From the graph it looks as though house prices are rising much faster than rents and wages. This ought be acting as a disincentive to investing in rental properties, though falling interest rates, and the prospects for capital gain, may be offsetting this effect to some extent.
Id suggest the (tax free) capital gain is well and truely offsetting it….if the investors even bother to rent the property….especially when the TD rate barely registers.
When my wife and I purchased our house, about forty years ago, interest rates were high – typically around 20 % or so – and property prices were low. Our property is now "worth" around six or seven times what we paid for it.
It may well be that the present situation in the housing market is something of an aberration, and that in a less dysfunctional market, where there was no great shortage of houses, interest rates would be more of a determinant of prices than the prospect of capital gain.
I believe that the fourth Labour government’s biggest blunder was the abolition of land taxes.
As Brian Easton notes the growth in house prices can be largely linked to the availability of liquidity (credit) and in a borderless (financial) world that liquidity is highly mobile…that is not to say that there will not be be other factors but their impact is marginal.
And it is worth noting that central banks dont set interest rates in national isolation (unless in crisis) but rather in relative terms to global trends with multiple tradeoffs considered
Plentiful credit will probably give rise to low interest rates, but the latter are more visible. People will invest when they see that interest rates are low. They may also "jump on the bandwagon" when they see house prices rising, but something has to be driving those prices in the first place.
Starmers donors are probably more than happy with his, erm, achievements, or lack thereof…Centrists do, after all, seem to have a taste for rubbing the publics faces in piles of ashes ..and if TS is anything to go by ..the public have learnt to love said ashes with a vengeance…
The problem is, all the way through the Unitary Plan consultation, council planners said that intensification would be ensured to be of good design because of the Auckland Design Manual which would inform designers and developers of the design aspects they would need to include.
At the final hour, the Auckland Design Manual was de-coupled from the Unitary Plan, when councillors were persuaded to vote to not make it compulsory to refer to it during the consent process. Cr Mike Lee was vilified for voting against this decision by those who framed it as "against intensification" – but IIRC he worked on the Auckland Design Manual and would have known how much of the promised quality was contained within.
Good design was promised to be an integral part of intensification. Unfortunately, it was not ensured by the ratified Unitary Plan. That said, for me, function precedes aesthetics in built form, but the good designer should be able to achieve both. Since ugliness is subjective, what really matters is whether is it fit for purpose, and well-built. Given my priorities that new housing design should be sustainable, healthy and build community in order to be fit for purpose, I would guess that the majority of housing intensification would be below that bar.
(Ruawai Road in my childhood neighbourhood, was a typical 1/4 acre section, old state housing type development. It is close walking distance from the Sylvia Park shopping/commercial/residential development, and therefore a minute or so from the Mt Wellington exit on the Southern motorway. Good place for well designed intensification.)
A question for all those people who thought that throwing $250 million dollars of New Zealand taxpayers and Auckland ratepayers money into the America's Cup.
What do you say when the Team "New Zealand" are proposing to go overseas with the cup if they win it and get a good offer from somewhere overseas?
Are you like me when I say that I am not at all surprised and that it is exactly what I would have expected? Why did we give them any more of the money that could have gone into actually doing something useful for New Zealand.
I would say that the MBIE and Auckland Council officials who wrote those contracts between ETNZ and ACE should front up as part of the after-Cup reviews.
Equally, ETNZ generated a high risk and difficult design that was too expensive for all but four teams. So if ETNZ loses, our version of the Cup is doomed anyway. It's international capital that is as flighty as film production capital – and that's saying something.
Worth remembering that Auckland in particular has done exceedingly well out of the Cup over time though.
Auckland Council has paid the great majority of Auckland's upgrades across the whole waterfront.
Just for the AC36 infrastructure, government and Council went 50-50. We won't see the full economic impact report until well after the Cup is finished. Drafting of that report is already underway by MBIE so we can all see the evidence of whether it was worthwhile or not.
But the first truth is, neither Auckland nor central government can handle a major global sporting fixture on their own: they need each other.
And with Christchurch still without a stadium for the foreseeable future, the second truth is:
it's only ever Auckland that is going to host global-scale sporting events in New Zealand (with the regions providing side fixtures).
So if New Zealand wins big sporting bids, it's going to be between Auckland and the government, forever.
True that, the boaties and their check writers, the high polloi of NZ, and our useless suits they truly are soaking in it, our tax payers money that is. For no benefit to anyone but themselves really. 🙂 Everyone else in NZ has to work for a living, lest they end up in an unaffordable ditch.
Heck if we just had the money to increase the base benefits of the unemployment and other beneficiaries. Oh, right…..austerity!
You just have no idea about the nature of subsidy. Some more than others. Our biggest national subsidy is to retired people and the sick. After that it's children.
But just to focus on the America's Cup for a bit, and what that public subsidy pays for.
Just on the marine infrastructure alone there were 130 people working on that for three years.
On Wynyard Point infrastructure another 50.
On the Hyatt Hotel on the Waterfront overlooking the Cup action, another 120. More on other associated buildings.
On the Quay Street works at peak there were 90 people.
On the first two stages of City Rail Link over five years, just in construction alone rather than office staff, there were on average 120 people working there.
In Americas Cup Events there are over 50. In the ETNZ team alone there are over 60.
You'd have to ask ATEED and Callaghan Innovation how many have been hired in yacht design and component fabrication, but from last time easily 120 attributable positions.
Then there's the superyacht servicing. Down somewhat as expected, but still substantial if you go down there and see everyone at work.
You can go and ask all those constructors whether they feel like they're the "hoi polloi", but you may find their dominant languages are Samoan, Te Reo, Tagalog, and Tongan.
You are not the only one working for your money, and it's just your standard chippie whining that makes you think your work is more superior to those in construction.
My work is not subsidised. 🙂 It's not even tourism related – its just that i have moved to an area where many have invested in that particular business type. Firstly. Secondly if you think it is whinging when i ask that the government spends money on people that are losing their lifely hoods, their income streams and as Graeme mentioned yesterday are stuck in leases for businesses that are dead swimming in the water, then i am happy to continue whinging. After all, if we can lift our people out of abject poverty, who knows, that might actually trickle down in the local economies, reduces a bit of stress and violence and make everywhere a bit nice for all.
But as i said before, any type of subsidies to any type of industry usually results in jobs. You approve of the jobs created by the subsidies to this particular industry, but as others have said – if they can't survive without this subsidy, or if they can't pull their business of without these subsidies are they then even valid?
Subsidize a learning facility and you will hire teachers. Subsidize a hotel and they will hire front of house and cleaners. Subsidize a yacht race for the super rich and they build themselves fancy boats with a few jobs created in boat building. All the same.
As far as your numbers in regards to the current excellent boat race for the rich paid for by the poor, yeah, nah,
The government invested $136.5m, Auckland Council $113m. Most of the money has gone into infrastructure, with about $40m from the government funding going into the event itself.
In 2017 when the funds were committed, up to 26,000 overseas visitors were expected to pump up to $1b into the economy. But fewer than 500 have been let through the border, mostly connected with the racing boats.
….
“Covid has really taken out one of the great economic benefits of this event, which was the large number of super yachts that were going to come down here, spend money, get refits done,” says Niall.
In marina revenue alone there’s a drop of about $3m of pre-Covid estimates.
No Ad, this is just something that you approve of. And of the resulting tourism of course must then be tourism that is acceptable, right?
Agree. The event does seem to have fallen a bit flat. I suspect that’s down to a combination of one sided racing, no international tourists and all the incomplete construction all along Quay St. Wouldn’t be too sad to see the cup go offshore next time.
New Zealand is a highly sought destination, now even more so. If marketeers and events organisers cannot work with that to make it work then they should be looking at a change of job.
The highly sought destination for super-rich yacht owners is the Mediterranean, with the Bahamas at a pinch. We are too far away and our weather too unreliable for luxury.
Musk is a jerk. This idea happens to be better than the cave submarine, but it seems about as thoroughly thought out. His comments add no credibility to any position.
He didn't invent the concept of a carbon tax, did he.
Dude was just spouting off other folks' ideas, as usual.
Musk makes more money of selling carbon credits to polluters then selling ev cars. SO maybe his interest is really in getting a carbon tax up – for the poor of course who can not afford a tesla or even a cheaper model. So that would force people to buy a car that they may can not afford – surely tesla and the other car companies are happy to help you with finance, in order to avoid the tax. And for the ev car they sell you on credit, they will be able to sell their carbon credits to some polluter somewhere. Aint' capitalism grand?
But got a wee bit more to add and if anyone within the NZ Labour Party can you please inform Megan Woods & Michael Woodhouse as these people haven’t got the bloody decency to reply back or there staffers don’t give shit at what is currently to Pacific Aerospace in Hamilton and its workers.
This is truly a real tragic story which has only come to light over the 3 or 4 days now, is the Chinese owners are now liquidating NZ’s last remaining Aircraft Construction & design Company which produces some very unique and niche aircraft for the world & the Sth Pacific Region. This sale to the Chinese even pissed off the Australian MFAT, AusAID & the ADF (RAAF) as they were buying a number of Aircraft for the Sth Pacific countries for Military & Civilian use.
Rumour has it within NZ & Australia Aviation circles is that the Chinese have Asset Strip the Company in order to avoid its obligations to the NZ Foreign Investment Broad and its promises to the then National Government under Donkey & Bling that won’t move its design office and construction of Aircraft to China.
Have tired to raise this issue with Megan Woods and Michael Woodhouse but typical NZ Labour Party Middle Class toff’s or their staffers appear they don’t give a toss about NZ losing highly skilled manufacturing jobs in the STEM area and Export Dollars for NZ.
Pacific Aerospace is owned 50:50 by Pacific Aerospace Group and BAIC International (Hong Kong), according to Companies Office records. BAIC is a Chinese government-owned company which in 2016 had annual revenue of US$56 billion ($77b).
On November 21, Chinese President Xi Jinping and New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key witnessed the signing of two important agreements between BAIC Group and Pacific Aerospace Limited (“PAL”). BAIC will acquire a stake in PAL and the two companies will set up a joint venture called Beijing Pan Pacific Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd.
No re-funds but you’ll receive a voucher for a future gig. I didn’t lose any money but my investment options have narrowed. The P/E ratio of the market leader is unrealistic so don’t buy into the hype.
Have tired to raise this issue with Megan Woods and Michael Woodhouse but typical NZ Labour Party Middle Class toff’s or their staffers appear they don’t give a toss about NZ losing highly skilled manufacturing jobs in the STEM area and Export Dollars for NZ.
Don't be surprised Scud if Megan Woods and Michael Woodhouse (did you mean Labour's Michael Wood?) have not seen your submission which I assume was in writing. Either that, or they are dismissing your concerns.
In the distant past I tried to alert certain officials and a politician or two to a serious situation involving unlawful and criminal political activity which targeted and undermined numerous people. They blocked (metaphorically speaking) their ears and as a result a couple of criminals got clean away with some pretty serious crimes.
People in high places – and the police – tend to believe they are superior to the rest of us and will often treat us with disdain. Sometimes it can be because the claims are beyond their sphere of knowledge and understanding so they choose to disregard them.
It can also be because they deem some people or organisations as collateral damage which can't be helped because they don't want to get offside with the perpetrators. That might be the problem in your case.
I agree about the tohungas – did a workshop with one the other day – healthy stuff, and somewhat Jungian I thought.
But our academia have been to some extent the architects of their own misfortune in the same way the press have been – abandoning their standards in pursuit of a fugitive popularity with their imagined customers.
You teach Chomskyan syntax and post-modern litcrit and only jellyfish will respect you after.
Personally, I find the Jungian angle and approach very useful and I would have thought that it has much in common with Māori concepts and ways of thinking.
Academics are/were as much a victim of neo-liberal influences and thinking as the rest of society, of which they are an inextricable part, of course. To be noticed, to make promotion, to attract funding, to attract students, et cetera, requires outputs AKA publications. The requirement to publish – publish or perish – influences the academic work and the cycle is closed. Very much a market approach to academic research and endeavour; collegiality suffers and competition is rife in a zero-sum cynical game of professional survival. So-called excellence is rewarded. Unsurprisingly, Academic institutions are run as corporations. Younger academics have little choice but to play the game and tick the mandatory boxes thereby ensuring (professional) compliance and stability of the system and institution. In other words, they’re screwed.
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A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will on Wednesday announce it is willing, as a last resort, to purchase the collapsed Rex Airlines, in its latest bid to prop up aviation services to regional and remote areas. As ...
Jotham Napat has been elected as the new prime minister of Vanuatu. Napat was elected unopposed in Port Vila today, receiving 50 votes with two void votes. He is the country’s fifth prime minister in four years and will lead a coalition government made up of five political parties — ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By A J Brown, Professor of Public Policy & Law, Centre for Governance & Public Policy, Griffith University Australia has turned the corner on its decade-long slide on Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), once again ranking in the top ten least ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Bridges, Senior Lecturer in Public Relations and Director of Academic Program – Communication, Creative Industries, Screen Media, Western Sydney University Stock Rocket/Shutterstock For new parents struggling with challenges such as breastfeeding and sleep deprivation, social media can be a great ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scott French, Senior Lecturer in Economics, UNSW Sydney US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have stated an exemption for Australia from Trump’s executive order placing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imported into the US is “under consideration”. ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon's attempts to turn the tables back on the Opposition at Question Time today went down like a lead balloon, Jo Moir writes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brenton Griffin, Casual Lecturer and Tutor in History, Indigenous Studies, and Politics, Flinders University American Primeval/Netflix On January 24, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon Church, penned a statement condemning the ...
It comes as Whangārei District Council is under fire from the Director General of Health Dr Diana Sarfati after it voted in December against adding fluoridation to the water. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Strangio, Emeritus Professor of Politics, Monash University Is history repeating itself in Labor’s fortress state of Victoria? At the 1990 federal election, Bob Hawke’s Labor government had a near-death experience when it lost nine seats in Victoria. A furious Hawke laid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nissen, HERA Program Director – Health Workforce Optimisation Centre for the Business & Economics of Health, The University of Queensland Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock If you’ve tried to get an appointment to see a GP or specialist recently, you will likely have felt ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peta Ashworth, Professor and Director, Curtin Institute for Energy Transition, Curtin University Large power grids are among the most complicated machines humans have ever devised. Different generators produce power at various times and at various costs. A generator might fail and another ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Orr, Veterinarian, Southern Cross University Mitchell Orr/Unsplash Late last year, rumours swirled online that HomeSafeID, a private Australian pet microchip registry, had stopped operating. On Feburary 5 2025, a notice appeared on the HomeSafeID website, ostensibly from the site’s ...
The government is taking far too long to allocate the 1500 social homes it announced nine months ago and the hold up is stalling desperately-needed homes, says a community housing provider. ...
The agency is setting a 12-week limit on how much rent debt a tenant can accumulate as part of a change in approach that will also see almost half of the outstanding dept wiped away. ...
The media is rife with headlines about people killing animals for kicks. Please don’t.In memory of an Auckland swan, a Bay of Plenty octopus and a Taranaki striped marlin.Imagine this. It’s 7.15am. You’re paddling around on a serene lake with your sweetheart. It seems likely that she’ll give ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra US President Donald Trump has agreed to “consider” exempting Australia from the 25% tariff he has imposed on imports of steel and aluminium to the US. Trump gave the undertaking during a wide-ranging 40-minute ...
Pacific Media Watch Israeli police have confiscated hundreds of books with Palestinian titles or flags without understanding their contents in a draconian raid on a Palestinian educational bookshop in occupied East Jerusalem, say eyewitnesses. More details have emerged on the Israeli police raid on a popular bookstore in occupied East ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist China and the Cook Islands’ relationship “should not be disrupted or restrained by any third party”, says Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, as opposition leaders in Rarotonga express a loss of confidence in Prime Minister Mark Brown. In response to questions from the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Ogden, Associate Professor in Global Studies, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Donald Trump is moving rapidly to change the contours of contemporary international affairs, with the old US-dominated world order breaking down into a multipolar one with many centres of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ronnie Das, Associate Professor in Data Analytics, The University of Western Australia In the recent Border-Gavaskar series against India, Steve Smith agonisingly missed out reaching 10,000 Test runs in front of his home crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground, falling short by ...
In a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff, comedians and best friends Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester embark on a cross-country quest to find love. Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club is a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff following award-winning comedians and friends Brynley Stent and ...
🚐 Bryn and Ku pack their bags and swap the bleak dating scene of Tāmaki Makaurau for some meet and mingle events in Ōtautahi that will take them out of their comfort zone. ❣️ Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club follows comedians Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they head out ...
"The relationship between China and the Cook Islands does not target any third party," the Chinese Foreign Ministry says, as opposition leaders in Rarotonga plan protest. ...
From tradwives to ‘petite blonde’ preferences, this season feels like a throwback for all the wrong reasons, writes Alex Casey. First of all: I know. Complaining about bad stuff on Married at First Sight Australia is like complaining that water is wet. But I’ve been bobbing around in these waters ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a public servant who’s ‘trying to get better’ explains her approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female. Age: 24. Ethnicity: Pākehā and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zena Assaad, Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, Australian National University Ziv Lavi/Shutterstock Last week, Google quietly abandoned a long-standing commitment to not use artificial intelligence (AI) technology in weapons or surveillance. In an update to its AI principles, which were first ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brenainn Simpson, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland Florian Nimsdorf / Shutterstock About 400 kilometres northwest of Sydney, just south of Dubbo, lies a large and interesting body of rock formed around 215 million years ago by erupting volcanoes. Known as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mareike Riedel, Senior lecturer in law, Macquarie University The dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents has dominated headlines in Australia in recent months, with calls for urgent action to address what many are calling a crisis. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney For a long time, it seemed refugee law had little relevance to people fleeing the impacts of climate change and disasters. Nearly 30 years ago, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maggie Kirkman, Senior Research Fellow, Global and Women’s Health, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock You’ve heard of the gender pay gap. What about the gap in medical care? Cardiovascular diseases – which can lead to heart ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Iain White, Professor of Environmental Planning, University of Waikato Getty Images Urban planning has a long history of promoting visionary ideas that advocate for particular futures. The most recent is the concept of the 15-minute city, which has gained traction globally. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Associate Professor in Climate Science, ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, The University of Melbourne Earth is crossing the threshold of 1.5°C of global warming, according to two major global studies which together suggest the planet’s climate has ...
Read it and weep…..an excellent summary of the current housing bubble and the lack of effective mitigation.
https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/the-sources-of-house-price-inflation
From the graph it looks as though house prices are rising much faster than rents and wages. This ought be acting as a disincentive to investing in rental properties, though falling interest rates, and the prospects for capital gain, may be offsetting this effect to some extent.
[Fixed typo in e-mail address]
Id suggest the (tax free) capital gain is well and truely offsetting it….if the investors even bother to rent the property….especially when the TD rate barely registers.
When my wife and I purchased our house, about forty years ago, interest rates were high – typically around 20 % or so – and property prices were low. Our property is now "worth" around six or seven times what we paid for it.
It may well be that the present situation in the housing market is something of an aberration, and that in a less dysfunctional market, where there was no great shortage of houses, interest rates would be more of a determinant of prices than the prospect of capital gain.
I believe that the fourth Labour government’s biggest blunder was the abolition of land taxes.
[Fixed typo in e-mail address again]
[Fixed typo in e-mail address again]
Sorry. However I have now fixed the problem at my end.
No worries and thanks.
As Brian Easton notes the growth in house prices can be largely linked to the availability of liquidity (credit) and in a borderless (financial) world that liquidity is highly mobile…that is not to say that there will not be be other factors but their impact is marginal.
And it is worth noting that central banks dont set interest rates in national isolation (unless in crisis) but rather in relative terms to global trends with multiple tradeoffs considered
Plentiful credit will probably give rise to low interest rates, but the latter are more visible. People will invest when they see that interest rates are low. They may also "jump on the bandwagon" when they see house prices rising, but something has to be driving those prices in the first place.
Further proof, if any is needed, that we are no less racist, nor "Less Genocidal" than out Australian cousins…
Stuff really are on a roll with the "Truth and Reconciliation" ..so nice to see some actual journalism ..
https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/our-truth/300208816/our-truth-t-mtou-pono-the-new-zealanders-and-the-genocide
https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2021/02/our-truth-history-aotearoa-new-zealand/#pukekohe-segregation
I'm hoping this new interest in journalism can eventually extend to broader inequality and "worker' issues …though I'm not holding my breath.
University College of London 1 – 0 Israeli Psy-Ops
https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/stunning-victory-for-reason-as-academics-at-university-college-london-reject-the-ihra-definition/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=today-on-the-jvl-blog-newsletter-total-articles-for-you_1
Will Keir Sturmer notice? Maybe once he's completed the purge.
Sturmer ist kaput already. He squats on a pile of ashes.
Starmers donors are probably more than happy with his, erm, achievements, or lack thereof…Centrists do, after all, seem to have a taste for rubbing the publics faces in piles of ashes ..and if TS is anything to go by ..the public have learnt to love said ashes with a vengeance…
I doubt that the TS commentariat is a cross-section of its readership or of “the public”. However, we tend to ‘see’ things that confirm our thoughts.
I think these townhouses look fine. Certainly better than some of the design of the last 7 decades.
Can't see what the fuss is about. Oh, wait, Nimbyism:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/mt-wellington-townhouses-on-ruawai-road-raising-questions-about-auckland-councils-commitment-to-quality-design/F2OA7RZ227ESO7X6ONQC6EE6E4/
I wish they showed what the surrounding houses look like.
Google Earth
I wish they showed what google earth looked like.
https://goo.gl/maps/EWh7rr7tqj1Loxsy6
What the hell are they doing in their kitchens? Putting cheap wine in flash bottles?
The problem is, all the way through the Unitary Plan consultation, council planners said that intensification would be ensured to be of good design because of the Auckland Design Manual which would inform designers and developers of the design aspects they would need to include.
At the final hour, the Auckland Design Manual was de-coupled from the Unitary Plan, when councillors were persuaded to vote to not make it compulsory to refer to it during the consent process. Cr Mike Lee was vilified for voting against this decision by those who framed it as "against intensification" – but IIRC he worked on the Auckland Design Manual and would have known how much of the promised quality was contained within.
Good design was promised to be an integral part of intensification. Unfortunately, it was not ensured by the ratified Unitary Plan. That said, for me, function precedes aesthetics in built form, but the good designer should be able to achieve both. Since ugliness is subjective, what really matters is whether is it fit for purpose, and well-built. Given my priorities that new housing design should be sustainable, healthy and build community in order to be fit for purpose, I would guess that the majority of housing intensification would be below that bar.
(Ruawai Road in my childhood neighbourhood, was a typical 1/4 acre section, old state housing type development. It is close walking distance from the Sylvia Park shopping/commercial/residential development, and therefore a minute or so from the Mt Wellington exit on the Southern motorway. Good place for well designed intensification.)
A question for all those people who thought that throwing $250 million dollars of New Zealand taxpayers and Auckland ratepayers money into the America's Cup.
What do you say when the Team "New Zealand" are proposing to go overseas with the cup if they win it and get a good offer from somewhere overseas?
Are you like me when I say that I am not at all surprised and that it is exactly what I would have expected? Why did we give them any more of the money that could have gone into actually doing something useful for New Zealand.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/americas-cup-team-new-zealand-holding-next-regatta-overseas-would-be-a-slap-in-the-face/OMUFZWZOFWUDJTRT6UWDF7D7OY/
I would say that the MBIE and Auckland Council officials who wrote those contracts between ETNZ and ACE should front up as part of the after-Cup reviews.
Equally, ETNZ generated a high risk and difficult design that was too expensive for all but four teams. So if ETNZ loses, our version of the Cup is doomed anyway. It's international capital that is as flighty as film production capital – and that's saying something.
Worth remembering that Auckland in particular has done exceedingly well out of the Cup over time though.
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/americas-cup
Well if auckland does ok, surely that will then trickle down to the rest of NZ? ]
Maybe the Cup should be paid for by the rate payers and businesses of Auckland, rather then by the NZ tax payer.
Auckland Council has paid the great majority of Auckland's upgrades across the whole waterfront.
Just for the AC36 infrastructure, government and Council went 50-50. We won't see the full economic impact report until well after the Cup is finished. Drafting of that report is already underway by MBIE so we can all see the evidence of whether it was worthwhile or not.
But the first truth is, neither Auckland nor central government can handle a major global sporting fixture on their own: they need each other.
And with Christchurch still without a stadium for the foreseeable future, the second truth is:
it's only ever Auckland that is going to host global-scale sporting events in New Zealand (with the regions providing side fixtures).
So if New Zealand wins big sporting bids, it's going to be between Auckland and the government, forever.
It's not just stadiums. The 2015 Rugby World Cup planning showed what a key part in hosting large events is played by accommodation.
ah, i see then, some industries subsidies are good. even if they benefit only the very few and trickles down to almost no one.
Most subsidies are pretty narrow in impact. I know you have figured this out already.
You’ve probably started to figure out that this government has massive subsidies over almost every industry that we have.
You will also have figured out that New Zealand is currently the highest-subsidised economy in the developed world.
So relax, you’re soaking in it.
sadly no, i have to work for my money.
True that, the boaties and their check writers, the high polloi of NZ, and our useless suits they truly are soaking in it, our tax payers money that is. For no benefit to anyone but themselves really. 🙂 Everyone else in NZ has to work for a living, lest they end up in an unaffordable ditch.
Heck if we just had the money to increase the base benefits of the unemployment and other beneficiaries. Oh, right…..austerity!
You just have no idea about the nature of subsidy. Some more than others. Our biggest national subsidy is to retired people and the sick. After that it's children.
But just to focus on the America's Cup for a bit, and what that public subsidy pays for.
Just on the marine infrastructure alone there were 130 people working on that for three years.
On Wynyard Point infrastructure another 50.
On the Hyatt Hotel on the Waterfront overlooking the Cup action, another 120. More on other associated buildings.
On the Quay Street works at peak there were 90 people.
On the first two stages of City Rail Link over five years, just in construction alone rather than office staff, there were on average 120 people working there.
In Americas Cup Events there are over 50. In the ETNZ team alone there are over 60.
You'd have to ask ATEED and Callaghan Innovation how many have been hired in yacht design and component fabrication, but from last time easily 120 attributable positions.
Then there's the superyacht servicing. Down somewhat as expected, but still substantial if you go down there and see everyone at work.
You can go and ask all those constructors whether they feel like they're the "hoi polloi", but you may find their dominant languages are Samoan, Te Reo, Tagalog, and Tongan.
You are not the only one working for your money, and it's just your standard chippie whining that makes you think your work is more superior to those in construction.
A generous assessment costs those jobs at half a million each….and a good proportion will have been minimum wage
Event subsidies build permanent infrastructure, not just temporary jobs. And construction jobs are not minimum wage.
However I agree event-related subsidies are often a poor use of public funds. How many fricking stadiums do we really need?
My work is not subsidised. 🙂 It's not even tourism related – its just that i have moved to an area where many have invested in that particular business type. Firstly. Secondly if you think it is whinging when i ask that the government spends money on people that are losing their lifely hoods, their income streams and as Graeme mentioned yesterday are stuck in leases for businesses that are dead swimming in the water, then i am happy to continue whinging. After all, if we can lift our people out of abject poverty, who knows, that might actually trickle down in the local economies, reduces a bit of stress and violence and make everywhere a bit nice for all.
But as i said before, any type of subsidies to any type of industry usually results in jobs. You approve of the jobs created by the subsidies to this particular industry, but as others have said – if they can't survive without this subsidy, or if they can't pull their business of without these subsidies are they then even valid?
Subsidize a learning facility and you will hire teachers. Subsidize a hotel and they will hire front of house and cleaners. Subsidize a yacht race for the super rich and they build themselves fancy boats with a few jobs created in boat building. All the same.
As far as your numbers in regards to the current excellent boat race for the rich paid for by the poor, yeah, nah,
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-detail/300225358/the-detail-the-big-money-behind-the-americas-cup#:~:text=JASON%20DORDAY%2FStuff-,More%20than%20%24250%20million%20in%20public%20funds%20from%20Auckland%20Council,compares%20to%20previous%20America's%20Cups.
No Ad, this is just something that you approve of. And of the resulting tourism of course must then be tourism that is acceptable, right?
personally, I was never a fan, even when people were buying the socks.
It does seem to have fallen particularly flat this time, though. I guess "yacht race then court case" doesn't draw the crowds like it used to.
Clearly Auckland needs a waterfront courtroom.
Underwater.
Agree. The event does seem to have fallen a bit flat. I suspect that’s down to a combination of one sided racing, no international tourists and all the incomplete construction all along Quay St. Wouldn’t be too sad to see the cup go offshore next time.
New Zealand is a highly sought destination, now even more so. If marketeers and events organisers cannot work with that to make it work then they should be looking at a change of job.
The highly sought destination for super-rich yacht owners is the Mediterranean, with the Bahamas at a pinch. We are too far away and our weather too unreliable for luxury.
Wrong ‘market’. I was thinking more of the market that Stephen Colbert is catering for.
What market would that be?
white collar, masked, working from home, hoping not to lose their jobs?
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/12/elon-musk-reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-with-a-carbon-tax.html
Musk reckons a carbon tax is the way forward
Another tax he won't be paying.
Did you read it?? Doesn't sound like it .
Got to better than an ets,anyone who thinks that will work is a moron .
Musk is a jerk. This idea happens to be better than the cave submarine, but it seems about as thoroughly thought out. His comments add no credibility to any position.
He didn't invent the concept of a carbon tax, did he.
Dude was just spouting off other folks' ideas, as usual.
Musk makes more money of selling carbon credits to polluters then selling ev cars. SO maybe his interest is really in getting a carbon tax up – for the poor of course who can not afford a tesla or even a cheaper model. So that would force people to buy a car that they may can not afford – surely tesla and the other car companies are happy to help you with finance, in order to avoid the tax. And for the ev car they sell you on credit, they will be able to sell their carbon credits to some polluter somewhere. Aint' capitalism grand?
If you read the article you'll see he suggests a rebate scheme for those less well off.
Yes but he has a huge following (no I'm not a muskateer ) so if he repeats a good idea that's a good thing.
Offset against the bullshit he repeats, probably not.
Hi everyone, I posted this comment late Thursday night, when most were probably sleeping.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-11-02-2021/#comment-1778500
But got a wee bit more to add and if anyone within the NZ Labour Party can you please inform Megan Woods & Michael Woodhouse as these people haven’t got the bloody decency to reply back or there staffers don’t give shit at what is currently to Pacific Aerospace in Hamilton and its workers.
This is truly a real tragic story which has only come to light over the 3 or 4 days now, is the Chinese owners are now liquidating NZ’s last remaining Aircraft Construction & design Company which produces some very unique and niche aircraft for the world & the Sth Pacific Region. This sale to the Chinese even pissed off the Australian MFAT, AusAID & the ADF (RAAF) as they were buying a number of Aircraft for the Sth Pacific countries for Military & Civilian use.
Rumour has it within NZ & Australia Aviation circles is that the Chinese have Asset Strip the Company in order to avoid its obligations to the NZ Foreign Investment Broad and its promises to the then National Government under Donkey & Bling that won’t move its design office and construction of Aircraft to China.
Have tired to raise this issue with Megan Woods and Michael Woodhouse but typical NZ Labour Party Middle Class toff’s or their staffers appear they don’t give a toss about NZ losing highly skilled manufacturing jobs in the STEM area and Export Dollars for NZ.
Chinese owners?
Seems mostly Chinese owned Pacific Aerospace has been up to some dodgy shit.
https://twitter.com/anne_mariebrady/status/1287897686264315904
Pacific Aerospace is owned 50:50 by Pacific Aerospace Group and BAIC International (Hong Kong), according to Companies Office records. BAIC is a Chinese government-owned company which in 2016 had annual revenue of US$56 billion ($77b).
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/kiwi-planemakers-staff-waiting-for-takeoff/ONFQP7B35YTVW7ZSA73BRPGEMY/
On November 21, Chinese President Xi Jinping and New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key witnessed the signing of two important agreements between BAIC Group and Pacific Aerospace Limited (“PAL”). BAIC will acquire a stake in PAL and the two companies will set up a joint venture called Beijing Pan Pacific Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd.
http://www.baicintl.com/html/2014/company_news_1201/110.html
Ta
I asked because I read this piece in Stuff yesterday and it did not mention Chinese ownership at all!? Maybe a genuine oversight or sloppy reporting …
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/124231074/hamilton-aircraft-maker-pacific-aerospace-tells-caa-its-insolvent
The surest way to get a reply out of an MP is to cc the shadow minister of that portfolio. Makes them a bit hostile though.
Sir John’s fingerprints are all over it by the looks of it.
So much trouble NZ would've avoided if they'd convicted him for the Equiticorp ripoff 🙁 .
Let’s not dwell on the past. Let’s keep moving
Easy for you to say – I want my money back.
No re-funds but you’ll receive a voucher for a future gig. I didn’t lose any money but my investment options have narrowed. The P/E ratio of the market leader is unrealistic so don’t buy into the hype.
You surely aren't going to blame "CULLEN, The Honourable Sir Michael John, KNZM" are you?
He is a pretty shady character by some accounts but I didn't expect you to admit it.
I admit that you are a dodgy character, semantically speaking. Can you change your type font?
Don't be surprised Scud if Megan Woods and Michael Woodhouse (did you mean Labour's Michael Wood?) have not seen your submission which I assume was in writing. Either that, or they are dismissing your concerns.
In the distant past I tried to alert certain officials and a politician or two to a serious situation involving unlawful and criminal political activity which targeted and undermined numerous people. They blocked (metaphorically speaking) their ears and as a result a couple of criminals got clean away with some pretty serious crimes.
People in high places – and the police – tend to believe they are superior to the rest of us and will often treat us with disdain. Sometimes it can be because the claims are beyond their sphere of knowledge and understanding so they choose to disregard them.
It can also be because they deem some people or organisations as collateral damage which can't be helped because they don't want to get offside with the perpetrators. That might be the problem in your case.
A good opinion piece by Nick Agar, professor of ethics at Victoria University of Wellington/Te Herenga Waka:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/124225868/we-need-humanities-teaching-thats-about-the-future-not-buried-in-the-past
I agree about the tohungas – did a workshop with one the other day – healthy stuff, and somewhat Jungian I thought.
But our academia have been to some extent the architects of their own misfortune in the same way the press have been – abandoning their standards in pursuit of a fugitive popularity with their imagined customers.
You teach Chomskyan syntax and post-modern litcrit and only jellyfish will respect you after.
Personally, I find the Jungian angle and approach very useful and I would have thought that it has much in common with Māori concepts and ways of thinking.
Academics are/were as much a victim of neo-liberal influences and thinking as the rest of society, of which they are an inextricable part, of course. To be noticed, to make promotion, to attract funding, to attract students, et cetera, requires outputs AKA publications. The requirement to publish – publish or perish – influences the academic work and the cycle is closed. Very much a market approach to academic research and endeavour; collegiality suffers and competition is rife in a zero-sum cynical game of professional survival. So-called excellence is rewarded. Unsurprisingly, Academic institutions are run as corporations. Younger academics have little choice but to play the game and tick the mandatory boxes thereby ensuring (professional) compliance and stability of the system and institution. In other words, they’re screwed.