December 2015 at 5:10 pm

    Duncan Garner:

    Her reinstatement is not about redemption, it’s about shutting her up because she was starting to cause trouble and gain headlines from the backbench, a senior MP told me this week. 

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/columnists/74975343/duncan-garner-forget-crusher-paula-bennett-is-nationals-next-leader

    • sabine 14.1
      12 December 2015 at 6:45 pm

      I can see a lot of things happen, but her? i can’t see happening. She is such an unpleasant person generally speaking, devoid of any charm, any curiosity, any humor and seems lacking in humanity. I have also yet to meet a person who actually ‘likes’ her. And most people I interact with on a daily basis are not on the benefit , so i don’t see her tenure at MSD as a factor. It’s just that she is mean. Simply put if the new thing in NZ is now ‘mean’ than we are truly fucked as a Nation. Cause that chick is mean and angry.

      • The Chairman 14.1.1
        12 December 2015 at 7:46 pm

        It’s been touted before.

        It would be interesting to see how she would fare in the polls as preferred leader.

        What some perceive as mean others consider a firm hand.

        • b waghorn 14.1.1.1
          12 December 2015 at 8:21 pm

          One would wonder why Ardern is getting a mention in the polls yet bennetts not shown up, is she not even in peoples minds or is more proof of the right stirring shit by pushing the Ardern factor.

          • The Chairman 14.1.1.1.1
            12 December 2015 at 9:50 pm

            You could be on to something. But I’d say it’s more a matter of circumstance.

            For example, whether or not Ardern would replace King coupled with her high popularity and Labour and Little requiring to boost theirs. Opposed to National and Key sitting comfortable in the polls, largely ceasing speculation of the party requiring leadership change.

          • Sabine 14.1.1.1.2
            13 December 2015 at 3:14 pm

            cause no one likes her other then the business men that gave her good ratings for reducing/removing benefits and introducing a slave labour system called ‘job seekers benefit’ for unemployed, 60+ year old widows, and cancer and other disease stricken people. .

            Have a game, go ask people willy nilly what they thing of that chick as PM. Don’t ask for Party affiliation, just ask would you vote for her as PM.

      • Anne 14.1.2
        12 December 2015 at 10:02 pm

        And Bennett certainly doesn’t have the intellectual grunt. In fact she is an appallingly ignorant person but well versed in animal cunning.

        • The Chairman 14.1.2.1
          13 December 2015 at 8:42 am

          Bennett was nominated and accepted an Eisenhower Fellowship for the Women’s Leadership Programme 2010.

          The prestigious Fellowship was awarded to only 20 women around the world, identified as outstanding leaders.

          • Anne 14.1.2.1.1
            13 December 2015 at 11:04 am

            I remember that. Who nominated her? From memory her government – and JK in particular – engineered it. What a travesty she was chosen instead of one of the many outstanding young(ish) women this country has produced. It was a political nomination and nothing less! It degraded the prestige of the Fellowship.

            Did you listen to her response to her new role as CC minister the other night on TV? That was a far better indication of her lack of suitability to any leadership role in government.

            • The Chairman 14.1.2.1.1.1
              13 December 2015 at 11:26 am

              The NZ nominating committee. Eisenhower Fellowships has nominating committees in 48 countries.

              Sorry, didn’t see the interview.

            • greywarshark 14.1.2.1.1.2
              13 December 2015 at 3:35 pm

              It is a bit of a junket with its main point on acquiring personal skills to get on and looking out for other similar potential high-flyers and more EF (Eisenhower Fellowship) candidates. A big girls get-together for those in the upper strata – for ‘true leaders in all professions and geographies’ – and for those not in professions, but at the menial level of working at the grassroots where the most amount of entrepreneurship and development work is needed and being piloted, it’s all pie in the sky.

              2015 Women’s Leadership Program – Eisenhower Fellows
              https://efworld.org/our-programs/2015-women-leadership-program
              GOAL: The Women’s Leadership Program (WLP) will promote women in leadership … EF hosted the first WLP in 2010. … Fellows will be selected based on their leadership achievements, potential for future impact and plans for tangible outcomes.

              See Paula looking integrated and engaging in groupthink hi-jinks?
              https://efworld.org/news/women-bringing-new-energy-to-london#.VmzWs44ShMg
              …two and a half days in May when 60 Eisenhower Fellows from government, private sector, and non-profit arenas around the globe will address leadership challenges for women.

              Women in the EF network are a force and they make an impact on their communities (true of Paula B) – they are members of Parliament, cabinet ministers, CEOs and true leaders in all professions and geographies. This event will ignite conversations around ways women can be further recognized and engaged in professional growth and global leadership experiences.

              Attendees will come away from the event having strengthened their global & regional ties among female Eisenhower Fellows & become equipped with the tools from the EF network to support women in their professional activities, careers & personal development.
              edited

  15. Anne 15
    13 December 2015 at 12:23 pm

    The NZ nominating committee.

    And who directed the nomination committee perhaps by way of submitting a falsely grandiose CV? Paula Bennett is as cunning as a rat but she has no guiding principles and is intellectually barren. Them’s the facts, and no amount of fellowship granting based on questionable evidence can change it.

    Bear in mind, women have an instinctive understanding of other women and if they are being honest – not all of them are of course – they will know it’s true.

  16. te reo putake 16
    13 December 2015 at 4:05 pm

    Sunday arvo quiz:

    Hawaii, New Hampshire, North Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming.

    What do they have in common?

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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
    19 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
    22 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
    24 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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