Open mike 13/04/2025
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6:00 am, April 13th, 2025 - 47 comments
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- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2025
Open access notables Recent intensified riverine CO2 emission across the Northern Hemisphere permafrost region, Mu et al., Nature Communications: Global warming causes permafrost thawing, transferring large amounts of soil carbon into rivers, which inevitably accelerates riverine CO2 release. However, temporally and spatially explicit variations of riverine CO2 emissions remain unclear, limiting the ...2 hours ago - Whatever Happened to Cactus Kate?
Once a venomous thorn in New Zealand’s blogosphere, Cathy Odgers, aka Cactus Kate, has slunk into the shadows, her once-sharp quills dulled by the fallout of Dirty Politics.The dishonest attack-blogger, alongside her vile accomplices such as Cameron Slater, were key players in the National Party’s sordid smear campaigns, exposed by Nicky ...2 hours ago - Sovereign capability can benefit Australia—up to a point
Once upon a time, not so long ago, those who talked of Australian sovereign capability, especially in the technology sector, were generally considered an amusing group of eccentrics. After all, technology ecosystems are global and ...3 hours ago - David Seymour’s Charter School Rort
The ACT Party leader’s latest pet project is bleeding taxpayers dry, with $10 million funneled into seven charter schools for just 215 students. That’s a jaw-dropping $46,500 per student, compared to roughly $9,000 per head in state schools.You’d think Seymour would’ve learned from the last charter school fiasco, but apparently, ...4 hours ago
- Flexibility and awareness will help India deal with Trump (again)
India navigated relations with the United States quite skilfully during the first Trump administration, better than many other US allies did. Doing so a second time will be more difficult, but India’s strategic awareness and ...4 hours ago
- Inflation data confirms real terms minimum wage cut
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is concerned for low-income workers given new data released by Stats NZ that shows inflation was 2.5% for the year to March 2025, rising from 2.2% in December last year. “The prices of things that people can’t avoid are rising – meaning inflation is rising ...5 hours ago - Climate Change: Kicking the can down the road again
Last week, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment recommended that forestry be removed from the Emissions Trading Scheme. Its an unfortunate but necessary move, required to prevent the ETS's total collapse in a decade or so. So naturally, National has told him to fuck off, and that they won't be ...6 hours ago - The Spirit for Australia: why Canberra should pursue the B-2 bomber
China’s recent naval circumnavigation of Australia has highlighted a pressing need to defend Australia’s air and sea approaches more effectively. Potent as nuclear submarines are, the first Australian boats under AUKUS are at least seven ...7 hours ago
- A bit more unpicking of RB spending and the Funding Agreement
In yesterday’s post I tried to present the Reserve Bank Funding Agreement for 2025-30, as approved by the Minister of Finance and the Bank’s Board, in the context of the previous agreement, and the variation to that agreement signed up to by Grant Robertson a few weeks before the last ...8 hours ago - A successful COP31 needs Pacific countries at the table
Australia’s bid to co-host the 31st international climate negotiations (COP31) with Pacific island countries in late 2026 is directly in our national interest. But success will require consultation with the Pacific. For that reason, no ...9 hours ago
- Brown unveils unfunded health plan for small NZ
Old and outdated buildings being demolished at Wellington Hospital in 2018. The new infrastructure being funded today will not be sufficient for future population size and some will not be built by 2035. File photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories short from our political economy on Thursday, April 17:Simeon Brown has unveiled ...10 hours ago - Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace
The introduction of AI in workplaces can create significant health and safety risks for workers (such as intensification of work, and extreme surveillance) which can significantly impact workers’ mental and physical wellbeing. It is critical that unions and workers are involved in any decision to introduce AI so that ...11 hours ago
- NZ Must Undertake a Peacekeeping Role in Trump’s Wars
Donald Trump’s return to the White House and aggressive posturing is undermining global diplomacy, and New Zealand must stand firm in rejecting his reckless, fascist-driven policies that are dragging the world toward chaos.As a nation with a proud history of peacekeeping and principled foreign policy, we should limit our role ...11 hours ago
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- Gordon Campbell On The Left’s Electability Crisis, And The Abundance Ecotopia
There are any number of reasons why anyone thinking of heading to the United States for a holiday should think twice. They would be giving their money to a totalitarian state where political dissenters are being rounded up and imprisoned here and here, where universities are having their funds for ...19 hours ago - Taiwan: the sponge that soaks up Chinese power
Taiwan has an inadvertent, rarely acknowledged role in global affairs: it’s a kind of sponge, soaking up much of China’s political, military and diplomatic efforts. Taiwan soaks up Chinese power of persuasion and coercion that ...1 day ago
- Women in combat roles strengthen our defence force
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- China targets Canada’s election—and may be targeting Australia’s
Following Canadian authorities’ discovery of a Chinese information operation targeting their country’s election, Australians, too, should beware such risks. In fact, there are already signs that Beijing is interfering in campaigning for the Australian election ...1 day ago
- Climate Adam: Climate Scientist Reacts to Elon Musk
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- Rattus Interneticus: Otago’s Internet Saga
Back in February 2024, a rat infestation attracted a fair few headlines in the South Dunedin Countdown supermarket. Today, the rats struck again. They took out the Otago-Southland region’s internet connection. https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360656230/internet-outage-hits-otago-and-southland Strictly, it was just a coincidence – rats decided to gnaw through one fibre cable, while some hapless ...1 day ago - Spin (and obfuscation)
I came in this morning after doing some chores and looked quickly at Twitter before unpacking the groceries. Someone was retweeting a Radio NZ story with the headline “Reserve Bank’s budget to be slashed by 25%”. Wow, I thought, the Minister of Finance has really delivered this time. And then ...1 day ago
- Little’s pitch
So, having teased it last week, Andrew Little has announced he will run for mayor of Wellington. On RNZ, he's saying its all about services - "fixing the pipes, making public transport cheaper, investing in parks, swimming pools and libraries, and developing more housing". Meanwhile, to the readers of the ...1 day ago
- Our Rough Beast.
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- President Trump is redefining America’s international role, and Australia has influence
In the week of Australia’s 3 May election, ASPI will release Agenda for Change 2025: preparedness and resilience in an uncertain world, a report promoting public debate and understanding on issues of strategic importance to ...1 day ago
- Simeon Brown Gaslights Doctors
Yesterday, 5,500 senior doctors across Aotearoa New Zealand voted overwhelmingly to strike for a day.This is the first time in New Zealand ASMS members have taken strike action for 24 hours.They are asking the government to fund them and account for resource shortfalls.Vacancies are critical - 45-50% in some regions.The ...1 day ago - ACT’s “Tough on Crime” Facade Crumbles with Jago’s Appeal
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- Judith Collins’ Hypocrisy: War Drums Over Welfare
Judith Collins is a seasoned master at political hypocrisy. As New Zealand’s Defence Minister, she's recently been banging the war drum, announcing a jaw-dropping $12 billion boost to the defence budget over the next four years, all while the coalition of chaos cries poor over housing, health, and education.Apparently, there’s ...1 day ago
- Making the most of it
I’m on the London Overground watching what the phones people are holding are doing to their faces: The man-bun guy who could not be less impressed by what he's seeing but cannot stop reading; the woman who's impatient for a response; the one who’s frowning; the one who’s puzzled; the ...1 day ago - Maranga Ake
You don't have no prescriptionYou don't have to take no pillsYou don't have no prescriptionAnd baby don't have to take no pillsIf you come to see meDoctor Brown will cure your ills.Songwriters: Waymon Glasco.Dr Luxon. Image: David and Grok.First, they came for the Bottom FeedersAnd I did not speak outBecause ...1 day ago - Bernard’s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Wednesday, April 16
The Health Minister says the striking doctors already “well remunerated,” and are “walking away from” and “hurting” their patients. File photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories short from our political economy on Wednesday, April 16:Simeon Brown has attacked1 doctors striking for more than a 1.5% pay rise as already “well remunerated,” even ...1 day ago - Strengthening Australia’s space cooperation with South Korea
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- They Can Only Talk About One Thing
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- FSU Supports Chris Milne’s Right to Make Death Threats
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- Winston is inciting terrorism
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- Winston is inciting terrorism
That's the conclusion of a report into security risks against Green MP Benjamin Doyle, in the wake of Winston Peters' waging a homophobic hate-campaign against them: GRC’s report said a “hostility network” of politicians, commentators, conspiracy theorists, alternative media outlets and those opposed to the rainbow community had produced ...2 days ago
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National Party MP Hamish Campbell’s ties to the secretive Two By Twos "church" raises serious questions that are not being answered. This shadowy group, currently being investigated by the FBI for numerous cases of child abuse, hides behind a facade of faith while Campbell dodges scrutiny, claiming it’s a “private ...2 days ago
- The Government is cutting, just as the economic recovery is stalling
The economy is not doing what it was supposed to when PM Christopher Luxon said in January it was ‘going for growth.’ Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short from our political economy on Tuesday, April 15:New Zealand’s economic recovery is stalling, according to business surveys, retail spending and ...2 days ago - For a safer Symonds Street
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NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff has published an opinion piece which makes the case for a different approach to economic development, as proposed in the CTU’s Aotearoa Reimagined programme. The number of people studying to become teachers has jumped after several years of low enrolment. The coalition has directed Health New ...2 days ago
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- Luxon’s Economic Mismanagement
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- Girls and Boys
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Australia needs to reevaluate its security priorities and establish a more dynamic regulatory framework for cybersecurity. To advance in this area, it can learn from Britain’s Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which presents a compelling ...3 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On Why The US Stands To Lose The Tariff Wars
Deputy PM Winston Peters likes nothing more than to portray himself as the only wise old head while everyone else is losing theirs. Yet this time, his “old master” routine isn’t working. What global trade is experiencing is more than the usual swings and roundabouts of market sentiment. President Donald ...3 days ago - Why is there no progress in Ukrainian war peace talks?
President Trump’s hopes of ending the war in Ukraine seemed more driven by ego than realistic analysis. Professor Vladimir Brovkin’s latest video above highlights the internal conflicts within the USA, Russia, Europe, and Ukraine, which are currently hindering peace talks and clarity. Brovkin pointed out major contradictions within ...3 days ago - Ani O’Brien has Zero Credibility
In the cesspool that is often New Zealand’s online political discourse, few figures wield their influence as destructively as Ani O’Brien. Masquerading as a champion of free speech and women’s rights, O’Brien’s campaigns are a masterclass in bad faith, built on a foundation of lies, selective outrage, and a knack ...3 days ago
- Australian policy does need more Asia—more Southeast Asia
The international challenge confronting Australia today is unparalleled, at least since the 1940s. It requires what the late Brendan Sargeant, a defence analyst, called strategic imagination. We need more than shrewd economic manoeuvring and a ...3 days ago
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- Bookshelf: How China sees things
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The New Zealand National Party has long mastered the art of crafting messaging that resonates with a large number of desperate, often white middle-class, voters. From their 2023 campaign mantra of “getting our country back on track” to promises of economic revival, safer streets, and better education, their rhetoric paints ...3 days ago
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- Monday 14 April
The PSA surveyed more than 900 of its members, with 55 percent of respondents saying AI is used at their place of work, despite most workers not being in trained in how to use the technology safely. Figures to be released on Thursday are expected to show inflation has risen ...3 days ago
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- David Seymour – Arsehole of the Week
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- Bernard’s Dawn Chorus and Pick ‘n’ Mix for Monday, April 14
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Australia’s east coast is facing a gas crisis, as the country exports most of the gas it produces. Although it’s a major producer, Australia faces a risk of domestic liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply shortfalls ...4 days ago
- Amateur Hour!
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A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 6, 2025 thru Sat, April 12, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. The formatting is a ...4 days ago
- World Domination
Just one year of loveIs better than a lifetime aloneOne sentimental moment in your armsIs like a shooting star right through my heartIt's always a rainy day without youI'm a prisoner of love inside youI'm falling apart all around you, yeahSongwriter: John Deacon.Morena folks, it feels like it’s been quite ...4 days ago - “I think I was, at that time, the only girl in Taranaki who ever wrote a line”
“It's a history of colonial ruin, not a history of colonial progress,” says Michele Leggott, of the Harris family.We’re talking about Groundwork: The Art and Writing of Emily Cumming Harris, in which she and Catherine Field-Dodgson recall a near-forgotten and fascinating life, the female speck in the history of texts.Emily’s ...5 days ago - Fact brief – Is the sun responsible for global warming?
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- A Baptism in the Forest: Accepted
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Six long stories short from our political economy in the week to Saturday, April 12:Donald Trump exploded a neutron bomb under 80 years of globalisation, but Nicola Willis said the Government would cut operational and capital spending even more to achieve a Budget surplus by 2027/28. That even tighter fiscal ...5 days ago - Budget 2025: delivering for whom?
On 22 May, the coalition government will release its budget for 2025, which it says will focus on "boosting economic growth, improving social outcomes, controlling government spending, and investing in long-term infrastructure.” But who, really, is this budget designed to serve? What values and visions for Aotearoa New Zealand lie ...5 days ago
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- Release: Boot camps blog post fails to provide clarity
After stonewalling requests for information on boot camps, the Government has now offered up a blog post right before Easter weekend rather than provide clarity on the pilot. ...6 hours ago - Release: Inflation rises and families feel the squeeze
Inflation is rising again and it’s landing hardest on families already stretched thin. ...7 hours ago
- Release: Govt doesn’t know how to fund new hospitals
The Government’s health infrastructure plan is big on promises but coy on where the money is coming from. ...1 day ago
- Release: $10 million for only 215 students in charter schools
David Seymour is pouring $10 million into charter schools that only have 215 students enrolled. ...1 day ago
- Release: Food prices further stretching the family budget
Families already stretched by rising costs will struggle with the news food prices are going up again. ...2 days ago
- Release: Mental health staff and patients at risk without plan
More people could be harmed if Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey does not guarantee to protect patients and workers as the Police withdraw from supporting mental health call outs. ...3 days ago
- Release: Driver licensing proposal doesn’t put safety first
The Government’s proposal to change driver licensing rules is a mixed bag of sensible and careless. ...3 days ago
- Release: Students struggling as Govt sits on hands
The Government is continuing to sit on its hands as students struggle to pay rent due to delays with StudyLink. ...6 days ago
- Release: More must be done to stop children going hungry
More children are going hungry and statistics showing children in material hardship continue to get worse. ...6 days ago
- Greens continue to call for Pacific Visa Waiver
The Green Party recognises the extension of visa allowances for our Pacific whānau as a step in the right direction but continues to call for a Pacific Visa Waiver. ...6 days ago - More children going hungry under Coalition govt
The Government yesterday released its annual child poverty statistics, and by its own admission, more tamariki across Aotearoa are now living in material hardship. ...6 days ago
- Release: Longer wait for treatment under National
New Zealanders have waited longer to get an appointment with a specialist and to get elective surgery under the National Government. ...6 days ago
- Ka mate te Pire- Ka ora te mana o Te Tiriti o Waitangi me te iwi Māori
Today, Te Pāti Māori join the motu in celebration as the Treaty Principles Bill is voted down at its second reading. “From the beginning, this Bill was never welcome in this House,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, Rawiri Waititi. “Our response to the first reading was one of protest: protesting ...7 days ago
- Chris Hipkins speech: Treaty Principles Bill second reading
Normally, when I rise in this House to speak on a bill, I say it's a great privilege to speak on the bill. That is not the case today. ...1 week ago
- Release: End to the Treaty Principles Bill, but challenges remain ahead for Aotearoa
Ka mate te pire I te rā neiThe bill dies today ...1 week ago
- Ka mate te Pire, ka ora Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty Principles Bill dead, Te Tiriti o Waitangi m...
The Green Party is proud to have voted down the Coalition Government’s Treaty Principles Bill, an archaic piece of legislation that sought to attack the nation’s founding agreement. ...1 week ago
- Member’s Bill an opportunity for climate action
A Member’s Bill in the name of Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter which aims to stop coal mining, the Crown Minerals (Prohibition of Mining) Amendment Bill, has been pulled from Parliament’s ‘biscuit tin’ today. ...1 week ago
- Release: Bill to make trading laws fairer passes first hurdle
Labour MP Kieran McAnulty’s Members Bill to make the law simpler and fairer for businesses operating on Easter, Anzac and Christmas Days has passed its first reading after a conscience vote in Parliament. ...1 week ago
- Release: Reserve Bank acts while Govt shrugs
Nicola Willis continues to sit on her hands amid a global economic crisis, leaving the Reserve Bank to act for New Zealanders who are worried about their jobs, mortgages, and KiwiSaver. ...1 week ago
- Release: Property Law Amendment Bill pulled from ballot
A Bill to protect first home buyers and others from bad faith property vendors has been drawn from the Member’s Ballot. ...1 week ago
- Release: More children at risk of losing family connections
Karen Chhour is proposing to scrap Oranga Tamariki targets which aim to connect more children under state care with family and their culture. ...1 week ago
- Release: David Parker made a difference – Hipkins
The Labour Leader today acknowledged and celebrated David Parker’s 23-year contribution to the Labour Party and to Parliament. ...1 week ago
- Release: David Parker to step down from Parliament
Long-serving Labour MP and former Minister David Parker has today announced his intention to leave Parliament. ...1 week ago
- Release: Flaws in Govt’s climate strategy will cost us money
The Government’s plan to achieve our climate goals falls short, and will cost New Zealanders money and jobs. ...1 week ago
- Green Party differing view on the Treaty Principles Bill
Read the Green Party's differing view on the Treaty Principles Bill, prepared by Tamatha Paul. ...1 week ago
- Te Pāti Māori Urges Governor-General to Block Repeal of 7AA
Today, the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill has passed its third and final reading, but there is one more stage before it becomes law. The Governor-General must give their ‘Royal assent’ for any bill to become legally enforceable. This means that, even if a bill gets voted ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Abortion care quietly shelved amid staff shortage
Abortion care at Whakatāne Hospital has been quietly shelved, with patients told they will likely have to travel more than an hour to Tauranga to get the treatment they need. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt guts Kāinga Ora, third of workforce under axe
The gutting of Kāinga Ora shows public housing is not a priority for this Government as it removes a third of the roles at the housing agency. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Thousands of submissions excluded from Treaty Principles Bill report
Thousands of New Zealanders’ submissions are missing from the official parliamentary record because the National-dominated Justice Select Committee has rushed work on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Uncertainty remains over the impact of tariffs
Today’s announcement of 10 percent tariffs for New Zealand goods entering the United States is disappointing for exporters and consumers alike, with the long-lasting impact on prices and inflation still unknown. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Worst February for building consents in over a decade
The National Government’s choices have contributed to a slow-down in the building sector, as thousands of people have lost their jobs in construction. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour supports Willie Apiata’s selfless act
Willie Apiata’s decision to hand over his Victoria Cross to the Minister for Veterans is a powerful and selfless act, made on behalf of all those who have served our country. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori MPs Denied Fundamental Rights in Privileges Committee Hearing
The Privileges Committee has denied fundamental rights to Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, breaching their own standing orders, breaching principles of natural justice, and highlighting systemic prejudice and discrimination within our parliamentary processes. The three MPs were summoned to the privileges committee following their performance of a haka ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt health and safety changes put workers at risk
Changes to New Zealand’s health and safety laws will strip back key protections for small businesses and put working Kiwis at greater risk. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Kiwis worse off this April thanks to Govt choices
April 1 used to be a day when workers could count on a pay rise with stronger support for those doing it tough, but that’s not the case under this Government. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Three more years for Interislander ferries
Winston Peters is shopping for smaller ferries after Nicola Willis torpedoed the original deal, which would have delivered new rail enabled ferries next year. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Myanmar junta must stop the airstrikes
The Government should work with other countries to press the Myanmar military regime to stop its bombing campaign especially while the country recovers from the devastating earthquake. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National failing to deliver on supermarkets
National is paying lip service to its promises to bring down the cost of living, failing to make any meaningful change in the grocery sector. ...3 weeks ago
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$2,000,000,000
Accomodationlandlords supplement ?IMO its never really helped the people who actually need it, ie Renters/ low income people et al…..this might confirm.
As I personally thought..
Living..hand to mouth. This must change.
Labour and other Left parties..wheres the hope? Transformational change? Something to make me, and thousands of other Voters interested?
This is symptomatic of an ever growing problem. Like an economic iceberg, the hidden danger : (
In my long working life I have had interaction with many NZ Super receiving employees. Nat/right wing voters to a man (and woman) They also laughed about the Super…as their piss/overseas holiday money. All of them well off…flash cars, large houses etc; etc.
IMO they didnt need a job and Super….
can you please stop posting so many quotes? It's not just you, there's a lot of people treating TS like FB atm. We want to hear what you think, use quotes and links to back up what you want to say if you need to, or reference something, but it's not supposed to a substitute for your thinking or arguments.
Huh? I post what I think. The quotes are part of it. If its a problem to you personally…I will just stop. I have a lot of options..
it's a problem for the site. We want to hear what commenters think, including you, we don't want lots of quoting from offsite overriding that. It's an increasing problem on TS across a number of commenters. We all do it from time to time, it's when it becomes the main way of commenting that it becomes a problem.
So do you think it should be one or the other? Therefore people in employment don't get Super?
I think there would be a couple of consequences to this (apart from removing the 'fairness' of automatic qualifying age).
There are people who use Super as a 'cushion' to ease themselves out of work. They live off the super for a couple of years, while they're using their salary to pay for 'large' bills (house maintenance, car, etc.) or to add to their savings as a buffer. They also often transition to lower hours (e.g. move to 30 hours/week for a couple of years, then down to 20 hours/week, etc.)
People at 65 are more likely to quit work. You may not think that is an issue, however, we have a whole bunch of professionals (who are darn difficult to replace) who are at or nearing retirement age. And who we do *not* want to have quit at 65.
Finally. The biggest danger with assigning 'qualifications' to a universal pension, is that the people who miss out (or who think they're at risk of missing out), stop voting for maintaining it. If you don't think that's a risk, then I don't think you've been paying attention to the worldwide political and economic situation.
You'll find nowadays that it's not just accommodation supplement needed. I can't offer a link (or evidence) but anecdotally, if you're a beneficiary in private rental, Temporary Additional Support is now part of the equation, the "temporary" part of that now being "permanent"- but still having to reapply for it every 3 months.
My own experience- single on SLP in private rental. I get maximum AS and am maxxed out on TAS and disability. Without TAS I would be homeless, and even with all of those, my rent is currently 54.13% of my income. Not sure how, but that's dropped a little bit, it was 60% at one stage. (Must be that $5/week increase I got on April 1st?)
Unfortunately, needing TAS to pay the rent means it's not available for anything else that's also vital, but the first priority is not to be homeless.
yep. I read the piece yesterday and it offered zero solutions to the needs of low income people. It was all about stock unit economics. 'Maybe we can solve the problem with more social housing and more helping people to own their homes instead of rent'. Well yes, but in the meantime AS causes rent increases, as does the property market. The only way at the bigger picture level to stop that is to take houses out of the market permanently.
I've heard beneficiary advocates say get rid of AS, but I've not seen an explanation of how that wouldn't push many beneficiaries into abject poverty.
And there it is. Its a terrible indictment on NZ today. IMO theres no how or even why we got here.Have thrown away the t shirt.
Been there, and like you have struggled and battled. This has got to change.
Left parties? Where are you? Culture wars are a distraction. Fight for Us !
Before its too late…
My mum's side of the family generated volumes of grandchildren that frankly haven't done wonderfully.
My mum's sister and hubbie bought a lifestyle block on the fringes of West Auckland, and did up sheds and garages to self contained standard.
Last count its 3 couples and 4 families, all paying either rent or mortgage on the whole shambling thing.
Closest we'll get to a marae-type arrangement.
how did they get on with consent for multiple dwellings? or did they just bypass that?
Existing footprints + under minimum floor size "creatively".
The point was agglomeration of family capital and need.
it's a very good idea, more people would be doing this but get stymied by regs that could be somewhat more flexible.
"Who woulda thunk it"?
on its own it's necessary but not sufficient. If lots of social housing is built in the cities, and thus rental supply exceeds demand, those houses will become empty house investments and/or airbnbs. We need to address this at the whole system level, and that involves taking houses out of the market and essentially undermining the whole property as a way of saving for retirement scheme that NZ has been running for decades. That's a massive task pragmatically, but also politically.
What about a maximum rent/income multiple + tenure for public servants?
What do you mean when you say "tenure for public servants" and why do they need special treatment?
Subsidy+tenure still occurs with NZDF. Remember railway houses? Coaltown houses?
… to make public service long term attractive again.
one value in tenure is that you retain institutional knowledge and memory. As opposed to currently, where it's common to be dealing with public servants who've only worked in the org for 6 months and don't know much.
Another value would be attracting competent and skilled people into the PS workforce given the generally lower salary rate than if they worked privately.
Also build lasting local communities. With gardens.
yes!
Your first paragraph seems to be talking about tenure in the sense that it is used for University jobs. The second though appears to be talking about it in the sense of having a permanent right to a state rental property.
The first makes sense but would the second really matter to most people who would probably still prefer to buy rather than rent their homes.
Ad seems to see it as applying to rental properties which I can't see as being particularly to people taking a job as a public servant in Wellington.
I think your view that people are better paid in the private sector than in the state one is long out of date. I suggest you ask anyone who works as a practice nurse in a GP clinic whether they are better off that a nurse in a hospital. It is a long time since I was an employer but when I was we simply gave up talking to people in a Government job. They might have wanted to leave their existing job for the Government but they simply weren't prepared to accept the salary in a private firm. People I know who are still employed tell me it hasn't changed.
The risk with this approach is that you lose your job and your house in one fell swoop.
And, while we can all think it won't happen. We know from our own history (remember the 80s and 90s) that downsizing of public service jobs does indeed occur.
Those risks remain such as with the recent closure of Kawerau mill, best described as a private development with an awful lot of state help. There comes a point where even the state can't prop up an entire town by itself when the tides of an industry retreat.
Yet for every identified risk, the rewards are greater.
You can still check out the durable masterplanned area in Palmerston North's Savage Crescent.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/300654055/back-issues-palmerston-norths-model-suburb-of-state-housing
Then of course there's the big ones of the last 15 years of which Hobsonville is the largest, but there are multiple that pushed on during the Ardern years. That was built on top of the Hobsonville airbase including the old Defence housing from the 1910s to the 1950s.
The most recent strong tie between manufacturing and new town would be Ohinewai for Sleepyhead north of Huntly.
In 2017, my sister & brother-in-law bought a 2-bedroom house in Savage Cres for their retirement, & they love it. This year's project – solar panels.
So good to hear that depth of legacy remaining and cared for.
For me Palmerston North remains New Zealand's most coherent, most liveable small city. The civic square, the mana whenua partnerships, the small but very serviceable public institutions, the flat layout that encourages cycling, even rail to Wellington …
… it just accelerated into a strong regional centre in the 1940s and just continues.
The issue for me, isn't so much that the whole plant or organization closes, and everyone has to leave (we've seen this multiple times in NZ, when freezing works, mills and factories close down); but rather with accommodation which is tied to your job. If you lose your job (redundancies can happen without resulting in the whole operation being closed – see Wellington civil service for current examples) – you also lose your house.
The PN example you give appears to be State housing – not tied to being employed in the civil service. The Hobsonville development was both state housing and private housing – but not connected to employement in any way.Which was the concept being explored in the OP.
And the Ohinewai development has been criticized for precisely the reasons I've give. A company town gives the company a whole lot of power over the outside-work lives of its employees. It may be a good idea – but there's a whole lot of power imbalance, with the potential for abuse.
It's part of a general unwillingness of either National or Labour governments to do anything about the causes of problems rather than just paper over the cracks.
"Oh, destroying the union movement has meant real wages have fallen and people are needing to work two jobs to survive? Well, there's no way we're going to do anything to make real wages reflect productivity increases, so let's just bung workers some cash from taxes and call it "Working for Families."
"Oh, our incentivising property speculation via the tax system is causing a property bubble and making rents unaffordable? Well, middle-class voters will punish us if we spoil their property Ponzi scheme, so let's just bung renters some cash from taxes and call it "Accommodation Supplement."
It's a very depressing way to run a country, and it has huge opportunity costs for all the things you could otherwise be doing with that tax money.
if we want to get even more depressed. Earlier on in the Auckland housing crisis I had a few arguments on twitter with lefties who thought the solution was for Aucklanders to move to the provinces. Grow the provinces for economic stimulus! (migration to provinces Good, but no, you're not allowed to talk about migration into Auckland from outside the country bigot).
I pointed out that this would spread the housing crisis to the provinces as cashed up Aucklanders, rich from their property boom, would outbid existing locals, who also were starting to find housing tight, and this would push the property boom raising house prices and rents. I was laughed at. It's exactly what happened. Along with airbnbs, and why bother renting at all property owners.
Meanwhile, WINZ sort the country into 4 categories that determine how much AS you can get. It's meant to make it more fair so that people living in high rent areas can get more AS. But historically it's been horrendously out of date. The latest I can find is from 2017,
https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/newsroom/2017/budget-2017/new-regions.html
I'm sure that system holds a lid on even worse landlord rorting the AS system, but it's beneficiaries are that are caught in the pinch.
Thames has done well out of it. Even Paeroa has new developments.
Sure. No-one said perpetual growth doesn't bring good things. Still lots of poor people that can't afford a decent life in large part thanks to the housing crisis.
Including the old race course – now being turned into more housing (I suspect another retirement village).
It's exactly what happened alright. My wife worked in Rotorua 2014 – 2021 so we bought a house there. It had doubled in value by the time she moved back to PN, as the ripple effect of people moving outwards from Auckland pushed the property bubble further into the provinces. By 2020, even houses in PN were becoming unaffordable for people moving here.
Here we go again
https://x.com/stuartbdonovan/status/1911534106594394116?s=61
It's a direct subsidie to the banks and land lords, one of the biggest drivers if housing unaffordabilty
Because banks make money financing home ownership (to people to reside in or rent out), there will be criticism of whatever government does.
Whether support to the haves to own, or to the have nots to be dependent on private landlords (rather than public housing).
Food in schools gets around some of that.
As does publicly funded health and dental (at least a free annual check up based on need) care.
And schools that do not charge fees.
And income support to the non working partner (as well as WFF tax credits to those with children).
A 20 year bright-line test (backdated to 2018) to assist with income related state/social housing to some and AS to others in the private sector market is at least balance.
As is a 5% stamp duty on homes over $2m to afford assistance to people to raise a deposit for a house purchase.
Something overlooked since 2023, because the C of C bro team is in office.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/558006/we-need-to-take-action-health-experts-urge-endometriosis-reform
Labour Manifesto 2023
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LpGWVJZ8-7AWL-tiFD8aAdD3e0Gxa6uC/view
https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/2023-07/womens-health-strategy-oct23.pdf
Well, well.
Trump is planning to drop the tariffs from things like laptops and smartphones made in China from the tariff regime.
"Smartphone reprieve: The Trump administration published a rule late Friday night that appeared to exempt smartphones, computers, semiconductors and other electronics from most of the president’s punishing tariffs on China, giving tech companies like Apple and Dell a break from levies that threatened to upend their businesses and increase prices for consumers."
From the New York times today
I wonder whether this comes from his fear of the kickback from 120 million or so iphone owners in the US who may not be able to afford to replace them. Alternatively has Apple offered a very large "donation" to a "Trump favoured organisation" in return for the tariffs being scrapped?
The SAFE Act makes it harder to vote.
Only 50% have a passport. The woman has to have a birth certificate and also marriage license for ID.
If women are motivated to get a passport, so they can buy a laptop or Apple phone at half price in Canada or Mexico, it will mean they do not pay for the tax cuts of the broligarchs and they can vote for the Democratic ticket more easily.
Well, Apple CEO Tim Cook is gay, and not known for being an obvious TrumpFather fan, he was certainly not in the ‘tech bro’ front row with Bezos, Zuckerberg and Musk-but who knows yet about donations.
Correction…
“Amazon, Meta, Uber, OpenAI chief Sam Altman and Apple chief Tim Cook have given Trump’s inaugural fund $1 million each.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/01/09/google-trump-inauguration-donation/
Indeed. He bottled it.
Bank of America Securities analyst Wamsi Mohan said in a Thursday note that the iPhone 16 Pro, which is currently priced at $1,199, could increase 25% based on labor costs alone. That would make it a roughly $1,500 device.
Wedbush’s Dan Ives pegged $3,500 as the U.S. iPhone’s price shortly after last week’s tariff announcement, estimating that Apple would need to spend $30 billion over three years to move 10% of its supply chain to the U.S.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/11/heres-how-much-a-made-in-the-usa-iphone-would-cost.html
Russia intent on erasure of Ukrainian identity in occupied areas.
Thus ends any pretence of being there for ethnic Russians, it's just a land grab because of … changing excuse.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93gy91y43vo
Peters is in Honolulu speaking to the East-West Centre, 22 hours before travels to us here.
He said
Winston Peters, in 2021, after the party was not returned to parliament
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300337617/winston-peters-attacks-labour-cancel-culture-and-te-reo-usage-in-comeback-speech
Peters, state of the nation speech, 2025.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/watch-live-winston-peters-delivers-state-of-the-nation-speech/FFB6NQNMNVGMBJ55SV3KJXBCAY/
And it included the WTO, which the US has determined on undermining in recent years and now other organisations they are to withdraw funding from.
He wants us to consider withdrawal from the Paris Accord, this while Europe is looking at carbon tariffs.
A nation declares tariffs on all other nations and he does not support those nations talking with each other about it.
Why?
Oh, so he does not want us to confront the USA over its behaviour. Because to challenge the alpha, is being rude to a superior?
Such is the way of the diplomat, not being noticed at all, except as a pacifyer of reaction to perfidy – so as to maintain relationships. The useful side-kick managing down consequences to the drunk of another bender. The enabler.
Hopefully the result will be worth it, 2 rail enabled ferries and waiting out making a decision on Pillar 2 till after Trump leaves office.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/558027/winston-peters-says-talk-of-trade-war-is-hysterical-short-sighted
https://open.substack.com/pub/weareunderused/p/banks-lies-and-government-favors?r=aax0&utm_medium=ios
This CoC really is the pocket of big business. Screw the voting public, they only work for their donors.
Not saying we will but we will most likely fry.
https://xcancel.com/ClimateBen/status/1910535665684455552
Earth's energy imbalance (EEI)
Earth's energy budget (in W/m2) determines the climate. It is the balance of incoming and outgoing radiation and can be measured by satellites. The Earth's energy imbalance is the "net absorbed" energy amount and grew from +0.6 W/m2 (2009 est.[8]) to above +1.0 W/m2 in 2019.[23]
See also: Radiative forcing
The Earth's energy imbalance (EEI) is defined as "the persistent and positive (downward) net top of atmosphere energy flux associated with greenhouse gas forcing of the climate system".[2]: 2227
If Earth's incoming energy flux (ASR) is larger or smaller than the outgoing energy flux (OLR), then the planet will gain (warm) or lose (cool) net heat energy in accordance with the law of energy conservation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_energy_budget#Earth's_energy_imbalance_(EEI)
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